Carlos Petrini, Founder of the Slow Food Movement
There’s nothing I love more than a double double with cheese, grilled onions, ketchup and mustard. But my love is on the rocks. After watching the movie Food Inc last summer, I realized I’d been completely and totally ignorant about what really goes on behind the scenes in the food world. In other words, where is that double double with cheese really coming from? Food Inc. exposes the horrible conditions the animals endure, the corruption of the food corporations and federal government, and the impact on the consumer’s health. After that movie, I took an interest in the Slow Food movement which was started by Carlos Petrini in 1986. Petrini heard that McDonald’s was opening in a sacred place in Italy and he was, to say the least, pissed off. He saw that “fast food” was overtaking the world and to counter, he started “slow food.” It’s a movement about supporting local farmers, treating animals with compassion, and most importantly: slowing down.
Petrini says, “Some experiences which are crucial to our maturity cannot be speeded up, and are only possible if they occur slowly.” So much of our modern society is about speed, convenience, and efficiency. Do you remember what you did a week ago Wednesday? What about 2 weeks ago Monday? It’s all a big blur. And when we get lost in that blur, we lose touch with not just the subtle flavors in food but also the subtleties in our soul that define our character. So…having been deeply moved by Food Inc and having spent the past 5 years traveling the country teaching Yoga + Chocolate and Yoga + Wine workshops, I embarked upon a new journey in January of this year: Yoga for Foodies.
Throughout 2010, I’ve been collaborating with chefs around the nation who support the “farm-to-table” Slow Food movement. From James Beard Award winner Dean Fearing in Dallas to one of America’s top vegan chefs, Joy Pierson, in New York City, we have co-created these Yoga for Foodies experiences to share how when we slow down and live in the moment, we realize that fresh, whole foods from local farms are satiating to every level of our being. Yoga for Foodies begins with a 1 hour gentle flowing yoga class which quiets the mind, engages the senses and delivers the participant to a different state. In this state, we don’t necessarily crave the buzzing stimuli from our cell phone. In this state, we remember how life was before we got our first cell phone and first email address in the mid 1990’s. Back then, we had more time to talk, to listen, to daydream, to indulge in a spare moment rather than use it to sift through tweets, status updates, voicemails, and texts.
In many ways, Yoga for Foodies is so simple: creating and enjoying a spare moment. Here’s how it works: practice yoga for an hour, then eat dinner in a communal setting with your fellow yogis. But eating dinner and enjoying conversation with complete strangers is so old school. In today’s fast-paced, convenient, efficient, connected world, who has time to converse while eating? Who has time to eat slowly, enjoying each bite? Who has time to listen to the chef share the story of the ingredients, the farms in which they originate, the inspiration for the recipes?
The yogi Iyengar said, “We confuse speed and movement with all there is in life.” There’s no doubt that speed, movement, efficiency and results are important. But when we move in a frenzied way through the day, we don’t eat… we “feed.” This high-velocity lifestyle diminishes the flavor and essence of life. In the process, we’ve grown accustomed to eating on the run often being “nourished” by a bag of chips and a sandwich to go. Our palates have evolved to enjoy tastes that are invented in factories by food scientists. Even the most delicious and auspicious meals are interrupted by buzzing cell phones and overstimulated minds.
Overstimulated has become the norm and the norm is, in my opinion, F.U.B.A.R. I don’t know about you but I feel completely overwhelmed with the amount of information coming at me each day. And the gadgets are only getting smaller, the information is only getting more plentiful and arriving with more velocity. It’s time to push back against technology, to take a deep breath, to eat a meal in peace and quiet. Because unless we learn to protect our moments with the same vigor that we are applying to protect our environment, we’re gonna be in for a big surprise when we have very little by which to remember our lives.
Consider that there are only a few moments we remember in a day. I tend to think they are moments associated with beauty, laughter, or sensory delight. In my book, I have a mantra: each day, be sure to have one beautiful moment, one funny moment, and one delicious moment. Stop to check out the street musician on your way to work, if only because you have to check off your beautiful moment of the day. Remember to laugh at something that might otherwise stress you out. As goes the quote, “A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs, jolted by every pebble in the road.” And most fun of all, take the time in your day to indulge in something delicious: a piece of chocolate, a sip of wine, a juicy bite of a summer fruit.
When you look back on your life, the things we remember are not based on speed or efficiency, they are based on color, sound, tears, and tastes. We don’t remember entire vacations or relationships, let alone days or weeks. We only remember moments. As Robin Sharma said, “Life is just a series of moments. If you miss the moments, you miss your life.”
Author of the bestselling book Yeah Dave’s Guide to Livin’ the Moment, David Romanelli is collaborating with renown New York City based cookbook author and chef Pamela Morgan to present Yoga for Foodies at Exhale in Bridgehampton on Saturday, July 10.
