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Local Convivia -  Slow Food Spokane River, Spokane Events

 

What is Slow Food?

The Slow Food movement was created to combat fast food and claims to preserve the cultural cuisine and the associated food plants and seeds, domestic animals, and farming within an eco-region. It was the first established part of the broader Slow movement.

The Slow movement is a cultural shift towards slowing down life's pace. The Slow movement proposes consciously seizing control of time rather than being dictated by it and finding a balance between using time-saving technology and taking the time to enjoy a walk or a meal with others. Proponents believe that while technology can speed up working, eating, dating, etc. the most important things in life should not be rushed.

The Slow movement first began when a protest against the opening of a McDonald's restaurant in Piazza di Spagna, Rome sparked the creation of the Slow Food organization.

Even in the recent past in the West it was standard to have a day of relaxation because all shops were closed on Sundays. However, the current tendency in many parts of the world to operate at 24 hours a day has disrupted this tradition. Now, because people can do everything all the time, some feel they have to do things all the time. The Slow movement counteracts this by extolling the virtues of the enjoyment and savoring of living.

Contrary to assumptions associated with the term "slow", advocates of the Slow movement stress activity, rather than passivity. The focus, therefore, is on being selective in our activity, and fully appreciating how we spend our time.

The Slow movement is not organized and controlled by a singular organization per se. A principal characteristic of the Slow movement is that it is propounded, and its momentum maintained, by individuals that constitute the expanding global community of Slow. Although it has existed in some form since the Industrial Revolution its popularity has grown considerably since the rise of Slow Food and Cittaslow in Europe, with Slow initiatives spreading as far as Australia and Japan.

Opposed to the culture of Fast Food the movement known as Slow Food seeks to encourage the enjoyment of regional produce, traditional foods, which are often grown organically and to enjoy these foods in the company of others. It aims to defend food and agricultural biodiversity.

The movement claims 83,000 members in 50 countries, which are organized into 800 Convivia or local chapters. Sometimes operating under a logo of a snail, the collective philosophy is to preserve and support traditional ways of life. Today, 42 states in the U.S. have their own convivium.

In 2004, representatives from food communities in more than 150 countries met in Turin under the umbrella of the Terra Madre (Mother Earth) network.

The Slow movement advises some ways of slowing down:

  • Get a Slow hobby, a leisurely pursuit like reading, writing, knitting, yoga, painting or gardening.
     
  • Spread out your chores; do one load each day instead of all your laundry at once, or dust one day and vacuum the next.
     
  • Stop watching the clock; on weekends try waking up to your body's natural rhythms rather than an alarm, and leave your watch at home
     
  • Shop at a farmers' market
     
  • Prepare a sit-down meal and savor it without watching TV, or reading. Enjoy the conversation if you're dining with others, or peaceful solitude if eating alone.
     
  • On vacation slow down; don't try to cram every sight into your must-see list. Visit "slow cities" with local restaurants where you can eat slow
     
  • Prune your to-do list; make time for the people and activities that you enjoy
     
  • Start a kitchen garden by the kitchen door.
     
  • Visit a farm in your area.
     
  • Trace your food sources.
     
  • Join a CSA.
     


Objectives of Slow Food Movement

The Slow Food movement incorporates a series of objectives within its mission, including:
 

  • forming and sustaining seed banks to preserve heirloom varieties in cooperation with local food systems
     
  • developing an "ark of taste" for each eco-region, where local culinary traditions and foods are celebrated
     
  • the preservation and promotion of local and traditional food products, along with their lore and preparation
     
  • the organization of small-scale processing (including facilities for slaughtering and short run products)
     
  • the organization of celebrations of local cuisine within regions (e.g. the Feast of Fields held in some cities in Canada)
     
  • Taste Education
     
  • educating consumers about the risks of fast food
     
  • educating citizens about the drawbacks of commercial agribusiness and factory farms
     
  • educating citizens about the risks of monoculture and reliance on too few genomes or varieties
     
  • Various political programs to preserve family farms
     
  • Lobbying for the inclusion of organic farming concerns within agricultural policy
     
  • Lobbying against government funding of genetic engineering
     
  • Lobbying against the use of pesticides
     
  • Teaching gardening skills to students and prisoners
     
  • Encouraging ethical buying in local marketplaces

    Slow Food USA - Organization devoted to preserving traditional foodways and educating people about food as a center of community.

    Local Convivia -  Slow Food Spokane River, Spokane Events

    Find a group in Idaho

    Start your own Convivia


     



 




Corner of Prairie Ave & Hwy 95 in Hayden, Idaho
Contact Info: 
March - October:  (208)772-2290

By Mail:  KCFM, P.O. Box 781, Hayden, ID 83835
              Email:  manager@kootenaicountyfarmersmarket.com

To contact Market Manager call Gail Cassidy at (208) 689-3827

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