Today, I visited a delightful little restaurant called Adam's Mountain Cafe in Manitou Springs, CO. When I first walked through the door, I felt like I had stepped into someone's mountain cabin: Warm, inviting, communal. They even have what's called a Community Table, where you can dine with complete strangers if you would like to shorten your wait time and meet someone new.
The menu was full of healthy options, highlighting vegan, organic, and GMO-free options especially. I decided to order the Cashew Chicken Sandwich with the Beer Cheese and Cauliflower soup of the day. It was delectable.
What struck me most was what they called their "Slow Food International Manifesto." I have posted a copy of it below from their website www.adamsmountain.com:
Our century, which began and has developed under the insignia of industrial revolution, first invented the machine and then took it as its life model. We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life, which disrupts our habits, pervades the privacy of our homes, and forces us to eat Fast Foods.
To be worthy of the name, Homo sapiens should rid themselves of speed before it reduces them to a species in danger of extinction. A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life.
May suitable doses of guaranteed sensual pleasure and long lasting enjoyment preserve us from the contagion of multitude who mistake frenzy for efficiency. Our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food. Let us rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of Fast Food.
In the name of productivity, Fast Life has changed our way of being and threatens our environment and our landscapes. So Slow Food is now the only true progressive answer. That is what real culture is about: developing taste rather than demeaning it. And what better way to set about this than an international exchange of experiences, knowledge, products?
Slow Food guarantees a better future. Slow Food is an idea that needs plenty of qualified supporters who can help turn this (slow) motion into an international movement with the little snail as its symbol.
What a novel idea: Appreciating "slow food" cooked with quality instead of idolizing fast food cooked with efficiency. We had a one-year-old with us, so admittedly we were tempted to crumple up the "slow food manifesto" and throw it to the crying toddler as a desperate attempt at distraction, but ultimately, the food was worth the wait.
Our idolatrous perspective of efficiency and speed often negatively affects quality, and is therefore why many countries around the world avoid the temptation altogether. Stepping into this restaurant felt like I was removing myself from the fast-paced American consumeristic lifestyle and discovering a world that prioritizes quality over efficiency.
"It takes time to succeed because success is merely the natural reward of taking time to do anything well."
-Joseph Ross
So, thank you, Adam's Mountain Cafe, for reminding me that time dedicated to ensuring quality is not time wasted--it is time very well-spent.
For the full menu, click here: www.adamsmountain.com/menu.html
