Manic Monday | Pursuit of Slow Food and Travel

After what felt like a long and unrelenting winter, the Easter Weekend actually held the promise of spring. There were signs around the region of buds that will soon be blooms, grass finding its first tinge of green and people actually making their way out of hibernation. It is one of my favourite times of year.

It is also a perfect time to reintroduce our relationship with Slow Food and the new related Slow Travel movement. The Thompson Okanagan Slow Food Community started a chapter in the region in 2012 and has been building a presence for themselves since that time.  There have been a number of programs and conferences leading to their most current announcement of what they now refer to as a “Land to Table” approach to our relationship with our food. This initiative helps to engage all people in a better understanding of the source of their food, and highlights that long before the farming community it was our indigenous peoples who extracted all of their nourishment from the Land. It promotes and encourages better understanding and awareness of how our approach to eating can save and enrich our lives in multiple ways.

In the coming weeks, TOTA will be tying some of  our Biosphere Destination Sustainability initiatives closely to the Slow Food Movement encouraging locals and visitors alike to take time to appreciate the bounty available to us in this region and the Importance of not only buying local, but understanding what the land has to offer.  We will be highlighting the health benefits that come from taking time to prepare food properly and the mental stimulation from engaging with friends, families, and strangers as you dine. Ultimately, we hope to help people consider a wholistic approach to what the experience with food can be and the tremendous outcomes from making these changes to your lifestyle.

I hope that perhaps over this past Easter Weekend you may have already started a journey toward slow food dining and will continue to incorporate this way of living into your life in the coming spring and summer as we watch our lands awaken, our gardens grow, our farmer’s markets open and the new season of growth is upon us.

Head out to your garden and start planting; put down the cell phone and talk to the person next to you...the change will be incredible

Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO