Slow Food Notion: I Don't Think So.

Pictured here: a bouquet created by the apprentices up at UCSC's Farm & Garden (aka "CASFS") for a dinner last night. I shopped, chopped (500 cherry tomatoes, eight pounds of yellow wax beans), cooked (the beans), and prepped for eight great hours.

SLOW FOOD NATION 2008

So, unlike tens of thousands of people in San Francisco who are paying $58 and up for the privilege of suffering through traffic and parking and being crammed into buildings like sardines, I am absolutely committed to avoiding all things under the Slow Food umbrella this Sunday. Slow Food Nation: Come to the Table 2008 starts tomorrow.

When I first heard about it, it sounded exciting. But I realized I was Having Thoughts about it, and that most weren't pretty.

Turns out I'm not alone. (I might not be in the majority, but that doesn't matter.) With her usual graciousness and aplomb, Jennifer Jeffrey (who lives in San Francisco) wrote her plus-minus take on the event. She manages to find the possible positives, which honestly would have eluded me.

Pictured here: some beautiful squash blossoms at the UCSC Farm & Garden's farmstand last week.

To preface this: I have enjoyed every single Slow Food event I've ever attended—with one exception, due to a chapter leader seriously lacking in social skills. But the Santa Cruz leaders, Cliff and Claudette Warren, are exemplary people who are gracious, tasteful, kind, and generous. They have none of the puffery or self-importance that, to me, characterizes the organization, and which trickles down from its founder, Carlo Petrini. I'm thinking, "You people didn't actually discover food, you know?"

I admit freely that I am still unforgiving about last year's Petrini incident, wherein he wrote an unflattering and untrue portrait of a "surfing farmer" at the Ferry Plaza market, which he also decried as being elitist—a charge I have less of a problem with, but still. Petrini absolutely and utterly failed to take responsibility for lying, and claimed that it was a gap in the language and translation. Bull pucky: he has editors and proofreaders and, supposedly, fact checkers who failed him. So there's that.

But after being a member for a year, I came to the conclusion that it's stupid to pay an organization for the privilege of being, perhaps, over-privileged. I wouldn't join Mensa, either: what's the point? (Yes, I qualify. Or I did before I nursed a child for some years.)

I'm sitting here at my dining table with Rebecca Thistlethwaite, who's simultaneously working on her own blog post, while we share ideas and (yes) gossip. Farmer gossip! Slow Food gossip! She alerted me to a conversation of comments on the Slow Food Nation blog about the Charcuterie Pavilion.

It interested me, because I have run across a couple of blog posts recently that are superior in their assessment of Slow Food. The first, "Slow Food Needs Reality Check, Not Makeover," from the People's Grocery in Oakland, by Brahm Ahmadi (to whom Rebecca gives high marks). The last paragraph is as succinct and thoughtful as anything I've ever read about the problem with Slow Food:

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. (Emphasis mine.) Unless Slow Food shifts its thinking and stops applying its old framework onto a new reality its efforts to broaden and diversify aren’t likely to be successful. The Slow Food Nation Conference may, as the article proposes, signify a makeover of the organization. Or it may signify that Slow Food is out of touch with reality. We’ll soon see.

A friend sent me a link to the second one, "Winds of Change" from the "Life Has Taught Us…" blog. Nashvillians (Hi, Nashville! I miss you!) Jenny and Kevin write:

We have a "slow" tradition and it definitely is not being "preserved" by a wealthy few. It is being enacted every day by groups of folks who would feel mighty uncomfortable eating at Alice Waters' Chez Panisse. In fact, they would probably have a difficult time even speaking the same language as Alice Waters.

What we see happening with Slow Food USA is a classic example of an elite class co-opting the traditions of the lower classes. In doing so, they remove the "taboo" barrier associated with class, claim ownership of the tradition, and make it inaccessible to the lower classes who created it in the first place.

Rebecca laughingly said, "We have a taste pavilion. It's called the Santa Cruz farmer's market. You can go there on Saturday or Sunday this weekend, and everyone will let you taste what they grow." (Which is mostly true.)

My favorite quote in the New York Times expresses what I've said many times:

“I do slow food. Why should I join it?” said John Scharffenberger, who made his name producing sparkling wine and chocolate in Northern California. “But I think it is a really good way to promote Italian food.”

Here in little Santa Cruz, pretty much everyone I know does slow food, but we don't put a © or a ® or a ™ on it. While some people, me among them, have packaged food in the house, we know it's "food in boxes." But no one I know would show up at a potluck or make a dinner using Food in a Box. Oh, yes, I will be transparently hypocritical and admit to having Trader Joe's stuff in my refrigerator. (Bruce Cole, please avert your eyes.) But it's there for our convenience, because I am not going to ask Bob, when he comes home from a nine-hour workday (this week, on a 3500 square foot deck in the broiling sun) to make dinner for Logan and him if I'm not home to do so.

ANOTHER VIEWPOINT

Rebecca and her husband, Jim, were delegates at the most recent Terra Madre, a Slow Food gathering in Italy. As ranchers of extremely high-quality meats, they were invited, and we held fundraisers to help them go. Rebecca emphasized one thing when we talked about it: the celebrity chefs got all the special treatment. Producers were fed truly awful cafeteria-style food—Rebecca said she and Jim went out seeking restaurants where they could get a decent meal. She said they could peer into windows of elaborate dinners with special food and wines, to which only chefs were invited to partake. "Jim, we totally need to crash that!" To me, that's just plain wrong.

