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2008 -
International Slow Food NEWS |
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 WHAT
IS THE INTERNATIONAL
CONGRESS? |
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he International Congress is the culminating moment of
Slow Food’s collective life. It is where management
bodies are elected and decisions are made on worldwide
strategies for developing the association, the Terra
Madre network and projects to defend biodiversity.
In 2003, the Congress was held in Naples. That was when
it was decided to organize Terra Madre and the School
Gardens project was outlined. Five years later, the
third edition of Terra Madre is being held and more than
130 School Gardens have been set up globally.
In 2007, the Congress was held for the first time
outside Europe, in Puebla, Mexico, a decision that
symbolized the Association’s increasingly international
and outward-looking character. The meeting brought
together 414 delegates from around the world,
representing 85 000 members.
In this
Mexico Special,
we hope you will capture and be inspired by the forceful
ideas and joyful energy of the meeting. |
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DECLARATION OF PUEBLA |
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Founded more than 20 years ago as a movement of people
concerned about the proper pace of life and pleasures of
food, Slow Food has over time developed greater
awareness, inclusiveness, ability to examine and evolve.
The Puebla Congress closed with a commitment to
continuing the approach stated in the 1989 Manifesto,
while developing the various essential components of the
association, seeking out and promoting good, clean and
fair food.
The
Declaration of Puebla has evolved
from and been inspired by the Manifesto, highlighting
the following four fundamental principles:
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I.
Recovering wisdom: a commitment to protecting,
defending, reappraising and using traditional knowledge
of agriculture, livestock, fishing, hunting, gathering
and processing food, listening to and establishing close
relations with indigenous peoples.
II.
Focusing on local culinary traditions, maintaining an
approach attentive to local cultures, economies and
memories, because every living being and every activity
originates in a specific geographical area, and this
defines its vitality and existence.
III.
Opposing a mistaken idea of productivity, which
threatens the environment and the landscape. Slow Food
will continue its work to spread ideas and behavior that
promote sustainability, beauty, gentleness and
happiness, in the firm belief that our planet is the
only source of life and pleasure for ourselves and
future generations.
IV.
Strengthening and increasing the international exchange
of information, knowledge and projects, starting with
members and extending to the Presidia, the Terra Madre
network and activities undertaken by the Terra Madre
University network.
Food and the earth, pleasure and justice, quality and
everyday consumption, product recognition and equal
respect for all cultures: these are themes adopted in
1989 which were reconfirmed in Puebla through the
presence, deliberations, energy and imagination of
delegates from 49 countries.
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CARLO
PETRINI’S OPENING AND CLOSING
ADDRESSES |
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In his
opening address at the Fifth
International Congress, Slow Food President Carlo
Petrini described the association’s progress in recent
years. He stressed how important it was to retrieve
traditional knowledge and promote the development of
local economies, which are essential in dealing with the
environmental and social damage caused by the dominant
system of food production and distorted conceptions of
productivity.
He stated that this was the only way to build a
sustainable future. Our association is directly involved
in meeting this challenge and can only do so if we have
an open mind and cultivate some useful ‘crazy ideas’.
In his
closing address, Petrini focused
on the role of youth — whether students or small farmers
— within our association in promoting an exchange of
equally respected knowledge between Global South and
North. The Slow Food youth network will meet up for the
first time during Terra Madre 2008, joining the networks
of small farmers, cooks and academics who already form
the backbone of the Turin meeting. Petrini also
announced the names of the three new Vice-Presidents:
re-elected Alice Waters of Slow Food USA, the Indian
activist Vandana Shiva and, putting words into practice,
John Kariuki Mwangi, a Kenyan student from the
University of Gastronomic Sciences, a choice drawing
most applause from the delegates.
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Here are some
extracts from the addresses
‘We
have experienced four intense and significant years
since the last Congress. We have founded the first
University of Gastronomic Sciences in the world,
consolidated the concepts of “good, clean and fair” and
organized two editions of Terra Madre. We have also
strengthened the idea of co-producers: namely, consumers
who do not passively react to publicity and the
pressures of the outside world, but are actively
involved in all the implications and consequences of
their buying decisions [...] This Congress will define
our new objectives, new strategies and future structure.
