Slow Food: The Case for Taste (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)

Take a breath.... Read slow ly. How often in the course and crush of our daily lives do we afford ourselves moments to truly relish-to truly be present in-the act of preparing and eating food? For most of us, our enjoyment of food has fallen victim to the frenetic pace of our lives and to our increasing estrangement, in a complex commercial economy, from the natural processes by which food is grown and produced. Packaged, artificial, and unhealthful, fast food is only the most dramatic example of the degradation of food in our lives, and of the deeper threats to our cultural, political, and environmental well-being. In 1986, Carlo Petrini decided to resist the steady march of fast food and all that it represents when he organized a protest against the building of a McDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome. Armed with bowls of penne, Petrini and his supporters spawned a phenomenon. Three years later Petrini founded the International Slow Food Movement, renouncing not only fast food but also the overall pace of the "fast life." Issuing a manifesto, the Movement called for the safeguarding of local economies, the preservation of indigenous gastronomic traditions, and the creation of a new kind of ecologically aware consumerism committed to sustainability. On a practical level, it advocates a return to traditional recipes, locally grown foods and wines, and eating as a social event. Today, with a magazine, Web site, and over 75,000 followers organized into local "convivia," or chapters, Slow Food is poised to revolutionize the way Americans shop for groceries, prepare and consume their meals, and think about food. Slow Food not only recalls the origins, first steps, and international expansion of the movement from the perspective of its founder, it is also a powerful expression of the organization's goal of engendering social reform through the transformation of our attitudes about food and eating. As Newsweek described it, the Slow Food movement has now become the basis for an alternative to the American rat race, the inspiration for "a kinder and gentler capitalism." Linger a while then, with the story of what Alice Waters in her Foreword calls "this Delicious Revolution," and rediscover the pleasures of the good life.

Slow Food is poised to revolutionize the way Americans shop for groceries, prepare and consume their meals, and think about food. The book not only recalls the origins, first steps, and international expansion of the movement from the perspective of its founder, it is also a powerful expression of the organization's goal of engendering social reform through the transformation of our attitudes about food and eating. As Newsweek described it, the Slow Food movement has now become the basis for an alternative to the American rat race, the inspiration for "a kinder and gentler capitalism."

Publishers Weekly

Slow Food, a group of 75,000 members that supports recognition of traditional foods and eating patterns (e.g., the family meal), is an important player in today's battle for the palates and stomachs of the world. As "The Official Slow Food Manifesto" states, "Slow Food is an idea that needs plenty of qualified supporters," but to find them, it's going to need more friendly material than this didactic screed. Italian journalist Petrini founded the group in 1989, changing the name of a previous organization from Arcigola to Arcigola Slow Food in response to the opening of a McDonald's in Rome's Piazza di Spagna, a development described in excruciating detail. Petrini's condescending tone ("When you see the word `flavorings' on the package, don't imagine that it always refers to natural substances") isn't helped by a clumsy translation that adheres to Italian syntax. It's a shame, because the elitist tone and convoluted language obscure Petrini's informed opinions on genetically modified organisms and nutritional education in the schools (he references mainly Italian public schools). Petrini's case against McDonald's is perhaps his strongest card, but it's geared mainly to an Italian, or at least European, audience (it's doubtful that many American parents comfort themselves with the thought that "when they're old enough the kids will develop a taste for Barolo") and more thorough and better written arguments have already been made, most notably in Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation. (July) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Slow Food is poised to revolutionize the way Americans shop for groceries, prepare and consume their meals, and think about food. The book not only recalls the origins, first steps, and international expansion of the movement from the perspective of its founder, it is also a powerful expression of the organization's goal of engendering social reform through the transformation of our attitudes about food and eating. As Newsweek described it, the Slow Food movement has now become the basis for an alternative to the American rat race, the inspiration for ""a kinder and gen.;Foreword / Alice Waters -- Series editor's introduction -- Preface -- Preface to the American edition -- Official slow-food manifesto -- Appetite and thought -- Origins ; From new epicures to ecological gastronomes ; International movement of good taste ; Pleasure denied, pleasure rediscovered ; McDonald's versus slow food -- In the beginning, the territory -- Cultivating diversity ; At the center, the producer ; Rebirth of the osteria ; Difficult voyage ; Salone del Gusto -- Educating and learning -- Praise of the senses and the paradox of taste ; In the schools ; From the workshops to the master of food ; University -- Noah principle -- Scenes from a flood ; Ark and the presidia ; Quality, the law, and biotech ; Slow food award for the defense of biodiversity -- Without Nostalgia : acknowledgments -- Appendices -- Slow food Italian presidia ; Slow food international presidia ; Slow food award winners ; Chronology of Arcigola slow food ; Slow food U.S.A. today. In 1989, the author founded the International Slow Food Movement. It renounces not only fast food but also the overall pace of the "fast life." Instead, it calls for the safeguarding of local economies, the preservation of indigenous gastronomic traditions, and the creation of a new kind of ecologically aware consumerism committed to sustainability. On a practical level, it advocates the return to traditional recipes, locally grown foods and wines, and eating as a social event The Slow Food Movement is poised to revolutionize the way Americans shop for groceries, prepare and consume their meals, and think about food. This book not only recalls the origins, first steps, and international expansion of the movement from the perspective of its founder; it is also a powerful expression of the organization's goal of engendering social reform through the transformation of our attitudes about food and eating. Discusses the history and spread of the International Slow Food Movement which was sparked in 1986 when Carlo Petrini organized a protest against plans to build a McDonald's fast food restaurant near the Spanish Steps in Rome, and discusses the movement's goals of preserving indigenous foods and eating traditions, and returning to dining as a social event.