Suchergebnisse

In Australia, life without the automobile is no longer imaginable. Further, reliance on cars has done much to restructure the social practices & lifestyles of Australians, including their dietary habits. Based on fieldwork in rural New South Wales & the urban centers of Canberra & Sydney, this chapter considers discourses & practices that constitute Australia's fast & slow food car-centered diets. Jakle & Sculle (1997) argued that "fast food, mass produced, was a response to fast cars, mass produced." At first the car simply transported the diners to restaurants, but with the advent of drive-thru windows at McDonald's & other fast food chain outlets, the car, equipped with cup holders, became the dining room. The Slow Food movement has gained a lesser popularity in Australia, primarily in the form of farmers' markets. The authors visited the Good Living Growers' Market in Sydney. Producers drive long distances & fight heavy traffic to bring their wares to the market & then pay high prices for stalls, as do shoppers for parking places, though public transport is available. Then there is intermediate-pace food -- slow-food cuisine delivered, by car or van, to customers' homes or businesses. Thus, different types of foods & special-use vehicles appear to be rapidly co-evolving commodities in Australia. References. J. Stanton

This discussion of the slow food-fast food revolution in Mexico focuses on the tortilla, a staple of the country's peasant cuisine, an occasional part of the diet of most Mexicans, & today a global food, fried as the shell for tacos, sold worldwide by Taco Bell & other fast food franchises. For centuries, rural women rose before dawn to grind the corn into flour, combine it with water, knead the dough, shape it into round flat patties, & bake the tortillas -- all before the men left for the fields. Making good tortillas was a talent required of women. The first change came with a mechanical grinder, which was denigrated at first by the peasant women, but then accepted because it gave them time to engage in other work. Then small factories developed that made tortillas but also sold ground corn to those who wanted to make their own. With industrialization came the rise of Grupo Maseca, a multinational producer of masa harina, or corn flour. Still there were those who insisted that there was no substitute for fresh hand-ground corn flour. Eventually the fast food tortillas & tacos made their way back to Mexico. At present, slow food, moderate-speed food, & fast food coexist. References. J. Stanton

An historical account of food history points out that the immobility of food largely determined people's diets until at least the 16th century. Even then, only spices & condiments traveled far or fast. Within another century, however, transport by sea made many food products available not just to the wealthy but also to the common people. Tea & sugar soon become a daily "necessity" to the European working class, & other products followed suit. Today, scarcely a country exists that isn't involved in international food trade & the fast food market. Today time & money, rather than means of transport, determine what people eat. In developed countries, most people claim to be too busy to cook fresh food & are wealthy enough to buy processed & precooked food. Organizations such as Slow Food have much to give us -- if we are prepared to reject the global food system. Most people would reject Slow Food & many would opt for fast food. If we want better food, however, "food of moderate speeds" is the answer -- good, fresh, healthy food produced locally, for fast access, & prepared & enjoyed at a slow enough pace to suit each of us. References. J. Stanton

Artisanal cheeses have captured the taste buds of many Americans over the last 20 years, especially in dairy states where it can be found in local specialty shops & farmers' markets, but also in Slow Food-approved supermarkets such as Whole Foods. This chapter explores the production & marketing of specialty cheeses in Vermont. It is argued by many that this recent evolution represents the profit-driven creation of an elite niche market for America's most distinguished cheeses. Slick brochures describe such cheeses as Vermont Shepherd, with its "smooth & creamy texture," "rich & earthy flavor," & "hints of clover, wild mint, & thyme," its quality enhanced by the grasses of the natural fields where the sheep graze -- marketing phrases designed to make the customer drool while forking over $20 for a pound of this epicurean delight. However, the author contends that the production of such cheeses is not just market-driven. The cheese artisans want to make the best of the best & take pride in what they do. The husband-&-wife makers of Vermont Shepherd traveled to France, where the Basques taught them the secrets of making the best sheep's milk cheese. It is concluded that the "social relations of small-scale agriculture & food production in the US are driven by sentiment, affiliation, & politics as well as by economic rationality.". References. J. Stanton

This chapter considers whether the sale of fair trade-certified specialty coffees is a way for high-end companies such as Green Mountain & Starbucks to display their adherence to corporate social responsibility, attract civic-minded consumers & investors, & reap profits. This strategic use of the fair trade seal to enhance corporate image has led smaller companies to question the integrity of the certification, since the image can be displayed even when only a small percentage of fair trade beans are purchased. Smaller roasters who have built their brand identity around social & environmental concerns claim they have a hard time competing for the loyalty of civically minded consumers. However, the author points out that small coffee-growers who had previously been excluded from market access have gained long-term sustainability, an achievement that represents a major structural market reform in coffee's historical relations of production. This analysis suggests that emerging alternative markets, such as fair trade coffee, represent "the successful combination of both the oppositional characteristics of slow food & the market-driven strategies of fast food.". Figures, References. J. Stanton