If you’ve been reading our coverage of Slow Food Nation, it is clear I was having the time of my life. I will never buy, taste and cook the same way again. And I was so inspired that I contemplated leaving the city to work on an orchard in Maine (it was a fleeting thought, but none the less…)
After returning from San Francisco, I took my new found enthusiasm and my re-usable shopping bags to Whole Foods for some groceries. And let me tell you, every time I reached for the local and organic option on the shelf, I heard a ka-ching! ring in my head.
For everything Slow Food and its leaders have done to bring its mantra of “good, clean and fair” food to the public, I can’t help but question about how absurd this must sound to the average American family.
Let’s examine the food from this weekend: the Victory Garden in in their heart of the Civic Center housed gorgeous edible garden and a farmers market of sorts for the entire weekend. Free samples were enjoyed by all but when it came to purchasing food, I paid $6 for 2 peaches. Now I’m extremely fortunate that i can spend $6 but for some people, $6 can buy a fast food dinner for 3 or 4 people.
And the cheese, albeit amazing, was $26 a pound. Yes my friends, $26.
I know the benefits of supporting local and organic farming and I choose to vote with my fork each time I shop at a Farmer’s Market. But what are the alternatives for the average American family? And could they have been better addressed this weekend?
Planting a garden was a resounding suggestion from all of the Slow Food leaders. I’ve had the great pleasure of making an entire salad including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers, lettuce, carrots, celery, cabbage, mint, basin, thyme and rosemary all grown no more than 10 steps from my kitchen. But the food not lawns movement implies that you a) have a lawn and b) have a disposable income to pay for the garden.
Sometimes change from the top and change from the grassroots can meet comfortable in the middle. And I know this movement has inspired some of the most amazing projects in undeserved communities. I just wish I would have heard their voices, their recommendations, and their struggles throughout the conference.
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