Dear members and friends of Slow Food Philadelphia,
I hope you all had an excellent start into the New Year. 2009 will be a busy year for
Slow Food Philadelphia as we try to harness the widespread enthusiasm of consumers and
producers to support agriculture that is environmentally sustainable, economically viable
for farmers, and socially responsible. We will collaborate with local groups that have
common interests – such as Fair Food, The Food Trust, and Farm to City – and explore
venues where we, as a small local group, can make a difference.
One important event that bought local producers, chefs, and activists together was the
Terra Madre meeting in Turin last October. An energetic Philadelphia group got
together with farmers from all over the US and the world and returned to PA inspired to
translate some of Terra Madre’s ideas into reality. At one of our first events this winter,
you will have a chance to meet the Terra Madre participants and talk to them about our
plans. Please read the insightful letter that Judy Dornstreich, a participation farmer from
Perkasie, wrote to our chapter.
Judy and Mark Dornstreich, together with the Philadelphia Food Trust people, are
searching the city for plots that could be converted into urban gardens and small
greenhouses. They are approaching Mayor Nutter for permission to do so and, once the
locations have been approved, will clean up the spots and build raised beds with
volunteers. Slow Food Philadelphia is committed to help with this project, both in terms
of labor and financial support. Of great interest to us are also the Projects of the Seed
Farm, designed to demonstrate how small farmers can capture a larger market share of
the broader local food economy by targeting the development of various community food
systems.
Speaking about financial support: Our chapter has sent money to our “Sister
Chapter” Slow Food Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The
chapter is located in the city of Kalemie (formerly Albertville/Albertstadt) and headed by
Jean-Pierre Kapalay. The chapter is organizing a Sustainability Conference that will
explore how to best utilize lake’s wealth of fish in a sustainable way. Like in many other
places, increasing demand and great poverty are putting a heavy burden on traditional
foodways. Lake Tanganyika is a unique treasure, bordering four African nations, and the
conference will pursue an international, cooperative approach to the problem of
sustainable fishing.
Interesting film on the fish of Lake Tanganyika on YouTube:
Lake Tanganyika Part 1
Lake Tanganyika Part 2
Other upcoming events will include Lantern Festival Chinese Banquet, a Tasting
Event with the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a Cypriote dinner, a Low Country rice
meal at Geechee Girl, a “Beer Talk” with Brendan Hartranft, owner of Local 44 and
Memphis Tap Room, and a meeting with representatives and students of the University
of Gastronomic Sciences.
Finally, while the list of planned events above might be of some interest to you, we
would love to hear from you about other initiatives and events that you would like to see
in 2009. If you are interested in working on the committee of Slow Food Philadelphia,
please drop me a line indicating your interest.
In the meantime, we are confirming the dates of the events described above and will
announce them in the next newsletter.
Cheers,
Hansjakob
