Slow Food Nation, SF. Your Thoughts?

So you live in this city and you start to hear rumblings about a major food event happening there. It has roots in some good, maybe even great, ideas. Passionate people are spearheading the event, and before you know it, this thing, which is not yet named or fleshed out, gets National coverage. Soon people are a-buzz everywhere and people from all areas of your life are telling and asking and directing your towards it.

What is this thing?

And why is it coming to your city? And who is behind it? And why does it sound like tens of thousands of people will descend on your city without a map or a goal or anything but an empty stomach?

Why, why, why why why why why why, WHY?

When, where, how, what, who?

Perhaps Slow Food Nation is a gathering of surrealists for whom food is their medium of the moment.

Perhaps Slow Food Nation is a mystery and you have to be here to experience it.

Perhaps Slow Food Nation IS RADICAL.

Event Calendar by Spongecell

Perhaps Slow Food Nation is a Be In.

Perhaps Slow Food Nation is like nothing you've ever:

                           known, seen, tasted, smelled, experienced, discovered, loved, despised,                             enjoyed, partook in, rebelled against, participated in, protested, ventured into, been skeptical of, took a stand for,

      rallied against, felt nothing for, knew nothing of, loved, hated, liked, didn't care one way or the other, paid or volunteered for, got behind, said No to, inquired about, organized, thought about, thought nothing about,

took a preemptive strike against, shat on, made fun of, laughed at, laughed with, took pride in, changed your life for, took time off for, ignored, were invited to, knew nothing of, couldn't give a rat's ass about, looked forward to your whole life of, couldn't wait for, wished you'd never heard of it?

I don't know. I have no idea how you feel.

And you know what?

Slow Food Nation doesn't know either.

And it's possible they don't care. And it's possible they do care.

Slow Food Nation

is going to happen. with or without your excitement and participation. will not please all the people all the time. will make history. is going to be insanely broad and disorganized and frenetic and overwhelming and educational and too much and not enough and not exactly right and not perfect and.

so what if it's not perfect? is anything perfect?

Oh San Francisco, I beseech you!

Look how rich our land is, how deep our American, as well as Californian, privilege stretches. We are so jaded, so spoiled, so damned lucky! Why so much moaning and complaining? Sure, I'll agree, this SFN thing is disorganized and I wish it weren't. I would much rather a neat little package were delivered to my doorstep so I didn't have to change out of my pajamas to walk out of my door and retrieve it.

This is the first one of it's kind. It means you can be a part of it. And next year, or next time, you can say, "I was a part of that crazy wonderful insane fantastic frantic overwhelming delicious disappointing amazing frightening event." I can't believe I survived it's wondrousness. ZOW.

Will you go? To any of it? Why?

Will you leave town? Will you avoid it all? Why?

Any other musings, complaints, hopes, desires, disillusions, epiphanies, rants, etc? Please feel free to place them in the space provided below. P.S. This is a venue for discussion, which may include disagreements, but it is not a place for attacks or anonymous insults.

Comments

[David]

I'd imagine a lot of people would be thrilled if their city and businesses in their community actively supported an event which showcased local produce and some of the people that grew them.

If attendance isn't obligatory, I'd imagine it's pretty easy not to attend.

Or better yet, if people have a better idea for an alternative to this event, they should organize it. Any way to promote and highlight the hard work of the people who raise pure food, often against great odds, deserves as much exposure as possible.

[matt]

As always, I love how you are so open and engaging on all topics. I really do. And I love how you've opened this up and I will be following the responses. I really wish I had an opinion about this as I don't, I feel like I see the merits of both sides of the coin.

Oh, I love you, btw. There.

Matt. We belong to the Mutual Admiration Society, it's true. I hope there will be responses to follow. I think of organizations like I do people: I never like everything about them but if I can find any sort of deliciousness and reciprocity, I'll stick by 'em. xo back atcha. ~ Shuna

[Anna Banana]

I'm jealous I can't go to SFNSF. Instead I took your advice and read Heat by Bill Buford. Now all I want to do is make pasta with eggs from my friend's backyard chickens. Thanks for the recommendation. Have fun at SFN.

