Objectives
1. When did the movement begin?
2. Where did it originate?
3. How is it practiced and by whom?
4. What is their diet?
5. Why is the movement growing?
Slow Food is a proletariat organization founded in Italy and present across the world. The Slow Food Movement is the movement put forward by the same organization as a reaction against the fast food lifestyle that is found to be predominant in many cultures of the societies in the modern world. The movement promotes alternatives to fast food and strives to preserve the regional and traditional cuisines. It is a form of encouragement towards farming of livestock, seeds, and plants as part of the local ecosystem. The movement was initially a part of the broader Slow Movement (McDermott). The goals of the slow food movement are to foster the consumption of sustainable foods promotion of local business that is small in size, and this initiative is paralleled by the political agenda intended against globalization of agricultural products. People becoming a part of the movement chooses to be a co-producer instead of a consumer and they involve themselves into being an active and informed part of the food chain recognizing the link between the planet and the food people consume (Counihan and Van Esterik). The present writing is a detailed description of the Slow Food Movement. It particularly highlights the time when the movement started, the place of origin of the movement, the people practicing it and the means by which it is practiced, the diet taken up by the people and the reason the movement is growing.
The different objectives of the slow food movement are the following:
- To develop an ‘Ak of taste’ for all the ecoregions, where local traditions of culoinary and foods are celebrated.
- Helping the organisations to endorse slow foods to the common public.
- Formation and sustain sed banks in order to prederve varities of heirloom in association with the local food systems.
- Promoting and preserving traditional and local food products along with their preparation.
- Organizing the small scale business and processing.
- Organizing the celebrations of local food or cuisines within the regions.
- Educating the masses about the drawbacks of commercial agricultural business and farms.
- Educating the people regarding the risks of monoculture and dependence on some of the genomes or varieties.
- Development of different political programmes, so that preservation of family farms can be done in an efficient manner.
- Lobbying against the funding of the government regarding genetic engineering.
- Lobbying against pesticide use.
- Teaching the skills of gardening to the students and other people.
- To encourage ethical business in local marketplaces.
According to Popham, CarloPetrini started the Slow Food Movement movement in 1986 and since then it has been continued till date.
The movmentwas startedas a part of the resistance to the opening of the McDonalds near the Spanish Steps in the city of Rome. A fast food restaurant opening in the historic center location of Rome was not something accepted by all. Rather than doing a protest in an upfront manner, Carlo Petrini chose the better way and stared the slow food movement. In 1989, the founding stones of the International Slow Food Movement were signed in Paris by delegates from 15 countries. The movement was driven by the objective of promoting local foods and traditional food production and gastronomy. Conversely, it meant opposition to the fast growing uptake of fast foods, industrial food manufacturing, and globalization. As opined by Chaudhury and Albinsson, the movement has seen expansion since its origination and at present, there are almost 100,000 members across the globe. Offices have been opened in Germany, New York City, France, Switzerland, Chile and the United Kingdom. Global headquarters are situated at Bra, in Italy. In 2004, a University of Gastronomic Sciences was opened at Pollenzo in Piedmont and Colornoin Italy.The association is regulated by an International Council and managed by an Executive Committee. Carlo Petrini, who founded the movement in the 1980s, is the President of Slow Food (Frost and Laing).
When did the movement begin
The Slow Food Movement involves the millions of people who are passionate about good food. The network comprises of youth, chefs, farmers, fishers, activists, academics and experts. The network of food communities practices are sustainable and small-scale production of quality food around the globe. The people thrive to have a diverse range of communities included in the network (Williams et al.). Lee, Scott and Packer states that the slow food movement is open to all citizens in communities and the diversity of the members is probably the greatest strength it has. As a mass organization, members are open to coming forward, have a direct and active role in the spread of the philosophy of leading a life locally, and help in the process of changing the present food system for betterment. They have the option to join the local groups via the portal of ‘slow food where to find’ which are named as ‘convivium.’ These are the autonomous groups serving as the building blocks of the association at a larger front. Dunlap suggests that the people are encouraged to appreciate the pleasure and appreciation of the daily life by gathering and sharing the geniality of local food and meals. In this process, there is a buildup of relations between the consumers and the producers who campaign for protecting traditional foods and organize tastings and seminars. Chefs are encouraged to use local foods and taste education is promoted in schools. The events give members a suitable chance to join hands and share a passion for taking up a healthy living.