Jim told me that none of the meat he tasted in Italy was better than what he himself raises here. This is not said to insult Italians: I love love love Italy.

Neither Rebecca nor Jim were invited to participate in any of the events at Slow Food Nation 2008. Which is fine with her, because on Sunday, we will be celebrating an honest and authentic slow food event: a tour of TLC Ranch, followed by a dinner of braised lamb shanks raised by sheep dairy entrepreneur, Rebecca King. We will be in the company of Local Harvest founder, Guillermo Payet, his wife, Amber, and baby Joaquin. There may well be another rancher couple in our midst: we're waiting for the RSVP's to roll in. Along with the lamb shanks, Bob and I will bring vegetables, smoked with guava wood and mesquite, and tomatoes from our garden. And maybe deviled eggs, made from TLC Ranch eggs.

I encourage the values of Slow Food, but without the boosterism and without the feeling that Slow Food is drawing a circle around its members to the exclusion of minorities and the unwealthy. I'd like it to be part of a bigger picture, as Brahm suggests above—a picture with lots more color, and lots more soul.

• • • • • • • • • • •

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "He drew a circle that excluded me; so I drew a circle that included him."  (Paraphrasing Edwin Markham here.)

Thanks for visiting. Go slowly and drink in the beautiful summer days.

Comments

[Jennifer Jeffrey]

Tana- as always, your posts are full of thought-provoking material.

I, too, have the sneaking sense that the truly "good stuff" is being reserved for special events behind closed doors that very few people get to attend... it's strange how "exclusive" it feels, and how at odds that is with the very heart and soul of "slow food."

I hadn't read the NYT article before seeing your link, but the notion of SFN simply being one piece of something much larger than itself is such an inspiring thought.

Oh, and the Edwin Markham quote: girl, you read my mind. I LOVE THAT QUOTE. It's been a favorite for years.

xox

[Kevin]

Thanks for the nod and the wonderful post. Nashville says hello right back at you. And, we also love not paying a premium for living the slow life.

[Jack at F&B]

"being crammed into buildings like sardines" - So not true. But, perhaps you were there yesterday and saw first hand? Yesterday was really well run and well organized.

[Tana]

If you had fun, Jack, more power to you. I wouldn't have gone unless somebody paid me REAL money.

I just think Slow Food is missing some really big points. And I know three former delegates to Terra Madre that all say the same thing (despite having enjoyed MOST of the Terra Madre experience): "Arrogant and elitist."

"Out of touch" is more like it to me, though the local leaders here in Santa Cruz are lovely people.

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. And I stated way up front that I was AVOIDING every bit of it, so no, I did not witness first hand. I didn't want to witness. I didn't want any part of it.

[Helen]

Say what you want about the organization, about which I don't know very much. But I went primarily for the 4 panel lectures I listened to yesterday and today. I'm not big on crowds or lines and don't go to many "festivals" but the lectures I went to, where no food was served, were absolutely fascinating, educational, stimulating, informative, political, depressing, hopeful, encouraging, and scary all at the same time. Neither the lectures nor the panelists, nor even the people in the crowd, reeked of the self importance or elitism referenced by so many. Indeed, I thought it was quite the opposite. I learned a lot and am really glad I went. And although the venue for the lectures surely was populated, it was not like sardines, of which I ate a few while in SF.

[deborah bell benson]

hi tana,
true, participation in the events came with a price tag. but the most thrilling events worth every cent to me were the forums with people like michael pollan, eric schlooser, raj patel, wendel berry and carlo carry on the most amazing conversations about food production, the world food crisis, farming, pesticides, farm workers, farm bills, monsanto and the bill gates foundation. they touched on the world in every conversation, rather than simplier topics of interest to us who are not in the industry of food production and who dine well. it was worth every cent to me to be exposed to the exciting ideas expressed by these folks. took me out of my kitchen and into the world.

[stephen]

Way to sniff out the bullcrap, Tana -- as always -- and opening the eyes of your followers...thanks!

[sam]

thanks for your comment on your post, Tana. It was interesting to read your perspective too.

[Ms. Glaze]

I'm in the Bay Area for a little awhile and heard about the Slow Food gathering. I was going to go until I found out how expensive the tickets were. Maybe it was worth the price, maybe not, but it was out of my league. I also happen to remember that little faux pas last year with the "surfer farmer" and I think it's unfortunate that no real apologies were made. I'd have to agree with you that the movement is becoming elitist. Big kisses Tana, I'm off to New York in a few days.

[mrtumnas]

Great post! I've often thought the similar things about Slow Food and other movements. Especially the Green movement. It makes me wonder about the effectiveness of organized movements and groups and conferences.
Heck, why don't they just hand out 'I'm better than you' bumper stickers and be done with it?

[Tana]

If you haven't seen this, go read it now.

Tell me if you shed a tear, or many, as I did.

[Cooking Up A Story]

Tana, you raise an important point. Eating good, fresh, wholesome food should not have to be affordable only to those who are well off.

If there's to be a true food movement away from frankenfoods, and processed foods(and I believe there is), it's must be based on egalitarian participation.

Ironically, if we were able to eat better as a nation, our healthcare costs (and problems associated with diet related illnesses) would be greatly reduced.

There are many ways for people to get involved, and to become better educated on the subject, Slow Food just one avenue, amongst many.

Fred