Father's Day Pitch-In

A Slow Journey...

My travel arrangements for the Slow Food Congress in Louisville were probably easier than anyone else who attended, other than the kind and very hospitable folks of Slow Food Bluegrass. What an incredible gift to be only a couple hours away from such a great hub of Slow Food activity! And while the bus ride over my Indiana terrain, which is often described as "flat and boring", was uneventful, inside I was experiencing an emotional roller coaster.

Falling into the trap of "fast living" and modern society, I had formerly grown numb to the natural beauty that is all around me as I traveled the roads and highways of Indiana, but something about today was different. Perhaps it was the just right light of an afternoon sun lingering in the sky before making its slow descent and yielding into evening, combined with my head which was buzzing with all things Slow Food. All I wanted was to sit and experience, enjoy that moment. I suddenly saw these flat and boring fields, farms, and gardens as beautiful, something natural and nourishing and wonderful in their own way. I knew that soon these bare brown dirt rows would be speckled with green, as vines and sprouts began stretching their way out of the ground, reaching for that same sun that was now painting such a beautiful landscape for me. I wondered how I had not seen all the vast potential and nourishment that was right there in front of me all along.

In the middle of this private moment of awe and appreciation, I suddenly felt a queasy pit in my stomach, but it was not from the rocking and swaying of the bus as it ambled toward our destination. I remembered how I had heard that much of the corn grown in my great state is not even for human consumption. I thought of how it might be fed to animals who are not designed to digest it, or perhaps turned into high fructose corn syrup, something designed for us which we would be better not to digest. I also thought of the soybeans that would be grown here and turned into a base for a multitude of processed and manufactured foods, bearing no resemblance to their original or natural form.

This was already disappointing, but then my gut took another drop as if the bus had just jumped a small ramp, when I thought of all the other people who were filling up this bus. The person to my left was using an e-reader, behind me someone was staring at a smartphone, and most were simply asleep or just tuned out to the world. I wondered if they even noticed the land, and if they did were they inspired, sickened, or bored as I had once been?

At this point I chuckled at myself, realizing that my mind is not a bison and thus should not be allowed to roam free in this manner! I could hardly judge the people around for being immersed in technology, reading, or just resting. They were dealing and coping with the world in the best way that they knew, taking advantage of the tools, gadgets, and time killers our society has come up with. Their minds were not reeling because they had decided to occupy their brains otherwise, or perhaps turn them off for a short time. And I remembered that change always begins with awareness. Awareness such as the moment I realized I huffed and puffed every time I took the stairs which changed my weight by 40 pounds. When awakened to the world or a particular pain in it, humans become inevitably motivated to do something about it.

All of my fellow congress members, along with each of you reading this, and Slow Food members everywhere have become awake to the problem of our broken food system. You were not forced to this agenda but came to it on your own when you were ready, or had a personal experience. In order for true change to happen, others must also become aware of what we in the Slow Food movement know. Unfortunately you can no more force a philosophy on others than they could force a Big Mac on you. But when faced with passion and singularity of purpose, others cannot help but notice your energy and wonder where it comes from. So share your experience, let your passion shine as the light of the afternoon sun, so as to illuminate the path for others who WILL come when they are ready, one person at a time.

Big Night: movie showing benefits Slow Food Indy

When: Friday, Feb 10, 2012
Time: TBD
Where:SoHo Cafe: 620 S Rangeline Carmel IN (map)

SoHo Café and Slow Food Indy invite you enjoy the renowned “foodie movie” Big Night.

SoHo Cafe has generously invited Slow Food Indy to be the recipient of their “community give back movie night program." That evening, 100% of each $1 per person admission will go to Slow Food Indy!

Big Night is about the goods: good food, good music, good story.

This 1996 film was written and directed by Stanley Tucci. Featured stars include StanleyTucci, Marc Anthony, Tony Shalhoub, Minnie Driver, Isabella Rossellini and Ian Holm along with a soundtrack of Louis Prima's greatest hits.

The story line: Primo and Secondo are two brothers who have emigrated from Italy to open an Italian restaurant in America. Primo is the irascible and gifted chef, brilliant in his culinary genius, but determined not to squander his talent on making the routine dishes that customers expect. Secondo is the smooth front-man, trying to keep the restaurant financially afloat, despite few patrons other than a poor artist who pays with his paintings. The owner of the nearby Pascal's restaurant, enormously successful (despite its mediocre fare), offers a solution - he will call his friend, a big-time jazz musician, to play a special benefit at their restaurant. Primo begins to prepare his masterpiece, a feast of a lifetime, for the brothers' big night…

SFI 2012 Annual Meeting: Brief Notes

About 100 folks gathered at the Wheeler Art Community in Fountain Square on Sunday, January 22, to share a potluck meal, elect three new members to the Slow Food Indy board, and to listen to a panel of local cooks, farmers, and community leaders discuss the future of local food in central Indiana. Panel members included:

Neal Brown of Pizzology & Libertine
Matt Davis of KI Ecocenter
Greg Gunthorp of Gunthorp Farms
Dr. Lisa Harris of Wishard Health Services
Laura Henderson of Growing Places Indy
Tyler Herald of Patachou
David Robb of Heartland Farm

During the discussion, a recent report by Ken Meter was referenced frequently. Find links to various lengths of that report below:
Full Report: Hoosier Farmer? Emergent Food Systems in Indiana
Executive Summary: Hoosier Farmer?
Condensed Report: Hoosier Farmer?

At the end of the panel discussion, moderator Laura Henderson asked each speaker for a suggestion of one goal that Slow Food Indy should accomplish in the coming year.

Neal Brown & Tyler Herald suggested that urban agriculture become SFI's focus. Matt Davis echoed that refrain by urging the community to "get more in the dirt." Matt added, "People should know how to cultivate themselves." Greg Gunthorp urged SFI to create avenues for smaller scale producers to sell to larger institutions such as universities, citing the benefit of good, clean, and fair food for patrons of those institutions but also the need for regular demand and regular income as key to the success of local food producers. David Robb recommended that emphasis be brought to producer-only (not reseller) farmers markets as the key interface between producers and consumers (or "co-producers" as Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini likes to call us). Dr. Lisa Harris urged the SFI board to choose one measurable goal in line with SFI's mission and core values. "So that this time next year," Lisa continued, "we can measure our success."

Slow Food Indy's Annual Meeting: Sunday, Jan. 22, 2-4pm

What: Slow Food Indy Annual Meeting & Pitch-In
When: Sun, January 22, 2pm – 4pm
Where: Wheeler Arts Community (1035 Sanders Street in Historic Fountain Square)
What to bring: a dish to share and your own diningware (plates, cups, utensils, etc.)

Please join us again this year for the Slow Food Indy Annual Meeting and Pitch-In. As usual, we will eat together, elect new officers to the organization and hear a summary of the past year of Slow Food. Please bring a dish to share, as well as your own plates/cups/ute​nsils (some local sourcing is, of course, always appreciated).

In addition, we are excited to announce this year’s headlining event for the meeting:
Panel Discussion: Local Food in Central Indiana - Where do we go from here?

Local farmers, chefs, farmers market managers and food policy advocates will discuss the emergence of local food in Central Indianaand next steps that will advance the movement even further.

We hope to see you at the meeting this year. Please contact Tyler Henderson (tylerhenders@yahoo.com) with any questions.