Am I expected to eat dirt?
Mark K April 2nd, 2008
No lavo me auto porque amo mi tierra
Translated from Spanish, this saying means something like this:
I don’t wash my car because I love my dirt
The Spanish word “tierra” can also be translated as “land” or “country”. I could imagine someone traveling far from their hometown, or even their native country, their car covered with grime. But they refuse to wash the car because they don’t want to give up this memento of their home.
The more I think about it, the more I like this metaphor - it’s like saying, “I love you, warts and all.” It’s a simple saying, but there’s a lot underneath.
Winemakers talk about the “terroir” of the wine - the special characteristics given to that particular wine that come from the soil in which the vines were grown. My artist friend, Laura Parker, took this concept a step further and created an art installation called Taste of Place. If we can discern elements of the soil in the wine or foods, what would happened if we tried a more direct approach - tasting the soil itself? Before you dismiss this as craziness, and to find out if anyone actually munches mud, take a look at Laura’s website for the project and watch the video. You’ll even see my wife, Heidi, participating in a soil tasting!
