Dator on Slow Food

Over the Labor Day weekend (29 August-1 September), San Francisco hosted Slow Food Nation, a large event dedicated to "celebrat[ing] the birth of a broad and inclusive food movement to build a better American food system", and attended by over 60,000 people, according to the organisers.

Slow Food is a global movement supporting a range of culinary causes including the preservation and appreciation of local cuisines, organic farming, and ethical buying.

HRCFS director Jim Dator was approached for his views on the trend for a San Francisco Chronicle feature about Slow Food Nation, and the current Honolulu Weekly (17 September), following up on the event, quotes him at length [p. 5, print edition]:

I am among a growing (but still tiny) number of people in Hawaii becoming hysterical about the future viability of this place given what I call the "unholy trinity plus one" facing us: Peak Oil, environmental challenges, global economic collapse, plus the inability of governments, especially the U.S. national government, to do anything about it. It is absolutely essential that Hawaii learn how to become largely self-sufficient to survive and thrive under the impact of those forces. We are 90% dependent on oil. We could not sustain ourselves for a month if/when planes stop [flying] and the ships stop shipping. Within that context, slow food is essential for our survival. It is not an optional cultural preference.

The "unholy trinity plus one" is explained further in this previous post.