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This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from Explore Bristol Research, http://research-information.bristol.ac.uk Author: Tay, Yi Lin Adeline Title: The slow food movement : an tude on commodity, time, ethics and aesthetics in contemporary life General rights Access to the thesis is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License. A copy of this may be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode This license sets out your rights and the restrictions that apply to your access to the thesis so it is important you read this before proceeding. Take down policy Some pages of this thesis may have been removed for copyright restrictions prior to having it been deposited in Explore Bristol Research. However, if you have discovered material within the thesis that you consider to be unlawful e.g. breaches of copyright (either yours or that of a third party) or any other law, including but not limited to those relating to patent, trademark, confidentiality, data protection, obscenity, defamation, libel, then please contact [email protected] and include the following information in your message: •Your contact details •Bibliographic details for the item, including a URL •An outline nature of the complaint Your claim will be investigated and, where appropriate, the item in question will be removed from public view as soon as possible. The Slow Food Movement: an etude on commodity, time, ethics and aesthetics in contemporary life By Yi Lin Adeline Tay A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, School of Geographical Sciences, January 2009. (93735 words) Abstract This thesis is a study of the Slow Food Movement (SFM), charting the journey of this grassroots organisation from its ideological and material roots in Bra, Italy to its meteoric development in the advanced capitalist landscapes of England and USA as a consumer-driven, 'eco-gastronomy' movement. It takes to heart the movement's promise for a 'revolution of taste', from which was derived four significant themes, namely: Commodity, Time, Ethics and Aesthetics. Fieldwork was carried out in Italy, England and USA, including sixy-four recorded interviews and ethnographic, moment-to-moment research. The thesis argues that the seemingly archaic attitudes held towards the commodity object, relations of time, ethical values and aesthetic pleasures are the very radical and social action that the SFM and its members undertake in their quest to lead, and live a comtemporary life. A 'nesting' approach was employed to demonstate the strength of this assertion. Firstly, a Marxist analysis moved an undifferentiated commodity towards exploring the character and typology of 'slow food'. Secondly, theories on speed and time consciousness urged a rethinking of time's linearity and the affordance of memory. Thirdly, a dialogue engaged Aristotelian virtues with relations of one and an/other. Fourthly, art encountered aesthetics in delineating the movement's sensorium. The SFM speaks to a modem politics of emotions, ideas and timeliness. The materiality of 'slow food' exhibits taste-in-action, a constantly productive knowledge, sensation and expression of palatable bodies. The complexity of time entwines imagination with responsibility. A good, balanced life - eudaimonia - is fashioned from a touching sociality. Geographies of physicality, sociability and sensuality increasingly influence a contentious food world. This thesis demonstrates that the SFM is a force of life. For the members and chosen food matters, the SFM is that which they in name advocate as well as exceed to, in effect, impel its aims and ambitions. This thesis regards an ontology of 'going there', and a philosophy of living creatively. II Acknowledgements This thesis has travelled for a long time, and along the way it has been aided, inspired, and nutured by many people. I wish to thank my supervisors Dr. Paul Glennie and Prof. Wendy Lamer for their generosity and kindness in allowing me to finish the thesis remotely and reading my drafts, and patience in bringing it to fruition. I thank too Prof. Paul Cloke and Dr. Clive Barnett for their guidance during the earlier stages of the thesis. I acknowledge the lasting influence of Prof. Nigel Thrift for allowing me the freedom to be creative. I am indebted to many other faculty members, colleagues and administrative staff at the School of Geographical Sciences, Bristol whom have made my stay in the deparment a welcoming one. The critical and enjoyable exchanges of ideas especially have contributed to the form this thesis has taken. I am also extremely grateful to the Geography Department, University of Melbourne for granting me an honorary fellowship, use of their