The Slow Food Movement

The Slow Food movement has its origins in Italy in the 1980s. When McDonald's planned to build an franchise outlet near the Piazza di Spagna in Rome in 1986, slow food movement
Carlo Petrini organised a demonstration in which he and his followers brandished bowls of penne as weapons of protest. Their demonstration was successful and soon after, Carlo founded the International Slow Food Movement. This movement runs counter to the fast food, fast life, non-sustainable food production with its erosion of local economies.

It seems the time was right for this movement, and by the 1990s Slow Food had grown hugely and was becoming politically active, lobbying the EU on trade and agricultural policy and working to save endangered foods. The international slow food movement was founded in 1989 and now there are 65,000 members in 45 countries organised into 560 local 'convivia'. There are convivia in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Wairarapa.

Slow Food is an idea and a belief, the idea is that by celebrating the magnificent foods that are under thereat from standardisation, bureaucratic hygienism, and commercialisation, we can ensure that these products continue to be made and, having the future of these foods guaranteed, we are then able to continue enjoying them.

Richard Klein of Slow Food Wellington believes: 'Slow Food represents a philosophy and a way of life. Members have a diversity of beliefs and opinions but basically they would encourage us to increase our appreciation of quality regional cuisine while we slow down, eat and enjoy.'slow movement

Slow Food envisions a new agricultural system that respects local cultural identities, the earth's resources, sustainable animal husbandry, and the health of individual consumers. One of the key tenets of Slow Food is the belief in the right to pleasure. The Slow Food Manifesto declares that:

A firm defence of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life

An important component of the Slow Food Movement is the commitment to educate children about the origins and taste of food - to help them to have a connection to the food they eat. It aims to help children develop their senses and their appreciation of food and the pleasure of eating as a gastronomic and social event.