The Slow Food movement
Sep. 3rd, 2008 06:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fabrisseThere was an article in today's Washington Post about the big slow food blow out in San Francisco. The article began by talking about the slow food movement as a bastion of the elite, and then continued by reinforcing the stereotype.
(As a side note, I find it interesting that one thing the organizers learned was not to compete with Burning Man if you're going to hold something in San Francisco.)
In a time of economic downturn, whether public or personal, the first thing many people do is try to cut back on their food budget.
The slow food movement could take advantage of this, but they need to change tactics to do so. There was evidently more than a little discussion of this aspect, but from reading this article and joining in a live chat on the subject a little later, I don't think the ideas sunk in.
Let me start by saying, part of the issue is the movement's name. The name was chosen to highlight the difference between traditional cooking methods and fast food. However, too many punters think they're talking about my twelve hour cassoulet recipe rather than the ten minute pasta salad recipe I've also posted.
Both of these qualify as slow food recipes because they use "artisanal" ingredients. In some ways the pasta salad recipe is more representative of the slow food movement because I use tinned tomatoes in the cassoulet.
I asked a question during a discussion at the Washington Post today, and Jane Black's response was, in part, "Alice Waters, like you, thinks teaching people to cook with simple ingredients will defeat that reputation. Once they see that they can make delicious polenta and a salad for less than it costs to eat at Applebees, she thinks they'll see the light."
First of all, how many of you think of polenta as a main course? Secondly, how many Americans in general will look at polenta and a salad and say "dinner?"
I think most will look at it and say, "Interesting corn bread, where's the meat?"
The slow food movement in Europe started as back to basics in an Italy that was getting to know bottled sauce for the first time. In the United States, I think we need to start with something like Macaroni and Cheese.
Ideas? What's the first dish that an American Slow Foods movement (and can someone come up with a better term while we're at it?) needs to tackle?
(As a side note, I find it interesting that one thing the organizers learned was not to compete with Burning Man if you're going to hold something in San Francisco.)
In a time of economic downturn, whether public or personal, the first thing many people do is try to cut back on their food budget.
The slow food movement could take advantage of this, but they need to change tactics to do so. There was evidently more than a little discussion of this aspect, but from reading this article and joining in a live chat on the subject a little later, I don't think the ideas sunk in.
Let me start by saying, part of the issue is the movement's name. The name was chosen to highlight the difference between traditional cooking methods and fast food. However, too many punters think they're talking about my twelve hour cassoulet recipe rather than the ten minute pasta salad recipe I've also posted.
Both of these qualify as slow food recipes because they use "artisanal" ingredients. In some ways the pasta salad recipe is more representative of the slow food movement because I use tinned tomatoes in the cassoulet.
I asked a question during a discussion at the Washington Post today, and Jane Black's response was, in part, "Alice Waters, like you, thinks teaching people to cook with simple ingredients will defeat that reputation. Once they see that they can make delicious polenta and a salad for less than it costs to eat at Applebees, she thinks they'll see the light."
First of all, how many of you think of polenta as a main course? Secondly, how many Americans in general will look at polenta and a salad and say "dinner?"
I think most will look at it and say, "Interesting corn bread, where's the meat?"
The slow food movement in Europe started as back to basics in an Italy that was getting to know bottled sauce for the first time. In the United States, I think we need to start with something like Macaroni and Cheese.
Ideas? What's the first dish that an American Slow Foods movement (and can someone come up with a better term while we're at it?) needs to tackle?