At the same time, we will have do consider how to
maintain the growth of the Movement without losing the
important values of friendship, joy, affection and
healthy eccentricity that have been such distinguishing
features so far.’
‘It’s
interesting to see the crisis of the concept of
limitless linear development, which presumes to talk of
underdeveloped countries and regards as exemplary those
countries that use productivity as a guiding principle.
We should return to a concept of civilized behavior, and
a boosting of local economies, not of linear development
[...] Resources are not infinite.’
‘Traditional
knowledge is the seedbed for biodiversity. It is
nurtured by humble small farmers and it is up to us to
support the scientific validity of their knowledge and
convey it to universities. When they are able to speak
on equal terms with university academics, we will have
won a great battle. The destruction of the self-esteem
of small farmers is one of the main causes of our
environmental disaster.’
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‘We
are opening the doors of our movement. We want to create
an international association of gastronomes, people who
believe and are involved in food culture. Not that Slow
Food intends to pursue an elitist approach. It will take
a considerable effort [...] but we have to try, always
with a joyful, affectionate and friendly attitude. We
are members because we have shared aims, but membership
is something much stronger. It is a rational decision
fueled by irrational drives and motivations — the desire
for life and hope, the need for social relations,
dissatisfaction with the empty words of political
parties. We must continue to be happy and cheerful. That
is the antidote to the world of today, that is the basis
for friendship and for our own lives.’ |
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Dear Members,
This is the first edition of a newsletter you will
receive every month.
It will give news about our Association, what convivia
are doing and how Slow Food is understood, experienced
and practiced — from the Mexican Chiapas to the
Mongolian steppes, from German tables to San Francisco’s
farmers’ markets.
It will contain information about the where, how and
when of good, clean and fair food, and all the ideas and
facts that surround it.
This newsletter is published in eight languages and
portrays a network that is becoming ever more anarchic,
joyful, complex and open to diversity. At present it is
put together at Slow Food’s historic headquarters in Via
Mendicità, Bra, but we would like it to be increasingly
written elsewhere, to recount your local experiences of
gastronomic, intellectual and emotional pleasure in
their many different forms. It will describe exchanges,
campaigns and projects developed by Slow Food convivia
round the world, whether they be initiated in a Parisian
café or launched among Guatemala’s coffee plantations.
Slow Food Times
will be a travel diary on a journey to the roots of
food. It will see things from a philosophical angle —
the exchange of knowledge, evolving opinions and
interests, thoughts leading from the table to the earth
— as well as from practical perspectives, with members
visiting producers, Communities preparing for Terra
Madre and the Salone del Gusto in Turin from October 23
to 27, convivium leaders returning home from Mexico with
a rich assortment of stimulating suggestions.
The International Congress held last November in Puebla
was a landmark for our association. It allowed us to
review our past progress, describe guidelines for the
future and define the principles which will give
collective meaning to our individual actions. In this
inaugural edition of Slow Food Times we have therefore
decided to begin with Mexico. We hope it will prompt a
fruitful dialog, reflecting our complexity and
contradictions, but also evolving as an ever more
thoughtful and responsible approach to food and its
pleasures.
Have a good journey... and make it Slow.
Paolo Di Croce
Slow Food International Secretary. |
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What they said at the Congress |
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At first people in Japan mainly became members because
it was a trendy thing to do. But now people joining Slow
Food are much more motivated and enterprising. We are
now approaching significant milestones, such as the
organization of an Asian Terra Madre [...] Japan, like
Mexico, is full of contradictions: we are very slow by
nature, but irresponsible economic development has
undermined our traditions. Japan currently racks up the
highest number of food miles in the world. But now that
Slow Food is established in every region of our country,
we are ready to initiate a profound change. |
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Hirotoshi Wako
President of Slow Food Japan |
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It is time to think about a more basic solution to the
problems facing us. The solution lies in education.
