July/August 2008 Issue

MAIN FEATURE
Slow Food
An International Movement with a Regional Message
by Joyce Gustafson

Ask any American what Fast Food means and chances are they’ll have an answer in less time than it takes to bag a burger and fries. Ask the same person what Slow Food means and observe their bewilderment. “It means bad service?” or “It’s food that’s cooked in a crock pot?”

Slow Food is an international movement that advocates change in how food is produced: from the current model of industrial agri-culture to a more sustainable model, which prevents environmental de-gradation and improves the quality and taste of our food.

Founded in Italy when McDonald's opened in Rome, Slow Food offers an old world alternative to the new world fast food culture. Slow Food invites people back to the pleasures of the dinner table. By caring about the food we eat, connecting with the people who produce it, and taking time to savor it, Slow “foodies” believe we can infuse our daily lives with joy and maybe even help the planet in the process.

I was as confused as anyone about Slow Food when I attended my first Terra Madre conference in Italy. It was at Terra Madre that I came to understand Slow Food, its relevance to me, and the place where I live ...

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