The Slow Food Manifesto

(Written by founding member Folco Portinari, on November 9, 1989).

"Our century, which began and has developed under the insignia of industrial civilization, first invented the machine and then took it as its life model. We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life, which disrupts our habits, pervades the privacy of our homes and forces us to eat Fast Foods... A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life. May suitable doses of guaranteed sensual pleasure and slow, long-lasting enjoyment preserve us from the contagion of the multitude who mistake frenzy for efficiency..."

True, and the argument is not restricted to food. 'Fast Life' forces us to buy ever more things we don't need, to consume ever more information, to accept wage slavery as a fact of life, and to never ever have the time for the things that matter. Its speed over quality in every way.

The manifesto for the Slow Food movement could teach us a lot for a slower, more rewarding life in general.