Slow Movement News
Turkish fast food: Real food fast
The definition of ‘fast food’ according to the Wikipedia is food cooked in build and in advance, kept warm or re-heated to order....
Slow Food in collaboration with the region of Liguria, has just finished celebr4ating the event Slow Fish 2007. It was a great success with 42,000 visitors, a much higher number than expected. ...
National Sea Change Task Force urges more flood studies
ABC Wed Jul 11 07 The Mayor of Maroochy Shire on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, Joe Natoli, says it could be another 12 months before the CSIRO is able to undertake a flood modelling study in the Sunshine Coast region because the research body is under-funded. ...
Treechangers change country culture
An influx of treechangers into a rural community can keep population levels steady but it can change the needs and expectations within the community. ...
Making the connection to food
One of the most basic area of connection for the slow movement is in the area of food – all aspects of the food system. This means we need to connect to:
- Traditional seeds;
- Food production;
- Food sourcing;
- Food buying;
- Food preparation;
- Traditional recipes and ingredients;
- Food consumption; and
- Waste food disposal.
Our connection to our food is as important as the food itself.
Food is part of our cultural identity and cultural heritage. The slow movement aims to preserve this identity, and to keep the connection between the food we eat and the land it comes from. In preserving our cultural heritage the slow movement and the slow food movement in particular also preserves our physical environment by supporting and promoting sustainable systems of agriculture such as organic and biodynamic, and the use of traditional seeds and agricultural practices.
Slow connection
People from some western countries may feel they lack traditional foods and recipes, but this isn’t so. Sure fast-food may reign supreme, but there is still a legacy of traditional foods waiting to be rediscovered.
One of the first things we can do to connect with our food is to grow some of our own food. Just a couple of vegies or a fruit tree makes a lot of difference in our connection to our food and in the amount of environmental damage created by commercial food production. What we don’t grow ourselves we can purchase directly from the producer if we have the opportunity, or from as close to the producer, in the sale chain, as possible. Eating from our foodshed has always been important in terms of our own health, the economic health of our community, and the resilience of our community. Gary Paul Nabhan has written a great book Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods
There are many different community food systems operating that we can choose from, such as box schemes, community supported agriculture, consumer groups, U-Pick-It farms, roadside stalls, and farmers’ markets.
With the emphasis on traditional food production systems and sustainability, we need to ensure that the food we buy is organic. This not only helps our environment but our bodily health by providing wholesome nutrients and healing ingredients to our immune system.