Sunday, August 04, 2013

Time to slow down: Have Your Garden & Eat It Too

"[Fast] Life is fired at us point blank."
~ José Ortega y Gasset, Man and People

Media Dragons choose to eat S.L.O.W foods; that is seasonal, local - as in Howell's oasis garden, organic (or at least sustainable), whole foods.  We simply go back to our Slavic philosophy of eating as close to the natural source as possible. There’s an old saying, we are what we eat.

Last year in Spring I walked the aisles and rubbed shoulders with producers trying to figure out what the food's show trends were. Of all regional cuisines, foods from the King Island or anything from Barrosa Valley or King Island tend to steal the show. Yogurt, especially Antipodean Greek style and specialty versions of goat (Malchkeon knows her slow kids ) and sheep milk, continue booming. Olive oil was everywhere, including small batch, single estate, organic and mass produced versions. Nothing ever beats oil from Elmswood Farm. This is 10,000 acres of prime agricultural land in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales in Australia. It embraces the tiny town of Gundy and rises from river flats to a mountain top sometimes dusted with snow. Purchased by Phillip Adams and Patrice Newell in 1986 it’s home to numerous products. Allegedly you add a decade to your life if you have a sip of Patrice Newell aka Patri Nostro Gloria every day :-) . This oil is a threat to anything coming from Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey.

The biggest underlying theme of last year’s show was craft, artisanship and tradition versus processed foods, though there were still plenty of those. Hard to find regional ingredients are not only becoming much more commonplace, they are increasingly available in much higher quality.

Slow Food Sydney is a convivum of Slow Food, an international non-profit organization which counteracts fast food and the disappearance of local food traditions. Founded in Italy in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, our movement affirms the principle of an eco-gastronomy, which is about respecting natural rhythms of seasons and sharing food at a convivial table, with awareness and responsibility New trend to purchase only food produce which is grown less than 160 kilometres away from my Bra Gal. Ach, and taking one's time in the kitchen is apparently one of the secrets to sumptuous bohemian afroindian food.

The Slow Food Movement advocates for alternative messages to fast food messages that permeate our society by promoting local production and food making. There are a myriad of flavours to enjoy around Sydney. It has long been thought that spicy foods help to speed up your metabolism, but the information on how and how long has been varied and remains somewhat mysterious. It is thought the main element that gives chilis their heat – capsaicin – is responsible for creating this effect, as it creates heat generation and raises body temperature upon consumption. We need to talk about spicy pepper sauces as real sources or objects of pleasure :-) We need to celebrate hot ingredients that make your taste buds dance. In winter spicy food will do your soul good. And when the weather gets hot or humid, eating a huge meal is often the last thing on everyone's mind. Even if it may seem counterproductive to try your new spicy recipes in the hot summer weather, it's actually a great way to beat the heat. Spicy foods trigger your sweat glands and will make them work overtime to increase your blood circulation, and producing sweat helps you cool down faster. Cultures in the world's hottest locations - like South America, India and Africa - have long ago incorporated foods flavored with hot chile peppers and spices as dietary staples

As luck would have it the one who must be obeyed has come across recently Uncle Tyrone’s Pepper Sauce which is well known throughout the Caribbean. The secret recipe has been brought to Australia in 2013 AD by one of the founder's nephews. Uncle Tyrone Caribbean Pepper Sauce - note the free delivery within 5km of Sydney CBD: Allegedly, souls who indulge in a glass of red, a drop of olive oil, a mouthful of avocados and generous touch of hot pepper source even forget to die. People like 128 years old Ma Pampo are not unusual in Caribbean Dominica. Just round the corner, a blogger of this entry was introduced to Ms Rose Peters, a mere stripling at 117, who had sorted cacao with Pampo, still walked down the lane, chatted to everyone and prayed twice a day. Those CaRibBeans have the concentration of centenarians and Greeks are nit far behind -- they're always living longer and enjoying life more deeply The island of long life

"Music is the great cheer-up in the language of all countries."
~ Clifford Odets, Golden Boy