For the past year I’ve been trying to spark up the debate about our messed up food system and what to do about it here at A Lucid Spoonful and over at the Slow Food Nation blog. Now, I am proud to announce that there is a formidable new kid on the block, Civil Eats, a place to further the discussion with many voices and a hope for changing the debate. www.civileats.com explores the connections between the food system and the environment, the politics of consumer choices, and the actions we can take to change the way we think about food everyday. I hope you will join us there and take part in the conversation!
As you might have noticed, posts here lately have been fewer and further between. I don’t mean to abandon my readers, its just that I’ve been writing up a storm on the Slow Food Nation blog in the past few weeks. Here is the beginning of today’s post on the movie FLOW, a film about the politics of water:
Water is a vital part of life, but should it be a commodity? This is the question FLOW explores, not just in developing countries where the issue seems paramount, but in the United States as well. Water is currently a $400 billion industry, the third largest behind oil and electricity. Because of pollution, scarcity and corporate control, it is the largest issue facing humanity in this century.
Of the 6 billion people on Earth, 1.1 billion do not have access to safe drinking water. In addition, contaminated drinking water kills more humans than AIDS or war. A lack of infrastructure or aging infrastructure that a government can’t afford to upgrade are the leading reasons private companies are invited in to make water distribution deals. But when a private industry, which is beholden to shareholders, gets control of a local water supply, a basic human need, the result is that the community using the water is at risk.
I’m happy to announce that the videos of the Food for Thought talks at Slow Food Nation are now up on the Slow Food Nation site. Now you can enjoy them for free, and not miss out on the conversation that there about the state of food policy in America, from global warming, to farm worker justice, to education and more. Enjoy!
As readers know, I spent labor day weekend hanging around at Slow Food Nation in San Francisco, taking in the talks, as well as the blackberry mint coolers and masa cakes of change for an improved future food system in America. It was a celebration of food but also a virtual manifesto that brought out 60,000 like-minded and/or curious, hungry folks to partake in the various events, from music, to tastings, to idea-sharing.
Food for Thought got down and dirty with the food policy discussion, featuring the biggest names in food, notably Wendall Berry, Carlo Petrini, Vandana Shiva, Michael Pollan, and Raj Patel. I confess, I’m a wonk. So I took it in like a succulent meal, taking furious notes and even writing a breakdown for the Slow Food Nation blog for day 1 and day 2.
Above is the video for the panel on the world food crisis, which was the opening star-studded talk at Food for Thought. Keep an eye on the Slow Food Nation site in the coming weeks for all of the panel videos, free for all to view. One of the biggest takeaways from the conference was that we can’t think about the environment, oil dependency, education, health, or most anything else without dealing with the issues surrounding food. All of the panels were enlightening, but I highly recommend the panel on climate change and food, and the Slow Food Nation panel featuring Wendall Berry, who if you couldn’t tell by now is my food warrior hero. I even waited in an hour-long line to have him sign my copy of The Unsettling of America (a prescient book of essays about our culture and agricultural policies, published in 1977). Berry was humble, but everyone sharing the stage with him had taken inspiration from his writing. He said he felt a change coming, alas. When I met him I shook his hand and let him know that our generation was taking him up on that. I hope to be proven correct.
Are you as sick of the food system we’ve gotten stuck with as I am? I know there are at least a few of you out there, so here is something empowering that every individual (and those on their email lists) can do to demand change from Washington: Sign the Food Declaration!
On Thursday, at the rotunda inside City Hall in San Francisco, the Food Declaration was read aloud for a crowd of 200 people to hear. Framers of the document, including Dan Imhoff, Alice Waters, Michael Pollan and many other food and agriculture policy thinkers have been working on creating a concise document that clearly states the kind of policy that is needed right now. It gives policymakers distinct guidelines, and endorsements from professionals in different fields who can act as advisers.
The petition has been getting tons of signatures at Slow Food Nation, where it is visible for all to see and sign, and afterward it will travel around the country to Slow Food convivia and NGOs who will host signing parties of their own. Meanwhile, endorsements and comments can be posted on the Food Declaration website, so that everyone can get in on the conversation. Roots of Change, Slow Food USA and other like-minded groups hope that by Spring 2009, the petition will be in Washington, D.C. for a final signing event, and then will be presented to Congress.
Diana Store interviews Jameth Sheridan ND for the new book she compiled and edited: Raw Food Works. In this book leading experts explain why the raw food diet works. Jameth Sheridan ND is one of the authors.
This video is about chapter 19 of the book: “Its Not Just What You Eat – Lifestyle And Beyond”. Jameth talks about drinking water, cotton and EMFs.
Welcome to the Community Beat, a new podcast feature by We Like It Raw that covers happenings in the raw food community. I’m your host Dhrumil Purohit and today we’re talking to community organizer Robin Anderson about the Raw Spirit Festival making its way to the East Coast.
The Raw Spirit festival is the largest live food gathering in the world and for the past few years it has been exclusively hosted in Sedona, Arizona. In 2009 however it will be hosted in 3 separate locations: Santa Barbara, CA, Prescott, AZ and Washington, DC.
Today we talk with the host of the DC festival about her vision for the conference and what she has in store for the raw food community.
This week’s My Way feature comes to us all the way from Bali, Indonesia! Leah Rinaldi is a living food chef, author and community organizer. Back in 2006 Leah left America to explore the world and shortly found her self planting root in Bali. Today Leah organizes the Bali live food community and hosts regular retreats with her business partner Mark Ament.
