Contemporary Arts Residency in the Swiss Alps – 40 days to go
Fondue is Swiss. Who knew?… as ubiquitous in Switzerland as chocolate or watches, according to BBC Travel. Its first mention dates as far back as around 800 to 725 BC, where it was described as a mixture of goat’s cheese, wine and flour.
According to https://everythingfondue.wordpress.com/history/ ‘The local villagers found that if they heated the cheese with wines, garlic, and herbs they could dip their stale bread which would soften when dipped into the flavourful cheese mixture. This way of cooking together over one pot and eating by a warm cozy fire became a Swiss winter tradition known as fondue.
In the 1930s fondue was promoted as a Swiss national dish by the Swiss Cheese Union. Makes sense. If Grenada could figure out how to do something similar with breadfruit (apart from the national OIl Down), we’d be exporting breadfruit, leaves, bark and all. But again, I digress.
In my pre-teen years in Trinidad, we often had ‘fondue.’ Three children around an electric fondue pot half-filled with bubbling salted oil, armed with bits of seasoned raw beef or chicken on skewers. In hindsight, a recipe for disaster. The meat cooked quickly and kept us busy for the hour it took us to gorge ourselves…and find other things (sausage, stray wontons…) in the fridge to put into the ‘fondue pot.’ As a special treat we had once, or twice bananas fondue…in melted chocolate.
Cheese was never on that menu.
I anticipate the proper eating of a Swiss national dish when I get to the village of Feutersoey, and chasing it with Ovomaltine (aka Ovaltine), which I have also realised originated in Switzerland. Aside from the drink, the powder is also eaten sprinkled on top of a slice of buttered bread. (Now that sounds familiar…substituting condensed milk for butter on the bread.)
Clearly, my life has been sprinkled with things Swiss…and I’m heading there, in 40 days to begin my contemporary arts residency at Open Spaces in the Swiss Alps.
Please visit http://artstung.blogspot.com/2017/08/support-my-swiss-art-residency.html my blogpost with a Paypal link — and help offset airfare and basic expenses for my stay. I’d really like you to join me on this journey, and receive at the end, an original made-in-Switzerland-by me artwork of your very own. Of course, along the way, you get to follow my blog (online or via email), and see progress reports.
FOR YOU
As a reward for your generous support, I will send an original painting made-in-Switzerland-by-me to you at the end of the residency, as below:
- USD $50 support: (acid free mixed media paper, 6×8 inches.) Still available #27
- USD $100 support: (acid free mixed media paper 9×12 inches.) Still available #19
- USD $200 support: (handmade South Indian paper A4.) Still available #9
I will also provide daily updates about my journey on my blog as well as a special pdf diary of works in progress and extensive studio photos. BONUS: I’ll also send select digital images from my extensive Grenada Traditional Masquerade series, direct to your email address.
PS if the link does not work, OPEN IT IN YOUR BROWSER or please email me at artstung@gmail.com or inbox your email to https://www.facebook.com/artstungingrenada/ and I will email you a Paypal invoice. For persons who wish to donate outside of Paypal (in Grenada or in Trinidad or anywhere else) whatsapp me at 14734561953 for instructions.
Thank you to my family, friends, OLD and NEW collectors of my work!