[Lelo]

I love it. I love its intent. I love the entire slow movement. Getting off the track of buy buy buy travel travel travel and just being a little "present." Slow food is part of that. And pie is most definitely part of that. I have a little fixation on pie right now. It's most definitely slow.

[Mariah/Byron]

ZOW indeed! How very cool to live in a great city that affords you the opportunity to be, as you say; "disorganized," to blog about it, AND have a fantastic time. We can't wait to live in SF and join in the fun times.

[sam]

I plan to continue to celebrate my own personal notion of slow food in my own personal way. Just like I don't feel the need to go to Blogher to celebrate blogging, I don't feel the need to sign up for this Slow Food event to celebrate the aspects of slow-food living that I am dedicated to.

I joined Slow Food for one year and it turns out I did not attend one single event because it turned out that 0% of them appealed to me on any level whatsoever. I guess me and the organisation are like chalk and cheese. We just don't gel and I refuse to conform to the notions of others. I am grown up and smart enough to make up my own mind.

If all goes according to plan, on that weekend and in honour of Slow Food in general, I hope to illustrate my personal commitment to the notion of Slow Food outside of the box it is being put in for this event. There is little I love more than to share my love of the farmers, artisans, their supporters and the message that is local, sustainable food.

I think I am doing my bit to help the cause already and if anyone puts me down for making the personal choice of not wanting to attend this event, then I will have no qualms about defending my ground.

Slow Food is for life, not just for Labor Day Weekend.

[Scooter]

This seems like a huge, disorganized mess that is impossible to quantify. It’s hard to grasp all that it involves and how it all ties together. It’s beautiful and horrific at the same time. I think it’s coming at the right time. I hope we are on the verge of a tipping point where people care about their food, their lives, their environment. I’m tired of hearing people say food at the farmers market is too expensive. I’m tired of dining with people with lax tastebuds. I’m tired of consumers obsessed with saving a couple dollars rather than supporting their local businesses. I want them to understand the full cost of what they are consuming, which is not just what they pay. I’m hoping the event garners loads of media attention, which in turn may get some conversations started in places you might never suspect. Change is slow. You’ve gotta start somewhere. Maybe this is the place.

[Lori S.]

I think Slow Food does good work, and I like it and pay attention to it and talk about its ideas with folks...but I don't ever think I will join, myself, and sometimes I find it a bit...claustrophobic? as a movement.

(I probably won't go to the event, but that's more b/c of life circumstances than as a "statement.")

Why claustrophic? I'm not sure, but it might have something to do with what the People's Grocery guy said over on their blog:

"The article in the New York Times affirms that Slow Food is currently distracted by its own self-important belief that it should be a big tent for lots of people, rather than simply being an equal member of a much bigger movement or coalition in which the movement itself is the big tent."

Which is to say, I agree that Slow Food should maybe focus on what it is and does well, and work on allying itself with other folks who do similarly, rather than trying to convert/assimilate them, which I've seen signs of Slow Food trying to do.

Anyway. I'm sure it will be a blast, and I am glad it's coming to SF.

[bmk]

I have tickets to one of the tasting hall "times" and CAN'T WAIT. Tho I'm a little apprehensive: I believe in all this event stands for, but fear that I'll be annoyed by some of my oh-so earnest co-enthusiasts. Hard to say why... food is pure and good__and personal__and we're blessed with so much. I just hope it doesn't get too mucked up in icky competitive food-culture vulturing. knowwhatimean?

[michelle]

I'm flying down from Portland to go to SFN.

I have many a reason for going, including perhaps meeting people that are "doing" more as far as food politics go(as opposed to just talking and/or buying/cooking local). Second, I get to see and hear Wendell Berry. I'm super excited about that.

I'm interested in the "fair food" discussion. It disturbs me that a large segment of the population(for various reasons) is relegated to eating sh*tty, white, strawberries.

