Slow Food Nation: Wondering about the impact of the event
by Amie V.
I know SFN '08 was very successful along many measures, especially given its effect on myself as an individual who likes to eat food. I seek bigger picture results however and inquire about the long-term, larger scale impact of the event.
In the weeks leading up to Slow Food Nation I saw Alice Waters speak amongst a panel of respected and famed foodies. The thing she said that stuck with me was that today we spend an average of about 8 or 9% of our incomes on food. Back in the 1940’s Americans spent an average of 30 to 40% of their incomes on food. What happened? Cheap food, subsidized by the government. Which caused us to grow a distaste for actually investing in our sustenance. But if we are what we eat, this is a huge mistake. Since that night with Alice, I’ve probably doubled what I spend on food. I feel a whole lot less guilty spending $6 on fruit every morning (just ask my coworkers) or shelling out for a local, organic meal out. Buying lunch with a friend one day, he posed the question “what else do you spend your money on?” - might as well buy good food.
For those of you who weren’t at the event, you can watch Slow Food Nations’ opening session - The World Food Crisis. Moderated by Michael Pollan, author, In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma and featuring Vandana Shiva, physicist, environmental activist and author; Carlo Petrini, founder of the International Slow Food Movement; Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved; and Corby Kummer, journalist and author of The Pleasures of Slow Food, this is a great excerpt from the event.
Post-Slow Food Nation, I’ve been wondering about the results and impact of the festival. Aside from the standard elitist critique, I’ve found the following positive results in the New York Times’s Sept 2nd review:
- Farmers featured at Slow Food Nation’s marketplace were overwhelmed with business over the course of the weekend, so much so that executive director, Anya Fernald, commented that “Farmers were thanking us for helping them get out of debt”
- Over 60,000 people were in attendance - most of whom I can assume were nearly as delighted as I was by the flavors and festivities.
- 20% of attendees were from outside San Francisco
- The event was hugely popular - 98% of Slow Food Nation events sold out
In regards to long term impact, I think most everyone who had the good fortune to attend SFN and sample the Slow Food delights will carry with them an appreciation of good, clean and fair food. The real question remains how this event will impact the rest of the country going forward. San Francisco has a terrific climate for farming and progressive citizens, which makes it the perfect city to spark the Slow Food fire. As the Economist notes, “The country at large may still be obese and recovering from its latest food scare, a salmonella outbreak that was never properly traced. But the Bay Area considers itself a mecca of farmers’ markets, organic growers and discriminating eaters.” If SFN had not succeeded here, it would have a grim chance at catching elsewhere. While the momentum coming out of SFN ‘08 is in Slow Food’s favor, there’s still a lot of work to be done to wean an entire country off processed foods, encourage consumers to invest in local and organic alternatives, and adopt a more discerning, critical eye towards food.
Amie Vaccaro is interested in green companies, entrepreneurs, and movements reducing environmental impact through sustainable innovation. You can read her blog, ecofrenzy, which is focused on green business happenings and other related ommentary.
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Who Has Time for Slow Food?
Great posting Amie! I was at Slow Food this year too, and was really blown away by how many people came out to enjoy the day. The lines in Fort Mason were a bit much, but you have to appreciate that most of this was volunteers making it happen. The point about food becoming ever-cheaper is totally key. I heard Carlos Petrini say this a few years back and it also struck me. One of the panels I went to had Wendell Berry on it...I just love that guy. He sort of started all this re-thinking our relationship to food. He told a story of how at harvest time, all the farmers and their families would get together to bale hay. They'd be in the fields all day, and then have a big party at the end of the day. They did this from farm to farm, until everyone had their bales of hay. He said today, most farms just have one guy driving the giant combine on his own. His point, that community has given way to doing things more quickly, resonated with me. Considering that a good, whole foods meal takes literally hours to shop for, prepare, cook, eat, and then clean-up afterwards, and that many of us live in households without many people, it starts to become clear why we skip the food festival and stop at a restaurant on the way home.
I also think it is interesting that while we are spending less on food these days...we are spending a lot more on just about everything else. Witness the massive credit card debt that the average American household carries. Buying stuff in our society is a form of entertainment and reward. So, in order to pay for all that stuff, we have to work more...maybe two jobs, but certainly beyond the 9-5 of my parent's work lives. Working long hours, which helps stress us out, paying for all the toys that we buy, and filling what's left with reality TV...doesn't leave much time for a casual farmer's market stroll, and an hour or so of chopping veggies before they hit the pot.
Perhaps the Slow Food movement will help us to unwind!
James' keywords: carlos petrini, slow food, wendell berry, food cost, nutrition
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Nice Summation
I really liked this article. I alas was unable to attend this event (burning man, slow food, burning man, slow food), but I am very familiar with the slow food movement and with the ideals that were brought forth at this event. I am very sad I couldn't attend. In general, I do think it was a positive thing to have. Food is just so central to who we are as human beings. As for the elitists charge - that seems to me to be a word people throw around a lot these days. It's true, if you are working two jobs and trying to support three kids, you don't have much time to grocery shop. But that really doesn't represent as large a portion of America as people seem to imply when they level this charge. Besides, this always seemed to me to be a complete misunderstanding of Maslows hierarchy. The number one thing you need in order to survive is food. Just because you think you are eating food when you have a McDonalds hamburger doesn't mean you are. Slow Food is not the answer to all of the nations food related problems, but it is a really good start.
The one thing about Slow Food that did bug me is that they are going to tear down the victory garden! The whole purpose of that garden was that it represented how we could actually use public space to encourage good food habits and how it wasn't a detraction, but rather an addition to the square. At least, that is what everyone was told. By tearing it down however, they are basically affirming the idea that no, in fact it doesn't make sense to sacrifice that space to growing food - they would rather leave it as an open, concrete courtyard. In my opinion, that is a little too hypocritical - i can't believe no one called themselves on this yet.
All in all - still a big fan of Slow Food. Hopefully they wont go up against burning man next year and I can go.
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