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2006 - 09 -
International Slow Food NEWS |
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1.
2007 Congress
Dear Friend,
As you may already know, during the Slow Food International Congress
in Naples, Italy, in 2003 our President, Carlo Petrini, encouraged
the idea of organizing the next Congress in Mexico. After three
years of work, the International President's Committee will meet in
November to determine the next steps for Slow Food and decide where
in Mexico the Fifth Slow Food International Congress - scheduled for
the beginning of November 2007 - will be held.
The International President's Committee believes that one of the
most important aspects of Slow Food's mission is our focus on
spreading the movement into developing countries and thus promoting
interaction with all the food communities that will be represented
at Terra Madre in Turin in October. This is one of the reasons why
it is very important that we hold the next Congress in Mexico.
At the beginning of August a team of representatives from Slow Food
travelled to Mexico to gather further information and visited three
candidate cities: Morelia (in the state of Michoacan), Oaxaca and
Puebla, all centrally located within the country. We found generous,
heartwarming hospitality in each of these places, ensuring that next
year's event will be truly special. We also strengthened our
relationships with the local and state governments, as well as with
organizations that will support us there. Much of our visit was
devoted to studying logistics for the Congress, such as services in
the area, hotels, locations and transportation and also cultural
features like colonial palaces and archeological sites. As yet, we
have not selected a city to host the event, but I honestly think the
choice will be a very difficult one, since each of the cities
showcases very strong traditions and cuisine rich with the colorful
flavors of its region.
Mexico, with its extensive traditional knowledge and extraordinary
agricultural biodiversity, is a country rich in gastronomy that
should be protected and strengthened.
It is a country where Slow Food can make a difference. As previously
mentioned, it has a remarkable food culture, based not only on food
traditions from the indigenous people there, but also on the legacy
of the Spanish and the food traditions that have grown out of the
mixing of the two over time.
In the coming months, one of the candidate cities will be selected
to host the Slow Food International Congress in 2007. Stay tuned for
the announcement - we hope to see you there if not next month in
Turin! |
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2.
Terra Madre Update
One Year After Katrina
The President of the United States has admitted that federal, state
and local authorities were unprepared for a disaster of such
extraordinary proportions, but has stated that in the past year,
important steps have been made in reconstructing damaged areas.
According to the Slow Food New Orleans convivium leader, however,
restoration is extremely slow and tedious; it is still difficult to
imagine the situation returning to normal in the near future. The
Terra Madre Foundation continues to keep the victims of Katrina
foremost in their thoughts.
12 fishermen, farmers and restaurateurs from Louisiana have
benefited from a special fund started by Slow Food USA and inspired
by the values and solidarity of the Terra Madre network. Thanks to
the Terra Madre Relief Fund, the producers were able to restart
their activities, contributing to the restoration and protection of
the local agricultural system. Six beneficiaries of the Terra Madre
Relief Fund will be traveling to Turin to participate in Terra
Madre.
---
Once again, we ask that you please use every occasion to raise money
to help cover travel expenses of delegates from developing
countries, for which transportation to and from Italy is both
difficult and costly.
For a participation form or more information about how to join this
initiative, please contact Cetty Baiamonte at the Terra Madre
Foundation (tel. +39 0172 419729,
c.baiamonte@slowfood.com).
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3.
News from the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity
Biodiversity Festival in Peru
Peru hosted the VI National Agricultural Biodiversity Festival in
Pucallpa, September 2-6. The event provided an opportunity for
sharing ideas on the principal themes of Andean biodiversity, the
zoological resources of the Peruvian Amazon basin and sustainable
production techniques. Laws and politics that regulate national
organic farming were also discussed. To stimulate exchange among
producers and encourage the development of good agricultural
practices, the festival hosted Peruvian organic producers and food
communities. The producers exhibited and sold their goods,
participated in a series of meetings and workshops and took part in
the "ferias de conocimientos" (awareness festival) where they were
asked to pinpoint problems and analyze their own practices and to
search for communal solutions. The dissemination and sharing of
knowledge, information and experience will re-enforce awareness of
the value of their artisan productions. An additional objective of
the meeting was the creation of a seed bank that will be at the
disposition of the producers.
The core principle of this event was to further the socio-economic
development of ecologically sustainable production practices,
promoting a model of agricultural development that is respectful of
Peru and its biodiversity.
Four Peruvian presidia - Pampacorral Sweet Potatoes, Andean Kanihua,
San Marcos Andean Fruit and Traditional Chuno Bianco - participated
in the initiative.