The Slow Food movement includes the sequence of objectives that addresses the mission it has towards healthier and better food choices. The first and primary aim is to develop an ‘Ark of Taste” for the regions abiding by the movement where the local culinary traditions are celebrated, and their local food is taken up as the choice in meals. Formation and sustention of seed banks for preserving their heirloom varieties in collaboration with local food systems is a suitable approach taken up by the people who are a part of the movement. Preservation and promotion of the traditional food along with their knowledge makes up the central part of the movement. Promotion of taste education and education of risks of fast food is also an inevitable part of the movement, and people are educated about the shortcomings of the commercial factory farms apart from agribusinesses. Enlightening the citizens about the different risks associated with monoculture and the dependence on the new forms of the food is thought to be important (Myers). Political programs are organized for preserving the family farms that are the source of the healthier foods. The movement lobbies for the inclusion of the practices of organic farming within the policies present in relation to agriculture. The government is pushed for taking up such organic farming in a more elaborated manner and for sponsoring such initiatives. They have the motto of funding farms that wants to carry out organic farming. The government is also lobbied against the use of pesticides in cropping. Another practice that is taken up by the people is teaching skills of gardening to the common people like students and prisoners. People are also encouraged to take up ethical buying in the local marketplaces. Campisi states that the founder and president of Slow Food Movement Carlo Petrini have the saying that everyone in the community has the right to clean, fair and good quality food. The three tenets of the philosophy of the movement regarding food, therefore, are good, clean and fair. Good means the high quality product that has a favorable taste and this is reflected by the naturalness of the food was the result of production and transportation of them is a fair process. This means there is a prevalence of adequate pricing and treatment for the producers and consumers. Clean food refers to food production and consumption not causing any harm to the environment and health (Viaggi).
Where did it originate
As opined by Geoffrey, Lyons and Wallington, slow food is not only about the food and it focuses more about the lifestyle that links the food consumption to the broader lifestyle, ethical, social, environmental, spiritual and political elements around us. The concept of slow food is about taking sufficient time required for cooking food in a proper manner and recognizing that dependence on fast food causes damage to the health and cultural food traditions. Moreover, the social fabric is also hampered. Joining the movement is the chance to get along with people having same thinking and who are like-minded for sharing thoughts and participating in events that cause enthusiasm and progress. People take up the significant step to stop buying the pre-made section and make use of the recipes that have been used by people for generations. Proper choices have to be made by while selecting the recipes from a variety of choices as easy recipes are to be selected that can be prepared from the local production. The fruits and vegetables grown in the people’s houses take a center stage in this case. Shopping locally is the key element to being a slow foodie. The local farmers markets are shopped at, and there is an exchange of fruits and vegetables among the neighbors. In doing so, people save the tear and wear of the environment form the energy consumed in long-run transportation and they also have a feeling of assurance that they are getting good quality food as the source of the food is known to them. The greatest benefit of having to shop locally is that the food is fresh, and, therefore, the taste of the food is at its best. While some food companies have the vision that genetically modified food is the best that the future can have, there comes up many questions regarding the pace at which such modification takes place and the means by which it is being achieved. Siniscalchi states that the slow food movement has the basic opposition to the use of genetically modified foods since in taking up a large sheath common food sources; there is a risk of losing all the significant diversity and food quality that is present all around the world. The use of genetically modified crops is abandoned as part of the slow food movement as people realize that such foods are less healthy and increases the chances of human-induced disease by putting more unnecessary concentration on a few types of food. People grow their food at space they have at their homes, and they become the direct force of their food production. For people living in small residence, the areas that are taken up for growing the fruits and vegetables are the balconies and the windowsills. For those having larger areas for growing crops, they are planted in seasonal rotation. It is a good aspect to involve the children of the families in the process of gardening and this aid in their understanding of the environment. Children are encouraged to understand the importance of quality fresh food. Sharing the home-cooked meals is the key to better practices. Those who can take up good cooking share their talents with others and try to convince others to take up such safe practices and spread the message of slow food y setting quality examples. Children are also encouraged in cooking process for enhancing their imaginations and making them an integral part of the process taken up for having better and healthier food choices. Home-prepared food is consumed in schools, workplaces and outings. The mantra is to save the extra money for having a delicious meal in a restaurant once in a month, and this follows the Slow Food principles (Mandemakers and Roeters).
