Here and around the globe, the cancellation of the 2020 South by Southwest Festival and Conference was a startlement, and one of the first chilling signs that COVID-19 was going to seriously disrupt our lives and livelihoods. A year later, we ve still not returned to normal – and maybe we never will. But we have, collectively, gotten better at this thing – at being safer, and at being more innovative. Same goes for the world s largest commingling of cutting-edge technology and culture. SXSW 2021 is a 100% virtual affair, to be experienced like just about everything else these days: from the safety of your own home, the comfort of your own couch. That doesn t mean this year s Fest is unambitious. SXSW IRL is almost too big to comprehend. SXSW Online is just as daunting to wrap your arms around but in different ways.
Photo by Jody Horton In this week s cover story, Food Editor Jessi Cape tells the story behind the team of passionate folks – including L Oca d Oro chef Fiore Tedesco – who are questing to become the first-ever producers of buffalo mozzarella in Central Texas. The sturdy water buffaloes of OroBianco – that s Italian for white gold – already call the Hill Country home, but as Jessi explains, the road to launching a fully up-and-running creamery (during a pandemic!) is a long and winding one. (2020 is nothing if not the year of delayed gratification.) Check out the story here. Just a reminder: Early voting in the run-off election ends Friday, Dec. 11, with election day proper falling on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Are we all tired of elections? Absolutely. Does it sound like a hassle to mask up to vote in as few as one race? Sure. But now is not the time to punt on our civic duty, and the contested races – two for Council, two for the AISD Board of Trustees – couldn t be more important. Vote!