a humble pilrgrim on a long, slow journey

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.

To be worthy of the name, Homo Sapiens should rid himself of speed before it reduces him to a species in danger of extinction.

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.

Our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food.
Let us rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of Fast Food.

In the name of productivity, Fast Life has changed our way of being and threatens our environment and our landscapes. So Slow Food is now the only truly progressive answer.

That is what real culture is all about: developing taste rather than demeaning it. And what better way to set about this than an international exchange of experiences, knowledge, projects?

Slow Food guarantees a better future.

Slow Food is an idea that needs plenty of qualified supporters who can help turn this (slow) motion into an international movement, with the little snail as its symbol.

-The Slow Food Manifesto

(The Slow Food international movement officially began when delegates from 15 countries endorsed this manifesto, written by founding member Folco Portinari, on November 9, 1989.)

a step forward

Last night was the finals of the in-house barista and service competition for two local cafe/lounge/who-knows-what-else's, tryst and open city. Since both shops rock a GB5 and Counter Culture's espresso toscano, they wanted to have an in-house barista competition to see who's tops. Since both shops have table service with a wait staff, they wanted to incorporate another element into the standard USBC/WBC format. The way they achieved this was really quite wonderful and enjoyable.

As their customer relations representative, I had the distinct honor of being the presiding head judge over the final round of five teams of competitors. Yes, teams. Each team consisted of a barista and a server, with the barista responsible for knocking out four different drinks off their menu for two waiting sensory judges. Two tech judges examined the baristas technique using the standard USBC scoring. The two sensory judges were served not by the barista, but by the server, armed with an arsenal of coffee knowledge to enlighten the judges (and the crowd). Each team was to pick a theme and the finals saw presentations touching on Bird-friendly and sustainable coffees and their effect on environment as illustrated on a flip-chart as well as a touching expose on coffee in Japan complete with videos of Japanese coffee commercials projected on the wall behind the espresso machine. There were also plenty of coffee facts sprinkled throughout the presentations from the legend of Kaldi to the proclaimed superiority of Counter Culture among East Coast coffee roasters (i think Joel was sucking up to his head judge).

While incorporating a server is not necessarily revolutionary, the exciting factor was that they were encouraged to have fun. And fun they had, from straw hats and overalls to a long-winded story of high adventure that would've been delivered in a gnome costume had one been found in time. I felt free to laugh and enjoy myself and respect the humor and creativity of the presentations as well as evaluate the drinks served.

The baristas and servers accepted the challenge put before them (there were fourteen teams between the two stores at the beginning of the competition) and fought hard to take a prize that was unknown to them until the awards ceremony. Maybe it was fifty bucks-either way they were going to enjoy the experience. In the end, the winning team won transportation and lodging along with $250 each spending cash for a weekend trip to NYC as well as mad bragging rights. Pretty amazing.

The event was capped with drinks and cake at Tryst, bringing together baristas from at least four different DC-area cafes in addition to the businesses that are a part of the Tryst family. And the evening did not end without ideas on how to make the next competition (tentatively scheduled for January) better and more fun for all involved, not only to raise the level of coffee skills and knowledge but to celebrate all that it is to work in the greatest industry on the face of the planet.

Go, coffee, go!

cows, cheese

In the 1960's, the Aubrac, like almost all the mountain areas of Europe, entered a period of profound social and productive crisis...The few who remained (to raise cattle and produce cheese)...were persuaded by zootechnical experts to switch from local breeds of cattle (the Fleur d'Aubrac or Rouge d'Aubrac, pictured above) to Holsteins, the famous dappled black-and-white creatures that invaded the world milk market in the late 1970s. They are the most productive of all cows...They produce almost twice as much milk per day as "normal" cows.

The Aubrac farmers could hardly believe it when they were shown those production figures. Within a few years, Holsteins had replaced the Aubrac cows almost to the point of rendering them extinct. Problems, however, soon began to arise...their milk, which contains much less fat and also less protein than that produced by the indigenous cows (as well as being less tasty), is virtually useless for making Laguiole cheese, whose traditional production method requires milk with very different characteristics. So, along with the indigenous cows, the traditional cheese was also disappearing.
-Carlo Petrini, Slow Food Nation

(all that just to post a picture of a cow)

(oh, and things have begun to change for those picturesque cows. they are making a fine comeback. as is the cheese)