For decades, Alice Waters has commanded attention for her love of the freshest, most local food. Last week, her crusade was the focal point of national attention, as Michelle Obama finally agreed to plant an extensive vegetable garden at the White House.
If Ms. Waters is serious about changing the national food system for all Americans, she needs to get down and dirty on the economic issues tied to her edible ethos. At present, the food Waters espouses--clean, local and organic--is not sustainable to the American wallet.
Two weeks ago, in honor of Houston's best growing season, I committed to eating only local foods for a full moth. For 30 days I planned to restrict my diet to whatever was grown, raised and slaughtered within 100 miles of my doorstep. My plan was derailed three days--and fifty dollars--later.
Without the use of my own vegetable garden, the only way I could afford to live on strictly local food for the period would be to eat eggs (at $3.50 a dozen) with scant veggies and bulk beans. Normally, I buy staples from a super market and make meals that feature whatever is fresh at local farmers' markets. Without the addition of non-local grains, flour, butter, milk and affordable produce, I was left with esoteric dairy, (raw goat's milk) meat, mushrooms, dried black beans and lettuce--all at an exorbitant cost.
It wasn't a huge surprise: in general, I spend almost as much at the farmers market as I do at the local grocery store each week, and the locally grown produce accounts for less than a quarter of what I eat. Trying to rely purely on my regional food sources was harrowing, though, and illuminated a major flaw in America's food system: for the first time in my life, I understood what it was like to be unable to afford the healthy food I wanted.
Like so many Americans, I have been inspired by Waters' mission and believe that her far-reaching message has improved this country. Nevertheless, her current platform needs an update, or more bluntly, a reality check. When interviewed by Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes, Waters outlined her noble vision: "I feel that good food should be a right and not a privilege and it needs to be without pesticides and herbicides. And everybody deserves this food. And that's not elitist."
Later, when asked about the exorbitant price of organic grapes, ($4 a pound) Waters said, "We make decisions everyday about what we're going to eat. And some people want to buy Nike shoes -- two pairs, and other people want to eat Bronx grapes, and nourish themselves. I pay a little extra, but this is what I want to do."
The remark was rife with elitism -- the choice that most people face is not between name-brand shoes and grapes. The audience Waters referred to in her comment is probably already capable of choosing organic produce, at least part of the time. But the people for whom this "right" is absent aren't likely to be sporting the latest Zooms or Air Jordans. Or both.
All people deserve good, clean food. But, if even professionals like me cannot afford to eat the way Ms. Waters eats, then it is highly unlikely that poor or even middle class Americans are going live off the organic produce at a local farmers markets.
Ms. Waters should use this moment in the spotlight to strongly encourage political leaders to help subsidize and support regional farmers in their area. She should lobby for the construction of community gardens across the United States, especially in urban areas where farmers markets and fresh food are hard to find. Finally, she should write some of her persistent letters to the CEOs of Whole Foods, Trader Joes and other sustainable food franchises to see if prices can come down significantly, so that everyone can enjoy the sustenance they deserve.
For Ms. Waters to be truly effective in the coming decades, she must address the unsustainable problem of sustainable food prices, or else the momentary excitement over the Obama victory garden will prove little more than a fad for the privileged.
As a kid, I helped my grandparents on their suburban acre hull peas, put up corn, greens . . . the year's supply of veggies, so any little patch you can plant is great. Poor folks used to depend on their gardens and sold some to the neighbors to make a little extra.
I admit that the farmer's market does feel like it sucks the money out of your wallet, but maybe let's get out of the paradigm that we have to go to Whole Foods or some specialty grocer.
Vegan legumes, whole grains to make my own bread (boutique local breads are Too Costly), conventional veggies and fruits or organic when it's on sale. The price of gas went down but the cost of food stayed high....what's up with that?
Making healthy, sustainable food more available to all is one of the central focuses of the slow foods movement that Waters has been a central voice for. It is astonishing that Cowles claimed that Waters hasn't even addressed the problem. Cowles needs to learn the facts before spreading disinformation next time.
Waters most certainly does advocate putting less of our financial resources into funding global agribusinesses and more into small farmers growing fruits and vegetables, which would make their products more affordable for everyone. Shame on Isabela Cowles for implying otherwise.
Waters' point is that most of us can make better choices than we do. As Waters' points out, if the average American just made a few trips to their local farmer's market a year, the positive impact on small farms across the US would be absolutely enormous.
My spouse and I live on a small farm in rural Appalachia and we are involved in a project employing ideas from Alice Waters, among others, to help people in impoverished urban areas cook free foods from cooperative urban farms.
As to the price? Well, I get what you're saying, but it is time for Americans to understand the real cost of food. And to stop supporting subsidies for large farms growing corn that is not even edible, but to maybe redirect that money to small, sustainable farms in a vast number of communities across the US. Or not. Just let people get used to what food costs.
On my small, sustainable farm, we put value on the health and welfare of our animals. Raising livestock in a sustainable, healthy way costs more than letting an animal stand in its own feces 24/7 in a CAFO/conventional dairy. So yes, cheese costs more than $5/lb.
I think you can probably afford it, but perhaps you don't value it as much as your $4 latte from Starbucks or your right to drive whatever sized car you like or to have the best home entertainment equipment. This is as much about priorities as anything else. Until people realize that eating is probably the most important thing they do every day, things will not change.
This experience has been a revelation regarding possibilties for a more-localized food economy in our area. But I agree that we have a long way to go in developing such economies and making them affordable for everyone. We need more home and community gardens, subsidies for local farmers, a re-emphasis on local canning, and (perhaps) development of local greenhouses that derive much or all of their heat from the sun.
Retired farmers and other rural people who were around when we still had substantially local food systems can serve as “information resources” in this process. So can recent immigrants with a rural background. No doubt some of those immigrants can help us broaden our food horizons with ideas about what they would---or do---grow in our particular climate zones.
it's all about PRIORITIES!...what is more important, good health and food or status symbol materialistic self-indulgence.
I urge everyone who cares about food production and the politics of food in this country, and moreso, those without a clue to mark their calendars and make it a must see the upcoming documentary to be released in June 2009 about how their food choices affect their health and the environment.
here's the link and movie trailer:
Food Inc.
http://robertkennerfilms.com/films/files/detail_current.php
There are few or NO produce markets in the poorest neighborhoods where they are needed most.
People can't afford to ride half a day on the bus just to buy veggies, to suit someone's skewed sense of rightness.
Dinner for 2 this Saturday - $242 including tax and tip but without any wine.
http://www.chezpanisse.com/pgdownmenu.html
(In the American fantasy, everyone has the same choices.)
I live in Iowa where we there are farmers markets available multiple times a week from mid-May thru October. I grow tomatoes and lettuce in my flower beds. Organic chicken is twice as expensive as store-brand chicken so I am more judicious with it's use.
You don't have all the advantages Alice Waters has - just do your best.