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Slow Food Nation 
Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 13:30:00 PM PDT
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Today's WaPo book review section came complete with a very thoughtful and humorous look at foie gras - forcefed goose liver. (Hat tip to Teacherken for sending it my way.) Here's a taste of what they had to say:
A friend of mine who waited tables at a French restaurant had a faux menu he liked to recite. It began like this: "Pâté de foie gras -- made from the liver of a small goose who's had its foot nailed to the floor and food stuffed down its throat through a tube until its organs explode."
That is not a precisely accurate description of gavage -- the ancient art, if we can call it that, of force-feeding geese and ducks to enlarge their livers for our delectation -- but it sums up the general feeling, on this side of the Atlantic, that foie gras crosses the line between delicious and decadent...
What put [famous chef Charlie] Trotter off his fancy foie? "It's done in a mass-produced farming style where literally there's tubes being jammed down their throats," the chef told the reporter. "We have cases of ripped esophaguses, chipped and broken beaks and ripped feet." Another chef, Rick Tramonto, took Trotter to task for hypocrisy: "Either you eat animals or you don't eat animals." Then Trotter got out the steak knives: "Oh, OK. Maybe we ought to have Rick's liver for a little treat. It's certainly fat enough."
My own take? I do believe there's a large gray area between eating all animals and eating none at all. Certainly here in California, a large majority of voters (most of them meat eaters) voted to ban the cruelest of cruel livestock practices and I doubt many of them saw a contradiction between their dislike of veal crates and their love of eating tasty animal flesh.
As for foie gras itself, my opinion is colored by a story I heard at Slow Food Nation last year. I believe it was told by Dan Barber of New York's Blue Hill restaurant but I am not certain. He told of a man who made foie gras without forcefeeding geese. Instead, he waited until the weather began turning cold and the geese forcefed themselves in anticipation of a hungry and cold winter. Voila! Humane foie gras. Obviously, that does not suit an industrial system very well at all, but if we must have foie gras (and clearly some people believe we must) then I think that is the proper way to do it.
UPDATE: I'm being corrected in the comments... apparently the practice of forcefeeding is so gruesome that there's no way any goose would eat THAT MUCH on its own. I recounted that story as I heard it but perhaps it was overly optimistic.
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Fri Sep 19, 2008 at 18:09:48 PM PDT
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Slow Food Nation videos are now available!! The videos are of the "Food For Thought" series, the panel discussions that covered the various aspects of our food system - from policy to climate change to human rights.
Below the flip, you'll find a description of each of the sessions - I tried to embed the videos but it wasn't happening :(
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Fri Sep 05, 2008 at 18:38:26 PM PDT
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( - promoted by Jill Richardson)
Cross-posted at both Daily Kos and SF Kossacks.
From my perspective this is a very special happy story. A very fond memory that is about the many joys of blogging and the privilege of knowing OrangeClouds115. Truly a story of serendipity in the electronic age and one of those very rare days when I honestly felt that if there was one perfect place to be in this world, I was there!
This is also a story of friendship, fellowship and bathing in that often elusive sense of belonging. This is a people powered politics story about forming a bond with some of my fellow Americans who are bravely working for change in this very broken nation.
This is also the story of a plate;
Below the fold is the story of another great place that blogging just took me and why that plate flew cross country with me last week. That plate is now a souvenir that has a very special meaning to me after a wonderful dinner with some terrific people.
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Fri Sep 05, 2008 at 11:38:53 AM PDT
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Now that the first Slow Food Nation is a thing of the past, the press (and all of us foodies) are getting a chance to weigh in with our opinions. I really like what Chef Kurt Michael Fries said on Grist. He addresses the charge that Slow Food is elitist. Of course, this charge is not without merit but as he points out, it is not a reason to dismiss Slow Food altogether. Their work is valuable and aligned with the values all of us in the movement hold, even if they are flawed.
Slow Food does not do everything right and will never please everyone, nor is it any form of panacea, nor does it claim to be. It can and has made lives better for thousands of people not just in the U.S. and Italy (where it was founded) but from Bolivia to the Ivory Coast to India by supporting farmers and aiding to reinvigorate local food traditions. Here in the U.S. it raised thousands of dollars to help the farmers and fishers affected by Katrina, then raised thousands more for Midwest flood relief. Already Slow Food USA has turned its attention once more to the Gulf in the wake of Hurricane Gustav.
What I've observed is that all food movements are flawed in some ways, and that the most "pure" of the movements fail to get the popular attention and mainstream media coverage that Slow Food has garnered. (Want proof? Check out Time's Slow Food article - you can't get much bigger than Time when it comes to media coverage.) If Slow Food can raise questions about the ethical and environmental effects of our food choices and get people thinking about it, they are doing a good thing for all food movements.
