English
We live in an increasingly frantic and obsessed society by the lack of time, where finding some free time to read a book or engaging in leisure activities or those activities to relax, such as preparing a meal and taking care of ourselves become progressively more difficult. Fortunately, there are movements dedicated to counter the modern trend of the optimization of the hours, the time investment in “production.” However, there is a project that is gaining increasing strength in the world, also because it is closely related to the food, which is one of the moments of the day that is more affected by the lack of time and it is a movement called Slow Food (www.slowfoodfirenze.it).
Not surprisingly, this movement was born in Italy, a country where the food culture has always been the center of the scene, along with the artistic heritage and opera. Slow Food was founded in 1986 with the initial name “ArciGola” in the town of Bra (located in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont) by Carlo Petrini, a sociologist and gourmet with a history of political activism.
To date, the Slow Food movement is found in more than 50 countries around the world and counts more than 80,000 members. It strongly rejects the standardization of taste and its aim is to promote the dissemination of a culture of taste in the pleasure of eating also generates knowledge. Clearly, for a practice like this slowness is the key, and indeed the symbol of the association is the snail. Slow Food works to safeguard the regional culinary traditions in the sustainable farming methods and typical products of each place. It attempts to provide cultural dignity to food and focuses on preserving biodiversity, promoting its protection as cultural property. They claim that the pleasure of taste is getting lost among young generations, and they want to counter this trend by stressing the importance of health and various dietary practices, based on respect of time and environment, and natural rhythms.
Slow Food organizes fairs and activities focused on food as the “Salone del Gusto”, “Slowfish” and “Cheese”. Furthermore, the association founded the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo (Cuneo) and Colorno (Parma). But the most important project is undoubtedly the “Arce del Gusto”, a census and safeguarding of typical local products destined to extinction.
menschauser
If you are interested in these practices and a more critical way of experiencing time, we recommend you to rent apartments in Florence and see the projects of Slow Food in one of the most beautiful cities in Italy.?
Translated by: salome antigone
