Dietary Lifestyles – Slow Food and Organic

We need an international movement for the defense of microbes – they make prosciutto, salami, and cheese. –Carlo Petrini, Founder of the Slow Food movement.

In Italy this summer, I watched with glee as Florentine shopkeepers threw tourists out of their stores so they could close for a relaxing lunchtime meal. Likewise, I was thrilled when our tour guide in Sorrento shouted to us "in this part of Italy no one uses chemicals on their gardens and there are no GMOs (genetically modified organisms) anywhere." Indeed, most of the graffiti on the walls in Venice denounced biotechnology.

Italians take their food, and the experience of eating it, very seriously. It is not surprising, then, that Italy is the birthplace of the Slow Food movement. This philosophy promotes a healthy diet, strong communities, and the preservation of biodiversity. Slow Food is not a fad diet or health food regime. Advocates enjoy chocolates and whipped cream, baked goods and beer (hopefully with moderation in all).

Why Slow Down Food?

The Slow Food movement began in 1986 as a protest against fast food – in particular, the opening of a McDonald's in Rome. The father of the movement, Carlo Petrini, was determined to wage an intellectual war against fast food and the rushed lifestyle that corresponds with this way of eating.

Beyond attacking fast food, the movement aspires to save varieties of fruits, vegetables, grains, and animals that are quickly facing extinction in the food market. As large producers strive for higher profits and to fulfil customer demand, fewer food varieties are sold in grocery stores. Instead, they sell only those hybrids that can be picked early, be ripened off-vine, and be shipped or packaged easily. And livestock that take longer to grow or require special conditions are being pushed out of the marketplace in favor of a few mass-produced breeds. Supermarkets provide standard products year-round, regardless of the season. And consumer safety rules, which are designed to monitor health-standards in mass-production (such as using stainless steel instead of copper pots), are being enforced on small producers and are either driving them out of business or limiting where they can sell their products. With this "standardization" of food, the small producer can no longer afford to grow rare varieties, farmers struggle to compete, families lose their traditional recipes, and rural communities suffer.

Changing Tides

The media and authors, such as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), are beginning to expose the unsavory consequences of modern mass food production. Greater public awareness is changing the tide and creating new small-scale niches in the food market: farmer's markets are increasing in popularity and small culinary artisans are being "discovered". The Slow Food Movement is helping to bring publicity and respect to unknown gourmets and celebrates the traditions that have been shoved aside in the scramble for profits.

Internationally, Slow Food festivals are being held to showcase regional foods. Celebrity chefs are lending their support – both vocally and by practicing the philosophy in their restaurants. Gastronomic films, 10 course dinners, and cooking classes are being offered in a variety of settings. Local artisan cheese-makers, millers, orchardists, beer and wine-makers, and farmers are showcasing their produce and traditionally made products. The Slow Food movement has spread across the world via "convivas," which are small, independently run chapters, many of which are located throughout the United States and Canada. Your Aunt Beth's homemade pickles (made from cucumbers she grew herself) may be more of a hot commodity than you imagined!

And people are realizing that the keys to following the philosophy are simple: buying food at nearby farmer's markets, eating local delicacies, eating only seasonal produce, and taking time to cook and eat fresh food. With this lifestyle, an individual's health is likely to improve, the community is supported, gastronomic traditions are preserved, and the environment is cared for.

How Does the Organic Movement fit in?

The organic movement is similar in philosophy to the Slow Food movement. Followers disallow the use of artificial pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers; they are against the genetic modification of fruits and vegetables and the use of hormones, antibiotics, or "unnatural" feed in animals. Although the current organic movement is relatively new, as consumers become more and more concerned about the availability of unadulterated food, it is rapidly gaining followers.

And with this brisk expansion, new products are surging into the market – some to the detriment of the organic philosophy and lifestyle. The first problem is quality: organic potato chips and other junk foods are now readily available and often appear on store shelves under the guise of health food. Another more serious problem is that large food companies have chosen to attack the definition of organic and the certification of organic foods, rather than promote the expansion of genuinely organic farming. Biotech companies and the wealthy corporate food lobby even attempted to get genetically modified foods included in the definition of organic. Although they were unsuccessful, organic product labeling remains ambiguous and often unregulated. Additionally, the cross-pollination of genetically modified crops with organic crops has increased the difficulty in assuring the genetic purity of organic foods. Therefore, the ideal way for followers of the organic movement to eat truly organic food is to follow the Slow Food philosophy of buying locally from organic farmers.

Although not everyone agrees with all or even some aspects of these philosophies, it's safe to say that we all appreciate foods that are flavorful, fresh, and wholesome. And what would you rather eat – a tomato that was picked last week, shipped halfway around the world, and ripened in a cargo hold, or a tomato that was allowed to ripen on the vine and was picked that morning by a local farmer?

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