Guest Author - Barbara Gibson

I learned about the Slow Food Movement in a newspaper article. The accompanying photo pictured women and men looking relaxed; vibrant even. Their full smiles seemed to come from within. Curious, I made a few clicks in search of a site that would help me learn more.

It turns out the Slow Food Movement is an International Movement; and thanks to the commitment of one very busy woman, there is a Convivia, or chapter, right in my area. I sent an email to Julie Shaffer, who heads the chapter, asking if we might chat by telephone some time. Julie graciously agreed. Here is what I discovered.

The Slow Food Movement was launched in Italy in the mid 1980’s by Carlo Petrini. The Movement began in protest of the shining golden arches newly placed by McDonald’s fast food restaurant. Petrini decided to organize friends and supporters not to march or chant but to chew. With the Golden Arches looming large, the protesters sat on the square eating bowls of spaghetti.

A visionary, Petrini saw those golden arches as more than an innocuous sign of McDonald’s arrival. Far beyond the arrival, the arches signaled a creeping globalization of food that would threaten local food heritage and traditions. Petrini used the opportunity to begin a food awareness and education campaign that is today the Slow Food Movement.

Although the Movement began with a protest, it is not about protest. Rather, it is more concerned with honoring the connection that food creates between people and place, said Julie. The Movement is about maintaining cultural food diversity and working against food homogenization. Both are real dangers heightened by growing calls for convenience now more frequently answered by mass production, giant grocery chains and fast food restaurants. Increasingly, we can expect to find many of the same foods no matter where we go in the world.

For Julie, any benefits of convenience are quickly overshadowed by the loss of quality and connection fostered by eating locally. The Slow Food Movement works to make sure that food quality and connection are not compromised by its industrialization.

I asked Julie what brought about her commitment to the Slow Food Movement. A frequent visitor to Italy, Julie recalled a long, slow dinner she enjoyed there in 1998. It just felt right and fit with her values.

Julie grew up on farm country in Ohio. Farmer’s are heroes of mine, she said. She remembers the simple joy of the corn harvest and the particular appreciation you develop for foods eaten in season. For her, eating food that comes from thousands of miles away instead of eating locally just doesn’t make sense from an environmental, cultural or economic standpoint.

When Julie returned to her home in the Atlanta area, she wanted a local connection to the Slow Food Movement she had discovered in Italy during that long, slow dinner. She called Patrick Martin, founder of Slow Food USA, who told her there was no Convivia in Georgia at all. Would you consider starting one? He asked.

Julie’s schedule gave her pause. A single mom, she was teaching high school and working on her doctorate in educational leadership at the time. How could she squeeze another thing in? How could she not?

Julie was concerned about the disappearance of local food traditions and deeply connected to the Slow Food Movement vision of "…a future food system…based on the principles of high quality, environmental sustainability, and social justice."

The values she internalized growing up on a farm moved her to adopt and work for the Movement’s mission of "…catalyz[ing] a broad cultural shift away from the destructive effects of an industrial food system and fast life; toward the regenerative cultural, social and economic benefits of a sustainable food system, regional food traditions, the pleasures of the table, and a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life."

Julie launched the Atlanta Convivia in 1999. Today it has nearly 500 active members and works to increase awareness and education of the benefits of eating locally. For example, Julie says, if a restaurant menu doesn’t list any local offerings, it may simply be that the chef is unaware that such offerings are readily available. Julie shares information about organizations such as Georgia Organics and local produce lists that restaurateurs can use to delight their guests.

With her leadership, the Atlanta Convivia recently hosted, “The New Q…a Twist on Old School Barbeque.” In partnership with Heritage Foods USA, the group set out to spotlight sustainable farms and heritage breed farmers. More than 15 chefs from some of the Atlanta area’s best restaurants paired with local farms to create tasty BBQ temptations. By all accounts, The New Q was a big hit.

For Julie, the Slow Food Movement is about a commitment to living and eating in a certain way. The New Q was another of the opportunities she has created to build awareness and invite others to share in that commitment.

What about fast food fans? I asked. There are other ways to eat quickly that don’t require a trip to the drive-thru, Julie answered. You can choose to organize yourself and make a commitment to your health and wellness; you can choose to make time to eat well.

The International Slow Movement, now twenty years old, has grown to include more than 80,000 members in 50 countries and several continents. Julie anticipates that the movement will continue to grow as more people adopt lifestyles that are respectful of our environment. A long-time proponent of earth saving practices, Julie notes that it is now trendy to be “green.”

On a more personal note, I asked Julie about her food specialties. A good cook, Julie loves to make soups, Italian food, of course, and her English pea risotto with shitake mushrooms (grown on her own log) with lemon zest is almost legendary. Sounds great!

Want to learn more or join the Slow Food Movement? Follow the links below.