There is no doubt that fresh ingredients, and "real" meal as opposed to a pre-packaged or fast food burger joint, is much better tasting and much healthier for you. It's also a more enjoyable experience.

The slant the articles put on the "slow" food revolution was more haughty than that, much more of a "culinary experience" than feeding the family quality vittles.

Guess I read it a little tainted when Maggie was commenting on perserving her valley's produce and traditions while being a food EXPORTER. If she is doing that, does she realize her valley's produce and traditions are replacing those from another place? Eh, seemed hypocritical to me, is all.

But I do agree with the concept of using fresh produce and making or "creating" the meal yourself. We do wildgame that I have hunted and killed for table fare as often as possible. It is much better for you, as is the lifestyle better.

Personally I can't see someone claiming to cook or fix a dinner that comes ready prepared from a fast food joint or that is just heated and served from a microwave. So I guess we are in agreement there.

This past week for instance, the main entree at our house consisted of moose roast, sheep round steak, sheep burger, moose cubed steak with vegetables in a stir fry, breast of grouse, and fresh sockeye salmon fillets. All taken by myself on last year's hunts and this year's fishing trips. The side dishes consisted of potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and onions, purchased from local farms, along with rhubarb grown at our house and our own herbs from our garden.

Oh yeah, no wine. You know wine is a terrible thing to do to a grape.