HOY ÑOQUIS

Listing categories Other projects / Situations / HOY ÑOQUIS
Location / Region Norway
Date from 2012.10.29
Date to 2024.05.29

‘Hoy Ñoquis’ is a series of traditional gatherings celebrating syncretism, set exclusively on the 29th in varied contexts (public and private spaces, indoors and outdoors).

Throughout the Río de la Plata region, there is a tradition of eating handmade gnocchi on the 29th of each month. On those days, people prepare their own versions, while restaurants and stores display a pavement sign that reads: ‘HOY ÑOQUIS.’
Looking back, potatoes have been a food source for thousands of years in South America and only a few centuries in Europe and the rest of the world. During the economic catastrophe of the 17th century, northern Italians devised a way to create pasta dumplings from potatoes, naming them gnocchi (from the Italian word for buns, lumps, or little balls). In the late 19th century and early 20th century, millions of Italians arrived in the Southern Cone with this knowledge. The origin of the 29th has multiple versions, as with all great histories. What is clear is that potatoes have played a significant role in addressing economic difficulties and saving diverse populations from starvation worldwide. Nordic countries also acknowledge these South American roots. æ.2015

HOY ÑOQUIS

In Uruguay and Argentina, there is a tradition of eating handmade gnocchi the 29th of each month, both in houses and in restaurants. In these last ones, as well as in pasta stores, those days they usually put a sign in the street with the text "HOY ÑOQUIS" (Eng. Today: gnocchi).
Also as part of the tradition, in some places they put a coin (or even notes) under the dish, wishing for money.

This story -that has many versions as all good ones- perhaps should be started highlighting the travel of potatoes from South America to the rest of the world, starting with Europe after their invasion. Later on, poor farmers of northern Italy discovered that they can replace expensive wheat to create a new kind of pasta based on cheap and accessible potatoes, basically dumplings, called gnocchi (Eng. buns/lumps/little balls). This tuber crops has a strong relation with economical vicissitudes, saving from starving diverse populations around the world. Nordic countries knows quite well potatoes for that reason.

In late XIX and beginning of XX centuries, both Argentina and Uruguay where under exponential growth in all senses. But in these times, Europeans weren't in best situation, and particularly Italians flew in millions to those places escaping from economical crisis and wars. Those nations where young and defining their identity on daily basis, and this massive immigration radically affected that construction "through a policy of very strong cultural syncretism." In fact, "there are many Italian traditions that Argentinians [and Uruguayans] keep which are almost not existent in Italy." * One of them is to eat gnocchi on the 29th of each month. A simple dish for wishing for prosperity.

Felipe, born in Uruguay has in his family tree those Italians roots that allowed him to have Italian nationality. And thanks for those papers, he could move to Nordic countries without too many complications as if he arrived just as the South American he is.

Since he moved to Norway, impressed by

the short time that the old Kingdom behaves as a totally independent nation;
its quite recent and extreme economical richness (with its abundance);
history of extreme poverty -not so far in time– still present in many gestures of raw simplicity and austerity;
the potato is easily cultivated in Norwegian climate and soil;
role of potatoes in history, saving population in hard times such as during Napoleonic wars or WWII, both in dishes and in glasses;
the current displacement of potatoes towards modern imports such as rice, pasta and noodles;
the strong policy against immigration;
the apathy towards the foreign and the unknown, certified by the law of Jante from 1933;
the commercial new traditions, such as eating taco on Friday nights or reading crime novels on April.

Felipe started cooking gnocchi sporadically the 29th -and last years on each one- in gathering with the aim of talking about traditions. Who makes them? why? and so on…

Venues and amount of visitors are different from meeting to meeting, but gnocchi are always served gratuitously. During 2016 "HOY ÑOQUIS" gatherings were supported by Oslo Kommune, Bydel Gamle Oslo. (Frivillighetsmidler 2016)

2020

2019

2016

2015

Public space (Square)

Private space -open- (Restaurant)

Private space -close- (House & Studio)

2012 > 2014

SUPPORT (2020)

SUPPORT (2016)

THANKS

Kulturhuset UT
Vesper Gastrobar
Losæter
Herbanists
Isachsen Anlegg

Poti
Marcelito Díaz
Juan Manuel Alonso (UY/IT)
Sunniva Melbye (NO)
Debbie Scanlan (UK)
Iker Tolosa (DSS2016EU) –apron, now 3 frames–
Gonzalo Rivas (estudio Herreros)
Rafael Lejtreger
and all visitors ♥♥♥

HOY ÑOQUIS

HOY ÑOQUIS

Overview

Gallery

Description

SUPPORT

THANKS

THANKS

THANKS

SUPPORT (2020)

SUPPORT (2016)

THANKS

"Only anthropophagy unites us. Socially. Economically. Philosophically." *

HOY ÑOQUIS at æKjøkken

HOY ÑOQUIS at æDEG15

HOY ÑOQUIS

HOY ÑOQUIS -installation-

HOY ÑOQUIS at Vesper

HOY ÑOQUIS

Share "HOY ÑOQUIS"

Overview

Gallery

Description

SUPPORT (2020)

SUPPORT (2016)

THANKS

"Only anthropophagy unites us. Socially. Economically. Philosophically." *

HOY ÑOQUIS at æKjøkken

HOY ÑOQUIS at æDEG15

HOY ÑOQUIS

HOY ÑOQUIS -installation-

HOY ÑOQUIS at Vesper