Four Ways to Live Slow

Feeling moved by the Slow Food movement? In a recent interview, Derrick Schneider, author of the food blog Obsession with Food and a Slow Food member for 6 years, had a few suggestions for those hoping to slow down.

1. Become a regular at the farmers' market.
   Local growers have the freshest ingredients you can buy and are a great source of information. As Schneider puts it, "Don't feel shy about asking how to cook something or how it grew." Farmers and food artisans are usually happy to educate their customers about the products they grow and create.
2. Get a cookbook to guide and inspire your changing habits.
   Getting used to buying whatever looks best (as opposed to the specific ingredients needed for a particular recipe) can be a challenge, but a good cookbook can help you plan meals and menus around the treasures you find at the farmers' market.
3. Be willing to look around for high-quality food.
   Depending on where you live, a wide variety of products, from cheeses and wines to grains and sweeteners may be available. Contact your local Slow Food chapter to find sources for hard-to-find products, or ask around. You may be surprised by the variety of high-quality food that's out there once you start looking.
4. Sit down and share meals with others.
   Enjoying food in the company of loved ones is an important part of the Slow Food philosophy. As Schneider suggests, "Sit down with your family--or even your roommates--at the dinner table and enjoy each other's company. Open a bottle of wine or beer and just take a moment to slow down and appreciate your life. Eat slowly and have a conversation."

How Slow Can You Go?

Whether you decide to attend a Slow Foods event to learn about a regional specialty, visit a nearby farm, or simply try to incorporate local foods into just one meal each week, it's not difficult to take a detour from fast food living. Once you set your food speedometer to slow, you may find you don't really want to speed up again.

Resources for Slow Living:

• Locate a nearby Farmers' Market: Check out our directory of farmers markets to find a market near you.
• Find your local Slow Food Chapter: Slow Food USA has an easy-to-use directory of convivia by state.
• Learn how to cook with local foods: In the last few years, numerous cookbooks have been published on this topic. Schneider recommends Chez Panisse Vegetables and Chez Panisse Fruits (both by Alice Waters) as a starting point.