Camila_Sol

The Food Revolution

Written, designed, and organized by Camila Sol

Dedication

This book is dedicated to those who have a love and passion for food. Food has the ability to inspire people to be creative with what they put in their body and without it, the world would be a very dull place.

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Acknowledgements I want to thank my sister Alexa for spending countless hours helping me throughout this process.

I also would like to thank Vinita Jacinto for providing me with an amazing interview from which I learned so much.

I’d like to acknowledge Janelle Fitzpatrick from Hayes Valley Farm in San Francisco for letting me take photos and for the awesome interview.

Thanks to Steve Rasmussen from the Milk Pail Market in Mountian View for sharing his knowledge of cheese and business.

Lastly, I’d like to thank my film partner David Survilo for being a total champ and making the documentary unit so fun.

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Table of Contents Foreword......................................................................................................8 Introduction...............................................................................................10 Chapter 1: Why Should We Care..................................................13 Chapter 2: The Real Deal Behind Organic............................15 Chapter 3: Being A Locavore......................................................19 Chapter 4: A Community Effort...................................................21 Chapter 5: The Art of Food........................................................25 Conclusion.................................................................................................26 Bibliography.............................................................................................29 7

Foreword

Growing up, I had always been fascinated by the world of food.

There are so many different ingredients you can use which makes way for endless possibilities. The amazing thing about food is that two different chefs can use all the same ingredients to make the same dish, but the end result can be unique to their own style of cooking.

Coming into this documentary unit, I knew exactly what I wanted to do because of the importance food has in my life. Living in a Mexican household, eating delicious food is something I’m very familiar with.

What I have learned about food is how it has the ability to change the dynamics of family by bringing people together.

Writing this book, I wanted to focus on what it really takes for food to reach our plates. Environmentally, the food industry is a destructive force. However, my purpose for writing this book was not to just to preach about how bad industrial farming is. I wanted to examine how the local food movement is revolutionizing the way food is grown and consumed. I hope that by the end of this book, people are more aware of what exactly they are putting in their body.

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Introduction

The food revolution is similar to the process of cooking in the sense that there is a lot of things to be accounted for before you actually get to indulge in your meal. The world of food is not as easy as it seems. The more people you have to feed, the more ingredients you have to go out and buy, and the more ingredients you have, the more work it takes to chop and prepare everything. You always have to pay attention to detail and measure out exactly what is needed or else it won’t end up the way you want.

Finally, once the meal is fresh out the oven and ready to eat, there will always be people who criticize your methods. Some say it’s lacking salt while others will complain that it is way too salty. The reality is that, similar to food, you will never have a system that satisfies everyone. Regardless of all the benefits and progress that a local food system can bring, it simply cannot meet everyone’s needs. The most menacing question we currently face in the future of food is if local, organic food can really feed the world.

Perhaps one of the most controversial aspects of the health care bill enacted in 2010 is the requirement for all chain stores to prominently display nutritional facts on menus. This legislation applies nationwide to any restaurant with twenty or more locations. Ideally, this law hopes to ensure customers are aware of exactly what they are putting in their bodies within the moment of ordering. A health care bill such as this one is a monumental step in changing the food mindset in America. Far too often, people are oblivious of the food they are eating due to information being kept out of sight and therefore out of mind. So the next time someone is standing in line at Carl’s Jr, they won’t be able to devour their famous “Six -Dollar Burger” without knowing that it’s packed with over 1500 calories. The encompassing message behind this new bill is that the government has begun to take a new role in improving the nutritional awareness of the public due to a strong push from the public itself. With the public becoming increasingly concerned over the quality of food available today, the methods and practices of the current globalized food system come into speculation.

These conventions uncover ugly truths about what it takes for food to reach the shelves of our supermarket.

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Why Should We Care?

Over the last several decades, there has been increased attention concerning the harmful effects of industrialized agriculture on our environment as well as the well being of the population.

The real problem not only lies in our current methods of food production, but in the lack of public awareness of this issue. We cannot afford to be apathetic towards an issue that is so prevalent in our day to day lives. As we move towards hopefully becoming a health and environmentally conscious society, our main concern should be in the food we eat and how that food is being processed.

The practices of large scale agribusinesses have become a major contribution to the global environmental degradation. The public must become aware of how the creation and disposal of such enormous quantities of waste has a devastating effect on the air, water and soil. Factory farms completely ignore the way that agriculture can work in a harmonious, sustainable way with the natural environment. Instead, these corporations are exhausting the soil and overusing the land in an effort to produce the highest output at the lowest cost. If people fully understood the extent at which modern industrialized food systems have perverted the integrity of our food and environment, then they would be more willing to support local small scale farmers.

The real question we are faced with today is: how we can sustain the planet for future generations? What does the future hold for the food revolution? Living in the Bay Area, we have the necessary resources to meaningfully support this revolution. The most important thing for people to realize is that no matter how overwhelming it may seem, it is very much possible. The food movement is embodied by the community and if we can first take action within our own community, then there is potential to bring significant change to the way people perceive food.

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The Real Deal Behind Organic

Although seen as a recent trend, organic farming is as old as the act of farming itself. Pesticides, chemical fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, and reliance on fossil fuels were once substituted for an actual knowledge of how to balance human needs and the environment, the core of sustainability. Organic farming is essentially a style of farming which avoids the use of these harmful chemicals and instead utilizes a wide range of sustainable farming techniques such as fertilizing with animal waste, composting, hand weeding, mulching, crop rotation, and companion planting. For example, farmers would use crop rotation to reduce soil erosion, prevent soil depletion, and maintain the fertility of the soil. This practice of farming involves growing different types of crops each season so that the plants don’t exhaust all the nutrients in the soil. Crop rotation is also a natural substitute for the use of pesticides because it relieves the buildup of pests and pathogens that occur when the same crop is grown in the same area over an extended period of time.

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Modern organic farming is changing rapidly over time as a result of popular demand for organic produce. Organic farming connotes small scale, non industrial agriculture, when in fact agribusiness corporation giants are trying to conventionalize the organic food system. As much as you want the organic apples you buy at Safeway to come from an overall-wearing farmer who lives in a little red barn, it was most likely grown on a heavily mechanized, industrial farm.

While conventional farmers may have limited their use of chemicals, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are practicing sustainable farming methods. The use of industrialized agriculture, organic or not, is still detrimental to the environment by expelling pollutants, destroying topsoil, depleting aquifers, emitting greenhouse gases, and poisoning the land via petrochemicals. There just seems to be no solution to the challenges we face today in growing food.

We can’t solely rely on small scale farmers to feed a growing population of more than seven billion people, especially when economic pressures make it difficult for these family farms to compete in the food marketplace. Farmers stay in business by intensifying their food production, not by conservation, which is mainly the reason why it is so difficult for organic growers to live up to all the ideals of a truly organic farm. Currently, these small scale farmers are finding a way to differentiate themselves from the new direction that organic food has gone. By boldly adhering to the traditional elements of the organic philosophy, these farmers have sparked a fairly new revolution which has redefined the way we eat food; the local food movement.

16 A soon to be fig tree at Hayes Valley Farm

Bok Choy

Growing cabbage

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Being a Locavore

In a city with the highest number of restaurants per capita, San Francisco is praiseworthy for harboring some of the most innovative, eclectic cuisines in the Bay Area. Currently, these restaurants are putting exciting new ideas into action and changing what is known as the California cuisine. California cuisine is defined by the use of freshly prepared, local ingredients. Surprisingly, no one had thought of that before. San Francisco didn’t adopt this idea without the influence of Alice Waters, a chef and food activist who has largely contributed to pioneering the concept of California cuisine with her restaurant, Chez Panisse, famous for its organic, locally grown ingredients. Chez Panisse is also unique in that the menu is constantly changing in order to reflect what is in season. Which in itself is another unique aspect of eating locally; eating seasonally. A deeper level of recognizing what the land is giving to us, we become in sync with nature. Restaurants like these are a haven for “foodies” in San Francisco, who not only love food but are genuinely interested in learning everything about food, whether it be gourmet or street style. In many ways, foodies are largely contributing to the growth of the food movement since a movement cannot survive on its own, it needs the support of people who actually care. These people have revealed that one’s personal mentality and the choices one makes has a cosmic significance in society.

