Urban Farming (file under possible solutions but…)

In the past few weeks I have heard more and more about urban farming. It first came to my knowledge about a year ago. It had been presented to me as a means of solving the impending food crisis. At first I thought it was a great idea. But I also realize that it is a band aid solution to a gaping bullet wound. But that does not mean that we should not explore it as a means of at the very least aiding the problem.

I have gone to many sites on the issue such as;

http://www.urbanfarming.org/
http://www.cityfarmer.info/
http://www.urbanagriculture-news.com/
http://www.dott07.com/go/urbanfarming
http://urbanfarm.org/index2.html

This is by no means an exhaustive list. But it represents some of the sites that I have gone to for information on the subject. As I may or may not have explained before ‘truth’ which is elusive can only be arrived at by consulting as many sources as possible on the subject and then drawing your own conclusion.

The basic problem is this how do we allow sustainable growth and still enable vast populations to eat. The urban farming of the future that I have seen is presented as this;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scs2SIeIkkM which is a short news snippet from The Discovery Channel. Again, this is a possible solution but is it the right one. You see the problem is so vast and complex that there may be a million solutions. By problem with this solution is that it does nothing to address the real problem; wanton waste, manufactured scarcity as well as hunger and famine elsewhere in the world. The point of the story is how doe we keep cities fed as we continue to grow and expand our cities. To my point of view this does nothing to address any of the very real issues that I touched on in my previous post about food policy. Does that mean that it should not be explored? Absolutely not.

If you go through the Urban Farming Organization website you will quickly realize that they are very interested in ensuring that the poor and needy get food. This is a beautiful project and I support it whole heartily. If you go to http://www.urbanfarming.org/presentation.htm you will see that they have opened approximately 500 gardens in less than four years. Their goal, stated, is to eradicate hunger worldwide. BEAUTIFUL. But again, you watch it and draw your own conclusions. What makes it so beautiful is the coming together of people to help others. And it is something that WE ALL CAN DO!

Many times (at least a few) I have mentioned that my Mother, giving up lots, chose to move to Africa, in Malawi to provide much needed medical services to people that would otherwise not get any medical services. I commend her for what she and my Stepfather are doing. It touches my heart and soul in so many beautiful ways that sometimes I break down.

When I decided to become a Chef, I knew that I too would have a mission. Not only one which saw me feed people in my restaurant but also people from all over the world. I believe that food and water are BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS and need to be guaranteed. Right now they are not. They are used as weapons. Against people that would literally start a fight to eat even one one hundredth of what we do. My goal is to create an environment which enables me to provide food, food knowledge, food product and service to people all over. Starting of course in my own back yard and then extending that to a much wider, READ GLOBAL, community.

I am going to write more on this subject tomorrow. Unfortunately, I am tired and I need to get my rest so I can continue. Sorry to cut the post short but I feel like I am going to fall flat on my face.

Food for thought? I think so. I will continue this post tomorrow. In the mean time, consider what I am writing about. Ask yourself, what can I do? How can I help? Believe me, it is a lot easier than you think. But it takes all of us, one at a time, to solve this very real issue.

Article 25, Subsection 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states;

“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

It is not merely enough to state that people have these rights.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote; “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.” 200 years on and we still aren’t getting it right.

Are you dreaming big and inspired? Those dreams and inspiration MAY be the answer that we need.

A la prochaine

SDM

My Work Speaks For Itself (file under the Saga Continues…)

First off I would like to apologize that I have not posted in the last few days. Needless to say I’m sure you all figured that there was a reason as I am generally quite good about keeping current. Not only have I had a lot on my mind but have also had a couple issues which scared the bejesus out of me. I would like to report though that everyone is okay and so too am I. So here I am again happy to be writing.

I’d also like to say that I am extremely happy with my last post. Many of you may not know but I have written for along time. All kinds of things, poetry, movies, books and plays. What you may not know however (although I have mentioned here once or twice) is that I am a stream of consciousness writer. And yes that even applies to things that I am writing such as the last post. In fact that post took me about two and a half hours to write. But the real reason that I am so pleased with the last post is that I broke my highest readership number with that post. Why that pleases me is because it means that those people might start having an interest in food policy. Moreover, it gives a starting point from which to educate yourselves on the subject. I know that as time goes on I will write many more posts on the subject. In fact my next post is going to be on Urban Farming. But more on that later.

As the title of this post would suggest I am still having issues with the work ethic of some of those at work. Naturally as I have gotten comfortable in my position I have begun to see the little things that people do or don’t do that bothers me. I routinely arrive at work at between 6 and 6:10 am. I do my setup as you all well know by now and then start banging off the specials and any other prep work that needs to get done to make sure that the day runs smoothly. Of course because there are only two shifts in our kitchen a lot of prep gets done by my morning comrade and myself. However, as I have mentioned before, I believe and can demonstrate that we are being abused in the prep work that we are having to do because of what I perceive as a lacksidaisical attitude toward their position and at the very least a work ethic which leaves much to be desired. And to me it makes no sense because this kitchen is like Nirvana, Shangri La, Heaven, Paradise or El Dorado.

What I’ve come to realize is that my work speaks for itself. It truly does. I don’t just show up and go through the motions. I work and I continue to work until the work is either done or it is time for me to go home. Sure I take a couple of smoke breaks but beyond that I work. And I do so because I love what I do. I love the environment. I love the job. So I’ve become resolute with myself, that all I need to do, is to continue demonstrating my work ethic each and every day because… My Work Speaks for Itself.

In advance of tomorrow I made a sun dried tomato pesto for a tortellini special. I also made a red pepper sauce which I am going to use for a Mediterranean pizza.

Also exciting is the fact that we rolled out our new menu on Thursday. The summer menu means that we need to relearn and quickly an entirely new and varied menu. Items on this menu include Veal Scaloppini, Pan Seared Mackerel, Ahi Tuna, Tournedos (Filet Mignon) and a couple of new pasta dishes. I’ve already had to make everything on the menu and was surprised with the ease that I was able to learn and execute the new dishes. It is really only the second time that I have done a complete menu change and the first time that it was required of me to be able to cook everything that was on it. It feels pretty good. We change the menu there about four times a year so I look forward to always learning and expanding my own repertoire as a result.

Also exciting is the fact that I start on the outdoor grill on Friday. The only thing I don’t like about it is that my hours go from morning to evening. But I guess you can’t have all the things you want all at the same time. So I will stop doing the mornings on Tuesday and then I have two days to do some research and get ready for the summer. I am excited to see what is to come. To spend the summer by the lake watching as the boats go by, pleasing my customers and putting everything I have learned thus far to the test. And ultimately… MY WORK SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

I also was in touch with the young man that L put me in touch with. In fact I am about to call him so I will probably be able to post an update after my Urban farming post.

There is an old Asian Proverb which states; “ He that will not reflect is a ruined man.”

Are you dreaming bug and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM