TreeHugger Picks: Get a Taste of Slow Food
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.31.08
The "slow movement" may be gaining steam around the house, but it all started with Slow Food, in Italy. Here are some of our picks for enjoying food after taking the pedal off the metal.
 | 1) Sometimes it takes a slow cooker to get the most from slow food; take a peek under the lid of a ‘hay box,’ a cooking vessel lined with an insulative material that traps a lot of air. The heat contained in the food, especially water dense meals, continues to cook the food because the insulation reduces the ability of the contained heat to escape. The time it takes is offset by a very significant energy efficiency gain. Plus your stove/oven is freed up for other pots and pans, and you can't burn meals that are slow cooked! |
 | 2) The New York City arm of the Slow Food movement has unleashed its own seal of approval, or rather, snail of approval, as those gastronomic gastropods would have it. Awarded to restaurants, bars, food and beverage artisans, and retailers -- who have rated exceptionally in three categories (Quality, Authenticity, and Sustainability) -- the emblem is the non-profit's way of recognizing an eatery's contribution to the city's food supply. |
 | 3) Slow Food London's Christmas market, held on a frosty day, showcased what the movement is all about, featuring a wide and varied selection of producers and products described as "good and clean and fair." Local wild mushrooms, fried in olive oil, in a chunky roll, with grated parmesan on top provided the energy to check out the many vendors. Yum! Food, fashion and New Zealand, after the jump... |
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 | 4) The slow food movement has focused on making connections between the way a morsel is grown, and how it tastes, helping us reflect on how our consumer choices relate to human and eco impacts through transparency about origins. At London Fashion Week, designers at the Estethica exhibit used similar language to describe design and production processes. Slow fashion means clothing and accessories that start with thoughtfully-chosen beginnings, are constructed by well-paid individuals, and are meant to remain wearable for years to come. |
 | 5) TreeHugger Leonora stopped off in Matakana, New Zealand and was happy to learn that it's on it’s way to becoming the first registered Slow Town in Australasia. The success of Matakana’s local farmers market shows just how popular the idea of supporting the local food industry is in this community. It is not surprising then that the American chef Dean Betts, who brings years of Slow Food experience to this part of the world, has chosen to open Cosi, his latest restaurant, here. |
Haybox cookers have been a favorite of mine for decades. Recently, I saw the logical combination of the haybox or hotbox cooker with a solar oven in a video from German CARE's work with Darfuri refugees.
See http://solarray.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-solar-christmas.html for the video