If you want to know a little bit about me...

Then you should know a little bit about what I care about. I mean, it's a laundry list of things, but the big one on my radar these days is food. And it has been for a couple of years now. The issue of food for me is personal, political, economic, health-related, justice-related - I can wind it up in just about any broad-based category of things that people might care about. Here are some questions I'm concerned with:

Where does our food come from? From how far away does it come? What does this mean for the environment? For community?
Who grows our food? Why don't we grow our own food anymore?
What kind of life does a food grower/harvester have? Who are they? Do I know them?
How, where, and when do we eat our food? Do we cook it or is it cooked for us? Do we savor and share? Do we eat and run?
What does food mean to me? What is the significance of eating - for necessity or pleasure?
What's in our food? How do we know what's in it?
Do I need to/should I take a multi-vitamin? Why? Why not?
Why isn't there enough food? Why is there too much food? Where? How?

And here are some sources for some answers to some of those questions.

What to Eat by Marion Nestle

This is a great book that is accessible for nearly anyone who wants to learn about food, food systems, food justice, food safety, and a lot of other food issues. I saw her speak with Michael Pollan last year (or maybe the year before, I forget), and the two of them have excellent insight into food and what the hell is going on in our fields and markets.

I care about what I eat because I feel that what I put into me will kill me much faster than what is around me - and this has much more to do with foreign chemicals and unnecessary ingredients than the basic "less fat, more produce" issue. Food for me has very little to do with being thin and beautiful and going on a diet.

I care where my food comes from because it's a social justice issue, and an environmental issue, and an economic issue, and and and and and...

And, if you are interested in fun and cool events that offer a lot of information, some music, some food to eat, and cool gardening stuff and are in the San Francisco area, Slow Food Nation is a collaborative event that will be held in San Francisco over Labor Day weekend this year. Check it out, maybe?

Another part of this is the fact that I grow plants (food) in a community garden near my house. I do this because it's fun, I like to play in the dirt, I like to save and utilize green space in cities, I enjoy meeting new people, and because the more I grow, the less I have to buy. Are you into community gardening? Would you like to be? Here's a list of gardens in SF.

Now, I can guess the most popular counter-arguments to food as politics as life. It does take a lot of time. I probably spend more time than you do in the kitchen, in the garden, in the market, cooking, cleaning, weeding, planting, picking, and eating. But I bet my food tastes better - sheerly because of the ingredients used. And I bet I spend more money than you at the grocery store/farmer's market. But I am proud of what I eat and what I cook, and I spend this money here instead of on clothes or bags or eating out quite so much. It really is a significant portion of my income to shop and eat locally, but it's worth it to feed myself healthy and delicious local food and goods. I make sacrifices elsewhere in order to accommodate, and I really think it's necessary. It is a political act to do so, I am voting with my dollar. Is it elitist? Maybe, at the outset, but I do not believe that the goals of food activists are elitist at all. I think people are looking for good and healthy food in fair and equitable way for people all over the world. No one is asking you to dine at Chez Panisse every night, for sure. I certainly can't afford it! And there are clever and good ways to get great food for less - it just takes more time. Which is not such a bad thing, really.

Idyllic Alice Waters

In a few words, here's an article about Alice Waters and her vision for a slow food movement. While I don't know how I feel about her (I mean that, I am really undecided), this article could serve as a manifesto for me and my relationship with food in many senses. This is a local global political economic justice freedom health issue for everyone.

I will admit that I cheat a bit by living in such a bountiful area as Northern California, and perhaps I would have a harder time with this whole issue or even be a bit less committed if I lived in a place where I couldn't get more than I could want at any time of the year. But that's also part of why I chose to live here - it makes this lifestyle/political/personal decision easier.