“Unfair” Food

Schneider’s definition of “fair” food is problematic since I believe that in order to eat fair food, you should guarantee that all people have access to clean, good food. The fact that not everyone has that access reinforces the idea that the slow food movement is an elitist movement. It seems that as long as there is social injustice, there is no such thing as “fair” food. I agree that we all should eat good, clean, and fair food, but can a farmer or a waiter at a restaurant afford to eat the food they produce or serve? Is having access to clean, good food a privilege or a right? According to Schneider, “fair” means that it’s produced in a way that is socially just. In other words, the food system disproportionately marginalizes poor people because acceptable alternatives aren't available to them.

Another point that I find troublesome is while Schneider identifies the problem, he does not offer adequate suggestions to the current dilemma of the industrialized food system. In Food, Inc, we see a Hispanic-American family that can’t afford vegetables and fruits, and therefore choose to eat McDonald’s for dinner over and over again. My question to Stephen Schneider is: how do you fix the problems associated with the industrialized food system? If buying raw food from the supermarket and cooking it at home is the answer, how can a poor family afford to buy fresh ingredients to fix themselves a decent meal?

I question what we call the slow food movement because other cultures have been practicing it for a long time, and it has been part of their system and cultural heritage. The idea of enjoying the food you eat is common in many cultures. For example, in the Japanese culture, tea should be served in a tea ceremony within a specific ritual by a geisha. It is obvious from the video how much tranquility and patience the geisha shows in preparing tea and serving it to her guests.




The following caption appears directly below the video: “The tea ceremony is a way of life based on the act of serving tea with a pure heart. It has its roots in Zen philosophy and is driven by the four ideas of Wa, Kei, Sei, Jaku (Harmony, Respect, Purity, Tranquility). It strives to create a state of mind that brings peace to its participants”

Also, I know that many cultures, such as the Syrian culture, follow similar practices of the slow food movement by encouraging the use of fresh ingredients, maintaining their clean, good food, and combating the harmful effects of globalization by discouraging westernized restaurants like McDonald’s from opening in their country. You rarely come across a western food chain because the Syrian government is aware of the health issues that might result from eating such food. The West blames Syria for not accepting westernized food chains since countries that are not open/ westernized are blamed for oppressing their people and keeping them blind to “progress.”

It is interesting to see how such food related practices can carry with them political and cultural issues. Syrians value taste, pleasure, and design in their food. Not only that, but they know how to make a healthy meal at minimum cost. For example, Syrians are the ones who invented “fattoush.” The true story behind it is that because the pita bread Syrians and Arabs in general use for most of their meals might get hard after a couple of days, Syrians decided to add it to the Arabic salad and call the new dish “fattoush.” By doing so, they don’t have to throw away the pita bread, but instead repurpose it.

These are just a few examples of how other cultures have been employing the practices of the slow food movement before it was identified by Carlo Petrini in the 1970s.