Alice Waters and Edible Education

I know, I know. It's been an entire six months since I've written anything in here. So sorry! I've been busy learning to batonnet and julienne and braise and saute. The school is going through a massive renovation until the fall quarter, so I shall have more time to write (I hope). I had hoped to keep you updated about the antics of culinary school, and perhaps I will get to that in later posts. For now, though, I want to tell you something exciting.

I saw Alice Waters in person. Granted, she was 50 feet away and obscured from view by rows of bobbling heads, but I occasionally glimpsed her modest defiance when the man in front of me leaned an inch or two to the left. We were all eagerly craning our necks to see her, this woman we've read and heard so much about, whose cookbooks we love and activism we love more. I anticipated a rousing speech.

The crowd was crammed tight in the largest conference room at the Green Festival. After introduction after introduction, I was beginning to get impatient for the star of the show to appear. Finally, after the panelists were seated, Alice Waters was introduced. With an air of hard-earned regality, she took her seat between panelists Tom Philpott, the food editor of Grist.org, and Chris Taylor, the director of the new documentary Food Fight. Food Fight is about Edible Education, a movement advocated by Alice Waters that puts gardens in schools and encourages the use of its produce for school meals. The film features several interviews with Waters.

"I had no idea this film was about me," Waters smiled, her powerful voice laced with maternal modesty. "I am embarrassed I am so prominent. This movement has been going around the country as long as I've been doing this. We are becoming so activated by this idea because we have been so separated from our food. We are coming back to our senses."

She sat proudly, with graceful poise. Her words were simple but poignant, and her voice suggested sincerity. She discussed the news that the Obamas plan to put in a vegetable garden on the White House lawn. Since 1992, Waters has ended her speeches, "And wouldn't it be wonderful if there were a vegetable garden on the White House lawn?" Now that the garden plans are underway, Waters cheerfully joked that "[Obama] should be having press conferences out by the composting."

Philpott mentioned that Monsanto sent a letter to the Obamas praising the fact that they were starting a garden but lamenting the fact that it was organic. He said, "Monsanto isn't going to skitter away because Alice Waters is speaking about organics." Waters was unruffled. "The pushback will be intense," she agreed. She said that is why we need to keep fighting and making films like Food Fight.

About Edible Education, Waters is adamant that "all children should eat at school for free, and should eat food produced by people who care for the land." Her vision is to have a garden in every school and get children learning math and science while developing a connection to the food.

The panel discussion flitted back and forth a bit more, punctuated by hearty applause if someone delivered a particularly effective line. Though the discussion was encouraging, I left with the feeling that I had merely heard a lot of big talk. I enjoyed hearing Alice Waters speak in her simple, direct manner, but missed out on any kind of real information. I would have been more satisfied had the panelists mentioned how we could get involved in the movement or what they were currently doing to promote Edible Education. Ultimately, though, her message came across: "Good food is a right and not a privilege."