Slow Food and Guests

Slow Food and Guests



We've just had a fun day with guests making ravioli. A morning making and a slow lunch eating!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, to ‘Fast-Food’

There is something insidious about ‘fast-food’ as against quick home made meals. These outlets tend to rely on formulas that please (sugar-fat-flour), often so much so that to indulge is to the detriment of our health.

We spend half the year in a beautiful wooded area of Victoria, and until last year McDonald’s did not have a foothold there. But in spite of much lobbying by the locals the government eventually allowed one to open. Of course there are many who say they want fast food, and do go to this shop, but as with many of these fast food distributors this is not seen as a one off enterprise they can only exist by growing FAST (notice the ‘s at the end of the name). That means they will have their sights on other small villages in the area.

 

(ps. I once went to a McDonald’s and my critique of that meal was that the burger was flat and soggy pancake, nothing like the picture high juicy burger pictured behind the counter.)

 

Yes to ‘Slow-Food’

Of course we all like and sometimes need to have a quick snack or a quick meal, but we can do that for ourselves, with a lot of fun, and a little effort. One batch of homus will keep a few days to have with various raw vegetable or dry bread as a dip (If you want a quick recipe use tinned chick peas, but they are better if you cook them yourself, however that does take longer.)

 

Takis loves making homus and we love eating it!

a)      You can regularly cook in bulk and then cook or freeze portions for another day.

 

cooking in bulk, two pans in the oven, serving 6 for two meals

 

And then as an extra (slow food) bonus we cooked the vegetables and fish in the furno

While we had the furno going our guest offered to make bread for us

b)      You can have a fun day cooking up something a bit tricky but delicious with friends.

 

Making dolmades with a guest. A long slow process, best done with a friend

 

c)      You can watch a crop growing, and even though by the time you pick those items are cheaper in the shops, you can bottle, freeze and cook up something really special. Something unique that you can’t buy in the shops!

 

Our first harvest this year was apricots. Takis jam making

d)     And even if you don’t have a garden you can buy up at those times when the crops are coming in fast and grocers are selling cheaply, by the boxful, and then do the above!

 

OK local Lemnian bread is very good, and cheap, but what can compete with the joy of home made bread? The best!

Slow Food International

This is an organization with branches in over 160 countries. . It is a global, grassroots organization linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to local communities and the environment.

 

There is an international network and activities around the world. It was founded in 1989 by Carlo Petrini and a group of activist. They aimed to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, and to counter the rise of fast life and fast-food.

 

I don’t belong, as yet, to this organization but I realize that our philosophy (Takis and I) agrees with this approach to growing and eating locally. It also suits our lifestyle here in Greece where we love to share food preparation with our guests.

 

Slow Food and Guests



making tagliateli



Getting ready to make ravioli

 

 















By the time we finished we were a well organized production team!