Eat Like a Rabbit

Central Florida isn't just home to Kennedy Space Center (although I highly recommend the back-lot tour of the area if you're ever in town visiting the attractions. It's a day's activity, but well worth it.) It's also home to some great restaurants that focus on the Slow Food Movement. Rachel from Slow Food Orlando contacted me about the project and even shared a link to a fabulous map of Central Florida with restaurant locations in relation to food sources. It is completely fascinating. Slow Food Week starts tomorrow; so do your research. . .or just read mine!

I have only been grocery shopping twice in the last few weeks for very minimal basics--milk, bananas, and salad supplies for lunches, not counting the trips to the local grovestand for some amazing fresh citrus. (Speaking of which, the grapefruit has done wonders for decreasing the swelling in my extremities although I still can't get my wedding rings on. I lost two pounds at my last appointment, and I have a bit more energy at the end of the day. Is it tied together? I don't know, but if the baby's healthy and I'm feeling good, I have no complaints.) My plan was to eat what we had around the house already and to "save up" for a big splurge week of dining out to support these local restaurants that support local acquisition of food.

Here is part of the email from Rachel about the plan for the week:

Slow Food is an idea, a way of living, and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that link the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. Slow Food USA is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to supporting and celebrating the food traditions of North America through programs and activities developing taste education, defending biodiversity, and building food communities. Slow Food USA believes that pleasure and quality in everyday life can be achieved by slowing down, respecting the convivial traditions of the table, and celebrating the diversity of the earth's bounty.

The Orlando chapter of Slow Food USA is working to raise awareness of the Slow Food philosophy in our Central Florida community. We are organizing the first-ever Slow Food Orlando Eat Local Week for the last week of the month, January 25th-31st 2010. At least 20 local farmers and artisans and 25 restaurants will be participating.

So, here's my plan: We're using this time to spend with friends as get-togethers before the baby comes. We plan on making this week lots of fun and welcome anyone who wants to to join us. We'll try to give you a heads-up where we're going and what time we'll be there via Twitter. Then, I'll tweet about our dining experience and hopefully blog about it with pictures once we get home.

Follow us during Slow Food Week Orlando on Twitter. We're @EatLikeaRabbit.

Our goal is to dine out at least once a day Monday-Friday, but I will say that sometimes it's lots harder to eat out than to eat in. It often requires more time to eat out because you may have to wait for your table and wait for your food. Also, when I get home on time, I often am able to have dinner on the table by the time Paul walks in the door. So, if I'm starving cause of the baby, I just might not be able to wait the extra hour to eat. On the brighter side, eating out ought to keep my kitchen cleaner! We'll see how it goes.

Would you like to know what we're eating next?