Have another helping

We dined al fresco, as they say —sitting on a shaded patio, feeling the breezes coming off the nearby Ionian Sea. The table was long, the food was plentiful, the figs came fresh from the trees in the backyard—and most of all, we took our time.

That visit with some of my wife’s relatives in Calabria, Italy back in 2005 was my introduction to a great many things (including limoncello!), but chief among them was the actual experience that gave rise to the “Slow Food” movement—the leisurely enjoyment of both food and community. So I was delighted to see Fritz Mayer’s article in the November 20 issue of this newspaper about Slow Food Upper Delaware River Valley, the local chapter of Slow Food USA ( www.slowfoodupderiva.org — certainly the best pun I’ve ever seen in a URL), and the broadening focus of the Slow Food movement to include the political aspects of food production as well as the social aspects of its consumption.

There must be something in the air (and it smells delicious!)—recently, I happened to meet Wallenpaupack High history teacher John Yatsonsky, who told me about the Pike/Wayne Community Potlucks ((http://pwcpotluck.wikispaces.com)), which were covered in a River Reporter article by Sandy Long in the September 4th issue. They use their potluck events (the next is on January 2 near Milford) to raise awareness about hunger issues in our local communities, and to give families who might be running a little short of food an opportunity to share. (According to a recent story in The Weekly Almanac, there may be a similar group starting in Sullivan County.)

I have often said that if the Quakers had a sacrament, it would be the potluck dinner. It’s a metaphor for the Quaker style of worship, in a way—people bring what they have and take what they need from what others have brought. Sharing food and companionship builds community like few other things—and in a time of uncertainty and change like the present, community becomes more important than ever. But community can’t be built in a rush.

Increased speed, as my daughter is now learning in Drivers Ed, leads to increased accidents. This is as true of societies as it is of automobiles. We are even now experiencing the crash of an economy that was driven recklessly, “pedal to the metal,” without regard for safety or limits, and we can see bodies and debris everywhere. Our first response, as is natural for civilized humans to do, is to help the victims, and get them out of harm’s way. In the aftermath, when things have settled down a bit, we will also have to reexamine the way the roads and the vehicles (financial vehicles, that is) are designed and built, how the limits are enforced, and how to make the drivers of our economy more aware and responsible concerning the effects of their actions.

But we can also derive an immediate lesson: slow down, be observant and watch for the signs. In fact, why not pull over for a while—spread out the blanket, open the picnic basket and invite some other folks to come sit down under the warming sun, and feel the refreshing breezes of change coming in from off the sea.