My Way: Leah Rinaldi
Reading through the My Way archives to get some inspiration of where to start, I found a very similar pattern emerging. Almost all of the posts begin with “when Dhrumil asked me to write a My Way…”. Always one to be different, I shall begin my post like this:
When I asked Dhrumil if I could write a My Way, I was thrilled when he said yes! I both admire and appreciate the extensive raw food networks and communities that have manifested on the internet. I have always felt a bit removed from them, though, as I live in Bali. What fun it is to bridge this geographical gap and share a few days in the life of a raw food eater living abroad!
I left America to explore the world in the summer of 2006. A year and a half later I found myself in Bali for a three week trip that, one year on, has turned into my life. I was introduced to raw food in Bali through a few friends and one magical piece of key lime pie. Things just clicked after that and through raw food prep I found a means of physically manifesting my divine self. Wonderful indeed! My work partner, raw nutritionist Mark Ament, and I are gently fostering and growing the raw food community here in Bali and each day the scope seems to get bigger. We are teaching raw food nutrition and prep classes both in Bali and abroad (two in Singapore so far and more in the works), we are running monthly raw food weekend retreats, we are catering yoga retreats, we are managing a website of all the raw food resources on the island (www.rawfoodbali.com), we are putting together a book, and on top of it all I have helped open a small café here with a full raw food menu!
Everyday is a blessing, everyday an adventure.
Saturday Today Mark and I had a lunch meeting with our friend Ben. Lunch meetings are a lot of fun for me because they are an excuse to throw together a creative and decadent meal. I eat pretty simply myself, but love to make new and exciting creations to share with others. This morning my stomach was a little upset as I ate dinner too late last night. So after my standard morning cocktail of lemon in hot water, I headed to our weekly local organic market without eating anything else. After a bit my stomach had settled and I noshed on some organic carrots and rambutan (a SE Asian tropical fruit that is sort of like a lychee). Then it was off to a massage (this is part of my routine here: massage, healing sessions, yoga – keeping the body, mind and spirit healthy and happy). Post massage and full of bliss, I headed over to Mark’s house for our lunch meeting.
The night before I had prepared cashew cheese, flax and pumpkin seed crackers, marinated veggies, and a jicama risotto. And for dessert a slice of pecan pie that I had made for Mark’s birthday. Everything turned out great and I was excited to share it with Ben as he’s new to raw food. Mark and I are writing a recipe book and asked Ben over to consult. Ben works in design and I am inspired by his ability to see beauty in everything. He gave a lot of great feedback and by the time he left I was buzzing with excitement of all the possibilities.
Sunday Today was a beach day! Mark’s mom is visiting so we rallied together a small group and went over to the ocean. Although Bali is an island, Ubud, the town where I live, is landlocked. It is the cultural and artistic heart of Bali set amidst picturesque rice fields and lush forest. The flip side of this blessing is that the beach requires a bit of a trip. But the trip is well worth it – white sand, electric blue waters and jutting black cliffs.
We drank from fresh coconuts (one of the millions of blessings of living in the tropics) and shared some picnic lunches we had brought. I contributed a fresh kale salad, made with leeks, and red peppers bought fresh the morning before at the organic farmer’s market. We ate some leftover raw crackers and salad from the day before. Mark shared some raw sun dried olives that his mom brought us from the states (what a treat!) and our friend Ashley spoiled us with some delicious raw chocolate made from our local raw, organic cacao products that are so abundant here. It’s a whole different experience living a raw lifestyle in the tropics – here raw organic cacao, coconut, papaya, vanilla, cashews etc, is affordable and abundant. Yet other raw staples like most seaweed and nuts, olive oil, and an entire list of other ingredients, are pricey and imported. Luckily it is easy, healthy and fun to use what is locally available.
I ate dinner with a non-raw friend and I brought a huge delicious salad. She poached some salmon and I indulged (no I’m not vegan, although my non-vegan forays are pretty much limited to fish and dairy). Then we watched a movie and ate some fresh popocorn. It’s funny, I eat about 95% raw food, but my one big caveat is popcorn. I’m obsessed. Only the fresh stuff, popped in a bit of olive oil and flavored with all kinds of wonderful creations (lime, cayenne and salt is a personal favorite). A few months back I evaluated my relationship with food and realized I wasn’t eating certain things out of fear that I would damage my health or gain weight. But I strongly believe that even more important than what we eat is HOW we eat. Thus conscious eating is incredibly important to me. And I realized that a salad eaten in fear would do me more harm than a bowl of popcorn prepared with love and shared with a dear friend. Funny enough, I also found that when I released the fear I had around food and allowed myself to eat anything I wanted, I naturally gravitated right back to raw food – it just works for me.
Monday This morning I woke up, stretched, meditated and checked in with myself. After I drank my lemon in hot water, I ate a few spoonfuls of chia that I had brought with me from my last visit to the States, and some raw tahini that Mark and I made in his Greenstar juicer. Then I ate a durian! Durian season is coming to an end, but they are still popping up every once in a while. Durians on Bali are divine!
After breakfast I met Mark for a business meeting. We discussed the logistics of new classes, our website, next steps for our book, and our upcoming retreats. We discussed what was working and what was not for us and our business. As I left the meeting I was faced with a moment of doubt – there is so much fear associated with blazing my own path. I know with every fiber of my being that I simply must trust and everything is possible. Still, old patterns take time, awareness and commitment to release so there are moments still when the fear creeps in. So I ask the universe for the courage to trust, surrender and accept. And, although I never would have guessed it even just two years ago, this way truly is My Way.
Leah Rinaldi is a living food chef, author and community organizer based in Bali.
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