Tastes of Danube. Bread, Wine, Herbs

As a follow-up project of "The Wanted Danube" which has just been awarded with two European prizes the "Danube-Networkers" organization in Ulm starts a new project along with their partners in September 2015. "Tastes of Danube: Bread, Wine, Herbs" is the name of the project which welcomes civil society organizations, schools, single persons and groups in Germany and all other Danube countries as active participants. From now on, every interested group, institution or person is invited to present their ideas for project activities.

Bread, wine, and herbs

Transnational activities will be designed and carried out circling around bread, wine, and herbs as traditional groceries and luxury foods which are equally common in all countries along the Danube river. The different activities will offer a chance to not only get knowledge about the use and meaning of these foods nowadays but to research about their social and cultural history throughout the countries. Memories and experiences from individual and professional life will fill the subject with life, along with teamed creative planning and baking, or, for example, discussing possibilities of food sharing.

More than just food

For example, what is the meaning of the old ritual of giving bread and salt as presents to welcome a family in their new house? Is this or a similar ritual also common in the other countries? For bread, wine, and herbs are more than food: They are tokens of cultural community or separation, witnesses of both the present way of life and history, spark festivities, trigger experiences and memories and are important objects in stories. They symbolize love and care but they sometimes are also the tools of power and violence, especially when people are short on bread in times of war or because of food speculation in global capitalism.

A project for people of all generations, ethnic groups, social and educational backgrounds

Like the foregoing project, this Danube project wants to motivate people of all generations, ethnic groups, social and educational backgrounds to take part. The focus is not only to enhance mutual knowledge and to find out more about traditions and values common to all countries. The focus is also to exchange experience and to meet – in real life as on the internet by pictures, skype, and videos. The participants get the chance to become acquainted to each other within a country or across the borders. Additionally, they get the possibility to create something as a team – an experience that fills the idea of an European identity with life.

The project is designed to be an inclusive one. Everyone is welcomed from the heart and finds a place in it to match. People with a handicap or without English language knowledge are explicitly invited to take part, for example with creative or hand-crafting activities.

Shared activities and the Danube Festival 01.07.2016 - 10.07.2016

The project is related to process and products. It is kept alive by the participants. The "DanubeNetworkers for Europe (DANET)" e.V. is looking for ideas and suggestions to their realization.
A first highlight of the project will be the International Danube Festival Ulm/Neu-Ulm 2016. The project will offer lots of possibilities for every participant to become active in his or her hometown or area. All activities will be shared in an online network and presented to other participants so that an exchange of opinions will be made possible. Similar as "The Wanted Danube", the festival will be a perfect frame for the participants to meet and also for presentations, discussions, and talks.
On 10.07.2016 a highlight will be the Breakfast on the Danube  under the theme "Sharing bread with your Danubian neighbours". It will take place on the Herdbrücke in Ulm, which connects Ulm and Neu-Ulm, Baden-Würtemberg and Bavaria and Germany with other Danube contries. Time wil be 10.30 a.m.

Researching, storytelling, filming, gardening: Do what you want to do

"Tastes of Danube" is a project focusing on team activity and action learning. Everyone who likes to explore and research, to discuss, to talk with experts or to lecture will find opportunities.
The project’s website invites all participants to exchange their opinions and provides a platform to distribute materials and coaching scripts which support the activities. Everyone can contribute to the project documentation in his own language, via photo and video picture. Central texts will be translated into English.
There are also creative possibilities of taking part, for example baking bread in a team, creating and exchanging recipes, collecting and preparing herbs, and much more. As many activities as possible should be documented in photos and videos so that everyone along the Danube can follow the others’ activities for there is no language common to all the participants except the language of pictures.

Looking for ideas and participants

The project is in its preparation stage now. The topic "Bread, Wine, and Herbs" will be parted into subgroups. Up to the Danube Festival 2016, the teamed activities will focus on the subtopic "bread". But the other two topics won’t get less attention because the Danube Festival is not the end of the project.
To include people of all generations, ethnic groups, social and educational backgrounds, the "Danube-Networkers" invite especially schools of all types and institutions of education, culture, social and environmental issues to be their project partners. Interested groups of seniors, civil society organizations and local groups all along the Danube are very welcome, too. There are no limits for own ideas and suggestions!