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Slow FoodI mean that if we look at food, really look, our world can shift: We might not only grasp for the first time the biggest ideas limiting our lives, but also discover for the first time whole new ways of seeing the world that release us from our march toward planetary destruction. Francis Moore Lappe, Hope’s Edge
Eaters must understand that how we eat determines to a considerable extent how the world is used. Wendell Berry, “The Pleasures of Eating”
Food is the one central thing about human experience that can open up both our senses and our conscience to our place in the world. Alice Waters
The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution. Paul Cezanne
What could be better that to sit at a table with friends enjoying good food and wine? What if this happened everyday, available to everyone because farmers sold their fresh produce at local markets and each region had its own dairies, vineyards, egg and free-range poultry, pig and cattle farms? What if “fast food” meant a quick-serving, delicatessen-like shop with home made entrees and diverse side dishes and desserts? And what if our neighbors grew some of their own food and preserved their family’s food traditions? If you resonate with these concerns, you are part of the movement to preserve and nurture “slow food.” It is officially a movement with over 80,000 members in 45 countries. It “focuses on conviviality, hospitality, taste education, biodiversity of the food supply and promotes food culture. Participants in the Slow Food Movement are food and wine enthusiasts, lovers of traditional foodstuffs and those who want to find a viable alternative to the globalization of the world’s flavors.” Their manifesto that launched the movement speaks to all of us who feel the stress and encroachment of Fast Life and Fast Food. Who would think that the sense of taste would begin a movement, much less a revolution? Yet taste does not stand alone. It is a culture that derives from a close association of soil and civilization, rural and urban, farmer and artisan, nature and art. It presents us with a choice; why not choose slowness over speed and quality over quantity? 
Taste or the diversity, enjoyment and sensibility of taste is what is missing in so much in today’s food and today’s consumption of food. Fast foods are also standardized foods that are produced on vast, industrialized farms and shipped hundreds of miles. Their long shelf life has become their greatest attribute. More and more foodstuffs are processed and the very chemistry of food is manipulated by laboratory crossings of one genetic pool to another, crossings that would never happen in traditional breeding or in nature itself. Slow Food is sponsoring innovative programs such as Slow Cities and Terra Madre. Slow Cities wants to identify and encourage cities that are making efforts to slow down and enrich urban life. “Towns and cities packed with squares, theatres, workshops, cafes, restaurants, places of worship, uncontaminated landscapes and fascinating crafts. Towns and cities in which people still recognize the slow, beneficial succession of the seasons, the wholesomeness of tasty healthy produce, the spontaneity of natural rites, the cult of living tradition and the joy of slow, quiet, reflective living.” 
Terra Madre celebrates the contributions of small producers all over the world. Yet these producers are endangered since they are up against the large, international purveyors of industrial agriculture, supermarket conglomerates, international organizations, chemical companies, and their own governments. To stand against them and offer their products to the world the small producers must stand together, form alliances with culinary, environmental, educational, and social change organizations, and be supported by an international coalition of consumers. We need an international sustainable food system, composed of many, diverse members. Less powerful and less wealthy communities and nations need the support and advocacy of wealthy nations. New research facilities, conferences, educational opportunities for young farmers, land conservancy for new farms, and innovative marketing strategies are necessary and that is what Terra Madre offers. It is also needed in every county in the country. What a powerful new vision for Agriculture Extension Agencies! 
What Can Happen in the Piedmont Triad?Several of us in the Piedmont Triad would like to begin a Slow Food Convivium for our area and sponsor Slow Food events. We have a group of five members who in January 2005 will elect officers and submit our application to Slow Food. Upon acceptance we’ll be a recognized Convivium. We have some ideas of what we’d like to do. A guiding principle is ourcommitment to sustainable practice in our region, the Piedmont Triad, its land, and its possibilities for local food, convivial cities, and conserved farm land. This is the theme of the new three-part documentary on our region, “Tomorrow’s Harvest,” produced by Amy Brown and her talented staff at GCTV. We think there are many others who would like to join us and, thus, we want to spread the word through a variety of initiatives some of which would raise money for the others. Notice how the initiatives dovetail. As we connect downtown to country, restaurant to farm, local food to local artisans, learning and volunteer opportunities to all, and young people to the land, we will enjoy the robust energy of whole systems or symbiosis. As we connect, the whole effort will be strengthened and woo others. 
