Tom,

The slow food movement is a fabulous response to our Western processed grab-and-go-while-you're-on-the-move society, and it has been of great interest to me.

However, my concern is the high price tags I see around it, especially their membership fees.  Also, they seem to be aligned more with high calibre (i.e. price) restaurants and clientele rather than providing ways for the general populace to pursue a 'slow food' lifestyle.

Perhaps I'm seeing more of a classist bent on the movement than there is, but there still seems to be the persistent stereotype of organic/healthy/slow/wholesome food = high cost.

In order to get get more of the general population interested in wholesome slow food eating perhaps Carlo Petrini and his group need to help us find ways to "slow food" evening dinners for the family, or even burgers and dogs at the ballpark!

Security is an illusion, it does not exist in nature... Life is either a daring adventure ... or nothing! Helen Keller

A few things to be on the look out at Terra Madre (based on my family's experience of it two years ago).

Do you think they focus more on style and marketing materials than substance?
How do they facilitate producers to meet and learn from each other, if at all?
Does it feel a tad colonial with all of the delegates from the developing nations hawking their wares and with very few opportunities for them to speak, lead workshops, or interact with other delegates in a non-commercial way?
How well are the workshops organized?  Apart from these workshops, how else do delegates meet and learn from each other?
Do the chefs get their own special dinners in which the farmers are not invited to?
Does Carlo Petrini get center stage in nearly every plenary session they hold?
Ask some delegates, what good has befallen them since getting involved with Slow Food?  For example, has Slow Food helped them commercialize their products?  Helped them identify sources of funding?  Paired them with an exporter or distributor?  Identify where to locate a rare type of seed or animal?  Anything concrete??
How are children and youth (not just college students) concretely involved in Terra Madre?  If not, how will this movement spread to younger generations?

I was much more impressed by the Salon de Gusto than Terra Madre when we attended in 2006.  Hope you can spend some quality time in the Salon as well.....it provided the only opportunity for us to meet other producers, which was our main purpose in attending.