LETTER FROM LONDON BY SARAH SENNOTT Taking Time for the Finer Things
HAT A DELICIOUS IRONY. I W,\S aid's to the next. An average Brit spends $435 a late fill' Slow Food night. Wading year on this sort of"on-the-move" food, filUr VVthrough the wine-sipping crowd, times tllat ofthe Spanish and nearly mice that past tables ofglimmering oysters and pungent ofthe Italians. That's when I decided to test out cheddar, I was just in time to catch the opening being a slow foodic. remarks by the founder ofEurope's trendiest eco One Saturday, I strolled through one ofthe IN ROLAN"!) gastronomic movement. "\Ve must take the time 30 farmers markets in London, ehatting with Emmerich's lat to enjoy the pleasures offood," declared the weU lively farmers, patting their frisk')' dogs and est disaster epic, fed Italian. "\Ve must support local famlers. Any taking in the smells offresh flowers and blue "The Dav After one who doesn't is stupid." berry scones. Prices were about the same, or Tomorrow," It began 25 years ago in a small restaurant only slightly higher, than at London supermar glohal warming causes the serving local specialties in the north Italian town kets. But gone were the long lines, nudging entire ~orthcrn Hemisphere to ofBra and has bJ'fOWII to become an 80,000 elbows and fluorescent lighting ofmy local freeze over. The big-budget strong international movement against Ih~Ilg in grocery a few blocks away. I left feeling re German director warmed up to the fast lane. Slow Food boasts more than 700 freshed, not stressed. :-.i EWSWEEK's Alison Brooks: chapters worldwide, sponsoring everything Next I visited the whole-foods store in mv How much of a political state from lectures on agricultural biodiversity to a ~otting Hill neighborhood. Apparently, thi; ment is this film? manifesto defending raw-milk cheese. The is the place to be on a Saturday afternoon. I'm not really a political person. Ecolobrist, a British environmental mabrazine, re Yuppie moms-to-be sauntered in and out with I look to entertain and tell a cently called it "a movcment to save the world." their golden Labradors. I (literally) bumped good story. I'm from Germany, Amen, I tllOught to myself, listening to the into British actor Alan Rickman sitting where films carry a message or man ft'om Bra. I'd heard ofthe movement be through organic spices. But the prices! When a moral. But I was never like fore, ofcourse. But I had packaged for the elite' ofthe th'1t- I always rebelled against gastronomically correct, organic that in ftlm school. filod turns out to be 20 percent Did you meet any resistance to to 30 percent more expensive. this project at Fox? And most ofthe produce costs They really liked it! I was sur double what Illormally pay. Ac prised, because Fox is owned cording to EL: Business, Euro by Rupcrt iVlurdoch, who is not peans are spending twice as the most left-wing fellow. But when I showed it to him, he ~ told me he thought it was great. ~ Have you always been an ~ environmentalist? ----...~- Yes. As a German, it's a big part of my consciousness. I vote for ...... --~ the Green Party, but in Ger many, even the conser\'ative parties nre concerned about the fina y ecided it was time filr me to slow dO\\1l much on oq;anic [clod as they did in the late en\'ironment. and appreciate the finer things. As the crowd 1990s-hut price remains the lIarrier to more So much has happened since cheered news ofprogress in Britain's anti-Gl\l growth. I paid for my two-for-one unsalted 1996, when you made "Indepen farming campaign, I imagined inviting friends rice eakes and split. dence Day." to dinner patties offiTc-range lamb and orbran That week I tried to maintain my slow Oh, yes! I could never make a ic potatoes, my checks glowing. Yes, I am one f(IOlI regimen. I cooked a leisurdy dinner filr film like that today. ofthllse yoga-loving, "think about what you're my f1atmates from my fanners' market pur Were you spooked by the visual putting in your body" types. But when it comes chases. But at work, '1\lpperware containers parallels between that film and to causes, Slow Food telt like something larg oforganic tofu sat unopened on my desk as I the September 11 anacks? er- namely, the earth. juggled deadlines and e-mails. Slow cocktails Yes, I really was. Very much. Not a week earlier, I'd been appalled to see a S()(1ll replaced slow canapes. Still, I keep the On Septcmher ll, my friends twentysomething profi:ssionalmale striding faith and am heartened by a new survey called me and said, "It's just down Oxford Street, dipping a French baguette showing that Brits arc actually less pressed like in your mo\'ie!" I don't feci into a carton ofstrawberry yogurt, stufling it lilr time than we think. Maybe there is hopc very good about that. I would into his mouth, then downing the yogurt-all that we can leam to put the pleasure back on really bate to think that those in the time it took to walk from one MeDon to our palates. At least I now sit down to eat. image~ inspired anyone.
12 TO P 10 BOrTOI.!- PHILIPPE NOiSElT[- DCAO LIN I'UlARIS. H,I; RfW GRUYP\EIlT - MAG.SUM '- kol0S