Scup<\/a>, there’s “Fish and Beats” every Friday night. Traditionally, Catholics don’t eat meat on Friday. Scup takes that tradition, removes the religion, and adds a local DJ. You might find pasta with cherry tomatoes and swordfish, or a grilled tuna steak, for about a quarter of the price of a normal restaurant.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAt both these centri sociali<\/em>, the system is much the same. You go up the kitchen counter and order your food and a caraffe of wine. The cook will call your name when your dish is ready, and then you sit down at a communal table and help yourself form the communal water and bread and oil. There’s no finger-snapping for a waiter, no private booths, no gigantic steaks. This is eating stripped down to the bare essentials, and I must say, it’s refreshing to do sometimes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nMany centri sociali serve international dishes. The one thing they all have in common: the price-quality-quantity ratio can’t be beat.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFood and Politics<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Like I said above, centri sociali<\/em> are, by definition, political spaces. Invariably, they are far-left: Virtually every centro sociale<\/em> has anti-fascist banners, pro-LGBTQ rainbows and something related to Palestinian solidarity and anti-imperialism. So, fair warning. As welcoming as many centers are, if you’re not comfortable with ACAB flags, these are not the places for you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe food is no different. Centri sociali<\/em> really do want to cook good food and satisfy bellies. But through the kitchen, they also want to make some statement about how we eat in the modern world, and perhaps offer an alternative. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe use of “clandestine” farms by Forte Prenestino and other centers isn’t just about getting fresh, local produce. For them, it’s a means to liberate themselves from the capitalist\/industrial system of agriculture. And even if you only eat there once a month, that’s progress. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
On Thursday nights, Scup does something quite extraordinary. They have an “Autistic Kitchen,” in which people with autism run the restaurant for the night. Under the supervision of Scup volunteers and local organizations, people who normally have trouble expressing themselves can, through food, find a medium for fulfillment. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
In general, these are spots which see food as both something fundamental and symbolic. At any centro sociale<\/em>, a hungry person could walk in and receive a free meal, no questions asked. Even fish dishes cost no more than a few euros, because to a centro sociale<\/em>, everyone has the right to eat a nice plate of fresh fish. At the same time, the act of cooking, serving and eating food is a political act. So while you, as a tourist, probably won’t be a regular at any centro<\/em>, your presence would be welcome. As long as you enter with an open, respectful mind, the size of your wallet or color of your skin won’t matter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you’re looking for cheap, local food, served with a side of politics, you’ve got to go to a Roman centro sociale Centri sociali are one of the great, hidden protagonists in Roman cultural life. There are Centri sociali all over Italy, but we’re going to focus on the Roman ones in this blog. Dining in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":15823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[1448],"tags":[1464,1505,1372,1506,1474],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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