Is it almost September already? As we’ve been rushing around to start school, I couldn’t believe it when someone reminded me that Labor Day weekend is coming up. If you’re lucky enough to live in the Bay area, you’ve hopefully already made your plans to hit up Slow Food Nation, an unprecendented “slow food” event this weekend, from August 29th through September 1st.

What is slow food, anyway? It’s exactly what you think. The opposite of everything you know about fast food, the slow food movement pushes for local, fair trade, sustainable, healthy, GOOD food. The organization Slow Food USA aims to not only treat food well, but makes sure farmers receive funding, education, and support from communities. Famed cooks and food writers such as Alice Waters (of the restaurant Chez Panisse), and authors Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) will be speaking to motivate everyone to support this truly grassroots effort to keep food pure and simple.

Slow Food Nation is jam-packed with events, including the largest farmer’s market ever assembled, an impressive concert line-up, hiking and food tours of San Francisco, cooking and tasting workshops, and much more. It’s been called “The Lollapalooza of Food,” and I’m sure anyone who goes will have all their senses just bombarded with amazing sights, smells and tastes. Most events at Slow Food Nation are free, but some are ticketed, so please check out the schedule before you go! And if you do make it, please share how wonderful it is!