There is a proposal for the Pride month who from Varese wants to turn to Lombardy, thanks to a traditional recipe which also has a sadly metaphorical value: that ofBraised veala meat dish which, with its cooking and its gremolada, is the heritage not only of Milan but also of a large part of Lombardy, but also recalls some offensive terms to define homosexuals, which cinema has brought to the fore.
And so the Masnago restaurant Free Zone has decided to present theOssobuco Pridean event to be held in Varese for the entire duration of the month of June 2024, during the Varese Pride monththe event that celebrates the pride and rights of the LGBT+ community.
For the entire month of Pride, starting from the first week of June, Zona Franca will offer ossobuco which will be the absolute protagonist in its restaurant, and will be available in all its variations, including a vegan version of the dish: but the appeal of the patron of Zona Franca, Franca Formentiis that this proposal will expand to other restaurant locations in Varese and beyond.
How did the idea of ossobuco pride come about and why that recipe?
«The idea of ossobuco pride was born a few months ago – he explains Franca Formenti – I’ve been thinking for a year now that I would have liked to collaborate with Arcigay from Varese, therefore in the city where I live, and do something that had the ambition of going beyond the confines of Varese, potentially involving all of Lombardy. This is why I thought of combining this demonstration for rights with a dish from Lombardy that was also a metaphor. What was better than gremolada with osso buco? Among other things, we will also make it in a vegan version, because we have many vegan customers and it seems like the right time to also reiterate animal rights.”
It is a laudable and not obvious battle in support of LGBT rights. How was it born?
«More than a battle, it is a fact that sexual orientation exists. I don’t have a great command of language and the LGBT world. There are people who are much more informed and educated than me on certain dynamics. But my closeness to this topic is first-hand: my firstborn, Virginiois gay and happily married to Francis, project manager of the project. Virginio also suggested we make a change to the original recipe, adding castor oil… For this reason, I replied that I would also beat the meat with a truncheon, to stay on topic. I want to do it in this period because it seems to me that instead of moving forward we are moving backwards from the point of view of rights, and I would like to invite the citizens of Varese to reflect on this reality. Situations of this kind exist, even and often in contexts where you would never expect them to happen, such as for example in environments where a different ideology, thought or political orientation is proclaimed. So it seems like the right time to me, given that we are in an Italy that instead of moving forward with rights is going backwards, to raise our hand and say “Look, they exist, they are there too and they are part of a social fabric that produces and creates income and jobs”
Is it therefore a testimony of closeness to your son and his husband?
«As a personal experience, what I experienced was to understand that to allow a person to be calm and happy you must first inform yourself, with competent people, on what to do and what not to do towards a teenager who has the right to live her life like other teenagers: come home with her boyfriend, make her own choices, appreciate her things and be appreciated. If you want well-being for your child and for him to grow up as an integral and whole person, without emotional destabilization, there are all the means to make him grow in a normal and peaceful way. This is what I would like to communicate with my experience, and with ossobuco pride. I’m looking for normality for them too”
What is the appeal to fellow restaurateurs and why now?
«The appeal to restaurateurs is first of all an attempt to create a map where there are places in favor of the defense of LGBT rights. An upside down map compared to the maps of the past, which indicated “the plague victims”. Restaurants are places that do business, create value, and can be open to supporting LGBT rights. Through food, because food is the biggest business on the planet. And by rediscovering a traditional recipe and offering it during pride month, it seems to me an opportunity to invite restaurateurs to join this project, which also aims to support Arcigay’s activities.
TWO EVENTS FOR PRIDE IN THE FREE ZONE
Meanwhile, while they are launching the collective idea of ”Ossobuco Pride”, Zona Franca, the place that manages Franca Formenti, organized itself for the Pride days with two events. The first is a aperitif DJ set which will be held on June 16th with a performance show by Ninja Lifeone of the protagonists of Pride, and Varese Pride desk point, where 15% of the total proceeds will be donated to ArciGay Varese.
The second, June 17th is a “Word coffee” dedicated to all families and their sons and daughters with the title, which takes inspiration from the presentation of the book: “A world in colour” and aims to find a way to “Educate in freedom and self-expression”. The evening, moderated and led by developmental psychologists and pedagogues, is a journey through animated readings and poems, to reflect on education for freedom and the breaking down of gender stereotypes: the start is at 6.30pm, with the possibility of aperitif. Areas will also be set up for recreational activities for children.
