The Nation: "Slow Food for Thought"
article: The Nation: "Slow Food for Thought"
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Slow Food for Thought
By Eric Schlosser
"'Come to the Table' was the motto of Slow Food Nation '08, and over the Labor Day weekend roughly 60,000 people heeded the call, gathering in San Francisco to eat organic food, meet local farmers and listen to panel discussions about the future of sustainable agriculture. The plaza in front of City Hall was transformed into a fruit and vegetable garden flanked by an outdoor market. An exhibition space at Fort Mason, near the waterfront, featured "taste pavilions" with artisanal foods and meals prepared by well-known chefs. Measured solely by attendance, the first get-together of this kind in the United States was an unqualified success. The crowds were large, the lines were long and almost all the events were sold out. The food and the weather were terrific. Among the many vegans and carnivores, the cheese lovers, wine connoisseurs, raw milk advocates, biodynamic farmers, locavores and chocolatiers, a consensus emerged that what had previously been considered a slogan--"slow food"--was now a genuine social movement. Largely missing, however, was a group of people who will ultimately determine whether this movement gains importance beyond the Bay Area: the workers who harvest, process and serve the food we eat."
© September 3, 2008 The Nation
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080922/schlosser 1 Comments Add Comment
Comments
Posted by Matthew H Wallace on September 15, 2008 3:00 pm
I attended several of the "Food for Thought" sessions at Slow Food Nation, and also attended the Slow Food Congress held in conjunction with Slow Food Nation.
I acknowledge Eric Schlosser's comments on the importance of engaging the "workers who harvest, process and serve the food we eat." This sentiment was part of several discussions during Slow Food Nation. Indeed, this is a critical element that must be part of the movement in order to effect true social change with regard to our food system. It is clear that Josh Viertel, President, Slow Food USA, clearly understands that this is an important issue, one that those of us in the Slow Food movemenet must attend to. How this will be done remains to be seen, yes this will be a challenge, one that we must rise to. However, as long as this is part of the Slow Food vision, and it remains "on the radar," then it will become part of the work of those of us involved with Slow Food. Yes, we will have to work in order to deal effectively with this issue.
I don't pretent to have all the answers as to how we in Slow Food will effectively address this issue. I do know that through constructive dialogue we will come to terms with the issue, and will include those who produce our food. Again, this will be a challenge, it will require work, but we can if we try. Alliance formation will be critical to success here.
So, please keep the pressure on, but do also offer your constructive input as to how "workers who harvest, process and serve the food we eat" can also have a place at the Slow Food table. This is an important issue, one that must be addressed if Slow Food is to have a meaningful and lasting impact on the industrial food system, so that it too may become "good, clean and fair." Remember that "fair" is in direct reference to this very issue. Our challenge is to put meaning to the word "fair."
Matthew Wallace
Slow Food Utah Webmaster.