all the food that's fit to print The Education Issue - Slow Food

More documents

Recommendations

Info

When it finally happened, it proved to be a tumultuous changeover because the last noted reason was the biggest problem. I was currently paying 90 cents a pound for the liquid egg product, a large percentage of which was “rebated” to the food service contractor. The price of the organic, local, free-range eggs at $4.50 per dozen, with no rebate, would cost approximately three dollars more for the same amount of eggs. In my opinion, however, the quality, taste, freshness, wholesomeness, and environmentally responsible breeding practices was worth the extra money. I first started buying the eggs with the limited petty cash my school account was allocated for miscellaneous purchases, violating every corporate policy for purchasing and exposing myself to possible termination. This felt dangerous and, at the same time, remarkably satisfying. I then decided to go through the process of requesting my local farm, Cherry Grove, to be listed as an approved vendor. This proved to be a lengthy and time consuming procedure, but I was determined to see the process through. My second step The snail | Spring 2008 18 Lunchtime at the Lawrenceville School was to request the new vendor approval application, which took two weeks to arrive; once the application was completed I submitted it for corporate approval. A month later, Cherry Grove was contacted by the food service contract company to submit their insurance documentation and to negotiate payment terms. And this is where the wheels fell off the tractor. The food service company’s accounts payable division typically pays their vendors 45 days following the end of the month. This meant Cherry Grove would not be paid for a delivery of eggs made on September 1 until sometime in the middle of November—a payment term farmers cannot accept and survive on. I found this to be the case with every local farmer I tried to purchase from, thus ending my quest for local and sustainable food under the direction of a corporate food service company. I am proud to say at this time, in 2008, that the Lawrenceville School now receives a weekly supply of Cherry Grove eggs along with many locally grown and produced foods directly from the farmers and artisans in our area. Because of the inability of the large food service contractors to change the Gary D. Giberson is a chef, food service consultant, and the founder and owner of Sustainable Fare, an environmentally responsible food service company. way they buy food, I have become a chef by trade and a food service company owner by necessity.
BOOKS SLOW READS In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto By Michael Pollan Penguin Press Good Food Tastes Good: An Argument for Trusting Your Senses and Ignoring the Nutritionists by Carol Hart SpringStreet Books If you have not yet read Michael Pollan’s new book, you’ve probably heard of it. His koan of an advisory—“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”—has already made its way to most Slow Food members’ ears, if not also their hearts and bellies. Health and science journalist Hart covers much of the same ground as Pollan, and though her book lacks the visibility of his, it shares the same overall thesis. Both books argue for the simple, delicious, and health-giving properties of real, slow food, and against the reductionist vision of “nutritionism,” which breaks foods down into their component parts. Pollan very clearly explicates the process: foods are highly processed, stripped of their natural nutrients along the way, then fortified afterwards to bring the lost nutrients back. However, the problem with thinking of nutrients as individual silver bullets is that it does not take into account the holistic interplay that is at work in a whole food. Both authors chart the history of how we got into this way of thinking and then try to help dig us out. Pollan’s book is a manifesto and therefore gives the reader general guidelines that can light the way: “Avoid Food Products that Make Health Claims” (a yam is silent because it has no wrapper on which to advertise its health benefits). Hart’s book is more nuts and bolts, with concrete advice such as how to choose the healthiest piece of fruit in the pile (a few blemishes are a good sign, as is moderate size). Both books debunk various nutrition myths—although Hart goes more in depth with this, addressing many different specific health fads and claims—giving us the science, reasoning, and history to support what we already know: too much of any one thing is never a good idea, farm-fresh food is good and good for you, and eating food you’ve cooked yourself is the best way to eat healthily (only try not to eat so much, you hear?). —Jerusha Klemperer Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen’s Guide to Community Supported Agriculture By Elizabeth Henderson and Robyn Van En Chelsea Green Increasingly Americans are waking up to the fact that we have become a nation out of touch with the land that provides our food—and consequently the farmers who grow it. But what do we do about it? Apart from growing your own vegetables, participating in community supported agriculture (CSA) is one of the most effective ways of sharing in both the risks and rewards of farming. In Sharing the Harvest, Elizabeth Henderson takes up the reins from the late Robyn Van En, a key figure in forming the CSA movement in North America in the mid-1980s. Henderson’s book honestly sums up the truth about starting and maintaining a CSA. Since each CSA is unique and has distinct operational demands, Henderson provides detailed anecdotes compiled from dozens of CSAs around the country describing the pitfalls and challenges of running a CSA, along with techniques and wisdom for overcoming difficulties. Sometimes it’s the simplest wisdom that makes the biggest difference. For example, communication between the farmer and CSA members is important, whether by way of newsletters or increasing signage amongst the lettuces. She explains share pricing and bookkeeping technologies, gives examples of harvesting and distribution methods, and even ventures into nitty-gritty details on hard-truth issues like divorce in farming families and how it affects a CSA. Henderson believes in the power of a community uniting to grow food, and she easily imparts that spirit to the reader. If you’ve never heard of CSA, her enthusiasm will make you a believer; if you’re looking to start one in your community or if you’re a farmer needing guidance on managing a CSA, this book is an indispensable resource. —Elizabeth Bird 19 The snail | spring 2008
Page 1: ISSUE SPRING 2008 all the food that
Page 5 and 6: Dear Members, I confess: I like whe
Page 7 and 8: ehavior, and their benefits in term
Page 9 and 10: ut young farmers, chefs, and other
Page 11 and 12: Teaching the Next Generation of Eat
Page 13 and 14: Candelario Vazquez grew up in a mig
Page 15 and 16: Sustainable U. Higher ed heads for
Page 17 and 18: STORYTELLING Education at Slow Food
Page 19: CO-Producer The Incredible, Edible,
Page 23 and 24: Continued from page 7 eat. Advocati
Page 25 and 26: Ivy Chu Antonino Ciaccio & Virginia
Page 28: SLOW FOOD USA 20 Jay Street, No. 31

all the food that's fit to print The Education Issue - Slow Food

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?