The Food and Freedom panel was one of the most disappointing events I attended during the Slow Food Conference. Carlo Petrini (founder of Slow Food) is held on such a pedestal and adored by middle aged, well-off white women… that I expected more from him. I’m not saying he is terrible, but he is more the kind of person who gets the masses riled up and ready to create change. Not the kind of guy who can answer a question head on. I left the discussion unsatisfied and slightly confused. Even looking back on my notes, I’m not sure what to make of them or what to write, but I can make a valiant effort.
Essentially, Carlo made some good points about corporations and the ads they produce. He described how ads use extremely refined psychological tricks to make us slaves to the system instead of the citizens we should be. Instead of being slaves to Nestle and Monsanto he advocated for us to become active subjects and make policy by eating ‘better’. He emphasized that we should not change out of fear, but instead anticipate fear. He concluded this rant by stating that monopolies are a threat to our democracy, so we should spend our money the right way and bring our metaphorical pitchforks to create change. (Carlo also expressed extreme worry about the democrats who protect the big companies and not the farmers.)
When asked how Carlo felt about marginalized communities not being able to afford to eat the way he encouraged members of Slow Food to eat, his answer was less than satisfactory. Basically, he explained that old retirees in Italy can afford to buy local & organic, so everyone else can afford to do the same. He stated that only the rich are concerned about how the poor can afford to buy this food, and that they should consider the value of the food and not the price. This is a touchy subject for the Slow Food Community, and something they receive lots of critiques on. Of course the movement is not perfect, but I hope that Carlo is able to better understand the issues marginalized communities deal with in the future, so he can give a better solution.