Slow Food Explained

[video transcript]

I’m gonna be honest - I’ve always thought that pasta is overrated. But then I encountered the Battlefield Rest. 

My name is Kat, welcome to episode three of the Slow Living Guide, where I give you the A to Z on slow living, and hopefully provide a pocket of calm in your day. Last episode we chatted about the pros and cons of slow living so if you haven’t seen it yet, you can follow the link at the end of the video.

In today’s episode, I will be explaining the slow food movement and discussing the benefits of slow cooking. I’ve really been missing having friends round for food, so I’d love it if you joined me for a virtual meal today - so grab a snack, make a wee cup of tea, and get comfy.

While the kettle’s boiling you can click the like button, subscribe, and hit the notification bell, so you don’t miss the rest of the series.

So, the Battlefield Rest is this 30-year-old authentic Italian restaurant, situated in a funky 100-year-old tram stop in Glasgow. My boyfriend’s family have been going there for decades and I love to hear them talking about all the memories they’ve made there over the years. And you know, I liked Italian food, I thought it was fine, but I also sometimes felt like it was overhyped. Then, I finally visited the Battlefield Rest for myself, took one bite of that cumin chestnut pasta, and I was converted. Oh, I wasn’t just converted – I was in heaven.

This brings us onto the origins of the slow food movement. If you’ve been watching the slow living guide from the beginning, then you will already know a little about the slow food movement, which was founded by an Italian journalist by the name of Carlo Petrini. I’m going to do a quick recap for the new folks but stay tuned because we’re going to dive a little deeper.

In the 1980s fast food spread to Italy, a land that is incredibly rich in its slow food culture. This led to activists, headed by Carlo Petrini, taking to the streets in protest – not with placards but with pasta. That’s right – they camped out at the venue that would become the first McDonalds in Rome, and gave out pasta, to remind people of what they’d be missing by falling into the fast-food rhythm.

In short, the slow food movement is about slowing down to buy local, fairly traded produce where you can, ditching the fast food for high quality, home-cooked meals, and slowing down at meal times to really savour your food and enjoy quality time with loved ones.

So, when I asked you to join me for a virtual meal, I wasn’t talking about a burrito on the road. I was talking about sitting down, having a good, long natter, and getting to know each other. So, I would love to know, what’s your favourite food, and why? Drop me a wee comment down below.  You see, food culture has become so rushed, sometimes to the point that having to stop to eat feels like an inconvenient interruption in a busy working day. And you know, I get it, there’s a lot going on and most people can’t afford to spend hours in the kitchen. Taking the time to shop for fresh ingredients and cook homemade, nutritious meals might feel like just another pressure in an already full-on life.

However, in the moment you might feel like you’re saving time and money by eating cheap fast food and downing it in five minutes, but at what cost? How many years might that shave off your life in the long run? How many precious conversations are you going to miss? How much good Italian pasta are you willing the forego? You see, fast food is a false promise, and it is literally killing us. Fast food claims that you can have fast and you can have food, but as a linguist, I believe that this phrase is actually an oxymoron. Let’s break it down.

fast

/fɑːst/

moving or capable of moving at high speed.

food

/fuːd/

any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.

Any nutritious substance. Now I’m not a nutritionist, but I do know that real nutrition takes time to develop. Plants take time to absorb nutrients from the sunlight and the soil. It isn’t a fast process. Once food is grown, it takes time to prepare, and once it is prepared, it takes time to eat or digest. But it seems like we are trying to speed up the process, to act against nature, and then we wonder why our bodies act against us. I said this in episode one, and I’ll say it again – our bodies are as much part of nature as the rest of creation. So, when we pump ourselves full of sugar and processed food, our bodies know it’s not what we need, and they tell us so. You weren’t made to feel tired all the time, you weren’t made to struggle with weight gain, you weren’t made to feel weak. You were made to have energy, to flourish, and to be strong.

I think that slow food and slow cooking is a way to get there. By taking the time to buy healthier ingredients, cook nutritious meals, and deeply enjoy our mealtimes with loved ones, you may find that your time is a great deal richer and fuller in the end. If you’re interested in knowing how you can practically cultivate slow food and slow cooking in your own life, even if that’s a busy life, then you may be interested in listening to next week’s episode, which will be on the topic of slow health. Subscribe and hit the notification bell and you’ll be updated when it comes out on Friday.

Also remember to like the video and share it with a friend who you think might benefit from the message. Until next time, it was lovely to have you here.