What's coming to The Aimless Cook?
Slow Food. Last weekend, my friend had a farewell party before moving away to another city. I did something radical to some by giving them my microwave. I have never lived without a microwave since I was 9 years old when my parents bought this woodgrain monstrosity sporting dial controls and an analogue clock. I thought about the whole thing and realized that I really only use the microwave to reheat and defrost things. I might bake the odd potato or steam some vegetables, but other than that, it sits on the counter taking up space. Since I learned to cook real meals, I have had no real need for something that has become the one stop convenience appliance for heating up the pre-packaged crap that some test kitchen calls food.
The Slow Food movement is grabbing hold of my life as I look every day at what's happening to the way we eat as a society. We are a culture that is being indoctrinated on convenience and the perception that we just don't have enough time to enjoy the simple things in life anymore. What started for me as an observation of my effect on the environment through my buying habits has turned into something deeper. Who says I don't have time? We can be our worst enemies sometimes and unconsciously sabotage our own good intentions. All I've got to say is take a step back sometime and look at your life, and more importantly, relax.
Check out www.slowfood.com to get some information of what I'm talking about. In most cases, there is a huge amount of food being produced near you right now and readily available for you to take home and enjoy. Yet, we go to the grocery store and insist on buying apples flown in from New Zealand or buying Lunchables for our kids while the local deli has a fresher, preservative-free, more delicious assortment of locally produced meats and cheeses. Well, you get the idea. It's all about the way we're thinking, and as a result, the way we're buying.
So the show will be taking a deeper look at slow food as we take action in our lives and make more educated choices about what we eat and buy. We will be taking steps to reduce our waste by eliminating the take-out containers, buying more bulk, refilling existing containers when possible and generally being conscious of what we spend our money on.
Sorry for the long post, but I guess it's been 6 months, so I had a lot to say. Until next time, take care.
J
