At the heart of the trend is a 1975 children’s folk tale by Italian writer Tomie dePaola that features a gentle witch doctor, Strega Nona, with a flair for cooking up pasta and handing out cures and advice for everything from headaches to heartaches.
Imagine a comforting bowl of food that never runs out. Sunshine on one’s shoulders, a happy quiet, the smell of freshly-cooked food and the camaraderie of friends. Imagine self-containment, the joy of opting out of the crushing need to keep pace, to step up and keep shining. Sounds like a vibe worth aspiring to? After the chaotic adrenaline rush of “Brat Summer”, autumn’s soothing note has been struck by Strega Nona September. It advocates mindfulness and the restorative power of the quiet life, even if its message of wholesomeness — ironically — has become a social-media aspiration.
At the heart of the trend is a 1975 children’s folk tale by Italian writer Tomie dePaola that features a gentle witch doctor, Strega Nona, with a flair for cooking up pasta and handing out cures and advice for everything from headaches to heartaches. As age catches up with her, Nona employs a strapping young helper, Big Anthony, who is fascinated by her ability to conjure up pasta in her magic pot. His own attempt at emulating Nona’s magic, however, goes woefully wrong — the pot won’t stop churning out the dish and soon, the town is awash in spaghetti. Nona comes to the rescue: She hands out a fork to Anthony and asks him to eat up — and clean up — after himself.
There is, of course, an inherent wisdom in folk tales, but in this Strega Nona moment, there is a larger subtext to the script. That, like the passage of seasons, there is a time to rush and a time to nest; that, even in this age of hustle and grind, do and tell, there is virtue in knowing when to pull back — and for what. Corporate culture will continue glorifying a 24/7 work ethic, social media will measure one’s worth in likes and virality. But like Nona, it helps to be wise enough to know who we are when we are not performing and to be secure enough to make time for the things that delight. As Mary Oliver writes in her poem, ‘Don’t Hesitate’, “If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it… Joy is not made to be a crumb.”
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 27-09-2024 at 06:30 IST
