I've Joined Slow Food! Now What?

Hello and welcome to all of our new and returning members (and anyone else who's still thinking about joining - it's not too late!)

You've paid your fee, you've liked us on Facebook and now you're settling into academic year 2015-2016. But what's next for Slow Food on Campus at the University of Exeter? And what exactly can you expect from us over the next three terms? This post is here to answer some of those questions!

1. What exactly is Slow Food?
Slow Food is an international movement committed to reshaping the way we think about food. From encouraging the production and purchase of local food, to minimising food waste, to campaigning on a grander scale, this is all about returning to our roots and savouring food in all its glory.
The organisation started in the Piedmont region of Italy (where they now have a university dedicated to the gastronomic arts - seriously, what are we doing at Exeter??) but has now spread all over the world - including to your campus.

Piedmont, where it all started - image source

2. What does the society do?
We help spread the Slow Food word and help get like-minded foodies together. If you spoke to us at the Freshers Fair, you'll know that we like to arrange restaurant visits, dinner parties, free cooking classes and trips further afield. We also want to help encourage foodies to break beyond their comfort zones. Perhaps this means increasing the amount of local produce you buy or trying out a new recipe once in a while - or maybe even discovering an entirely new cuisine or gastro-ideology!

3. Where does my money go?
We charge £5 for membership which is the minimum recommended by the Guild. In an ideal world, this money would come directly back to you in the form of foodie goodies and where possible, we will subsidise our events and socials. However (and we want to be completely honest here) - running a society costs money!
At the end of every year, the society committee has to leave a legacy to the new committee - this is around a few hundred pounds that helps pay for freshers week activities, recruitment campaigns and equipment. We used ours to pay for the freshers' week activities such as the cooking class. When the membership money comes in, we have to pay VAT on that (so we don't even see the whole £5!)
Our freshers week cooking class used up a large chunk of the legacy left from last year but the income from membership has topped that back up so we now have something for next year's committee. In simple words; your joining fee helps keep us afloat. To say thank you, we are working on cutting costs for you wherever we can, as we will now discuss...

The benefits of eating slow and appreciating tradition (admittedly in Italy)

4. What will I gain from Slow Food on Campus?
We are currently waiting to receive news about funding for our cooking classes - so keep an eye on our Facebook page and emails to hear when they will be! It's likely that you will get about a week's notice for these - we're sorry and wish we could give you definitive dates further in advance but it just isn't up to us!
Otherwise, we will be arranging socials, dinner parties and foodie trips with an aim to have at least one event for you every fortnight. We will be making sure that we have events for a range of budgets, from trips to local farmers' markets to dinners in top local restaurants. If there's something you want to get out of this society, don't be shy - let us know!

5. Can I get involved?
Yes! If you're interested in being on the committee either this year or next year, get in touch! It's great for your CV and basically just involves a bit of admin work and a lot of eating.