Slow Food

The Slow Food Manifesto

The Slow Food international movement officially began when delegates from 15 countries endorsed this manifesto, written by founding member Folco Portinari, on November 9, 1989.

Our century, which began and has developed under the insignia of industrial civilization, first invented the machine and then took it as its life model.

We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life, which disrupts our habits, pervades the privacy of our homes and forces us to eat Fast Foods.

To be worthy of the name, Homo Sapiens should rid himself of speed before it reduces him to a species in danger of extinction.

A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life.

May suitable doses of guaranteed sensual pleasure and slow, long-lasting enjoyment preserve us from the contagion of the multitude who mistake frenzy for efficiency.

Our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food.
Let us rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of Fast Food.

In the name of productivity, Fast Life has changed our way of being and threatens our environment and our landscapes. So Slow Food is now the only truly progressive answer.

That is what real culture is all about: developing taste rather than demeaning it. And what better way to set about this than an international exchange of experiences, knowledge, projects?

Slow Food guarantees a better future.

Slow Food is an idea that needs plenty of qualified supporters who can help turn this (slow) motion into an international movement, with the little snail as its symbol.
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Please go to this site:

www.slowfood.com

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If you have children in public school you may be interested in this press release from
the Community Alliance with Family Farmers:

SEPTEMBER 7, 2009

Action Alert: School Food Legislation and Labor Day Eat-Ins
Dear Friends of CAFF's Farm to School Campaign: The Child Nutrition Act is a federal law that comes up for reauthorization in Congress every four to five years. It governs the National School Lunch Program, which sets the standard for the food that more than 30 million children eat every school day. In the last few decades, as school budgets have been cut, our nation's schools have struggled to serve children the real food they need. CAFF and other organizations have joined with Slow Food to advance reforms that would: Give schools just one dollar more per day for each child's lunch. Establish strong standards for all food sold at school, including food from vending machines and school fast food. Fund grants for innovative Farm to School programs and school gardens. Establish financial incentives that encourage schools to buy food from local farms for all child nutrition programs. Train underemployed Americans to be the teachers, farmers, cooks, and administrators our school cafeterias need. The deadline for reauthorizing the current Child Nutrition Act is September 2009. Unless we speak up this summer, "business as usual" on Capitol Hill will let Congress pass a Child Nutrition Act that continues to fail our children. On Labor Day, Monday, September 7, 2009, Slow Food's Time for Lunch campaign is sponsoring a series of "Eat-Ins" (potlucks) around the country to promote a focus on improving food in our schools and to encourage people to contact their legislators about the need to improve school food. CAFF is hosting or co-hosting the Eat-In's in: Sunnyvale-- contact Emma Hoag-- emma@caff.org Monterey-- contact Kathryn Spencer-- kathryn@caff.org Hollister-- contact Nants Foley-- nantsfoley@gmail.com Humboldt County--contact Michelle Wyler-- michelle@caff.org If you would like to organize an Eat-In in a different town, visit to the Slow Food website for more information. If you would like to attend an Eat-In in a different town, click here and choose the map to find the one nearest you. You can read the policy platform in more detail on CAFF's website. If you have any questions regarding this legislation, please contact CAFF's Policy Director, Dave Runsten, at 530-756-8518 ext. 25 or dave@caff.org. If you have any questions about the Farm to School program, please contact Ildi Carlisle-Cummings at ildi@caff.org. Donations to the Farm to School Campaign can be made by clicking here or by sending checks payable to CAFF at P.O. Box 363, Davis, CA 95617.