Food Symposium, Fall 2005: a day of workshops on food and sustainability with a Slow lunch and speaker. The workshops will address concerns of growers and consumers and vary in its topics from soil to cooking classes. It would be great to hold it at O’Henry Hotel, a central and urban site under the Quaintances who are committed to local food and sustainable practice. They have responded favorably to the idea. The goal of the symposium is to promote a deeper understanding of local and slow food among an expanding group of people in the Piedmont. We should begin organizing this event now, summer of 2004. Charlie and Steve are willing to be the producers of this event and will beginning meeting with Dennis and Nancy and others shortly. We would like to find someone interested in helping us with the nuts and bolts. We would charge for this symposium. Farm Days, during 2005: Farm tours will occur on individual farms on various Saturdays throughout next year rather than one weekend each year as we have done before. The schedule or calendar of tours will be presented in a brochure, printed by us, that will feature 12-15 farms of the Piedmont with a paragraph description, a picture, and the date(s) of its tour. These brochures can also contain information from Project Greenleaf’s brochure on resources for gardening and farming in the Piedmont. We need someone to produce and publish the brochure. A Video of Piedmont Farmers: Steve had an excellent idea to make a 12 minute video of some of the farmers in the brochure. This could be used in various ways. It would be introduced at the Food Symposium and be made available to groups and individuals, for instance. We have asked Sam and Miranda Roberts to shoot it since they are skilled at film and have just completed filming farmers and markets in Italy. Downtown at the Farm: Why not strengthen the rural-urban link with fabulous dinners prepared by our urban chefs and presented in artisan shops and art galleries on South Elm? John Foy, a piano restorationist, would like to use his large workroom as a place for music and local food to come together in a long, convivial evening. Local farmers would supply the food for downtown chefs, John would offer a quick glimpse into his craft, musicians would play, Steve would present a cheese course, and Debby and Louey would keep things moving. We would charge $50 a plate and profits would support the Future Farmers Project. Steve offered the GLD mailing list of expectant diners! Future Farmers Project: Brian Bush would like to make it possible for young people and families to acquire land and support for small farms in the Piedmont. There is a crucial need to conserve land for farm use and to make it possible for future farmers to succeed in our area. We imagine that this will require money and some of it can be raised at our events. Urban Markets: Let’s increase the publicity and support for the existing weekday farmer’s market. Susan Andreatta and her crew at Project Greenleaf have generated so much enthusiasm for local markets. Let’s think of other possibilities. Nancy Quaintance has an idea for a downtown CSA in which several farmers contribute to the allotments. UNCG: Susan Andreatta, I assume, will continue with her food related courses in Anthropology. Steve and Charlie again will teach “Slow Food in a Fast Food Nation”, in the Master of Liberal Studies program, fall 2005. This time we will integrate much more with what is happening in the Piedmont. We will meet at various sites and talk with growers, sellers, and advocates. I will also teach a MLS course in Spring 2005 “The Meaning of Gardens.” Publicity: We need to set up better communications with a list serve, a website, posters, booths, and handouts. We can expand our base of interested persons and seek volunteers. Contact with the News and Record, Rhinoceros Times, and other community venues should be explored. Amy Brown at GCTV is solidly behind us. Also, Continual Learning has a CALL program of short workshops for the general public. They have a huge mailing list. Perhaps we can put our School within their compass. Anyone with workshop ideas can do it through the CALL program or one of our community colleges. Alliances with Piedmont Land Conservancy and other organizations are vital. We really need to brainstorm about the possibilities. For more information:
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