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 at 10:00:00 AM PDT
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On Sunday, Eddie and I went to a 4 hour long session at Slow Food Nation's Taste Pavilion. Held at Fort Mason, the event was divided up by type of food: Beer, Wine, Spirits, Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Ice Cream, Cheese, Honey & Preserves, Pickles & Chutneys, Native American Foods, Bread, Fish, and Charcuterie. I set the very high goal of leaving the place jittery, drunk, and fat. (Not too difficult... notice there was no Fruit category.)
Run, don't walk, to the Taste Pavilion!
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Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 08:00:00 AM PDT
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I hope you enjoyed my Slow Food Nation Victory Garden Photo Diary yesterday. Here's your next installment: the farmers's market. I did not take pictures of everything, just a few things that caught my attention. I also took a few pictures of the "Slow on the Go" section of the festival, which was their way of referring to Slow Food style fast food.
Slow on the Go
How strange - a hot dog that wouldn't make you sick if you found out what was in it. Grab your hot dog and join me for an afternoon at the market. Vegetarians, sorry. No veggie dogs for you. (There were other booths with different kinds of food but not a lot for vegetarians to pick from.)
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Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 19:59:21 PM PDT
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During World War II, America turned its production capabilities to the war effort and encouraged all citizens to help by growing their own "Victory Gardens" to meet the nation's food needs. Today, a Victory Garden adorns the block directly in front of San Francisco's City Hall. It will be there until November, and I don't know what will become of it after that.
The new Victory Garden was a popular tourist attraction this past weekend (and I'd imagine it will continue to be popular in the coming months). This garden serves a different purpose than the original victory gardens. Many people today have no idea how food grows. They don't know what it looks like when it's growing. (Until recently, I fell in that category too!)
A funny story I heard that illustrates the vital educational role served by the modern victory garden involves a class field trip to a pumpkin patch. The children were all very excited about picking out pumpkins, but one boy asked the teacher "What are all the pumpkins doing sitting in the dirt?" Yes folks, real food grows in dirt. Or better yet - soil. Which we can enrich with compost from our own food waste. And I LOVE that San Francisco is taking this lesson to its citizens.
Below the flip, enjoy a photo tour...
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Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 08:52:25 AM PDT
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The festivities continued yesterday, as they will today. My weekend was severely limited by my migraines, which are triggered by a long list of visual triggers: compact fluorescents, TVs, CRT monitors on computers, some ATMs... and projectors. SFN had a projected sign in the background for their panels. It wasn't used as a visual aid of any sort for the panelists. No PowerPoint or anything. It just had the words "Slow Food Nation."
While I spent yesterday being incredibly angry at the reaction I received when I attempted to find a way to participate without getting a migraine, I've cooled down. The truth of the matter is that people - perhaps most people - just don't get it. I would bet it's true about any disability, but having a unique one doesn't help. Sometimes I tell people about my problem and it seems so unimaginable to them that they act like I said nothing. Others go to the other extreme and offer to turn off every light bulb for me, even the ones that don't hurt me.
The Slow Food Nation people who handled my situation poorly weren't prepared for the contingency that someone would show up with a rare, strange disability. It's just not something you expect or train your staff to handle. And the usher who was incredibly rude and hostile to me? I'm still mad at her, but she was a volunteer. It's unfair to hold that against Slow Food.
All the same, my experience here was not what it ought to have been. I suppose the bright side to it all is that instead of attending the events that I paid quite a bit to obtain tickets for, I sat out in the Victory Garden and read half of Marion Nestle's new book, Pet Food Politics (highly recommended!).
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Fri Aug 29, 2008 at 19:00:00 PM PDT
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Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture:
(I posted on this yesterday but it's good news from this week, so here it is again)
What exactly are we for? Slow Food Nation had a bunch of experts put their heads together to hash it out. They have posted their Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture online this week.
Food For Thought: Today, Slow Food Nation brought together many of the leading voices about food in the country, including Marion Nestle, Timothy LaSalle, Michael Pollan, Winona LaDuke, and Eric Schlosser. You can expect to read more about these magnificent speakers and what they had to say on this site in the near future.
Oakland Goes Green: Often left in the shadow of nearby uber-green San Francisco, Oakland made the news this week. A Garden Grows in Oakland tells the story of Oakland's many urban farms and their roles in poverty-stricken parts of the city.
Even Wall Street Journal Takes an Interest This week, Wall Street Journal published an article called Eat Up, Kids, This Spud's for You about farm to school programs. How exciting!
What's your happy story?
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Sat Aug 16, 2008 at 17:58:56 PM PDT
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( - promoted by Jill Richardson)
Cross posted at SF Kossacks.