So why the sudden change? First it was this big organic takeover and now the movement has shifted in the direction of locality. Well for one, people are becoming increasingly aware of the distance food has to travel in order to appear on our plates. It also becomes apparent that buying organic bananas from Argentina kind of defeats the purpose of buying organic in the first place, in which case buying the conventional ‘sunshine meadows’ type brand bananas might be a better option in retrospect. A food system is how food is produced, how it reaches consumers, and why we eat what we do. People are now beginning to see the advantages of a local food system, which is essentially a community supported effort to build more locally based, self sufficient food economies.

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The Mountain View farmer’s market on Sunday morning

A Community Effort

An organic meat stand

Moving away from the environmental aspects of the local food movement, what really is the appeal to this slightly more expensive way of eating? When companies like Walmart suddenly now have a collection of organic produce, why do some people still choose to shop at the local market?

Questions like these don’t always have a straightforward answer that can be measured with statistics or nutritional facts. Having a local grocery market in your community or even a weekly farmers market is a gift in itself and provides something more than just a healthy or environmentally safe alternative. As sappy as it sounds, these places really do provide a sense of community and place for people to come together and share a genuine love and respect for food.

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For as long as I could remember, the Milk Pail Market has always stood at the corner of San Antonio and California Street.

It’s an interesting to pass by, you see all the fresh produce out in the open and heads of people crowded in the narrow aisles seeking out their favorite cheeses and breads. The European style open air market really gives it a unique vibe, which is part of the reason this place has become so loved and supported by the community.

With Trader Joe’s looming not too far along the road and Safeway within direct sight, right across the street, it’s amazing that the Milk Pail is able to compete with these chain stores and develop such loyal clientele. This is a place where the wide variety of food is reflected in the diversity of families that continue to grow stronger each year. The owner of the Milk Pail market, Steve Rasmussen, takes pride in the fact that his business is supported by families of many different cultures and backgrounds:

We have served generations of Asian families, Indian families, and we have strong ties with the local Russian community as well. Most recently though, we’ve seen a number of ‘googlites’ as we call them, young people in their twenties and thirties, who have shown an interest in the quality of the food they eat and where exactly the ingredients come from. (Rasmussen) 22

Apart from the diversity of customers, Steve feels that what distinguishes his business from a typical chain store is the fact that his clientele share a strong passion for food and a love for cooking.

The whole food revolution is the idea that your well-being begins with what you put in your body, in our community that begins with our local farmer’s market and Milk Pail. Deep down, people know that optimal health begins with optimal nutrition. The Milk Pail provides people the freedom to explore the world of food by creating different combinations and possibilities in dishes with ingredients they know comes from conscientious farmers and distributors. Perhaps part of the reason why the Milk Pail is such a loved and supported location is because of its unique selection of international items that find their way into the hearts of the different ethnic families whom are now discovering a common heritage with each other through food. The Milk Pail has found its niche in providing items that cannot be found in an ordinary supermarket, which helps them stand out from corporate competition. “There’s more to Mountain View than just Google,” says Steve, “people really appreciate having a place like the Milk Pail in their community” (Rasmussen). Steve isn’t the only person that stands by the belief that there will always be people who support wholesome, honest food over processed and industrialized.

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Tomatoes from the Milk Pail Market

Delicious pears

“Food allows us to express ourselves.

There is a reason why on our first date with someone we go out to dinner. It is the most intimate experience that we can have with another person. To be present in the moment of savoring each bite and to be engaged with those around you, creates experiences that we will always cherish.�

-Alexa Sol

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The Art of Food

There’s definitely a strong connection between the local food movement and the culinary arts.

