Newsletters: September - October 2007

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Slow Food

Natural Times-September/October 2007

By Michele Hatton

It's still hot. And we're still wondering why we're living in this god-forsaken swamp. Then we remember the Tallahassee with October tea olive, bright crisp January days, and our annual azalea smellathon. And we resurrect our interest in making something of this town. This is where Slow Food Tallahassee steps in to give a hand.

Slow Food is a quiet revolution…a turning upside down of all things "fast." It's a slowing down, meeting your farmers, buying seasonal, buying local, and returning the table to its rightful spot…the center of pleasure and community.

The umbrella group, Slow Food USA, has a commendable website that describes the Slow Food initiative as "primarily an educational movement dedicated to stewardship of the land and ecologically sound food production; to the invigoration and proliferation of regional, seasonal culinary traditions; and to living a slower and more harmonious rhythm."

In short, slow food means a change in the way we eat our food, the way we purchase our food, and ultimately, the way we think about food. Let's stop rushing. Let's practice non-rushing in all things food-related. Food is a good place to start.

The website of our local Slow Food group called Slow Food Tallahassee is a cornucopia of information. The writer reminds us to act locally while thinking globally, "When you buy locally you re-establish a connection with the people in your community and keep our local farms going. When you read labels and educate yourself, you can make informed decisions that have rippling effects on the world around you."

Slow Food Tallahassee's website has contact information for every imaginable organic food producer and retailer in North Florida and South Georgia. See www.slowfoodtallahassee.org; there you can find information on local organic vegetable farms, fruit orchards, flower farms, organic dairies, meat and animal farms, wineries, nut and grain farms, herb, egg, and honey farms, farmers' markets, health-food stores, growers markets, green businesses, and even area restaurants that support local growers. Slow Food Tallahassee also sponsors pot-luck dinners, field trips, and food-centered celebrations.