My friend Charlie Spring is writing a brilliant and hilarious blog-travel-log about her time on a study fellowship in the US. “I’m going to spend the next two months in North America,” she writes, “meeting people who I hope can teach me lessons to bring home [to the UK]: about the entrenchment of food aid under austerity welfare conditions, about going beyond the food bank model, about participatory democracy and citizen involvement in food system decision-making and doing. About food justice, and food injustice.” Eagerly awaiting each new post, I heartily recommend you follow her writings. Here’s just one snippet that will lead you to more.
I was in a bad, cynical-feeling place when I got to Rainbow Grocery in the swelter of the day, having seen new dimensions of the homelessness of San Francisco. I felt guilty for entering this cool place of herbs, tonics, plinky music and funky coop members stacking kale chips in polka-dot party dresses, knowing I could afford this food, navigate the wealth of choice on offer. Sort of. Self-service (lots of it) flummoxed me- how much would a handful of decoriated cardamom cost when a pound would cost $50? Gah. You could self serve honey, roasted hazelnut-chocolate butter, tofu, kimchi, vegan chocolate-coated pretzels, pasta, tea, herbs, a million types of granola, dried persimmon, olives. You hold your little compost able bag and open the chute with a knob and gravity sends a landslide of mung beans out over the sides and you try to pull up the sides and once…
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This is great esp as a former SF resident who shopped a lot at Rainbow. Three people whom I would suggest your friend reach out to while in the US are Joel Berg of the NYC Coalition Against Hunger, Oran Hesterman of the FairFood Network and Andy Fisher, founder of the now defunct Community Food Security Coalition. They’re brilliant and very creative and forward thinking about food, hunger etc in the US Chag sameach! Sarah
* * * * Sarah Newman 212.245.1133 US 972.50.431.0950 Israel Email * Twitter * Web Neesh Noosh Holy Balagan
On Thu, Apr 21, 2016 at 11:00 PM, Kitchen Counter Culture wrote:
> Kitchen-Counter-Culture posted: “My friend Charlie is writing an > absolutely brilliant, hilarious, insightful, fascinating blog / travel log > of her time in the US. She is there on a fellowship that enabled her to > cross the pond. “I’m going to spend the next two months in North America.” > ” >
Thank you Sarah!