People are interested in how locality not only changes the way people eat, but also the dynamics of cooking. Seven years ago, the Le Cordon Bleu’s California Culinary Academy in San Francisco introduced a contemporary cuisine course which focused on farm to table cooking, ‘green cuisine’, and seasonal cuisine among other things. Vinita Jacinto is the instructor of this course and takes pride in sharing her knowledge of food with young chefs. Growing up in India, her love of cooking was largely influenced by the strong women in her household who dominated the kitchen,

Seeing my mother and grandmother ruling the kitchen really influenced me as a child, I always kept at heart the fact that it was not only their job to feed the family, but to nourish them as well. Much like how a doctor treats patients, I felt that as a chef it was my job to nourish others with my food.

(Jacinto)

She has always been interested in gaining the most nutrition from food, beginning with how the ingredients are grown to the final preparation of the meal. The idea of farm to table cooking and eating with the seasons strongly impacted the way she perceived food. After learning about the ramifications of factory farming and the global food system, Jacinto became a strong advocate for eating locally.

By creating this contemporary cuisine course, the Culinary Academy is responding to the worldwide trend of changing the way we eat and recognizing that there is a need for it as well. As more and more places move towards being “greener” and more sustainable, there is hope that the public will move along with them and become more active and involved in the movement. The local food movement is embraced by many people like Vinita who share a strong fervor for food and appreciate how local ingredients can preserve the integrity of food. Farm to table cooking presents chefs the opportunity to develop relationships with local growers and know what kind of conditions their food is being grown and produced in. When preparing a meal, every chef wants to be able to say that their ingredients are of the utmost quality and the local food movement allows just that.

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Blood oranges at the Milk Pail Market

Conclusion

In the end, only you know what’s best for yourself. You can have people telling you to eat a certain way, to only buy or not to buy certain things but it doesn’t really mean anything unless you actually care and understand why. It all starts with us, as consumers, to do our part and put our dollar where we feel it should go. Not enough people realize how much of an impact their words and actions have on the things around them. There must be hundreds of documentaries, shows, articles, and books trying to show people the truth behind the food they’re eating, but until people actually start to find truth in this awareness, it’s not going to make a bit of difference. Here in the Bay Area we have a huge advantage over other places because of the amount of support, interest, and awareness that already exists within the public. Although these movements always start off small, I do feel that a majority of people are embracing this food revolution,

I’m betting everything on the new generation to make that change, I know it’s a lot on your shoulders, but you all are capable.

Don’t let companies and corporations sing the song of doom, because I know it is possible! Twenty-five years ago it was ‘say no to drugs,’ well now it’s time to say no to drugs in our food. (Jacinto)

The local food movement does not end here. It is a fairly new trend that has yet to reach its fullest potential. In a country where change is readily met by opposition, it is up to the new generation to continue the movement.

Mountain View farmer’s market

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meateatersguide/interactive-graphic/>.

Dunavan, Sandra L. “Sustainability.” Climate Change: In Context. Vol. 2. Detroit, 2002. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. Finz, Stacy. “Hyper-Local Markets Provide Big Economic Boost.” SFGate.com. San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Dec. 2011. Web. Fitzpatrick, Janelle. “Urban Permaculture: Hayes Valley Farm.” Personal interview. 4 Mar. 2012.

Harris, Nancy. “Genetically Modified Foods Could Harm the Environment.” Genetically Engineered Foods (2007). Gale

Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. “The Issues, Learn about Sustainable Food, Problems with Factory Farming.” Sustainabletable.org. Grace, 2007. Web. Jacinto, Vinita. “Le Cordon Bleu: California Culinary Academy.” Personal interview. 13 Feb. 2012.

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Web. Potts, Monica. “Organic Solutions.” The American Prospect (2010). Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. Rasmussen, Steve. “The Milk Pail Market.” Personal interview. 12 Mar. 2012.

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Walsh, Bryan. “Foodies Can Eclipse (and Save) the Green Movement.” Time. Time, 15 Feb. 2011. Web.

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