International movement
How is Slow Organised?
From Italy, this sensible concept has spread abroad and Slow is now active in forty countries around the world. To promote the various activities associated with Slow, the following structure has evolved:
International Slow Headquarters
oversees the development of the organisation and remains “the front” of the Slow philosophy. Located in Bra, Italy, “HQ” liases with the activities of the National Slow branches worldwide, organises the biannual Salone del Gusto (an unbelievable world marketplace), coordinates the Arca del Gusto (The “Ark of Good Taste” _ a virtual Hall of Fame of Food!), and publishes the informative periodicals: Slow, Slowine, and Slowark.
Arca del Gusto “The Ark of Good Taste”
The ultimate accolade for a Presidia food or drink within the Slow world is inclusion in the Testo Arca - “The Ark of Good Taste”. This metaphorical creation promotes and protects these endangered artisan foods, vouchsafing their survival. There are over 400 Presidia foods so honoured in Italy alone, and some have achieved extraordinary success in promoting foods which were on the brink of extinction. With the limelight of the Ark comes the wider international focus and good will for the survival of local production microcosms.
Salone del Gusto
This is the vast world market place, comprised chiefly of Ark and Ark-nominated food and drink products from all of the far-flung corners of earth. Held every other year in Turin, it is astonishing; it’s sheer scale, the glory of the foods exhibited, the energy of the producers and the tens of thousands of food lovers who come to enjoy what’s on offer. Every food lover should plan a trip to the Salone. The Salone is furthermore the venue for Slow’s organisational pow-wows, and offers dozens of lectures and diverse taste workshops on the side.
The Defence of Bio-diversity and The Slow Food Award
Since its foundation, the focus of Slow Food has expanded. Today, the organisation has begun a major campaign to support bio-diversity. Through the annual Slow Food Award, Slow aims to assist the wider efforts to arrest the degradation of our plant and animal heritage. In 2002, Slow Food Awards were presented to projects as diverse as a pioneering local radio station in Ecuador which diversified to grow organic quinoa, a Portugese project to build the traditional masseiras, a system of natural hothouses dug into sand dunes, and a project which has preserved the ancient Katerini cattle of Greece.
Who, and What, is Slow Food For?
Primarily Slow is for producers and consumers, to bring together those “endangered, artisan producers” with the millions of consumers today who want to know about what they eat and drink, who seek holism and soul in what they ingest. Slow Food is about developing taste rather than demeaning it, and whilst the movement has a cultural, educational, charitable, and scientific agenda, it is also dedicated to the defence of quiet material pleasure; Slow is fun!
In Ireland, Slow has the potential to bring international pressure upon issues which threaten the development of artisan produce, such as unreasonable hygiene considerations or the plight of the wild salmon. The Slow ethos offers a way forward for the rejuvenation of Irish agriculture and rural socio-economies, through encouraging value-added, cottage-scale foods to a premium world market place.
Slow hints at a timeless and ironically sober enjoyment of life and its bounty.
For further information, to join Slow Food, to create a Convivia in your own area, or to suggest a Presidia project, e-mail infor@slowfoodireland.com
To visit the website of the international Slow Food movement, visit www.slowfood.com