But for some off-site tours and dinners tomorrow, Slow Food Nation has pretty much come to a close, and although I’ve heard and even voiced some constructive criticism of the event (there wasn’t a section for fresh fruits or vegetables at the sold-out spectacle that was the Taste Pavillion, for one) I think it’s fair to pronounce the weekend a qualified success. Here is a quick roundup of my favorites:
- Dr. Vandana Shiva. Calling for an inclusive global food movement, the physicist/activist/author/founder of Navdanya reminded the crowd of the impact America’s food policies have on the rest of the world: in particular, the Gates’ Foundation’s role in the so-called Green Revolution.
- The Food Declaration. At every venue, friendly folks clad in Uncle Sam-style top hats and “vote with your fork” t-shirts invited conscientious eaters to sign this simple but powerful 12-point document.
Free filtered tap water. Organized by our friends at Food & Water Watch, SFN managed to pull off the first event I’ve ever seen that was entirely free of bottled water. Inspired? FWW also put together a handy guide on how to create your own “bottle-free” event.- The Seed Swap. We were late and missed not only the Greenhorns‘ new 20-min trailer, but also the wild boar, but we did make it in time to catch Heather Flores’s talk on seed swapping. Heather has issued a call for an International Seed Swap Day of Action next January 31, 2009.
There was a ton of other great stuff, including talks by Lucas Benitez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, who hinted that Whole Foods will soon join McDonald’s, Burger King and Taco Bell in agreeing to a modest increase on the price of tomatoes that will mean a wage increase for some of the hardest working, least paid members of our society. We shot some great video, including an interview with Lucas, so keep an eye out for that.
Until then, take it slow.
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