It's been a while...

My apologies for not writing in a week! I was doing so well, but after the Gastronomica Event on 10/28 I needed to digest what I had consumed.

A very interesting, thought provoking event, to say the least. I initially walked away feeling a little jaded about the Foodie Community I now acquaint myself with. Then, after a few days had passed, I started to take a stand for what I believe in and the reasons I "joined" this community in the beginning.

First of all, the celebrity-ism is not as well accepted as we would think amongst the culinary world. While a chef may carefully paint their name on the door making them a micro, or neighborhood, star, the TV and print world give the artist fame on a macro, or national/international, level. Currently some truly talented celebri-chefs (David Chang, for example) are feeling an influx of attention hungry amateurs who think they can cook. I understand this, but I think there is more than meets the eye in the big picture.

Yes, "Celebrity" was the topic of the forum, and quite honestly I found this part intriguing, but whiny all at the same time. My interest however, came in as the underlying tone and the final statement of the evening.

1. It started, for me, when the panel mentioned the shift of TV viewers and magazine readers speaking in culinary lingo as opposed to the true amateur just-toasting-bread jargon. This resonated with me after I really thought about it, and I want to bring it to the next level. I think that this is the start of something amazing! People are actually taking the time to think about what they are putting in their bodies. And beyond that, the preparation of the food and who is preparing the food.

I understand that being in the spotlight for someone who just wants to cook can be annoying, but they've done something greater than create a perfect fois-gras: they are slowly changing the way Americans view the food they used to take for granted. Talk about your giant step!

2. The strongest words of the night were spoken by Gwen Hyman who closed the forum with a comment regarding the farming/gardening movement. She said that it was a direct reaction to the technology movement and that people need to feel a real connectedness. We need that interaction between the earth, our minds, heart and hands. We need to nurture seeds to grow food for our families and communities.

This is a truly beautiful and inspiring movement... I think we should all hop on the bandwagon and get our hands dirty!