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So, is the slow food movement realistic in a culture that
is always on the go?
"I think it is a great idea, but I think it would be
very difficult to follow the ideals to the letter," said
John Ross, a 24-year-old newlywed. "I simply don't have
time to do that for three meals each day, seven days each
week."
Carlo Petrini, the Italian journalist who founded the slow
food movement in 1989 has said the goal of the slow food movement
isn't to stop people from eating McDonald's, but rather make
sure there is a choice.
Fast food has even evolved into faster food with the advent
of the McDonald's Express, a speedier version of the fast
food giant. Its slogan: "For a world that can't slow
down." Slow food advocates worry that fast food is not
about real food or real restaurants, and they worry that the
options for quality food is headed toward a dead end.
And
while fast food may be a convenient option, most people still
seem to believe in the value of a well-prepared meal, too.
"My parents used to cook for us, but now that my brother
and I are older we eat a lot of pizza and Chinese food,"
said Nelly Mecklenberg,13, who was killing time at a McDonald's
on Broadway in New York.
Her friend, Ada Meyers, also 13, said her family eats a home-cooked
meal every night, except Mondays, which are reserved for takeout
night.
"Home cooking is good sometimes," Meyers said.
Dorothy
Hamilton, president and co-founder of the French Culinary
Institute in Lower Manhattan, thinks that people are becoming
more interested In an alternative to fast food and the marketplace
is beginning to respond.
"Even Wal-Mart has an organic section," she said.
"People knowing more about it demand it in their supermarket."
She said the movement will continue as the desire for genuine
food grows.
"I think the slow food movement is for people who really
would like to see good nutritious food preserved, practiced
and available," she said. "It's finding the consumers
and the passion people who want to preserve some wonderful
things in our food legacy."
Hamilton
said incorporating elements of the slow food lifestyle into
a person's daily routine doesn't mean slaving over the stove
for hours.
"I don't think it takes anymore time. I just think it
takes a little bit of education, which we're trying to spread
in a very pleasant way," Hamilton said.
The French Culinary Institute, an active supporter of the
slow food, shares a building with the movement's New York
branch on lower Broadway, and the culinary institute opens
its doors to slow food events.
"We open our amphitheater free of cost to the slow food
movement, because we believe in it," Hamilton said.
Ross, who works a demanding job as a systems analyst, said
there are times when you have to eat and run.
"Sometimes I just go for what is convenient," said
Ross. "I think it is a more healthy way to eat to understand
what you are eating, but there are times when it isn't practical.
You can try to seek out options that aren't totally fast food.
Usually, the faster the food the worse the taste."
Ross said that even when he eats fast, he tries to make good
nutritional decisions.
"I avoid fast food as much as I can. And when I'm forced
I try to choose carefully," he said. "I have looked
into the nutrition facts of what is offered so that I can
make the experience as painless as possible."
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on't worry,
they're not trying to take away your hamburger and fries.
