To some extent, we in the
Pelham Slow Food Convivium are beginning to feel the same way. There is evidence all around us that the
message of Slow Food is getting through, that consumers, purveyors, and
producers are all paying attention (or at least lip service) to the notion that
good, healthy, locally produced food, served in pleasant, convivial
surroundings is vastly better for our physical and mental health than fast
food. Surveys of those who eat fast food
reveal that even they know it’s bad for them, but they can’t resist a hit of
salt and fat as a guilty pleasure… and that their guilty pleasure is, in part,
responsible for the “obesity epidemic” and the consequent rise in diabetes,
heart disease, and other maladies (including the return of gout) that afflict
our population and our overburdened medical system.
Upscale restaurants are
including on their menus the farm or producer where the dish originates. This trend, pioneered in Niagara by Michael
Olson when he was the chef at On the Twenty in Jordan, is a welcome
acknowledgement that good food comes from good farmers and good producers, a
Slow Food mantra. Local farmers’ markets
are thriving and even expanding. Supermarkets
are advertising local produce when it is available on their shelves,
recognizing that there is consumer demand for fresh, locally produced food. (Although, in July… prime growing time…
Sobeys was offering green onions from Mexico, so I drove down the street to
Gallagher’s to get the Ontario version!)
The Ontario wine industry is further evidence that the quality and value
of local products has reached the consciousness of consumers. It wasn’t that long ago that only the most
daring would present a bottle of Ontario wine as a hostess gift or serve it at
a special meal; now, only those who don’t know much about wine would be scared
off by an Ontario label. Fonthill’s new
butcher, Churchill Meats, makes a point of advertising that their products are drug
free and eagerly tells customers which farm produced each cut of their meat. Even pet food producers are boasting that
they source their ingredients from within 100 km of their production facility.
When even manufacturers
of dog food recognize that good, local food is a desirable (and marketable)
commodity, we have to acknowledge that there has been a shift in the
consciousness of consumers. As a
society, we have become more aware of the principles that gave rise to the Slow
Food Movement, even if we aren’t even aware of the existence of the
movement. And yet… at the same time,
fast food outlets continue to thrive; we are getting fatter as a population; we
are getting less exercise; our incidence of heart disease and diabetes
continues to rise. What’s going on?
It seems that those who are willing to receive the
message have received it, while those who continue to poison themselves with
unhealthy food just didn’t get the memo.
And that has members of Slow Food Pelham uncertain about our
purpose. As a group, we get together to
enjoy good food and share ideas about a better environment, healthier eating,
local products… but it seems that much of society, at least those who are aware
and care about their food, are as much Slow Foodies as we are! And the rest will never get the message. For more information about Slow Food Pelham,
contact Renée at reneegirardb@hotmail.com
