Given how obsessed my wife and I are with truffles, and how interested we are in the hunting of them, we both couldn’t believe we’d never even heard of the recent documentary The Truffle Hunters, chronicling a group of men in Italy who use dogs to sniff out the prized Tubers.
Yet, beyond the obvious subject matter, the real reason to sit down and watch Truffle Hunters is the beauty with which it is shot, and the tenderness displayed by the group with their canines. It really is a feel-good experience; exactly the type of thing we need right now (along with Ted Lasso). It’s almost more of an art film than a documentary.
The part that really hit home for me, however, involves an attempt by one of the men to type out (on an old school typewriter) why specifically he wants to quit truffle hunting. It’s pretty much the exact same reason those of us in the liquor industry think about quitting every single day: greed.
To paraphrase the man’s letter: he’s tired of the lack of respect from modern truffle hunters, ignoring territorial boundaries and even going so far as to poison rival dogs. Now that truffles are worth a small fortune, it’s no longer about the passion and he’s tired of the greed. It used to be that people hunted truffles to be outside, spend time with their animals, see nature, and enjoy the culinary reward, but today that’s no longer the case. It’s a pure competitive business (both for the hunters and for the consumers) and it no longer speaks to him.
Talk to any retail buyer today about Bourbon, and they’ll pretty much tell you the same thing. It used to be about drinking, having fun with your friends, historical education, and passion. Today, it’s a pure speculative business, both for retailers and consumers.
-David Driscoll