Spirits from Anchor Distillery, 4 Copas, and Square One. The food blog world has been all a-flutter regarding the Slow Food Nation conference that took place in San Francisco over the weekend. In today’s Washington Post, Jason Wilson covers a side of the event that didn’t capture as much of the spotlight: the role of spirits and cocktails in a Slow Food world. In “Claiming a Seat at the Slow Food Bar,” Wilson underscores how this segment of the culinary world may at first blush seem to be an odd fit with the movement’s ethos: “Distilleries, after all, can be decidedly un-green polluters. And their reputation has not been enhanced by several decades of using artificial flavors and colors.” But...
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Editor's note: Over the weekend, we sent Serious Eats San Francisco correspondent Jennifer Maiser to Slow Food Nation. This is her final dispatch from the event. I left Slow Food Nation yesterday feeling extremely conflicted, and I am not the only one. Some friends who are exemplary students of the slow food way of life avoided the event entirely, choosing instead to preserve their local bounty, have delicious meals, and volunteer at a local farm. One coined the phrase, "slow food is for life, not just for Labor Day," which I just love because it is a reminder that a lot of us live the "slow" way of eating every day by eating food from artisan producers, making our own...
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Of all the Slow Food Nation program, the Marketplace seemed to be the most in line with the goal to reach the general public. The Victory Garden was the cornerstone of the location, a quarter-acre vegetable and herb garden. Originally planted in July, the garden's plants were high and lush for this weekend.
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On Friday night, I visited a preview of the
Slow Food Nation Taste Pavilion, a 50,000 square foot arena where guests could taste artisanal foods from around the U.S. broken into several individual areas: Beer, Wine, Spirits, Ice Cream, Bread, Pickles & Chutney, etc. It was there that we saw chef David Chang give a cooking demo.
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From left: Gary Nabhan, Dan Barber, James Oseland, Winona LaDuke, Michael Pollan. Credit: Slow Food Nation I have been sitting at my keyboard for the last 45 minutes trying to decide how to best describe Slow Food Nation. We San Franciscans have been hearing about the arrival of this massive event for about a year. The brainchild of Alice Waters, Slow Food Nation is the first event of its kind. It's taking place over this three-day weekend and comprises panels, classes, a large Taste Pavilion, dinners, a farmers' market, two rock concerts, and more. The event is being attended by about 50,000 food lovers, and has taken over San Francisco's food community. It's also divided the community: Some are...
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Dear Slow Fooders, The Slow Food Nation event is upon us this weekend in San Francisco, and I'm feeling a little forlorn that I'm not out there. The organizers have put together what looks like an impressive set of events, with interesting panels, compelling speakers, and lots of seriously delicious food. Buying local, sustainably raised food is laudable but not enough. Photograph: NatalieMaynor on Flickr We all love the idea of the Slow Food movement and what it stands for, namely supporting sustainable, artisanal food. All serious eaters are down with that notion. But merely believing in Slow Food as a cause is in and of itself not enough. I have always found the Slow Food movement here in the...
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If you're planning to attend Slow Food Nation, the political food festival in San Francisco starting tomorrow and running until Monday, check out this Slow Food Nation guide from the San Francisco Chronicle. Even though many events are sold-out, some activities don't require tickets and still have tickets available....
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