Slow Food: When Less is More

By Nancy K. Crevier

Italy.

Just the name of the country conjures up visions of ripe, red tomatoes, sharp and creamy cheeses, plump, juicy fruits and fish so fresh it practically swims off your plate. Pungent olives, wines both bold and delicate and a hot sun glistening off the Mediterranean waters finish the picture. It is a land of leisurely lunches and drawn out dinners.

It is no wonder that it is also the land of origin for the Slow Food movement, founded in Barolo, Cuneo, Italy, in 1986. Another gastronomic mecca, Paris, was the birthplace of the international movement in 1989.

Dedicated to the preservation of deliberate, pleasurable eating in an increasingly fast-moving world, Slow Food works to combat habits that have reduced “dining” to “consumption.” That the humble snail serves as this movement’s symbol emphasizes its desire to hang on to time in a positive manner, and reduce agitation in our lifestyles.

The Connecticut chapter (or “convivium”) of Slow Food USA was established in 2000 by a group of enthusiastic food and wine lovers. Now numbering 200 members, the group has have hosted mouth-watering dinners celebrating American-made cheeses, local oysters, and spring lamb. Members have also indulged over the past four years in a palate education seminar on chocolate, a traditional Chinese banquet, an ice cream social, and a tour and tasting at a distillery in Ashford.

“This [distillery tour] was a very big deal,” says Susan Chandler, a Slow Food Connecticut member. “Margaret Chatey’s artisan eaux-de-vie made Saveur magazine’s 100 best list.”

There is, of course, no hustling and bustling about, no gobbling of goodies at these events – only premeditated chewing and delighted indulgence.

Every year the Connecticut convivium sponsors an Heirloom Tomato Tasting, where partakers savor Connecticut chef’s creations using varieties of tomatoes threatened with extinction. The tasting at Upper Forty Farm in Cromwell on Sunday, August 21, will feature New England farm cheeses, hearth-baked breads, and olive oils specially blended by cheesemonger and food aficionado Ken Skovran. Non-members are welcome to attend for a fee.

This year, members will also enjoy a sake dinner, a shad celebration, a tour of a biodynamic farm, and several other delectable activities. While this year’s event list is still in flux, according to Ms Chandler, members can expect to visit Urban Oaks Organic Farm in New Britain.

“The farm,” she says, “is the only urban agricultural operation in the state and has been a key force in neighborhood revitalization.”

The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity (in conjunction with the region of Tuscany) recognizes that a balance must be maintained between the world around us and the food we eat, and so supports projects such as that of the Ark of Taste. This project aims to catalog ever-increasing products and animals in danger of extinction, the disappearance of which compromise the discerning palate.

Increasing the public’s awareness and understanding of the Slow Food lifestyle is a huge undertaking in a world used to genetically manipulated foods and meals slapped together solely for the purpose of ingesting calories. Through workshops, tasting classes, books, magazines, debates and charity work, the more than 60,000 Slow Food members worldwide hope to share their ideals with an impatient society. 

The Connecticut convivium welcomes new members. Contact SlowFoodCT@earthlink.net for more information.