Slow Down, Fast Food!

Slow Food USA believes the pleasure and quality of life is greatly increased when we make time to prepare and share meals with family and friends using ingredients honoring our traditions and land; that food is a common language and a universal right. Slow Food USA envisions a world where all people eat delicious food that is good for them, good for the growers and good for the planet. They have a deep appreciation for slowing down and savoring the traditions of the table and taste buds. We can all respect that concept, but when hunger strikes, do we really eat slowly?

The Slow Food movement was founded in 1989 by Carlo Petrini in Italy. Since then, it is flourishing in 122 countries around the globe. It all began in 1986 as a resistance to the opening of a McDonald’s near the Spanish steps in Rome. To date, the organization spawned by that initial movement has expanded to over 800 chapter with 83,000 members worldwide, including 16,000 members in the U.S.A.Its members include culinary professionals, food enthusiasts, farmers, food producers, educators, and students. The overall organizational structure is decentralized, and each chapter has a leader who is responsible for promoting local farmers and local flavors through the region with events such as taste workshops and promoting the farmers markets. Offices exist in Switzerland, Germany, New York City, France, Japan and most recently, in the United Kingdom. The head offices are located near the famous city of Turin in northern Italy. Numerous publications are available in several languages. Slow Food puts out literature in several European nations and in the USA, “The Snail” is the quarterly of choice. It is difficult to gauge the extent of the success of the Slow Food movement considering that the organization itself is still very young. The current grassroots nature of Slow Food is such that few people in Europe and especially the United States are aware of it. America is a fast food nation based on convenience and as a result, Americans have the highest body mass index on the planet along with a very high rate of obesity.

Slow Food is contributing to the growing awareness of health concerns in Europe. Current statistics show Europeans consuming more organic foods than Americans. Slow Food and its sister movements are still young, and tourists actually visit Slow Food restaurants more than locals. In an effort to spread the ideals of slow food, the organization targets youths in primary and secondary schools. Volunteers help build structural frameworks for school gardens and put on workshops to introduce the new generation to the art of farming while obtaining funding and corporate support

Numerous organizations substantially support broad cultural shifts by increasing consumer awareness about food issues. This type of corporate thinking helps provide Slow Food Nation with the crucial capital necessary to underwrite large events. Philanthropists play a continuing role supporting Slow Food Nation’s infrastructure development. The Slow Food Nation event is a large gathering with resources donated by media partners and individuals across the country who have generously given their time, know how and passion to make Slow Food Nation a reality. A recent event provided an opportunity to connect American farmers and gave consumers the chave to gain a deeper understanding of the role we play in preserving America’s landscape and food traditions. On the eve of the Presidential election, continued global warming and a controversial Farm Bill, it was important to come together and build the momentum needed to create a healthy and sustainable food system for everyone. In addition, most palettes probably enjoy authentic flavors and support the diversity of American food.

The movement’s educational goals include:

Encouraging ethical buying in local marketplaces; teaching gardening skills to students and prisoners; preserving and promoting local food products for culinary traditions; organizing celebrations of local cuisine within various global regions; promoting taste education by teaching consumers about the risks of fast food; educating citizens about the drawbacks of factory farms and developing various political programs to preserve family farms; lobbying for the inclusion of organic farming and against government funding of pesticides and genetic engineering.

Vol 29 Issue 3 Page 15