I could go on and on. Good, real, food is my greatest passion. I'm not sure if SFN is going to be a boom or a bust, but for me, there is too much at stake in our food system to not give it a chance.

[Cali]

I haven't yet made up my mind. The problems being: 1. The one lecture I was really interested in attending is sold out. 2. The one field trip I was really dying to go on is sold out. 3. It will be the prime time for my heirloom tomato harvest and preservation and I'd lose quite a bit to over-ripening.

Also, politicizing food may not be the way to win people over to the Slow Food line of thought. Instead of making people feel guilty for going to the grocery store I think teaching them how much better farmer's market foods taste, (using side by side tastings) probably would win more people over.

I'm so glad I live here, (in the central valley,) where the farmers live! I can get stone fruits, berries, rices, apples, pears, kiwi fruit, barley, wheat, olives, almonds, walnuts, honey, citrus... heck, almost any food grown in California within twenty miles of my home. I can get local meats, too. But not cheeses... yet!

The gist is that I'm still undecided.

[Rosebud]

I just wish people wouldn't turn things into restrictive trends, when it really should focus on family and friends.

I live in NYC, but have to share this anecdote: I have a friend who is a hardcore vegan. I do not use that slang gently: we are talking about someone who is an attorney who once threw paint on a woman at a fur show in Bryant Park. I respect her. She takes me shopping at a certain organic store to buy some organic yellow peppers... they were almost $10 a pound. I could not help but laugh.

When I first came to New York, I marked myself immediately by asking others, "So you eat meat every day?" To me that was (and yes, with some shame, still is) considered a luxury.

The point I am trying to make with this, my parents worked 2 jobs so my brother and I could go to a better school. (Scholarships, by the way, don't include living money usually.) So how can most of the world practice slow food when there's no time to enjoy it?

It's interesting in NYC I consider myself very fortunate because I have a roof over my head and I am free to do whatever I like without political imprisonment. So I guess I might not be able to practice Slow Food all the time, but that I can give that to my parents is what really matters.

That I can gather friends once a week to have potluck brunches makes such a movement (are we slow food this way?) special and makes me all the more grateful. (And no I still don't eat meat every day :) )

[Jeff Meeker]

I like the idea of "Slow Food" at the macro level. From way on up high. To me, Slow Food doesn't need to be expensive. I don't think it needs to be "Oraganic". I think it can even use Mega Mart ingredients. And, it can actually be prepared and consumed QUICKLY.

For me, I think of Slow Food as the antithesis of the term "fast food" that so many use in a pejorative.

It's NOT about speed. It's about thinking. And caring enough to think. And then act the best way you can. You can't be PERFECT. But you can be better.

An event like this in Dallas (where I call home) would be neat. Would it be TEXAS SIZED? Not likely. Would people show up? Some would. Would it get a few people to THINK a little more? I would hope so.

[Adina Levin]

Slow Food Nation reminds me of SXSW-Music when I lived in Austin. Many of the bands on the program were local bands. You could see them on a random weeknight for a fraction of the price, with a fraction of the crowd. Why bother with sxsw, just go hear the band on a Tuesday.

In the Bay Area, you can get heavenly produce at your choice of farmers markets, eat at your choice of fantastic restaurants, go visit the farm or winery or cheese maker, and discuss food politics at your choice of forums. Why fight the crowds?

[Colleen]

I guess one of the things that frustrates me is that I am super invested in the idea and the community and the activity and the meaning and the living of slow food.... But I don't have $80 to attend a dinner and $20 to attend EACH talk, if tickets are even still available, and I don't have $20 to go to EACH tasting that I'm interested in... Sure, entrance is free and there are a ton of free activities associated, but it's really not that free.
This is hard because I don't have a lot of disposable income, and I've been following this event since the winter, waiting with baited breath.
And so! I get left out of some of the best parts! And people who care less get to do more than me. Which is not unusual. But disappointing nonetheless.
I will be attending and wandering with my mom in tow and I am still excited to have people gather about this, though I really hope that the take away is the benefit of lifestyle/consumer choice/health/environmental changes rather than a cool niche thing with delicious and expensive ingredients that effectively mean nothing to the eater. I think a lot about my food and I want people to think about theirs too, as a result of attendance. I guess.