How is it practiced and by whom
The diet taken up the people are organic in nature. People taking part in the slow food movement prefer organic products to the conventionally grown food. This reduces the exposure to the fungicides, pesticides, and chemicals and this bolsters the body’s immune system since the plants have more amount of antioxidants in them as a result of no use of pesticides. Organic food is a vital part of the slow food movement as organic food is harm reducing and has a low impact on the body. This is especially when practice takes place on a non-industrial scale (Adams, Burke and Whitmarsh).
Bender states that since its beginning, the slow food movement has witnessed growth into a global movement that involves people coming from different sections of the society. The factor that can be attributed for this is the fact that people in the present time have the belief that food is tied to many significant aspects of life that include agriculture, environment and most importantly the health. There is an increased understanding exhibited by the common people that for having a safe and healthier life, there is an urgent need to take up safe eating practices and go back to the grassroots customs. More and more people are joining the movement as they have the concept that food choices can jointly influence the means by which food is produced, cultivated and distributed and overall a great change can be made. People are knowledgeable that by defending and advocating policies that promote holistic alternatives to the industrial system, their lives can be changed for a healthier one (Kinley). The movement is gaining increasing popularity among the public from different countries due to a fact that leaders are being developed in communities who can model for justice and integrity. People are increasingly becoming concerned about the fact championing culturally significant local recipes, foods and customs can give good experiences to markets, farms, homes, and restaurants. The next generation is also taught to share food responsibility. The people of the modern time have the drive to have connectivity and conviviality as the central element of building a global community. There is an increasing use of technologies by the people who can communicate with one another across countries and build up a larger community. Interested people from different lands but similar mindset connect with each other through local projects and educational events and become catalysts for change by sharing the positivity of Slow Food and prioritizing wholesome living over convenience (Holt Giménez and Shattuck).
The aim of the movement has been compared to the Arts and Crafts Movement’s response to the industrialization of the 19th century. Some of the criticisms that revolve around the movement are regarding the socioeconomic factors. For instance, without the significant altering the working day of the people involved, slow food preparation can be a burden to the people who prepare the food. On the contrary, the more prosperous society can have the provision for expenses and time of brining development in the taste, discernment and knowledge. The stated aim of the slow food movement of preserving itself from the infectivity of the mass can be seenas restricted (Pietrykowski).
Conclusion
In conclusion it can be said that the Slow Food Movement is a valuable movement of modern time that demonstrates the fact that there is the choice regarding the food that we take, and it is up to us whether we go for healthier food or settle for unhealthy food. The mission of the movement is to show us that we can make way for wholesome food and lead to the pursuit of happiness. The movement has the potential to resurrect the dinner table and the kitchen as the centers of culture, pleasure and healthy eating. It can be expected that loss of food product diversity can be stopped the environment would be taken care of in the future too. The slow food movement flourishes to preserve a local region’s cuisine and the associated food plants and seeds along with farming methods of that region. Many countries have come forward in this context, and it would be appreciated if more number of people joins hands to make their lives and lives of others healthy and better.
References
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