What the Slow Food Movement is Really About
Bay Area Chef Amaryll Schwertner Breaks Down Slow Food Philosophy
Oct 11, 2009
The Slow Food movement began in Europe many years ago, but it's just starting to get attention in the United States with the surging popularity of farmers markets and the restaurants that support and champion them. In small towns and cities across this country, chefs and consumers are beginning to rally against the marketing calls of fast food chains and big agribusiness.
Many people think Slow Food is about eating food sourced locally: organic, seasonal produce from small farmers and hormone-free meat and poultry raised in ethical, non-CAFO ranches. This is certainly an important element of the Slow Food movement and also of the age-old healthy diet known as Macrobiotics.
Slowing Down and Supporting Global Family Business
However, Slow Food is so much more than that. According to San Francisco chef Amaryll Schwertner (a longtime champion of the Slow Food movement and co-owner of Boulettes Larder in San Francisco), "Slow Food is not about eating locally. Slow Food is about keeping traditional food ways intact without letting agribusiness take over."
By that token, Amaryll believes in supporting small, artisan farmers and food makers worldwide, not just in her own backyard. In her boutique, open-kitchen restaurant in San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace, she uses (and sells) paprika made by villagers in Hungary, first-press olive oils sourced from small families on the Austro-Italian border, and she filters her tap water with bamboo charcoal crafted by traditional producers in Japan. She believes in supporting these family-owned businesses worldwide that still adhere to traditional cultural values and give back to the land in their particular regions.
How To Begin to Eat Slow
Before even tackling the task of shopping ethically and mindfully, one way to start adhering to the tenets of the Slow Food movement is simply to become present with the food you're already eating and start to ask questions: Where did this food come from? How many hands touched it on its way to my plate? What is the source?
As a generalization, the fewer middlemen handling your food before it gets to your plate, the higher the nutrient value and the flavor. That's why buying local, organic produce directly from the farmer is ultimately a better value for you.
According to Amaryll, "People are so divorced from where their food comes from and what's actually in their food. Agribusiness is counting on people not wanting to know, or being too tired or too poor to know."
But knowing where your food comes from is only the first step.
It's equally important to take the time to prepare your food with love and care, and to enjoy the actual process of eating. The Slow Food movement rails against everything that fast food represents: quick, convenient mindless eating while multitasking or even driving. Slow Food is about sitting down with your family and friends—or even by yourself—and taking the time to really taste your food.
Slowing Down Beyond Food
In fact, the Slow Food movement is not just about food. It's about slowing down to take a breath from our fast-paced lives that tend to be based on convenience, not quality.
The idea of slowing down is so contrary to the way in which the world is fueled. The Slow Food movement serves to remind us that there's another way. Sitting down to eat is just one example. This philosophy can be carried across to every area of our lives.
As Amaryll says, "The whole Slow Food thing really started off more as a socio-political commentary about people coming together, sitting together, and slowing it down. It's not just about food. Food is a metaphor for slowing down in general."
Also by Joslyn Hamilton:
Why We Can't Afford Not to Go Slow Food
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