Updated
August 29, 2008
Slow Food Nation Preview
If you have tickets to this weekend's [sold out] Taste Pavilions at Slow Food Nation, you're in for treat -- if the preamble is indicative of the coming days. I attended a preview this evening at Fort Mason Center, wandering among pavilions within pavilions, not having nearly enough time to eat, but plenty of time to take in the spirit and ambiance of the place.
There are, of course, lines for tastes which, I imagine will grow with attendance in the coming days. The streamlined effect of tonight's event may not be a full reflection of the outcome when more attendees are added to the mix.
Each venue and vendor, arranged by foodstuff, is set off as a pavilion, with signage and decor as demarcations. Pavilions are labeled with an overhead banner noting identities such as "Fish" or "Chocolate" or "Olive Oil."
Vendors and volunteers were exemplary and courteous. And that's taking into account what must have been intense prep and sweat for an event of this magnitude -- including the unavoidable and invited influx of eaters, sippers and drinkers.
Slow Food Porters and Pales
A logical first stop is the bread pavilion -- to sop up a few of the microbrews that beckon across the way. I got my working start in the beer industry, so I'm a sucker for the porters and stouts you'll find inside the white beer tent. Your hosts, from a variety of beer venues around town, may also spring a few surprises on you in terms of beer styles and flavors.
I start backward, twisting up my beer-tasting palate with a whiskey-tinged porter that could have passed for caramel. But I've never been one for judicious pairing and sequential schemes. The porter was my first impulse and I moved from there to some of the lighter whites and pales where I should have started -- and would have started, had structure not been antithetical to my enjoyment in the moment.
Slow Food Pavilions Within the Pavilion
The rest of the foodie journey progresses from the Bread Pavilion and wood-fired ovens at the maw of the Festival Pavilion. There's elaborate public art made of gluten and formed into snails.
Inside, food topics across the concourse range from the Charcuterie, where carnivores can get their buzz, to the nearby Koda Farms stand where all manner of pickling is on display, including the overhead decor formed from the lids of Kerr mason jars.
Food selections include a chocolate tasting area with artful displays of cacao, a backlit "Fish" area evoking lounge motif with its seafood displays, an ice cream cart, cheese counter, some olive oil samples, and honey products.
Spirits and Wine
The Spirits Pavilion, under a canopy of reflective white umbrellas, is understandably popular for its crafted cocktails. The wine-tasting areas are, naturally, focal points and destinations for a broad selection of vintage and varietal.
Green Kitchen
You'll pass the Green Kitchen, with culinary notables talking on a variety of topics. Tonight's repertoire included Alice Waters and later, Paul Bertolli, wrapping up his talk with a pro's take on good knife technique with respect to onions.
The various talks were highlights in the sense that they illuminated the crux of the slow food issue. It has -- from its genesis in Italy (as Arcigola) -- been about culinary respect, and about both physically and socially healthful paradigms in agriculture and consumption.
Slow Food Overall
Slow Food Nation has, at its root, the egalitarian desire to promote sustainable agriculture and a socially-just food and agricultural system. Because of Slow Food Nation's stated philosophy, it's probably true that people will hold the event to a higher standard on every level than they would an all-out indulgent beer or food fest.
And, whereas $65 is an admittedly steep admission price when you consider attending as a couple (or three), it does seem to be the norm for these outings when you look at other food-driven galas that sell out regularly at Fort Mason.
On a purely aesthetic level, if you're able to indulge in the foods of your choice and talk to producers about those choices, you'll get your money's worth and enjoy the experience as much as I did. If you're dealing with the general disposition of crowds and lines, the impression might be different than the more languid approach I had tonight.
In the end, if events like Slow Food Nation help move us toward a less toxic and commercialized form of food production, then the overarching mission achieves its relevance in my mind. I do hope that's the outcome of the increasing awareness toward local production and toward organic, sustainable ways of cultivating our food.
Shop Farmers' Markets
The best way to support sustainable agriculture is still to shirk the packaged and processed, and purchase from your local farmers at Bay Area markets and at shops that feature the products of farmers engaging the earth in a friendly way. See a rundown here of weekend and weekday Bay Area farmers' markets for a market in your area.
Slow Food Nation Logistics
Most of the scheduled events were sold out in advance, including the Taste Pavilions. But the Marketplace at Civic Center is free, offering a selection of foods, speakers at the Soap Box, and a view of the Victory Garden, planted in anticipation of Slow Food Nation.
Get more information about other open events at the Slow Food Nation website.
To see a few photos from today's Slow Food Nation -- the Taste Pavilions and the Civic Center Marketplace -- check out the Slow Food Nation photo gallery.