Food
is so many things... scrumptious, delicious, bitter, sweet, nutritious,
fun, pleasurable and on and on. It is also very political in the
sense that there are decisions as to how and what actually makes
it (or not) to our tables or restaurants, an aspect often veiled.
HopeDance special issues deal with specific crises with an urgency
to awaken and to encourage action. Our food, our very necessary
substance for life, is being tampered with by obsessive anti-natural
white-coated "scientists," it's lacking in nutritious
content and spiritual aliveness, as well as being redirected away
from the people who need it for survival.
We focus a bit on the problems and, as typical with HopeDance,
we publish material that is not only inspiring but is so full of
positive solutions that you'd have to be comatose not to want to
yell out in the streets demanding change... and to act on that new
awareness.
It is easy to argue about which diet is "politically correct"
or nutritious enough. It is easy to make judgments about how and
what one eats. We avoid that. What interests us is awareness. As
Margaret Mead has written, "It is easier to change a man's
religion than to change his diet." We will change nothing if
awareness is nonexistent. I can go along and eat whatever fancies
me, whatever they serve me, whatever is cheap in the supermarket
until suddenly I become gradually curious about where my food comes
from, how far it travelled to get here, what labor force and chemical
additives went into it before I munch down on it. When one starts
that journey, awareness may move into action. Judgments and name-calling
are certainly not the motivators for genuine change.
We have stories about farmers, their plight, their love of the
land, their struggles in guaranteeing their right livelihood, their
fun and camaraderie (check out Steven Sprinkle's piece on page 49).
We are privileged to excerpt Michael Ableman's speech recently given
at the Bioneers Conference (p.8). Suebob Davis interviews John Robbins
about his new book The Food Revolution (p.12). Jenny Kurzweil has
written a book about the history of agriculture and through one
of those serendipitous "chance" meetings at the recent
EcoFarm Conference we are honored to have an essay she prepared
especially for HopeDance (p.15). Hunter Francis explores his deeply
personal relationship to food, from growing food and preparing it,
and connecting to the sacredness of food (p.16). Tom Neuhaus writes
briefly about food as medicine in China's 2300-year system of medicine
(p.17). Food as medicine! Imagine that! What an alien concept!?
Selene Anema unveils her horrendous suffering from food allergies
and reveals some of her journeying towards health (p.19). Suebob
Davis reports on the asinine ruling against farmer Percy Schmeister
by Monsanto as well as the current lawsuit against Monsanto by 800
Canadian organic farmers (p.21). The Raw Food Movement is explored
by Bruce Horowitz (p.23) and Meredith Rogers (p.59).
In this issue we focus on the three bioregional sections (SB &
South Coast, SCruz and SLO). It is fine to write about global problems
and solutions but if we don't focus on the local solutions then
a sort of myopia and hopelessness can emerge. In these 3 sections
our readers can see what's happening, who are the real live farmers,
where are the CSAs (go to www.localharvest.org, type in your zip
code and now you will know!), the stores, restaurants, and the people
who have committed their right livelihood to Food (and beyond).
Because food is vitally important and because we were inundated
with material, we will be publishing a follow-up special issue on
Food. The next issue will feature Wendell Berry, the soon-to-be
released book called Fatal Harvest, Hunger, Food Not Bombs, Alice
Waters, Food Forests, an interview with Sally Fallon, updates about
the GMO controversy, where does our food waste go, the SlowFood
movement and more about what local people can do to solve this immediate
and growing danger.
On a personal note I simply want to thank all the people who have
had to work with me. I appreciate your tolerance and compassion
working with such an irascible person.
Bob Banner
