I have an abiding memory from childhood. It involves a vegetable garden that my dad planted one spring and a pumpkin seedling that I germinated, advised by my mother or my grandmother, on a saucer between layers of damp cotton wool. Once planted, like magic the seedling produced a small pumpkin; then fueled by daily jolts of magic this pumpkin grew and grew to become a larger, and larger, and larger pumpkin.
Every morning I would go and stare at the pumpkin in awe and wonder. I was not a farm girl, you can probably tell. Then one day, just after my father said we really should think about pumpkin recipes, I ran out in the morning to see the pumpkin. And it was gone — to some with less restraint, or more desperation, than me.
I was reminded of the incredible pumpkin that disappeared when I saw a picture of Michelle Obama with a spade shortly after she moved into the White House, and read that she was planting an organic garden. The 55 varieties of veggies going in would include chard, collard greens, lettuce, a variety of chili peppers, tomatillos — and I hoped pumpkins, or at least butternuts. The garden would provide food for First Family meals and formal dinners. And it would be used to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables.
I would add “educating children about magic” to this. Because is there anything as magical as planting a seed, have it transform, and then we eat it? (Or hopefully someone did, thinking back to my pumpkin.) And isn’t it bizarre, really, that we get into eating “foods” that bear no resemblance to anything that could possibly grow on a tree or in a veggie garden? [See an update on Mrs. Obama’s garden success here.]
So, what is Slow Food?
Readers of this column have probably noticed that the “eat fresh and local” movement has been growing like a well-watered garden, at least in parts of the United States, these past two or three years. I rented the movie Food, Inc. last weekend and recommend it. When you see Wal-Mart going organic “in response to what customers are asking for,” it is apparent that what First Lady Michelle Obama is doing at the White House is part of a groundswell.
Which brings me to the Slow Food Movement. Read my story Slow Pleasures that ran in Oakland magazine and my story An Appetite for Slow that ran in Alameda magazine for a taste of the flavors of Slow Food and to meet some real people who are involved.
In brief, the Slow Food movement with its snail emblem had its origins in Italy. The name spawned by a protest against the opening of a “fast food” McDonald’s near the Spanish Steps in Rome. The Slow manifesto, drawn up at the 1989 “Founding Conference of the International Slow Food Movement for the Defense of the Right to Pleasure,” is strong in its opposition to “the universal folly of the Fast Life” and our “enslavement by speed.”
The Slow Food movement has attempted to counter charges of elitism (if you read my story links above, you’ll get an idea where these come from) with grassroots reality-based responses to, for example, spiraling ill-health that is directly related to bad food choices — the US obesity epidemic and growing childhood diabetes, for example — as well as environmental degradation, exploitation, breakdown of community and family life, and the erosion of culinary traditions. Read more about Slow Food USA and read about their Push for Real Food in Schools to see if you want to be more directly involved.
How to spring into Slow Food action in 10 Easy Steps
1. What Mrs. Obama is doing at the White House is Slow Food in action, as is planting our own herbs or veggies, no matter how small the plot or pot.
2. Buying from farmers markets and sitting down at a table with the family to eat a home-cooked meal is Slow Food in action.
3. Chefs who cook using fresh, local and seasonal ingredients and who honor cultural culinary traditions are demonstrating Slow Food in action.
4. And so is taking the time to make a sandwich with bread brought from an artisan baker, rather than grabbing and gobbling an instant fix with anonymous ingredients.
5. TV culinary extremist Andrew Zimmern is a voice for Slow Food in action when he says: “Food is a primary avenue to discovering what is most authentic about cultures everywhere.”
6. Similarly, Slow Food in action, when we’re traveling, involves seeking out, and tasting, at least some of the cuisines of the city or country we’re visiting.
7. Purchasing from Community Supported Agriculture sources is Slow Food in action. More people are getting seasonal produce delivered in boxes, fresh from the farm. Check the website to learn more.
8. Eating delicious fare that delights the senses is Slow Food in action. One doesn’t eat fresh, local and seasonal just because it’s the thing to do, and healthier. One eats this way because things taste better.
9. The City Chickens trend is Slow Food in action. These days, gathering your own eggs in the morning, no matter where you live, is the scoop. You will meet a city chickens advocate if you read my Slow Pleasures story (link provided above). Then Google “raising chickens in the city” to see what’s clucking in a city near you.
10. And — here’s the scoop. There is a Slow Food approach to no-diet weight loss. Believe me, I’ve spent a lot of time on this one and it works. I invite you to read my article No-diet weight loss: Three simple steps to success. The recipe is simple. It involves a visualization; focusing on deliciousness; and eating mindfully. Check it out. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
