Mutualism
I was lucky enough to recently be at a vineyard in southeastern Sardinia contemplating the fig. The sunset was hazy, but the grapes were full on the vines and we picked from a tree dripping with sweet pears as we walked through the rows. We sat down under the branches of an ancient carob tree for a wine tasting — three Swedish girls, a Polish family and our group of Americans — to drink vermentino. The vigneron talked about how their community helps his family harvest their grapes when the time comes. They, in turn, help their neighbors with their sheep that produce pecorino romano, which we also tried. The same goes for neighbors that raise pigs or grow wheat — everyone helps, everyone shares. Scandalously ripe figs were passed around that their neighbor just offered, the juiciest ones I’ve ever had.
Did you know that a fig is a dead wasp? For a fig to exist in the wild (some, not all), a female fig wasp has crawled inside a flower to pollinate it and died. A sacrifice well worth it, in my opinion, since I much prefer figs to wasps. But still, a death. It’s an example of mutualism — “a form of symbiosis, which is a close and persistent relationship between two organisms of different species, but not necessarily one in which they help each other.” We were visiting this family and their land, and sharing their community’s offerings. We stacked figs with the cheese and Sardinian flatbread and kept drinking wine, first a white, then red. You taste the dirt of the earth and the salt of the sea in the wine, and it was all very … symbiotic. Of course, we paid money for the wine tasting, but the land and its people had worked together to create all this glorious food, and it felt really sacred to be a part of it.
The group got a little louder and friendlier as the night went on, cheers-ing in Swedish (skål), Polish (twoje zdrowie) and Italian (saluti). We drained the last of our wine. Eventually, we all got into our tiny cars and drove away, the magic of the group broken.
Travel refreshes my enthusiasm for hospitality. With every journey to a new place, you are counting on people to meet you, whether it’s Uber drivers, restaurant staff or the guy selling cold drinks on the beach. I came back from my trip to Sardinia with a sense of invitation to host people well and be welcoming. I’m so grateful for the people that received us and let us in to their way of life, their way of making pasta, and the lady that told us about the erosion on their beaches and how important it is to be aware of how we impact the islands. Interactions like this connect us more intimately to the land and ourselves but also expand our understanding of the world.
If mutualism is a close and persistent relationship between two organisms, the vineyard and its community was an exquisite example of it. Traveling and hosting is another example. Like figs need wasps, we need each other. Whether you travel or stay home this summer, I hope you are able to receive hospitality. And give it.
- Contemporary Biennial of Art of Bonifacio — We stumbled on an incredible art experience in Corsica. A lot of it dealt with migration, like the still above from Isaac Julien’s The Leopard.
- Peach Truck — This truck drives around the US delivering the best peaches. I have been making all the peach things, especially this salad and this sorbet.
- Njideka Akunyili Crosby at Blanton — This painter’s exhibit opens this week here in Austin!
- Albums! — FKA Twigs, Burna and Giveon all have new albums that are making me happy.
- Lingui, The Sacred Bonds — This film from Chad about women coming together to help women.
- Milk Bar ice cream — I don’t eat dinner anymore cause it’s too hot. Just these amazing ice creams.