Hello Colleen,

I hear you, sister, especially this:

"I really hope that the take away is the benefit of lifestyle/consumer choice/health/environmental changes rather than a cool niche thing with delicious and expensive ingredients that effectively mean nothing to the eater."

As an aside: are you able to volunteer in exchange for admission to any of the events? They need many many volunteers and I will be one of them b/c I am unemployed and have no disposable income. Just a thought... ~ Shuna

[Bill Burge]

I am in Slow Food. I am going to Slow Food Nation. But I still can't help but feel the whole thing is silly in that a major gripe of mine and others is that Slow Food is an elitist organization. It's difficult to come back with a contradictory argument when they're holding the event on a coast in one of the most expensive cities in the country.

For me, Slow Food Nation represents a bit of a breaking point for me with Slow Food. I either walk away invigorated that people are trying to do the right thing, or pissed off that while the cloud-high intentions of Slow Food are sound, but the way in which they are chased makes them unobtainable to all but the wealthy.

I do okay in life, but even I think that the pricing on the events, with each one costing money, means that most people are unable to attend. Even I will not be attending all that I would like too.

[Jonathan Foley]

1) In general, why do people need a ‘movement’ to act in a just and ethical manner? Slow Food has all the trappings of a fad, its hip at the moment and its blend of hedonism and leftist *seeming* politics appeal to those who can’t help but recognize the unethical and unsustainable nature of their ways but can’t quite bring themselves to go as far as they could. Instead, the choose to couch themselves in ‘traditional’ cooking that ‘connects’ them to their food under the myth of ‘just’ and ‘ethical’ animal products. Enjoy your artisan suffering.

2) Given the current energy crisis and the incontrovertible evidence for global warming , veganism wins on purely environmental grounds, Nevermind the fact that as sentient beings who can rationally choose our dietary destiny we are *obligated* to choose the most just path in not consuming our fellow animals. Slow or not, animal agriculture is killing the planet. It doesn’t matter how sustainable you *think* your animal products are, the simple fact is that animals require a high degree of energy input and are fairly poor at converting that energy input into nutrition that you eat. Plants by comparison have evolved to be highly efficient in the conversion of solar radiation into animal digestible nutrition.
The UN backs me up on this: http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0612sp1.htm

If you want to read more they have a nice little report titled the ‘Long Shadow of Animal Agriculture’

3) [deleted by SFL. If you want to know why, you may refer to this.]

4) Vegans need to stand up and claim the SlowFood movement and rightfully theirs. So if you are vegan, stand up, be proud. Please work to distribute vegan pamphlets alongside of the SF literature so that people can see the abject ridiculousness of the movement.

Jonathan,

Thank you for sharing your viewpoint with us. #3 was deleted because it was a blatant attack. The Slow Food movement is over 10 years old. It serves and helps to protect farmers of vegetables as well as those people who you wish did not exist.

I am going to assume that as a vegan you care about human beings too. If it were not for movements that educate buyers, distributors and eaters, we would all be in the dark about how our food is grown and raised, whether it be animal, vegetable or other.

And, as a fellow human, as you must know, that other humans whom you will probably never meet, provide you with your sustenance. And those people deserve to live as well as the animals you wish other people would not eat.

I believe that your movement has a place as does Slow Food. I don't believe that the entire planet can be ruled by one thought process though. And few countries are wealthy enough to make the choice for vegetarian and veganism. In a lot of the world food is sparse and people go hungry. Protein equals calories equals more energy to work really hard.

Although we may disagree on some points I think we can agree that the issue is far more complicated than one movement or thought process herding all humans into the same corridor to be fed. Or perhaps you'll allow us to agree to disagree. ~ Shuna