- Visit the
Foundation website for more information and news about Slow
Food's Ark and Presidia projects.
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4.
UNISG News
The new academic year will start in Pollenzo on October 2, when the
new class will arrive to begin the three-year undergraduate degree
course. The applicants admitted come from all over the world,
including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, France, San
Marino, Turkey, Kenya, Japan, the USA, Australia, Morocco and
Trinidad and Tobago.
Meanwhile the students of the first Master in Food Culture are
currently completing their course with a six-week internship or
research project. Some are working with Slow Food and the Terra
Madre Foundation, one is with the Cavit winery in Trento, another
with Appennino Funghi e Tartufi in Bologna and others in Germany,
Japan, Kenya, Canada and the USA.
During September the degree-course students are on stage, with the
second years on their first stages outside Europe. In Australia they
will be around South Australia, in Adelaide, the Barossa Valley,
McLaren Vale and Kangaroo Island. The stage in India, after a few
days around New Delhi the group will move to the Navdanya organic
farm in Uttaranchal. In Japan the focus will be on traditional
dishes like sushi, soba and wagashi, and products like rice, sake,
buckwheat, beef and fish. Finally in California, around San
Francisco, Napa Valley and Sonoma, the students will be tasting
wine, visiting artisanal cheesemakers and studying conventional,
organic and biodynamic farms.
Visit the
UNISG website for more information and other news. |
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5.
Focus on Convivia
Celebrating a Food Community in Spain
On September 10, the Araba-Alava Convivium held an event celebrating
the Alavesi Mountain Horse Breeders, a Basque food community. This
is an indigenous horse breed at risk of extinction, which the
community rears in a wild state. The day included a photo
exhibition, discussions, a Taste Workshop and a visit to the
pastures to get to know the product and producers. This is an
example of a meeting between producers and consumers on their way to
becoming co-producers.
Gala in Nice
The Sud Est Monaco Convivium held their annual gala dinner on
September 23, at the Rhul Casino in Nice. Members, local authorities
and media came together to celebrate one year of convivium
activities and to raise funds for Terra Madre.
London and Bigorre Welcom a New Presidium
At London's Borough Market on September 28, the new French
Barèges-Gavarnie Sheep Presidium, a breed indigenous to the Hautes-Pyrenees,
will be introduced. The French Bigorre and the London convivia, with
the support of Slow Food France, are collaborating on this event and
on the London market launch of two products: the doublon, castrated
at the age of a year and a half, and the brebis de boucherie, the
two-year-old female.
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6.
Major Events & Projects
Slow Food and Sake
In collaboration with Slow Food Okinawa Amami, Chikugoheiya,
Fukushima and other convivia, on September 16 the Tokyo Suginami
Convivium organized an evening celebrating the culture of sake and
tumami (the traditional snacks that accompany the drink). Sake
makers from throughout Japan were present to describe their
products. Participants will also learn about shochu and awamori, two
other famous distilled beverages made in Japan. In addition, special
guests from Slow Food convivia in Hawaii, Hong Kong and Nepal were
present to take part in the evening's festivities.
Fertile Ground
On October 5 Slow Food USA holds its Second Annual Gala: Fertile
Ground in New York City. This will be an evening of good food,
friends and a celebration of those dedicated to sharing the vision
of Slow Food across the country and around the world. Carlo Petrini
is the special gust. There will be a silent and live auction to
benefit Slow Food USA.
Email
gina@slowfoodusa.org for more information.
Conference in France
Five food experts will attend a conference held by ARIA (Regional
Food Industries Association) in Montpellier on October 17. Also
participating at the meeting, titled "Terroirs, Saveurs et
Nutrition" (Land, Flavor and Nutrition), is Didier Chabrol,
Vice-President of Slow Food France. Chabrol will present a
discussion entitled "Slow Food, from consumers to co-producers" and
will participate in the workshop "Consumer expectations regarding
the notion of terroir". |
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7. On
the Slow Food Website
- Carlo's Corner:
WTO Woes. Historic failure reveals need for alternative models
of development.
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Carlo Petrini conferred honor in Vienna
8. Slow Food in the International Press
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"Fundación Gastronómica Mundial realizará su congreso en Oaxaca",
Olor a mi tierra, Mexico, Sept 14, 2006.
Slow Food's visit to Oaxaca, Mexico, one of the candidate cities for
the 2007 Congress, is met with much enthusiasm from the governor,
secretary of tourism and other local entities.
-
"The absence of fast...", by Charudutta Jen, Times of India,
India, September 3, 2006
The movement grows in India.
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