school and university's resources, and hosting me while I wrote my thesis. I thank especially Assoc. Prof. Ian Rutherford, Dr. Fraser MacDonald and Prof. Ruth Fincher. The Melbourne Human Geography Reading Group has sustained my interests in the wider domains of the discipline and I thank them for fascinating discussions. With gratitude I acknowledge the funding assistance provided by Universities UK for their 'Overseas Research Student Award Scheme', the University of Bristol for their "Postgraduate Research Scholarship' and the Worldwide University Network Exchange Studentship which enabled me to carry out the fieldwork in the states. I thank the University of Washington, Seattle for hosting me during my stay there. This thesis would not have been possible without the people who took time to respond to my requests for interviews, allowed me to participate in SF events and meetings, and extended their warm hospitality to a stranger. Their passion, personal experience and insights will be remembered for a long time to come. In particular I thank Wendy Forgarty and Silvija Davidson in London, Renato Sardo and Sandra Abbona in Bra, Gerry Warren in Seattle and Anne Richie-Schlitt in California. III In helping to read this thesis I am grateful to the comments and encouragement of Dr. Brendan Whyte, Prof. Michael Webber, and Prof. Lily Kong. A special and heartfelt thanks goes out to Dr. Rachel Hughes for such careful and thoughtful editing, and whose efforts and perseverence greatly improved the quality of work here. To my extended family, who has been bewildered by how long this thesis has taken, I thank you all for your patience and understanding. And to my friends. For food, laughter and joy; and for enduring my quirky moods, time-outs, procrastinations and indulging my passion for sporting distractions, I thank you very much. I list in no particular order: Jamie Michael, Huang Huiling, Foo Mei Ching, Eileen Ratulangi, [ac Yip, Audrey Lum, Shirley Chan, Serena Wong, Liew Ek Meng, Betty Lai, Kevin Tan, Deanna Yong, Sr. Theresa Ryan, Su Li Sin, Florence Tee, Lydia Prasetio, Sarah Lam, Mon Ariyaarpakamol, Jennifer Ogawa, Jacky Yeung, Teo Lay Khoon, Ng Ching-Yin, Serene Fang, Gary Lee, Chang Wai-Ching, Patricia Perlen, Sheirly Lugito, Jessie Djayaprabha, Liza Djayaprabha, Ben Killingsworth, Khoo Suet Ling, Sarah Hinde, Melanie Thomson, Jessica Sellick, Kirsten Maclean, [en Min-Hua, Lawrence Wong, Justin Wong, and Joshua Choong. I am especially appreciative of Lydia Yulastri for neatening up my bibliography, and Sharon Wong for her supreme formatting skills. I dedicate this thesis to my parents, Helen and Nicholas, for their love knows no bounds ... IV Author's declaration I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the Regulations of the University of Bristol. The work is original, except where indicated by special reference in the text, and no part of the dissertation has been submitted for any other academic award. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author:. SIGNED: Adeline Tay DATE: 30 January 2009 v Table of Contents ABSTRACT II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS III AUTHOR'S DECLARA TION V TABLE OF CONTENTS VI LIST OF FIGURES X LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS XI CHAnER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 The Story 1 1.2 The Movement 1 1.3 The Thesis 4 1.4 The Slow Food case study 4 1.5 Guiding themes 5 1.5.1 A Geographer's concern 7 1.6 Approach 7 1.7 Two Preludes, and a Movement in Four Parts 9 CHAPTER 2: THE ADVENT OF THE SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT 14 2.1 Introduction 14 2.2 Italy as 'entity' 16 2.3 Italian 'left' 19 2.3.1 Activity within the 'left' 22 2.3.2 Food and wine-loving communists 24 2.4 Carlo Petrini 27 2.4.1 Idea no. 1 - following the wine route : 28 2.4.2 Idea no. 2 - building the Editore 29 2.5 Slow Food Politics 30 2.6 Manifesto manifestations 33 2.7 SF Activities 35 VI 2.8 SFM outside Italy 38 2.9 Conclusion 42 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .................................................................•......... 43 3.1 "We are actually in Knightsen, but there is no mail delivery " 44 3.2 "They should send you on highway 24 to 680 north " 46 3.3 "You will drive through Oakley, several shopping plazas and the road will narrow " 50 3.4 "Be sure to signal a left tum ... People drive like idiots out in the country ... " 57 3.5 "Be very careful. .." 63 3.6 "Honk your honk and we will come open the gate for you " 65 CHAPTER 4: THE SOCIALITY OF THE COMMODITY 67 4.1 Introduction 67 4.2 Commodity 68 4.3 Slow cheddar cheese 83 4.4 Commodification and Politics of Nature 87 4.5 Social lives, political assemblages 91 4.6 Conclusion - Brand 'Slow Food'? 97 CHAPTER