In the context of the activities of the Slow-Food Convivium of the Southeast and the Principality of Monaco, the association has become a global reference for the protection of good food and respect for the environment.
To understand what Slow-Food is, its scope and importance as a cultural reference, and also its economic impact, one only needs to visit Turin during the next International Taste Fair, which will be held from October 21 to 25 in the transalpine capital at the vast Lingotto Fiere.
With the slogan Food+Places, this event has become a must-attend (the place to be) for all who identify with the values that govern this association, which was born a few decades ago in the Provincia Grande of Piedmont (in Bra near Cuneo) and whose founder and current Honorary President, Carlo Petrini, has become an advisor to statesmen seeking to reconcile development and territorial balance (he is the theorist of Terra Madre, the cultural manifesto for the protection of the planet’s natural wealth).
The Port Festival will thus be a preview always appreciated by visitors, and it is very commendable that the great chefs of the Azorean culinary art have lent their name and their one-night activity to celebrate true cuisine, which combines good products and the talent of the cook.
“Gourmandise is an act of our judgment by which we give preference to things that are pleasant to taste over those that do not have this quality,” said Brillat-Savarin.
But let us also give the floor to Carlo Petrini: “What does it mean to be ‘in love with good food’ in the 21st century? Can we still call ourselves gastronomes while alarms are coming from every corner of the planet?
We can and we must do it. Because we, gastronomes, are in an ideal position to understand today’s and tomorrow’s problems and study solutions for them.
Natural resources, biodiversity, water hygiene, animal welfare, and the quality of life of all living beings are in danger. The method of food production, sale, and consumption represents one of the keys to understanding and changing this system.
The notion of quality must become global and finally concrete through the individual and local behaviors of those who produce, transform, sell, buy, cook, and conduct research.
And, surely, thanks to the behavior of those who eat.
We are certain that being a gastronome today means combining the pleasure of the table with environmental preservation and respect for our fellow humans.”
So, see you this Saturday, September 4, at the Port of Nice, for a culinary Festin du Port 2010, starting at 6 p.m.
