Slow Food equals good, clean and fair food. We believe that the food we eat must taste good, must be produced in a clean and safe way for the environment, animal life or our health, and must provide fair compensation to those who produce it.
The Slow Food movement (slow food) is a reaction to the lifestyle based on fast food or fast food that is predominant in many modern cultures. By choosing to be part of the Slow Food movement, you are choosing to be a co-producer rather than a consumer; an active, proactive and informed element of the food chain that recognizes the "connections between the food plate and the planet". This article discusses some ways to get involved in this movement and become a follower of it.
Steps
Step 1. Understand what Slow Food means
This term encompasses much more than food. It is about a lifestyle that connects the consumption of food and the social, ethical, lifestyle, political, environmental and spiritual elements that are around us. It focuses on taking the time to cook a good meal properly and recognizing that dependence on fast food damages our health, our social fabric, and our food culture traditions.
Step 2. Be part of a Slow Food group in the region where you live
The Slow Food movement has recruited more than 80,000 members in at least 122 countries, so there is likely a group close to where you live. Your local group will be known as a "convivium" and you will find it via Slow Food Where To Find. Of course, you don't have to join the group to be part of the Slow Food movement. This is just an opportunity to be with like-minded people, have the opportunity to exchange ideas and participate in events together. These benefits might get you excited.
Step 3. Get cooking
That's how it is. Stop buying prepared foods and start pulling out your cookbooks. Look for family heirloom recipes that have been shared for generations. Many of us remember the times when we shared delicious meals prepared by family or ourselves before we gave in to the speed of life. However, be careful with your recipe choices. Elegant cookbooks could require imported ingredients from thousands of miles. Avoid these types of books and choose recipes that focus on prioritizing local production, including vegetables and fruits from your own garden.
Step 4. Buy in your locality
Shopping locally is the key to being a Slow Food follower. Shop at local farmers' markets, local fruit and vegetable stores, and even consider ordering vegetables from your neighbors if they grow them. Not only will you avoid the waste of the environment due to all the energy consumed in the long transport of food, but you will also know where your food comes from and this will generate a feeling of great tranquility. What is the biggest benefit of buying locally? The food is fresh and this gives it the best flavor.
Step 5. Avoid genetically modified food
Although some companies propose a view that genetically modified food is the promise of the future, there are questions about the speed at which such modification occurs and the means by which such modification is achieved. Of course, food has been modified for centuries, but the key word is centuries and not a question of years. The Slow Food movement has a fundamental opposition against the use of food products that have been genetically modified. This is because, by creating a large area of common generic food sources, we risk losing the important diversity and quality of food available in the world. In addition, we replace this area with monocultures that become more susceptible to disease, provide less healthy variety, and perhaps increase the chances of contracting a human-induced disease through excessive concentration of some types of food.
Step 6. Buy organic food
When possible, choose organic production over traditionally grown food. In this way, you reduce exposure to pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizer chemicals. In addition, you get a production that many studies suggested has a higher level of nutrients, which strengthen the immune system. This is presumed to be because plants that are not treated with pesticides would produce more antioxidants for their own protection. Organic foods are an important part of the Slow Food movement, as these foods produce less impact and reduce damage. Especially when practiced on a non-industrial scale.
Step 7. Grow your own food
Whether you have a space for an herb container or a vast area for vegetables, you can become a direct force in the production of your own food. If you live in a small residence, use the windowsill and balcony to grow herbs and fruit trees in pots. If you have large gardens, plant vegetables seasonally and enjoy the freshest vegetables. It is of the utmost importance to involve children in gardening. It will help them understand the connection between soil, food, and their health. Children can start by growing easy-to-plant plants like radishes, herbs, and peas. Encourage children to eat their own raw crops straight from the garden. In this way, they will be able to taste how delicious fresh peas or corn on the cob taste.
Step 8. Share your homemade preparations
Not everyone knows how to cook. People who are not in a position to cook are those who, for example, are ill, disabled or simply too busy to consider the value of slow food. Share your talents in the kitchen with others to help those less fortunate. Also, if you are trying to convince others about Slow Food's message, what better way to do it than by using your own delicious food as an example. Tempt them …
Step 9. Cook with the kids
The earlier children get involved with cooking, the better. Kids who know how to cook are not at the mercy of the fast food industry and they know exactly how easy it is to prepare their own fresh food at home. Also, by teaching children to cook, you share a family tradition that will bring them closer together. This helps to pass on the knowledge of the family tradition. Encourage children to enjoy cooking at home by allowing their imaginations to be an essential piece in the cooking process. Creating shapes and themes with food is a fun part of preparing food for the table, as shown in the picture.
Step 10. Make a healthy snack
Bring a homemade snack to work, school, field trips, and outings. Some foods that can contribute to a balanced and delicious snack include soups, sandwiches, baked goods, fruits, and vegetables. Remember that you can keep the soup warm in thermos; fresh sandwiches by removing excess filling from the edges and adding it to the inside of the sandwich; canned fruits and vegetables if you cut them. Also, this type of snack will allow you to have more time to enjoy it and save money. Save that extra money for a delicious lunch once a month at a restaurant that follows Slow Food principles.
Advice
- Drink water provided by the municipal government, depending on whether it is safe. Bottled water requires a great deal of energy to bottle and transport it. Additionally, there is a concern of a chemical spill from plastic bottles. It is better to carry out a campaign in favor of the water reserves supported by the municipal government than to pay more for liters of water and for the fuel of the vehicles that transport bottled water. In any case, the water from the municipal government's water reserves leaks. Also, add a filter to the water pipe of your house and enjoy what you are already paying for. Support your local water supply systems.
- Many traditional cooking methods have been discontinued due to the time it takes to prepare and cook food. Many people have solved this problem by preparing large amounts of old-fashioned food in one day (imagine you're having a lot of guests), then freezing the food in lunch containers for easy defrosting and consumption. The freezer is a useful tool for the modern kitchen.
- The Slow Food movement started in Italy in 1989. Carlo Petrini spoke out against fast food and became the founding member of the Slow Food movement.
- Never forget that you can start slow cooking in advance and throughout the day, without the need for supervision. On the other hand, when you are in a hurry, you can pressure cook and reduce the time it takes to cook food or a complete preparation. For example, pressure cooking a half gallon of green beans just removed from the pod takes less than ten minutes, and roast beef only takes fifteen minutes for every pound or five hundred grams of meat. Also, a large package of fresh spinach cooks in a matter of minutes in the microwave. Not all slow cooking has to be inconvenient or a long and terrible experience. Rather, the word "slow" refers to the mode of food versus unhealthy food.
Warnings
- Test for toxins in the soil of the field where you want to farm. If you live in an urban area or a place that could have been an industrial zone, you may want to do soil tests before growing vegetables. Even healthy-looking soil may contain lead, mercury, zinc, cadmium, or polychlorinated biphenyls. In the United States, the Local Agriculture Office would offer these soil testing services to its residents, as well as relevant advice about growing in your nearby area.
- It is easier to believe that organic farming and the fair exchange of products are safer and better for the world. However, there are many experts who differ with the propaganda. Remember that it is a business model just like any other and presents its own problems and challenges.