SLOW FOOD - CETDEM

SLOW FOOD

WHY SLOW FOOD ?

Introduction

The Centre for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia (CETDEM), a non-profit organisation that has been promoting sustainable development including organic farming since 1985, has set up an Organic Farming Community Centre (OFCC), located within a residential area in Petaling Jaya. OFCC serves as a focal point / touch base in carrying out activities organised by CETDEM Organic Farming Project (COFP)and has been in operation since January 2007. The objective of this extended activity of CETDEM is to further promote organic farming/kitchen gardening and ecological sustainable living amongst the urban families and community at large.Amongst other activities, OFCC also houses a Slow Food Kitchen where food will be served with vegetables/fruits/herbs freshly picked from the Centre’s garden. Slow Food Kitchen is to demonstrate and promote healthy food preparation with NO use of MSG and other food additives; use less salt / sugar / oil and less fried. Slow Food Kitchen also serves as a platform for health conscious yet creative people to share their `expertise and experience`and develop together a new recipe book.

Objective

As more and more people are leading a fast life, we are not conscious of the kind of food we eat in terms of nutritional value, food/product consumption patterns, where and how it comes from, and how food choices and eating habits affect the livelihood of the native people, and the environment, locally and globally.The primary objective of setting up of the Slow Food Kitchen is not to generate income for the operational cost of the Community Centre but to demonstrate to the diners the benefit of eating organic food and how it is being prepared/cooked/eaten in a simple but tasty and healthy way. With that, we hope will connect food producers/farmers, consumers, advocators, cooks, and people like you who value the art of eating/cooking. Slow Food meals bring the joys of eating responsibly in harmony with the pursuit of pleasure.

Slow Food International

Slow Food International is a non-profit International Association with membership of more than 83,000 in 107 countries around the world. The events and projects the Association organises are Terra Madre (means Mother Earth) Salone del Gusto / Slow fish / Cheese / Taste education in school garden and children sensory classes etc. Slow Food International is basically a foundation set up to defend world biodiversity through the Ark and Presidia products/projects to defend and promote traditional local products.In year 2004, Slow Food International organised its first Terra Madre (Mother Earth), world meeting of food communities, brought 5,000 farmers and food producers together in Turin, Italy. For this 1^st edition, CETDEM was approached to send 5 delegates to participate in the workshop held on 20 ~ 23 October. At the 2^nd edition, year 2006, the CETDEM Organic Farming Coordinator led a group of 4 consisting of 2 farmers, one cook and a retailer that participated in the event from 26 to 30 October. This time CETDEM was asked to send a cook to demonstrate a recipe with use of black pepper grown in Sarawak.Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity`s mission is to organize and fund project that defend the world`s heritage of agricultural biodiversity and gastronomic traditions