Slow Food Nation in San Francisco
If I were going to be in San Francisco this weekend, you could find me in one of two places: Fort Mason, or the Civic Center Plaza. Those are the two sites for Slow Food Nation, reportedly the largest celebration of American food in history. The Slow Food Movement prizes food production that is environmentally sustainable and socially just. But instead of enjoying this festival of feel-good delicacies, I'll be on assignment in Montana and Wyoming (yeah, you're right, not a bad option either). If you're going to be around the Bay Area on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday (and it's certainly worth the trip), here's what's going on:
* Taste: Kind of like the county fair without the deep-fried Twinkies. Fifteen pavilions at Fort Mason will showcase the best in bread, beer, cheese, chocolate, ice cream, olive oil, and other foodstuffs. For $65 ($45 if you're 21 or under), you can eat all you like for four hours, participate in hands-on workshops, and watch chefs such as Rick Bayless and Charlie Trotter demonstrate their skills.
* Food for Thought Speaker Series: This line-up is literally straight off my bookshelf: Marion Nestle (What to Eat), Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food; The Omnivore's Dilemma), Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), and San Francisco's food goddess, Alice Waters.
* The Marketplace: Purchase the ingredients for Saturday night's dinner straight from the farmers, or pick up a "fast" slow food lunch from a street food vendor.
* Victory Garden: Planted this summer on the same spot where the original Victory Garden stood during WWII, this plot is just beginning to produce organic veggies that will be donated to local food banks and meal programs.
* Slow Food Rocks: Gnarls Barkley and G Love & Special Sauce (how appropriate) headline this two-day music festival that will be happening on the Great Meadow at Fort Mason.
If you can't make it to the festival, you could also check out one of the farm dinners profiled in Déjeuner sur l'Herbe, by Tim Stark, which appeared in Condé Nast Traveler's February issue.
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