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The Slow Food movement, originated in Italy, is taking the world by storm… slowly.
Although still relatively small, the Slow Food movement has gotten to be such a phenomenon that it's quite hard to ignore. In a recent issue of Newsweek magazine, Slow Food was featured on their front page, along with an extensive article describing the slower pace of life that Europeans are trying to hold on to.
According to the Newsweek article, the Slow Food movement is indicative of the European desire for a gentler capitalism- one that doesn't hurt quite as much as the imposing American capitalist ideal of the New Economy.
Unlike the US, Europe is attached to Old World values. These philosophies, developed with time over the past centuries, have always centered around "the joy of life". People in Europe are still proud of their fine meals and their delicate crafts. They have often been taught these classic traditions by their grandparents, and they respect that knowledge. They also respect themselves enough to attend to their own wellness. Workweeks are shorter in Europe; their vacation time is longer; they go for retreats in health spas; they walk around more often and they use bikes instead of driving. Yet, now, more than ever this old way is at risk.
It is at risk because our good old American fast pace is contagious. We have given fast food to the world as our cultural contribution, and those two golden arches have picked up the pace of many European cities. Not only that, but they've also affected the work pace of farmers, who can no longer look at their tomatoes grow slowly, but must keep busy shooting them with red colorant.
Therefore now, more then ever, people are realizing that to protect the old ways and the old pace of life, they must take a stand. And so the slow food movement was created, to remind us that we couldn't afford to lose the art of making a good meal with natural wholesome ingredients and friends and family around the table.
The Slow Food movement is an organized antagonist to our "fast food nation." It is composed of chefs, farmers, and consumers who are combining their efforts to promote an alternative lifestyle to the fast paced trend that seems to be taking over.
This movement started in Europe, and is now growing in Canada. It's also developing a following here in the US. In this country, the problem is that we are much further submerged into the fast paced world, so slowing down presents more of a challenge to us than to Europeans. In this American fast food culture, we have fewer traditions to share with our youth. Our origins have been diluted over the years, and overshadowed by the popular culture of the double arches. The last two to three gen
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