With the price of gas being what it is, Tony and I stayed home on Sunday (I worked on Saturday) and didn’t have an adventure. California is pricier than any other place we’ve lived, no matter what you read in the newspapers, and gas is about $4.30 a gallon. Gulp is right.
Staying in has its advantages. I have a list of things I would like to do around the house (I still have flashbacks when I think of removing the wallpaper from the downstairs bath, but the two upstairs bathrooms are on my list) that I managed to complete and we also played a game.
When we met in Orlando—yep, we both worked for The Mouse—we had game parties at least once a month, and that continued when we were in Seattle. It is tougher here as we don’t really know anyone. We live in a neighborhood of retirees and families with small children. Old work friends live two hours away in San Francisco. And we can’t seem to hook up with folks who would enjoy a glass of wine and a good game of “Cue Me.”
So, we search out any two person games we can find. Sumoku, from Blue Orange games, is our latest and I wiped the floor with Tony. It’s good to be back.
Having had our own Slow Food type day, it was only fitting that I attended the East Bay Women’s Conference yesterday and lucky enough to hear Alice Waters speak.
Ms. Waters, of Chez Panisse fame, has a simple message:
What we are calling for is a revolution in public education - a Delicious Revolution. When the hearts and minds of our children are captured by a school lunch curriculum, enriched with experience in the garden, sustainability will become the lens through which they see the world.
Alice believes that we need to help children forge a positive relationship with real food if we are ever to make a dent in childhood obesity. And we do that through the classroom. Her ultimate goal is to have the students grow, cook and share the food. In fact, she would like the next President to declare a State of Emergency and require all schools to serve free breakfast and lunch to the kids. Hopefully from food they’ve grown on their own.
After a stint at UC Berkeley, Ms. Waters spent time in France and grew to love food. She talked about how children have two hours to go home and eat lunch. Can you imagine the luxury?
When she returned home and began Chez Panisse she starting searching out food that tasted good. This in turn led her to organic farmers and also eating seasonally. She said, “And what is in season now? Favas and peas.”
Yep. We’ve got them growing in our backyard. The peas are on their way and the favas are blooming. The favas are good ground cover during the winter as they return nitrogen to the soil. And favas blanched and served with olive oil, garlic , mint and balsamic vinegar are better than anything on earth.
At the end of her talk Alice took questions. The first one surprised a lot of us. Someone said, “A free lunch is not free. The money comes from my taxes.” Alice said, “Well, we can pay for it now or we can pay for it later. Every time someone goes to the hospital for a health issue our insurance rates go up.”
Oh, and Alice mentioned a bumper sticker that she saw in Texas:
If you are what you eat, then I am fast, cheap and easy.
That says it all, doesn’t it?
(Gloria Steinem also spoke. I am still processing her ideas, her utter brilliance. She’s Stephen Hawking brilliant. Make the MC cry brilliant. Standing ovation brilliant. Unforgettably brilliant.)
Look up Alice Water’s The Edible Schoolyard Project. And sit down and play a game.
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