Carlo Petrini, founder and international president of Slow Food, visited Sydney last week, as part of his first Australian tour.
Petrini had some busy days in our city, meeting convivia members and Terra Madre delegates, visiting the local Italian community in Haberfield where residents are battling plans for a Mc Donald’s on Parramatta Road and making an appearance at the Bush Tucker Picnic in the Royal Botanic Gardens. At the end of his visit, he delivered a lecture at the Opera House, where he spoke passionately about his revolutionary food vision.

Interviewed by Sydney International Food Festival director Joanna Savill, Petrini told the audience that “today we are experiencing an incredible and extraordinary paradox: the food is eating us. Nowadays massive food production is the principal responsible for the planet’s destruction”. We are losing soil fertility for the chemicals used in our land, he said. We are wasting water: more than 70% of it is used in agriculture and intensive-cattle rising. We are losing our bio-diversity: “because we must produce food in a more intense way, only the strongest breeds win and survive. In this way, in the past 100 years we have lost 80% of the world’s biodiversity”.

These were the reason which led to the creation of Terra Madre, Petrini said. “Terra Madre is a wonderful network made up of farmers, fishermen, nomads, chefs, young and old people, academics and filmmakers who really care about a new food culture and safeguarding the environment. It’s a meeting based on brotherhood, so that people can meet and exchange ideas. “
The revolutionary idea of Petrini is that producers and eaters should build a “fraternity (brotherhood) of food”, “because fraternity allows us to respect people who have different ideas from ours, people of a different culture, skin, or religion. With fraternity we can respect them. And fraternity helps us to listen to other people. Then with fraternity we also have equality and liberty. That is why Slow Food has called (its movement) Terra Madre, because if the earth is our mother, then we are all brothers and sisters. And even if we speak different languages we can still understand each other”. Full transcript.

Sunday 18 October,  Slow Food founder and international president Carlo Petrini will come to Sydney to meet Slow Food Australia convivia leaders, members and Terra Madre delegates. On Sunday 18th October Carlo will attend  a Slow Food Sydney convivium event -a bush tucker picnic- in the Royal Botanic Gardens in the Domain, following there, as part of the Sydney International Food Festival, there will be an official presentation.




SLOW FOOD BOTANIC BUSH TUCKER PICNIC

Don’t miss out on this special event before Carlo Petrini’s speech at the Opera House: enjoy a delicious bush tucker picnic hosted by Slow Food Sydney, the Botanic Gardens Trust and prepared by Jean-Paul Bruneteau. Jean Paul is a pioneering Chef of Australian Cuisine using native food ingredients. Author of  Tukka, Real Australian Food, he is the recipient of the International ACAP Julia Child Award and winner of the 2009 Gourmand Awards “Best of the Best” for the best culinary history book in the world over the last twelve years.

Learn about bush food and sustainability with Botanic Gardens Trust Aboriginal Education Officer, Clarence Slockee.  Discover the genesis of the Slow Food Movement with special guest appearance of its international founder,  Carlo Petrini from Italy.

After lunch take a self guided tour on the Aboriginal Walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens showcasing native plants.

When: Sunday 18 October 2009, 10am -12.30pm;

Where: Rathborne Lodge and Lawn, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Click here to download a map:

Cost: $45 Adults, $12 Children, $40 Slow Food members & Friends of the Gardens;

Tickets: www.bushtucker.eventbrite.com

Further informations: info@slowfoodsydney.com.au

Wet weather: this is an outdoor event and will proceed in all weather conditions. Please come prepared.

Transport: please use public transport! the nearest train stations are Martin Place and St.James. For details visit www.131500.com.au. The closest entry to Rathborne Lodge is Woolloomooloo Gate, click here to download a location map.

Parking: Domain Carpark www.domaincarpark.com.au

Road Closures: there will be road closures on Mrs Macquarie’s Rd from 6am to6pm due to the World Masters Games.Taxi and vehicles will be allowed to drop off in front of the Art Gallery of NSW during this period.

Give yourself extra time and expect delays.

This is a picnic, so bring your favorite picnic rug and also your own plate, if you want to be really kind to the environment!

Learn more about Bush food: http://www.bushfood.net/
Slow Food Australia Bush know-how project: http://slowfoodaustralia.com.au/projects/australia/bush-know-how/
Visit an Indigenous hospitality training college and meet Aunty Beryl: http://www.redfernwaterloo.nsw.gov.au/yaama/index.html

PRESENTATION OF CARLO PETRINI  AT THE OPERA HOUSE

Carlo will speak about the global approach of Slow Food’s Terra Madre network and the future direction of the movement. At the end of the presentation, after a short question and answer session, he will be signing copies of his book “Slow Food Nation”, which will be available for purchase.

When: Sunday 18 October, 2pm

Where: Hall of the Sydney Opera House;

Cost: $39 Adults, $18 Children.  Bookings:  http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whatson/carlopetrini.aspx

Slow Food Sydney’s second Edible Schoolyard project is just about ready to become reality.  Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School in Redfern has now approved the garden designs by Patio Landscape Architecture and Design – a big thanks to Patio for their collaboration on this.

Working with Patio, we have now drawn up the lists of plants, and we’re hoping to begin construction on the garden some time in late September.  We will then work with the school to get the garden planted out, and we expect a bumper harvest by the end of the school year.

The Crown Street Primary School Edible Schoolyard continues to be very busy.  We’ve been lucky to receive kitchen equipment from Chris of Chef’s Warehouse, which is just round the corner from the school. The school has been running a weekly gardening and cooking class, entirely driven by the enthusiasm and time of volunteers.

The program is still looking for local residents who would be interested in helping.  The garden and kitchen class runs with one supervisor/teacher and two volunteers, from 11am til 12 on Fridays. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Syd Pemberton at Slow Food Sydney.

We are also keen to hear from anyone who is willing to sponsor equipment, produce, or dry store goods for the classes.

In late March, the students at Crown Street took their Edible Schoolyard into the kitchen.  Starting with a capsicum harvest, students learned to make stuffed capsicums, and best of all, got to eat the fruits of their labour.

We’ve posted some photos to give you a taste!

As Victorian rural communities start down the long road to recovery after February’s devastating bushfires, Slow Food convivia around the country are pitching in with support, moral and material:

Along with Slow Food Sydney’s $500 contribution, convivia in Perth, Noosa, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Mornington Peninsula, East Gippsland and Shoalhaven have all made cash donations to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

Slow Food Blue Mountains is working on providing home-hosting to families who lost their homes.

Slow Food Canberra, Capital and Country is working on raising seedlings for replanting home gardens.

Slow Food Adelaide Hills is catering at an open garden scheme day in Stirling, with proceeds going to the appeal.

Slow Food Hobart is working with the Hobart Mercury on a plan to pack basic kitchen equipment kits for distribution to affected communities.

Slow Food Albury-Wodonga and the Hume Murray Food Bowl are planning an event that will raise funds for the tireless Country Fire Authority volunteer brigades.

Slow Food Perth sent three cases of good, cold commercial beer to the Country Fire
Authority volunteers at Alexandra.  Convivium leader Pauline tried to find some locally brewed beer to donate, but discovered that the local brewery had also become a fire casualty.

The Red Cross is still calling for donations.  If you’d like to give further support, follow the link above, or call 1800 811 700.