A story free of artifices about the most delightful of universal languages, capable of uniting vastly different elements in a delicate and magical balance
Starting from one of the ultimate sexist stereotypes – the woman in the kitchen – to create a story of inclusion, emancipation, joy of living and welcoming differences. They stay in the kitchen, and have a lot of fun with this project which, through food, talks about history, roots, and the ability to welcome and take care of others. Recipe after recipe, they prove, even to the most sceptical, that we can save traditions, without fear of opening up to those who are different from us. That the world has always been based on a beautiful balance of exchange, which has made us all richer. Does everything seem too fictionalised? Think of the Spice Route.
The best recipe ever cooked? A caress just when you need it, a surprise picnic on the living room rug, a flash of beauty, encountered even in places where everyone tells you there is none.
The best feeling you have when you meet the Passera sisters is that, despite their symbiotic bond, despite the fact that they speak a language of their own and they understand each other at a glance, they also have the super power of not ever making you feel left out, not even for a moment. That’s the way they are, soft and welcoming in every inch of their being and their soul. Today we are going to discover more about their project which, while talking about recipes, between a pinch of salt and a spoonful of sugar, explains how, with small gestures of comfort, in the end we could all be happier.
Sorelle Passera: who are they?
“We are Gigi and Marisa Passera, aka the @SorellePassera, and we are sisters, by name, in spirit and in real life. Since we can remember, that is, since back when we used to eat baby pasta in broth sprinkled with cheese, food has been our alphabet of emotions, the most natural way we know to give and receive care and love. Together we enjoy cooking words, books, TV shows and “comfort items”, which for us are all those precious goods that fill the eyes and belly and make the heart shine.
The best recipe ever cooked, a caress just when you need it, a surprise picnic on the living room rug, a flash of beauty encountered at home or elsewhere, even in places where everyone tells you there is none. In our kitchen, by welcoming and sharing, we have kneaded the most significant and lasting bonds of life.”
The wonder and power of food is the fact that in different parts of the world, in very distant, culturally different places, the same dishes are cooked and this means that we are much closer than we think.
In the increasingly glossy world of food, your project presents itself as a personal story of everyday life, without frills and with lots and lots of soul. The most extraordinary thing, however, is that it is a completely “patronising free” space, in which you share for the pure pleasure of doing so, light years away from the worn-out like-catching narrative. How did you embark on this adventure?
“Together we have a project that, in a general sense, is life, and even though we have separate commitments and paths, we enjoy sometimes making room for a language that is uniquely ours, which we adapt to different situations. One of these is cooking. Since we were little, we have always cooked for each other, often as a peace treaty. When we quarrelled, the easiest way to reconcile was to ask: “Fancy some mashed potatoes?”. And the other one would reply: “Ok, but I’m also going to make meatballs” and so we would start cooking. For us, everything mellowed between scents and spices: a tablespoon of mashed potatoes was equivalent to a kiss, so “I’ll give you three tablespoons of mashed potatoes” was like saying “I’ll give you three kisses”. For us, food is the means that always allows us to interact with the world, with friends and even with strangers. At the table we have got to know different realities, which have become part of our family. Food is a universal language, people understand each other even when they speak different languages, simply by stepping up to the stove; it is the easiest way to communicate and be close.”
Since we were little, we have always cooked for each other, often as a peace treaty. When we quarrelled, the easiest way to reconcile was to ask: “Fancy some mashed potatoes?
In fact, in a world of hyperbole, you choose to talk about small joys and comfort items. Tell us about the heart and the irony behind the two hashtags of the @ SorellePassera project.
“#comfortitems is a hashtag that represents everything we are capable of giving and would love to receive. Which, let me say, are simple things. We chose this hashtag with the Saint Bernard in mind, arriving with his little bottle of whisky just as you risk freezing to death. The only difference being that we put cutlets in our barrel. However, joking aside, what we want to say is how important it is to receive comfort when you’re feeling down. Comfort is the most important thing in everyone’s life, it is the true demonstration of love and it takes very little to give it.
#smalljoysfordarktimes is an upgrade of #comfortitems, created during the lockdown. Now we’ve removed it from our thoughts, but it was a terrible moment in history. We were all locked in the house, we couldn’t do anything and the only thing that made the day bright was turning on the oven, kneading dough, and making a focaccia rise. Virtually everyone did it. Small joys are the things that save a day and give meaning to our existence. We thought that, once the Covid emergency was over, we would no longer need this hashtag, but unfortunately the news shows us that we still need many small antidotes to protect us and give us strength, since the dark times in the world aren’t giving any signs of diminishing.”
Small joys for dark times is almost never a reference to ourselves, but, like comfort items, they are an act of generosity. Doing something for others is what really saves our life and makes it precious.
Food as an act of love, but also a succulent and fragrant form of resistance to a social logic increasingly based on individualism?
“Individualism is the hardest thing to endure in our society. So learning to give, even in the smallest way, is the concrete way we have to oppose the rampant logic of conflict. Food, if you want to understand the worlds behind it, is a sublime means of getting to know our fellow human beings.
The wonder and power of food is the fact that in different parts of the world, in very distant places, culturally different, the same dishes are cooked and this means that we are much closer than we think, that we must absolutely break down our barriers, because if we all sit around the table we are exactly the same people.
We may have different traditions, but we all cook the same dish. And for the same reasons, among other things, that is: being close to one another, loving each other and enjoying a moment of happiness with the people we love. And this is magic.”
Individualism is the hardest thing to endure in our society. So learning to give, even in the smallest way, is the concrete way we have to oppose the rampant logic of conflict.
You have always had a crazy bond, excluding the world would have been very simple. Instead you give us a version of #sisterhood with an incredible sensitivity for those who are different from you, for your fellow humans. . .
“Being able to count on a sister, whether she’s your sister by blood or by choice, means being able to live life just as you feel you want to, because no matter what the world tells you, you always have your own safe place to come back to, where you feel welcomed. This gives you the strength to carry on your story. Here we are talking about the bond between us, but the way we approach our experience as sisters is the same one we use to try to welcome the rest of the world. Welcoming is the foundation of our family. At the table we have got to know different realities that started out sharing a dish with us and ended up becoming part of our family.
Thus family traditions multiply, because we also borrow them from other families, which in the meantime have been incorporated into ours. What we talk about is a world of inclusion, which carries a simple message: if we could really fill our days with small comfort items, with small joys for dark times, we would all be happier. Small acts of magic, some even performed by apprentice sorcerers, with no need to be an expert. Doing something for others is what really saves our life and makes it precious. We express this with food, but any form of kindness is fine.”
At the table we have got to know different realities that started out sharing a dish with us and ended up becoming part of our family. Doing something for others is what makes life precious.
For you, food is a universal language, but it also means home, a story of humanity, memory, heritage. Do you feel like sharing your story on this aspect too?
“Food is magical, because it can take you home in an instant. It is the time machine of emotions. We come from a family of refugees: our grandparents came from Dalmatia, which was Italian, then there was all the mess of World War II and, to put it briefly, they had to leave everything behind, quickly, and move to Milan. So the only way left to metaphorically return home (to Zadar) was to cook the dishes of their homeland. The recipes of Nonna Maria – who was an amazing cook- always take us back to a place we never knew, except as adults. Like her strudel, she made it so thin that it looked like a sheet and she would fill it with pounds of apples. If you think about it, it is a dish that is a perfect metaphor for the equilibrium of a family, and maybe even for the world: many different flavours and textures, all held together by a very thin veil, which can break at any moment. Just like a family: inside there are so many flavours and the veil that protects it is fragile, so you have to treat it with care, continue to feed it, tell its story and make sure that it does not fade in our memories. Because suddenly you might find yourself far from home with nothing left but a recipe.”
What is the message you like to think you conveying between the lines of the @ SorellePassera recipes?
“We do not claim to be able to change the world, but we can change small pieces of the world. Remaining in the kitchen metaphor, the impression that we hope to leave is like the trail of crumbs left by Tom Thumb, a small road made up of positive thoughts, care for others, attention, listening, words that have a sense and a meaning, that people can decide to follow in a forest, sure to find the road that then leads them home, which is different for everyone.”
Strudel is a perfect metaphor for the equilibrium of a family, and maybe even for the world: many different flavours and textures, all held together by a very thin veil, which can break at any moment. So it needs to be handled with care.
