Lecture 34: Counterculture—From Hippies to Foodies
has become just another way to market products—a way to sell
more food. Parallel to these developments is a movement called Slow Food,
founded in 1989 by an Italian, Carlo Petrini, in reaction to the
opening of a McDonald’s at the foot of the Spanish steps in Rome.
It began largely as a gastronomic movement—to get people to slow
down and enjoy the pleasures of the table in good company and
also to keep alive regional traditions in the face of globalization.
More recently, they have begun to promote fair trade practices and
environmental stewardship. Another very encouraging development is the growth of farmers’
markets, which not only offer human contact with producers, but
also put the profi ts directly in the hands of the person growing the
food. This is the only way small farmers will survive and the only
way consumers will have some control over what they buy. In recent years, what is known as locavorism—the idea that you
should source food only within a certain mile radius (to cut down
on transport costs and get fresher food)—is growing. Going local
would mean returning to greater seasonality, and it might mean
eating less of some kinds of food that won’t grow in certain regions,
including coffee, chocolate, and citrus. It would defi nitely cause
changes in our diets, probably for the better in the long run.Belasco, Appetite for Change.
Innes, Dinner Roles.
Innes, Kitchen Culture.
Johnston, Foodies.
Kamp, United States of Arugula.
Kaufman, Short History of the American Stomach.Suggested Reading