Irene Turner "Little Bits of Beauty™"

As our lives continue to speed up… communication zipping around the world in a matter of seconds and an overload of information coming at us from all directions…we have lost track of a way of life that connects us to each other and our communities.  The Slow Movement is a global and cultural shift toward slowing down life’s pace at a personal and local level.

The Slow Movement began in Italy with Carlo Petrini’s protest against the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant in Piazza di Spagna, Rome that sparked the creation of Slow Food and the Slow Food organization. Over time, this developed into a subculture in other areas, such as Slow Money, Slow Travel, Slow Shopping, Slow Parenting and now Slow Home which is creating the Slow Movement.  And it all began with…Slow Food.

Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.  It’s goal, to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.  To do that, Slow Food brings together pleasure and responsibility, and makes them inseparable.  It also places emphasis on clean natural and organic foods as a way to maintain overall health and well-being.  Forget all those preservatives and toxins from synthetically enhanced farming methods!

Technological advances have meant that the way we work and live is different from the way we used to.   We often spend time isolated in our own world and are less involved with others, therefore less connected in general.  Slow Food aims to address the issue of ‘time poverty’ through making connections with and taking responsibility for:

• our community
• our family
• our food
• our food source
• our selves
• our health

The video below is a great look into Slow Food from Southwest Florida

I am lucky enough to live in the Slow Food Capital of the US…San Francisco’s Bay area, thanks to Alice Waters, well know food activist, pioneer of California cuisine and owner of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley (listed as one of the 50 best restaurants world wide)!  The closest Slow Food chapter to me is Russian River …One of the best things about living here is the appreciation for, the recognition of and the abundance of fresh local produce.  It is my pleasure to be able to go to our local farmers market on Sunday mornings…wander the stalls for yummy treats for our meals, run into friends and spend a leisurely morning slowing down.  This Slow Movement is what keeps my life in balance,  and is a nice break from my daily instant access to the world at large through my computer and the daily juggle of my to do list!

Catch a glimpse and enjoy the view of a slow Sunday spent enjoying the beautiful and delicious treats from my local community.

In what way do you slow down in your life?  I’d love to know.  Share it with me here by leaving a comment.

Cheers!