School is the only place where we can come into contact
with children and where we can teach them about food
culture. Eco-gastronomy should be part of the school
curriculum, from nursery school to university. |
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Alice Waters
Slow Food International Vice President |
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Lebanon has an extremely interesting culinary heritage
with rich traditions linked to the seasons. For us food
is a part of hospitality and an offer of friendship. In
spite of very difficult times for our country, we are
working to support farmers’ markets in Beirut and have
started various educational programs in schools and
universities. |
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Barbara Massaad
Convivium of Slow Food Beirut |
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In Belarus, kolkhoz (collective farms) are the country’s
most important agricultural system. They have very
fertile land and a lot of machinery, but are extremely
inefficient because the old Soviet principles still
dictate agricultural policies. We hope that by entering
the Slow Food network, things can change and we can
rediscover local varieties and products, working to
improve quality and not just focus on quantity. We need
to meet up with others who have already been along this
path and we are keen to be involved in exchanges. |
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Igor Danilov
Coordinator of Terra Madre and Slow Food in
Belarus |
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Twenty years ago Slow Food focused its attention on
products. Then, with Terra Madre, products acquired a
human face. Small farming culture is endangered in both
the Global South and the Global North. In countries with
small-farming traditions like Switzerland, thousands of
rural families abandon their traditional activities to
pursue unprofitable pipedreams which leave them unhappy.
Slow Food’s commitment and work are important in
restoring dignity and satisfaction to all those involved
in agricultural production. |
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Rafael Pérez
President of Slow Food Switzerland |
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Convivia have changed in line with the evolution of Slow
ideas. We no longer just focus on food in osterias, but
are addressing the situation in schools, libraries and
local authority offices. The new aim of convivia is to
educate and make the public more aware’. |
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Marco Brogiotti
Governor of Slow Food Italy |
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‘It's
not enough to get emotional when talking about youth or equal
opportunities for women or the crucial importance of small
farmers in our association without following these declarations
of intent up with actions. It is right that the baton be passed
into new hands with renewed energy. This is how Slow Food
policies will evolve in coming years. The next four will be
fantastic: enjoyable, interesting, and packed with new projects
as a direct consequence of Slow Food’s recent development in
areas such as South America, Africa and Asia.’
‘Being
a member of Slow Food means participating in a collective body.
Everyone is entitled to belong to Slow Food. We will work to
make the convivia autonomous and flexible. The areas where we
are present will adapt to local conditions so that our message
can penetrate effectively. In our 20-year journey, we have
traveled from eno-gastronomy to eco-gastronomy, and we are now
moving on to new goals to reiterate the importance of Slow Food
members as significant elements in civil society.’
‘I
have no fears about the growth of the movement precisely because
our main characteristic must always be local autonomy and
agreement over basic aims. What conflicts can there ever be with
this kind of attitude? People in every part of the world will
work autonomously but with the same objectives — none of us is
alone. Let growth be accompanied by hope. The same hope I have
for the fate of our planet.’
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>From Global to Local:
Grassroots projects in Mexico |
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The Mexican region of Xochimilco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
thanks to its
chinampas,
pre-Columbian floating gardens once common in the dried-up lake
where Mexico City now stands.
The network of Productos de
Chinampas
de Xochimilco, and the Condesa Roma convivium ,
together with Karina Morales Torres, a graduate from the
University of Gastronomic Sciences, and a member of the Youth
Network, are holding intense discussions with restaurateurs from
Mexico City to ensure that traditional products from these
attractive floating gardens are properly recognized in Mexican
cuisine. Already six restaurants not only buy corn and
vegetables from Xochimilco, but are also actively involved in
developing these small-scale enterprises. Some chinamperos are
already planning their crops according to restaurant demand and
are beginning to grow products they never dreamed could have a
market. Project coordinator Luis Jhon says that truly ‘fair’
trade is only possible when buyers and sellers meet and talk,
and that it is essential to remove the harmful costly barrier
that exists between the rural and urban worlds.
To bring the
chinampas
closer to the city, the project also envisages the setting
up of a farmers’ market in the Condesa Roma district. Following
a trial visit organized by the local convivium, some chinamperos
are preparing to perform an educational function by welcoming
visitors to their
chinampas,
without of course sacrificing their productive capacity.
