gutfud – the food, es ist gut

I don’t write much about issues of hunger (real issues, I mean, not “I’m hungry, what awesome place will I schlep my privileged self off to today”), or the issues surrounding food policy, but I do think about it and try to stay on top of the current events.

And I will tell you the main story about why I eat out so much, especially in the last few years. In my real life I did corporate marketing for a company and industry completely unrelated to food and dining. But the experience provided insight into what drives corporate decisions and goals and those in turn apply to corporations that deal in food. And the job paid pretty well.

When the economy took a nose-dive around 2007, people lost jobs and homes, and everyone was cutting back. I didn’t lose my job, and I also didn’t want the small businesses and restaurants in town to close because everyone was tightening their belts. So I made a conscious decision to eat out, as much as possible, at local restaurants. No corporations, no chains. It was a matter of taking my money, and spending it smarter, like in ways that kept more local currency circulating through the community. And then I’d talk about it and post a zillion photos – on Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, etc.

I watched the documentary “The Corporation,” which helped lay out why corporations seem so inherently “evil.” They’re defined that way by legislation. Screaming outrage at one or two specific corporations isn’t going to change them, it’s down to changing the rules that that govern corporations in America. Showing profitability every 90 days to shareholders drives the goals, and profit comes from a combination of making money and cutting costs – change the policy so that goals can incorporate long term strategies that are have social and environmental benefits and we’ll be on a slightly better path.
Meanwhile, I vote at the polls, and I keep voting with my money. Prop 37 didn’t pass, which was a big disappointment. It was Big Brand’s opportunity to show *me* why I should start spending money with them again. They don’t want to be transparent on what goes into their food, fine, I’ll continue buying from the companies and people that do.

Attending the Edible Institute conferences have been an excellent source of information on hunger, food policy, and the organizations that are trying to make a positive difference. It’s expensive to attend, especially if you don’t live in Santa Barbara, so the more approachable alternative is to read the Edible publication closest to your region, and regions nearby. Go online and read articles from around the nation. I particularly like reading Edible Portland and Edible Brooklyn, in addition to whatever California Edibles I can get my hands on. It’s not just articles about the latest third wave coffeehouse that opened down the street, but includes non-profit groups that collect surplus fruit from private homes (so many Santa Barbarans have way more lemons and oranges on our trees than we know what to do with, for example). Or kitchen gardens at schools that are tended by the students and supply healthy local produce for the cafeteria.

I call my consumer behavior “Value-Add,” similar to the economics view of it. It’s the extra features and benefits a product or service has in comparison to its cost and the price of competitor products. Spending $1 at a chain restaurant might keep $0.20 circulating locally from the local employee while $0.80 leaves the local economy. But that $1 spent at a local restaurant that sources ingredients from local vendors ends up circulating $2 in the local economy – I perceive there’s greater overall value in the latter investment.

I can go on and on about the computations that are constantly going through my head when I’m making decisions, like 2 second SWOT analyses, where the law of diminishing returns is kicking in, where am I in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and where are you, and pondering opportunity costs of just about everything I do, especially related to food. But I’ll stop here and hope that provided you some insight in why I do what I do.

Why you do what you do, is up to you! But if you need a little guidance, here are a couple suggestions. Go with the best fit.

* If you have time, volunteer for non-profits that address hunger needs, like the Food Bank, or the Backyard Bounty at the Food Bank.

* If you have some money, think about how to get more value from it. Rather than your personal bottom line, ie the cheapest prices, consider the longtail benefits like keeping that money circulating locally, with businesses that have open and transparent ethical practices for their land use and animal treatment.

* if you have some more money and not so much time, consider donating to worthy charities, like the Food Bank and Share Our Strength on a local level. Like the DIY approach? Try Kiva.org to make microloans around the world.
Want to socialize and eat? Check out Taste of the Nation, put on by Share Our Strength, on May 19th. Local restaurants, caterers and wineries will offer morsels of super delicious stuff at the Montecito Country Club, and there’s always cool stuff to bid on in the silent and live auctions, $75-$100 for tickets.

* if you like to read, try books like the Omnivore’s Dilemma, and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, or his pocket guide Food Rules for super quick references. Go to the library for these books! Or buy and share with friends.

* if you like to watch, try King Corn which I found to be informative and entertaining, easy to digest, and if you like it, then you’re ready for a little more doom and gloom like the Corporation (warning, you might feel like punching something after seeing this, but on the plus side it’s got a neat soundtrack), or Collapse if you really want to get freaked out and start wearing a tinfoil hat.

Is this getting a little too deep? Maybe. You can see the source post that encouraged food bloggers to donate their 8 April posts towards ending hunger and food insecurity. It’s got a heartfelt song in the video. ref: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/food-bloggers-unite-to-fight-hunger/ Enjoy!