Puglia People Power

One of the great story themes that always resonates with me is when a community wins over an oppressive giant. None could be more apt than when the people of Puglia managed to send American fast food giant McDonalds packing.

In 2001, in the small hilltop town of Altamura, the Golden Arches were erected on the very edge of the old town. Initially accepted as inevitable progress, it didn’t take long for the town’s folk to turn. Locals soon realised that the presence of an outpost of this American behemoth was an attack on all things Italian, their culture, their way of life.

The erection of the familiar giant lit M, casting a daily glow in the shadow of the town’s huge historic cathedral, was the final straw. What happened next has become folklore to all Italians. The people of Altamura fought back – with food.

Local foods were showcased at events all over town. The magnificent cheeses, the artisanal breads and cured meats were everywhere, all on special, at prices far less than anything on the McDonalds menu. Surrounding this unwelcome intruder, Macca’s, could be found the very heart and soul of the finest local foods from Puglia, passed on through generations.

The story even made the New York Times, a journalist in 2006 telling of the “war between Altamura and McDonalds…our bullets were focaccia, and sausage. And bread”

The town won. The American burger usurper was shipping out, packing up quietly, the arches glowing no longer, leaving town as quickly as it arrived. It was a victory for the artisans, the age old traditions of Italy, and the lovers of a fine food culture that dare not be challenged by such a pretender (and offender) ever again.