Slow Food, Real Food

While I am contemplating food I must pass on information about the Slow Food movement.

It all started in Italy in 1986 when Carlo Petrini decided the world needed another revolution - this one based not on violence and anger but this one based on a determination that 'fast food' was depriving the world of the cultural importance of regional and local food - both the products, the methods and the recipes as well as the quality - plants and animals are being bred to suit the needs of the supermarkets instead of people appreciating and celebrating the intrinsic benefits of each of the breeds. Take tomatoes for instance - they are being produced to enable them to be of a similar size, be picked green, be able to be transported and cold stored for extended periods rather than any degree of taste and texture of what are now 'heritage' breeds.

The official philosophy is

We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to pleasure and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible. Our movement is founded upon this concept of eco-gastronomy – a recognition of the strong connections between plate and planet.

Slow Food is good, clean and fair food. We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.

We consider ourselves co-producers, not consumers, because by being informed about how our food is produced and actively supporting those who produce it, we become a part of and a partner in the production process.

The revolution was well over 80,00 official members and who knows how many other who, like me, haven't let the organization know I exist :-)

Long live real food - vive la revolution!