Ray of Hope

All this bad news. Pick a category: world politics, gun control, food issues. Everywhere you turn, you feel so beaten up, so overwhelmed by the bad ‘ju-ju’ that surrounds us. Rancho Gordo, in his excellent blog, and on eGullet, has been leading a discussion about farmer’s markets and Slow Food. No, it’s not a warm fuzzy discussion; it’s an examination of what’s going on with the founder of Slow Food, Carlo Petrini.  Over the course of the past few years, different people have been complaining about the high handedness, the elitism that Mr. Petrini is fostering. It’s a thought provoking discussion, and worth reading.
So where is the ray of hope? Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo was talking about the future, about young people starting gardens, talking about eating local and sustainable, supporting farmer’s markets. Well, here’s my good news: my 21 year old son and his girlfriend have planted a garden, and it’s growing. When I asked Curtis what he wanted to grow in the garden, he said with a big smile, “Everything!”  He and Lauren talk about where their food comes from, what they eat and they care very much about the environment.  That’s the warm fuzzy news, this generation is waking up and beginning to fight the fight.