Those who’ve been following the food beat for personal or professional reasons in the past couple of years probably have a vague, but pretty good idea of what is meant by “the food movement.” The same can’t be said, however, for friends of mine who’ve just started reading one of Michael Pollan’s books or who, more vaguely, have begun to feel the effects of this trend percolating out of the air around them, perhaps in the form of a new farmers’ market pitching its tents in an empty lot nearby.
What is the food movement? It isn’t an easy question to answer, because it’s made up of many different tribes and constituencies. The very attempt to say that all these disparate culinary, political and environmental forces can be corralled into something called a food movement is probably controversial. But let’s give it a try. The attempt might bear useful fruit, not just by clarifying the terms of the debate, but by helping to realize useful partnerships.
So: what do I mean by the food movement? Well, for starters, here are a few key organizations and people who belong to it.
Slow Food. As the name suggests, this international NGO began with an outcry against fast food. In 1986, McDonald’s wanted to open a franchise near the Spanish steps in Rome, and this was regarded by many Italians (quite rightly) as an act of sacrilege and an abomination. “Slow food” became a national and then an international anti-fast-food movement. I don’t have any polling data, but at least among the folks I hang out with, Slow Food seems to enjoy the greatest brand recognition out of all the food movement affiliates.
Michael Pollan. I get the impression that among serious food peeps Michael P. is sometimes regarded as, well, old news. That’s the price of fame and influence. His books, Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food are undeniably part of the food movement canon, and as such, often taken as read. Which means, if you’re interested in food politics, and haven’t read them, you probably should. There are certainly many other excellent food writers, like Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), but Pollan has sold a lot of books lately and reached a lot of people.
[...go to Part 2]
