Slow Food Cooking

Good, clean and fair. A simple movement, gaining popularity and now five members stronger. We kicked off the Big Bear Valley Chapter with a dinner of pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, organic spinach, fresh garlic, home-made herb-crusted bread, a few bottles of wine and some excellent conversation. It was so nice to sit around a table on a stormy evening, fire in the wood-burning stove, and talk about anything and everything.

There seems to be a growing cultural shift - some even call it a return - to traditional ways when it comes to cooking and eating. A desire for self-sufficiency and quality has fueled the growth of farmer's markets in the last five years and food cooperatives now sell locally grown and seasonal produce. The Slow Food movement is also becoming popular; it's mantra of 'good, clean and fair' is driving many of us to re-think our purchases. To act and make environmentally-conscious decisions when it comes to choosing fresh foods over processed and neighborhood farms over retail giants.

Having grown up with a garden in our back yard, I was tasked with picking our evening salad right before dinner. I miss that freedom and sufficiency. Living in a mountain town where our soil is not entirely conducive for growing our own vegetables I rely heavily on our local food cooperative - Sol Food Market. Every Tuesday I pick up produce grown within 100 miles of Big Bear. It's very communal.

So as regional lines blur in our march towards globalization, our food is becoming a defining factor. As I honor my desire to connect with my food and have a relationship with the growers, I am more reflective in other aspects of my life relating to sustainability. It's an interesting concept, one that isn't innovative or new, just innovative and new right now. As I step off my soap-box, take a moment and check out the Slow Food website at http://bit.ly/70ZBld. I invite you to consider joining in on the move to slowing it down.