Sagittarius
If you haven't heard the news, Slow Food Nation opens this Friday in San Francisco. Slow Food Nation is a festival organized by Slow Food USA to celebrate locally produced, sustainable foods and a "slower" lifestyle when it comes to the entire act of eating.
When the Slow Food Movement was founded in Italy by Carlo Petrini in 1986, it was an amazing statement on the state of world's food system. Petrini founded the organization to combat the growing globalization of food production that favored fast food produced by large corporations far away from its place of actual consumption. In reaction, Slow Food called for people to get back in touch with their local food economies. That is, to purchase local goods from local folks. The benefits of this are obvious in that it encourages local business, focuses on local cuisine, supports the propagation of heirloom varieties, and connects us to our daily sustenance.
However, something has gone wrong since 1986.
And, leave it to Americans to take an concept from Europe and twist it into something that it was never intended to be. Kind of reminds me of Fox's Kitchen Nightmares, which is a remake of BBC's Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. They get most of the words right, but they miss the actual substance.
At the risk of being pilloried by foodies throughout this country, I must say that I am relatively unimpressed with Slow Food USA. You see, the organization has been co-opted by a group of elitist food snobs, primarily centered in the San Francisco Bay Area. While these individuals advocate for the importance of local foods and sustainable agriculture, they also preach only to a wealthy few who can afford their special foods and unique lifestyle.
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Re: The Slow Food Nation Snubs Most Of The Nation
By SmartCookie, September 12, 2008 at 05:43Kevin,
Sometimes I feel like such a fish outa water. From what I've read of you so far, I have so much in common with your beliefs and lifestyle it's almost uncanny, yet I bet we would think of ourselves as opposites in many ways. My husband and I eat organic and I agree with your opinions of the Slow Food movement, including the fact that it started off as a good idea. The socio-economic impacts of living a more sustainable lifestlye, especially when it comes to agriculture and food production are so mindbogglingly beneficial that it's just beyond me why there is so little agreement about it.
Ah, yes, but you're right of course about corporate (and I believe corrupt-government) influence in the food and agriculture industries. One misguided special-interest subsidy or legislation leads to another, and so on. Until we're left with a food supply in the US with around 15,000 chemicals in it ... and then we all wonder why Americans are so unhealthy and 2/3 of us take prescription drugs and we can't afford health care! Oh, but don't worry there's a pill you can take for that! Or a special brand of food you can buy that's 'better' than the others ... and whatever you do, just choose the cheapest price there since that's clearly the best decision.
Give me a break!
I used to make myself half crazy trying to figure out which 'this' or 'that' to avoid in my food ... all the while, I got more and more sick and dependent on prescription and otc medications for my various chronic ailments and constant sickness. Then, I decided one day, you know what ... I'm just not going to eat any of it anymore. We switched to 100% organic everything ... food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, you name it ... and in just a few weeks, I was no longer sick. The day I decided to completely stop taking all my medications was a really scary day, but I had to jump in with both feet, I felt. Whaddya know, I no longer needed any of it ... including my allergy medicines!
We're average at my house, and the money I save on 'drugs' ($150-200 a week!) I now spend instead on food that actually has nutrition in it rather than chemical or processed replacements for nutrition! Everything about our lives is better as a result.
As far as seeking sustainable local food sources, we do that as a part of our environmental and economic beliefs. It's ridiculous how much fossil fuels are wasted shipping food all over tarnation! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we can get food to people anywhere it's needed, but it's not necessary for most of us. And it's so damaging to our economy and the environment. I also believe in free trade and fair trade. I believe it's my responsibility to care about where things come from and who profits from what I buy. Corporations only follow profit and we make a statement everything we buy something. Lol, I know people think I'm a kook, but I believe in 'buy less and spend more' ... kinda a hard sell, I know!
We also plan to put in a garden next spring after learning that the average suburban backyard contains enough space to grow around 40% of the average family's food needs. When we build our next home, we will incorporate all of our beliefs into the construction and design and even hope to include an indoor hothouse so we can grow food year round (boy, do I have a lot to learn!) Until then, we are retro-fitting as much as we can afford into our existing home to better reflect our beliefs and leave behind a home for the next owner which will be healthier for the planet than it was when we got here.
Well, you could fill nearly every library in the world with things I don't know, but the more I learn, the easier my life becomes. I believe every single thing I do impacts the rest of humanity. Makes all the silliness a lot easier to recognize and avoid, I believe!