Great for potlucks, folks?

Hi Folks,
 
Recently Spokane Tilth, a local sustainable food and agriculture organization and a chapter of Washington State Tilth, sponsored an "evening to honor our local farmers and gardeners and celebrate the harvest season."
 
The "Local Harvest Celebration & Potluck Dinner" was billed as a fundraiser for the organization and folks were asked to donate a minimum of $10 per family at the door. But, "no one will be turned away for lack of funds, but please bring some prepared food to share." Participants were encouraged to bring food that was grown or produced within a 100-mile radius of Spokane. The celebration was all about local food.
 
The local health district must have decided that the participants were "public enemy number 1." Their reaction is probably common across the country these days.

"Spokane Regional Health District is cracking down on potlucks.

Last week, Spokane Tilth ran a small newspaper announcement that it was holding a potluck meal during its harvest celebration. Spokane Tilth promotes sustainable agriculture. Many members are organic farmers. Their lives revolve about being conscientious about what they eat.

But as soon as Health District officials saw the potluck ad in the newspaper, they called Tilth and threatened prosecution if the group went ahead with the potluck. Tilth went ahead with the event — sans food.

According to Health Officer Dr. Kim Thorburn, churches and other organizations can hold potlucks as long as they’re for members only. But if they invite the public, it’s illegal.

Tilth program coordinator Chris Ostrander is not happy with a law banning a community practice that’s thousands of years old. He plans a statewide campaign to “decriminalize community potlucks.”
 
Steve Smoot

> Message: 7
> Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2002 05:54:08 -0500
> To: community_garden@mallorn.com
> From: Allan Balliett <igg@igg.com>
> Subject: Fwd: Re: [cg] Slow Food
>
> BACK on the recent Slow Food 'conference' in NYC...did anyone on the
>
> list attend?
>
> The registration fee was around $300, If I remember correctly. This,
>
> of course, confirms the elitist accusations. I'm hoping, however,
> that someone will tell me that there were activist rates, also.
>
> Expanding on Adam's and other remarks, Slow Food Movement is one of
>
> the several attempts to preserve the 'local taste' that is being
> sacrificed worldwide to the worldview that spawned NAFTA, the view
> the believes everything will be better if everything is the same.
> The
> USDA Organic Certification is another step in this worldview,
> reducing organics to a list of approved inputs while ignoring the
> strong ecological and biological emphasis of grassroots organic
> farming and gardening.
>
> Robert Graves said that when the taste for local cuisine is lost,
> then everything is lost and people readily follow men on horseback.
> A
> local taste can be lost forwever in one generation, particularly
> since the senses of taste and smell are so difficult to chronicle. I
>
> feel that the obligation to preserve these local flavors have fallen
>
> on we who are sensitive to realize their preciousness.
>
> A person can internalize these values and occasionally cook meals of
>
> AUTHENTIC INGREDIENTS, from FRESH, LOCAL, ECOLOGICALLY GROWN sources
>
> and still feel part of this movement.
>
> Great for potlucks, folks. What are you doing this Sunday? ;-)
>
> -Allan Balliett
> BD Now! The Biodynamic Food and Farming Discussion Group
> Shepherdstown, WV
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