Sikh route to Italy’s cheese empire

TRIENT, ITALY: Far away from the lassi kingdom of Punjab,Indian Sikhs are doing Chak
de Phatte in the province of parmesan.In Italy’s central Emilia- Romagna region,home to the famous cheese, cattlesheds that produce milk for parmesan are managed by Indians,mainly from the 30,000-strong Sikh community.So the joke goes among Italian parmesan makers: “If Sikh workers go on strike, Italy will not produce parmesan.”
Not a chance, their admirers retort. “Sikhs are good,honest guys, they work really
hard without complaining,”said a policeman based in Reggio Emilia, a wealthy city
in Emilia-Romagna, declining to be named as he is not allowed to speak to the media.
“They don’t drink, don’t quarrel,it’s like they don’t exist.” With its abundance of water,endless fields, farms and cattlesheds,Emilia-Romagna is,in a sense, he ‘Punjab of Italy’.And it is famous for its gastronomic specialities, strong socialist sympathies and racing cars — its home to legends like Ferrari, Maserati,
Lamborghini and Ducati.“I’ve been in Italy since 1992.I work very hard, but it’s good
here,” said a 40-year-old man from Punjab’s Sangrur town.“I’m well-paid, and on Sunday I watch football on TV. I’m a supporter of Juventus.” Alongside football, faith is alive too. A nearby town has the second biggest gurudwara of Europe, Gurudwara Singh Sabha, opened in 2000 in the presence of Romano Prodi,then President of the EU. And Emilia-Romagna’s parks often have Sikh children playing cricket, a little-known sport in Italy.But young Italians don’t want to sweat in the farms
and dairies. “Milking cows?” said a young woman in Italian. “No man, it’s a job for immigrants.”

with thanks : source : http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/world/25784-sikh-route-italy-s-cheese-empire.html

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