From 30.09 to 08.10.2023 a group of 5 young people from Poland had an opportunity to take part in an Erasmus+ project titled “There’s More Than Grass 2.0”. The main topic of the project was veganism. We spent the week in a dreamy lodge in a deep forest, approximately nine kilometres away from the main city Otepää in the south of the country. In the last few years Estonia became a place for the development of vegan cuisine and culture. That’s why the project in Estonia was focused on vegan ideology as a form of expressing culture and tradition. Otepää may be associated with being the capital of winter sports, because that’s where ski jumping and snowboarding World Cup happens. Despite the fact that we couldn’t try ourselves in these sports (since it is not an appropriate season), we couldn’t complain about lack of activities. Our days were filled with unexpected flavours and smells, and all of it was perfectly seasoned with a good portion of learning about traditions and cultures.
As well in the project took part participants from Portugal, Estonia and Netherlands. Each day we were creating veganised versions of meals from different countries. As a polish group, we prepared “sałatka jarzynowa”- potato salad, “pierogi ruskie”- cheese and potato dumplings and “kluski leniwe”- so-called lazy dumplings.
You can see our dishes here:
Beside cooking we had a chance to be part of a lot of interesting workshops and lectures, for example about lab-grown meat. The topic, even though it was completely new for some of us, turned out fascinating. Our cultures played the main role in the project. We were organising intercultural evenings, during which every country could share their traditions. We, as a polish group, opted for introducing other participants to a polish wedding, which turned out to be a good shot. There was also plenty of time for integration and deep conversations, thanks to which we could get to know each other better.
Although we are already home, all the memories from Estonia will stay with us forever, and a knowledge about veganism will be definitely used. For now there is nothing left, then keep improving acquired skills and sharing awareness with the world!
Mimo, że jesteśmy już w swoich domach, to wspomnienia z Estonii na długo pozostaną w naszej pamięci, a wiedza na temat weganizmu na pewno się nam przyda. Na razie nie pozostało nam nic innego niż doskonalenie nabytych umiejętności i niesienie w świat wiedzy, którą nabyliśmy!
Weronika: This project showed me how to explore vegan cuisine in a delicious and cheap way! People, people and people once again. Erasmus is about people with matching energy towards life.
Julia: Thanks to the project, not only did I meet amazing people and visited charming places, I also learned loads of information about vegan cuisine. It was definitely worth it!
Maja: I will look back at this project very positively. Especially our cooking together, interesting workshops about plant based diet and inspiring conversations with people from all around the world. I highly recommend this experience!
Vijayant: This project was a beautiful and carefully thoughtful experience. It covered practice learning, discovering vegan cuisine and making friends for life. I also had an opportunity to experience different cultures.
Antoni: Thanks to “There Is More Than Grass 2.0” I’m coming home with new knowledge, friendships and motivation to grow even more. This project showed me the most beautiful role of being a part of the European Union – unity and friendship. I know for sure that it won’t be my last time!
The project was funded by the Erasmus+ programme.
Written by Weronika, Maja, Julia, Vijayant and Antoni, participants of “There’s More Than Grass 2.0”. Edited by Aleksandra Piernicka, YoWo Poland volunteer.