Luis Jhon
Project coordinator
troncho77@yahoo.com |
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And from Mexico … to Stuttgart
The second edition of the Guten Geschmacks (Good Taste) event
was held in Stuttgart from April 3 to 6, 2008, welcoming over
250 artisan producers. Their passion, public interest and a
large educational section made the fair a great place for people
to meet and exchange information and ideas. The aim was to make
a stand against the industrialization and the standardization
imposed by the food industry today.
The event was also attended by the food community of cacao
producers from Villahermosa, the capital city of the Tabasco
state in Mexico, who were devastated by flooding in November
2007. The Mexican producers told the public how they dealt with
the disaster and how, in conjunction with Slow Food, Terra Madre
and Mas Para el Campo, they have created Restablecimiento del
Agroecosistema Cacao en Tabasco, an association which
coordinates various producer cooperatives for Chontalpa cacao.
The project covers 720 hectares of land and aims to re-establish
the regular production cycle, improve product quality and
improve commercialization.
The event program also featured round table discussions, forums
and a rich array of fringe activities (dinners, taste workshops
and so on). Healthy eating in kindergartens, schools and at home
took centre stage, and a cooking competition for children was
inspired by the quote from the film Ratatouille: ‘Everyone can
cook’.
For further information on
the event, visit:
www.slowfood-messe.de
Alma Rosa Garces Medina
Community Coordinator
atcovillahermosa@yahoo.com.mx
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Journey to the roots of food:
International Salone del Gusto-Terra Madre 2008 |
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This year the
Salone del Gusto
and
Terra Madre — to be
held in
Turin
from
October 23 to 27
— are being presented together as a single event, united by two
distinct but closely linked principles. The theme of the 2008
edition is Journey to the roots of food, and is represented by a
tree. From the branches weighed down with fruit - i.e. the
Salone with its bounteous food — and through the sap of good,
clean and fair, the path leads to the roots and the earth — i.e.
Terra Madre, the world meeting of food communities.
The underlying ideas are fully expressed in the
Via
Virtuosa, an informational and
educational trail which will wind its way around the Salone. It
will seek out the good, the clean and the fair, teaching us to
consume less and live better, and come to an end at the
Presidia, which for the first time will be hosted at the Oval
Lingotto building, the venue for Terra Madre.
2008 will also see
Terra Madre Netherlands
held from May 17 to 18 in the town of Middleburg, and
Terra
Madre Ireland from September 4 to 7
in the ancient city of Waterford.
The recently created Waterford Institute of Technology convivium
will help organize the Irish event. Founded by Youth Network
member Donald Lehane, this convivium is the first in Ireland to
be based in a tertiary education institute. It aims to organize
food education initiatives and convivia meetings. Students will
also help organize the inaugural lecture on food policies and
other activities during the four-day event, which is certain to
add life to the town of Waterford and its surrounding region.
For further information on
the Irish event, visit:
www.terramadreireland.com
Donald Lehane
Leader of the Waterford convivium
lehane@iol.ie |
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Markets that sow the seeds of peace |
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Dana Ghoussaini from Lebanon and Michal Ansky from Israel met
recently at the inauguration of the International Network of
Earth Markets. The two young women are both heavily involved in
the project in their respective countries and enthusiastic about
a possible future partnership. Dana, representative of Slow Food
Beirut
and coordinator of Lebanon’s three Earth Markets, presented the
project to the meeting: ‘Our three markets are a true community
of producers, who will thus have the opportunity to exchange
experiences and knowledge. They are also a social meeting point
and offer an opportunity to promote food which is good, clean
and fair’. Michal, a food journalist and Master student at the
Slow Food University of Gastronomic Sciences, is one of the
organizers of Israel’s first farmers’ market, a weekly Earth
Market to be held on Tel Aviv’s harbor from May 2.
Dana and Michal joined around 70 representatives of farmers’
markets and Slow Food from around the world at the meeting in
Italy this March. This new Slow Food project has developed a
specific model of farmers’ markets: Earth Markets are united by
a common set of regulations that can be adapted to suit national
situations. Delegates visited the inaugural Earth Market,
established three years ago in the Tuscan town of Montevarchi,
and heard from representatives of other pilot projects in
Lebanon and Mali. Coordinators of farmers’ markets networks in
America and England, who may join the Earth Market network in
the future, also presented their experiences.