Senses are heightened in the fresh air. And it's not every day you get to sit next to the person who planted the beans, raised the lamb, and shaped the cheese on your plate. - Jim Denevan
Jim Denevan is the visionary and artist who founded Outstanding in the Field, a group devoted to raising food awareness by touring the nation and setting an outdoor table where people meet and interact with local farmers.
On September First Outstanding in the Field will combine forces with Slow Food Nation and the now famous outdoor table will be set up in San Francisco at Delores Park.
About Outstanding in the Field;
Set between the soil and the sky, Outstanding in the Field's long, linen-draped table beckons adventurous diners to celebrate food at the source, bringing together local farmers and food artisans, chefs and winemakers to explore the connection between the earth and the food on your plate. Since its founding in 1999 by chef and artist Jim Denevan, Outstanding in the Field has hosted over 100 dinners in farmlands from Anchorage, Alaska to Nantucket, Massachusetts
About Slow Food Nation;
Slow Food Nation is a subsidiary non-profit of Slow Food USA and part of the international Slow Food movement. It was created to organize the first-ever American collaborative gathering to unite the growing sustainable food movement and introduce thousands of people to food that is good, clean and fair through enjoyable, accessible and educational activities. Slow Food Nation is dedicated to creating a framework for deeper environmental connection to our food and aims to inspire and empower Americans to build a food system that is sustainable, healthy and delicious.
With similar mission statements both groups should fit very nicely together but this gathering has the added advantage of being done a little differently than the typical Outstanding in the Field events. Unlike most urban dates, this feast will be in a public park.
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Sat Aug 16, 2008 at 10:58:21 AM PDT
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I was just listening to a radio program called How We Eat and the Slow Food Nation when I got a phone call from Eddie C. The program is a conversation moderated by Eric Schlosser with panelists Alice Waters, Anya Fernald, Bertram Lubin, and Harold Goldstein about the Slow Food movement and children's health.
As I was listening to Alice speak about the power of good food, Eddie's phone call proved her point. Yesterday I sent around an email to several friends in San Francisco and one in New York (Eddie) about a Slow Food Nation event (text of the email is pasted below), an Eat-In that is a collaboration between Slow Food Nation and Outstanding in the Field. What was Eddie's phone call about? He's buying his plane tickets and he's going to San Francisco. Slow Food Nation was already going to be fantastic, but with Eddie there it will be a thousand times better (for me, at least!).
Click the link above to hear the radio show (it's wonderful and very worth listening to), and give me a heads up if you'll be in SF Labor Day Weekend.
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Wed Jul 23, 2008 at 13:53:31 PM PDT
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I've been hemming and hawing about whether or not I'd make the trek (or should I say pilgrimage?) up to San Francisco for Slow Food Nation but in the end, I couldn't resist. I'm going. The handful of food-related conferences I've attended have all been so rewarding, but none to date have been quite this big!
Now, the to-do list:
1. Book a flight. I'm on a tight schedule, otherwise I'd join in the big caravan driving up the California coast.
2. Find a place to crash.
3. Decide what to go to. That's the hard part.
There are a number of Taste Pavilions, each showcasing a different type of food (beer, cheese, chocolate, etc). That's an easy choice. Do I like eating? YES! Sign me up.
The next question is which of the various Food for Thought sessions to attend. My first choice is Saturday, August 30 from 4pm-7pm featuring speakers Wendell Berry, Vandana Shiva, Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Eric Schlosser and Carlo Petrini join together in conversation about the local, national and global impact of the philosophy and practice of Slow Food. That is the entire Mount Olympus of Food Gods and Goddesses, all together in one spot. I am there.
The truth is that I have yet to discover a Food For Thought session that I don't want to go to, except for the film session and that's only because movies give me migraines. Who else here is going to be at Slow Food Nation? What are you guys going to? I am interested in your suggestions.
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Sat Jul 05, 2008 at 07:10:03 AM PDT
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Yesterday I stopped off at Roots Kind Food to pick up one one of my favorite meals for dinner - a delicious wrap made with romaine lettuce, carrots, jicama, mint, seitan, and a slightly spicy Thai peanut sauce - and I ended up talking to Heather, one of the three beautiful ladies who runs Roots. Heather amazes me - she's a registered dietitian and also boasts a masters in public health. She and her two partners opened Roots last year with a social mission in mind: to bring healthy, local, organic fare to their neighborhood at an affordable price.
Heather asked if I was going to Slow Food Nation, the national Slow Food event taking place in the Bay Area over Labor Day. I said probably not. I support Slow Food but often their events are pricey and I'm fairly sure they don't know what a vegetarian is. I asked if Heather was going.
"Yeah!" she said. "It'll be like the first Woodstock!" Hmm, good point. So maybe I'll go. Some of the events will be as expensive as I'd feared, like this Victory Garden Celebration Dinner for $120, but Heather reminded me that other events are cheap or free.
If you're interested in going, the schedule is online.
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