"Slow Food" Advocates Challenge You To Eat Their Way For $5 Or Less

Under $5? (Flickr user Cantaloupe Alone)

Slow Food, the nonprofit dedicated to extolling the virtues of eating good food, is trying very hard to prove that they're not just for rich, elitist foodies, after all. The group is launching a "$5 Challenge" next week in the attempt to prove that even the common man can live the Slow Food way.

The challenge, as the name implies, is to make a Slow Food-style meal for $5 or less. “Slow food shouldn’t have to cost more than fast food. It’s time we take back the ‘Value Meal,’” said Josh Viertel, president of Slow Food USA. The group says the challenge is "a response to the First Lady’s "challenge to the nation to end the childhood obesity epidemic in a generation." But we thought being fat could be healthy, too! Bummer.

If you're so inclined, Slow Food has declared September 17 the day of the Challenge, and encourages everyone in the country (or just those with something to prove) to cook for themselves, sign up for a potluck, or go to a local foods event. Forbes has some under-$5 recipe ideas to get those wheels turning (think: lots of beans). On September 18, you may return to your regularly scheduled programming of $4.99 Double Downs.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jamie Feldmar in Food on September 9, 2011 1:10 PM

Comments [rss]

Slow Food USA

It's true that there are serious obstacles to this--as well as tricks for making it work. If you want to read more about the challenges involved, as well as read various people's suggestions for how to pull this off, check out this tumblr: http://5challenge.tumblr.com/

Gepap

The way to get your vegetables on a cheap budget is getting them frozen. Fine, they aren't "organic", but they keep, unlike fresh produce, and they are frozen soon after picking, so they probably have more nutrients than the sad produce you can find in most ordinary supermarkets or bodegas.

As for cheap meat, buy the cheaper tough cuts and braise them or use a crock-pot, and they come out tender.

soothsayer

POOR people who work multiple jobs don't have time to slow cook and eat healthy. they are gonna spend those hard earned cash on fast food, eat, go to sleep, wake up 4 hrs later to ride multiple buses and trains just to get to work. you see a lot of poor people fat and obese as a result.

if the first lady wants to end childhood obesity, you have to raise the standard of living of the poorest americans. bronx is the poorest district in the nation with 49% of the children in the bronx living below the poverty line according to census 2010.

"South Bronx is poorest district in nation, U.S. Census Bureau finds: 38% live below poverty line" -- and 49% of children living in poverty.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_...

obesity and poor people in the bronx
"The Obesity-Hunger Paradox"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03...

gambalore

The issue is more than just money. A lot of people have less and less time to cook for their families. Also, the craft of cooking at home is being lost and not being passed down from one generation to the next. Until people rediscover how to cook healthily for their families without spending a ton of money or four hours slow braising cheap cuts of meat, these problems are going to continue to exist.

Rocknrope

As that picture suggests, if you're planning on spending less than five bucks to make a "slow food" meal, you better believe that beans are going to be involved. Try getting any kind of "organic, grass-fed, blahblahbluah" meat for that kind of money.

luke_1

Grass fed beef sucks anyway!

MattyGC

Well that's sort of the point. You can get all your vitamins and proteins from, well, foods such as legumes...

Rocknrope

Does it? Slow food = vegetarian/veganism?

MattyGC

And, yeah, go local if you can. If you can't, then whatever. It's better than going to McDonalds.

PicoPhreako69

True.
Although the bowl in the pic appears to be some kind of lentil soup. I loves me some lentils, but,..... they don't love me back.

MattyGC

Not necessarily. I see nothing wrong with going to your local deli and getting chuck roast at 3 bucks a pound. some carrots, garlic, potatoes. bam! stew for 5 bucks.

M

BAM!

HymietownHero

Shit that sounds good.

Slow Food USA

We're planning a giant public potluck for the $5 challenge on Governors Island at 1 pm that day (September 17th). More details at www.slowfoodusa.org/govisland.

Join us!