For more information:
info@mercatidellaterra.it
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No waste |
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Nicole Sturzenberger is a recent graduate from the UNISG Master
in Food Culture Program who wrote her thesis on transforming
olive oil production waste into energy. She now works for the
University of California, in Davis. Here she tells us what she
is up to:
‘At the university I work for the Olive Center and the Robert
Mondavi Edible Garden. We have been producing our own olive oil
from heritage trees on campus for the past four years. The oil
was born of an innovative idea to turn a landscaping hazard into
a sustainable and enjoyable product. Students would slip and sue
the university when fallen olives littered walkways and bike
paths, so the director of Buildings and Grounds had the insight
to make oil. The oil is only sold on campus and is a hit in the
California olive world. We are also in the process of planting a
new organic olive orchard and are looking to use waste olive
stones to produce energy’.
Nicole’s work at the center is part of the university’s efforts
to achieve ‘zero environmental impact’ by 2020.
Nicole Sturzenberger
Robert Mondavi Institute Garden
ndsturzenberger@ucdavis.edu
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The call of the mountains |
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On June 17 and 18, 2008, the Coolporteur convivium
in
the French Alps will organize an event in Gap (France) dedicated
to the products and flavors of the mountains. Savoirs et saveurs
de montagne will be a unique event for this westernmost Alpine
area, a celebration of terroir, a school of taste and an open
discussion about the future.
The event will feature:
- A market with mountain products from France and Italy and the
active involvement of local bodies such as the natural park,
purchasing groups etc.
- Taste workshops guided by producers and cooks.
- A Manger Slow space, with culinary demonstrations to show the
public how to prepare simple quality products at reasonable
cost.
The event closes an inter-regional program financed by the
European Union called Le tour des savoirs et des saveurs de la
montagne. 1500 visitors are expected to attendi.
Rostain Philippe
Convivium leader of Slow Food Coolporteur
philippe@slowfood.fr
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The
Canadian good food venture |
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Paul Finkelstein began teaching at Northwestern Secondary School
in Stratford (Ontario, Canada) seven years ago. He was greeted
by a situation common in so many schools: vending machines
scattered around the building and menus packed with high calorie
food in the canteen. Paul has for some time been fighting a
battle against the obesity epidemic, and other serious health
problems affecting young people, with a distinctive recipe that
combines food education programs, school gardens, dinners and
trips. His main objective is to introduce students to real food:
he gets them to cook fresh produce and experiment with the
various ingredients so they can develop their own personal
tastes.
This approach led Paul to open the Screaming Avocado Café within
the school, which he runs together with his students. The café
only offers healthy menus and students prepare all the food:
bread, pasta, sandwiches, rabbit with olives, Moroccan lamb
couscous, sushi etc. The initiative is part of a wider program
of food education inspired by the principles of local seasonal
produce, which involves 200 students each year. Through
exchanges promoted by Slow Food, students have been able to
travel to other parts of Canada and overseas (Japan) to meet and
compare notes with students from different countries and
cultures.
Paul Finkelstein
paulfink@fc.amdsb.ca
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Slow
Food on Film |
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For five days the Manifattura delle Arti district of Bologna,
Italy, will be stimulated by food images and events promoted by
the Slow Food movement and the Cineteca di Bologna at the first
Slow Food on Film festival. The event
will be held from May 7 to 11 and will stage screenings from
morning to evening in the main cinemas of the city, followed by
tasting sessions of food and wines inspired by the films.
There are four official competitions: Shorts (for fictional
shorts), Docs (for documentaries), BFF – Best Food Feature (for
the best food feature film) and the Golden Snail – Best Food TV
Series (for the TV series—fiction or documentary—which has made
its mark internationally for its aware, intelligent and
culturally appropriate representation of gastronomy).
The entire progam will be
available shortly on:
www.slowfoodonfilm.com
Slow Food members are able to
book events at
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