Comments on: Alice Waters' Crusade For Better Food

Lesley Stahl Profiles The Outspoken, And Sometimes Controversial California Food Activist

[droll90]

The idea idea apparently held by Alice and her ilk that "organic" food has some mystical powers and that it is preferable nutritionally to conventionally grown food is commonly believed. A few studies have shown that the former may have a marginally better nutrition profile, particularly as it relates to minerals. It is doubtful that those small advantages are nutritionally significant, and importantly is the use of so-called "organic" farming economically practical and sustainable particularly in feeding a burgeoning world population?

Consider for a moment the contributions of Dr. Norman Borlaug to agriculture and his view of the organic food movement. Borlaug is one of only five people in history (and the only scientist) to have received the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. The others were Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and Elie Wiesel.

It has been estimated that Borlaug's contribution to agriculture though gene manipulation (a no-no to the high priests of organic agriculture) and use of inorganic fertilizer have improved crop yields, resulting in saving the lives of one billion human beings. Consider the following from Jonathan Alter's column in the 7/30/07 issue of Newsweek:

"Borlaug scoffs at the mania for organic food, which he proves with calm logic is unsuited to fight global hunger. (Dung, of instance, is an inefficient source of nitrogen.) And while he encourages energy-conscious people to 'use all the organic you can, especially on high-end crops like vegetables,' he's convinced that paying more for organic is 'a lot of nonsense.' There's 'no evidence the food is any different than that produced by chemical fertilizer.'"

[jymdyer]

=v= I went to the Slow Food Nation event last year and there was a panel discussion with many of the movement's luminaries (Wendell Berry, Vandana Shiva, Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Eric Schlosser and Carlo Petrini). One after another, they hammered home the point that the important thing is to grow food sustainably and get it to as many people as possible, rich or poor. Alice Waters, however, told a tale about a visit to France where she had an epiphany about not being able to get "those wonderful Spring lambs" to eat all year 'round.

She has pioneered much that is good, and continues to do good things, but she's clearly not quite on the same page as the rest of the movement. Please don't judge the movement based on her.

[letsbeobjective]

Not all of us who live in Northern California (and shop at farmers markets) are as myopic as Alice Waters. Had Lesley Stahl been less in awe of her subject and kept her journalistic wits about her, she might have challenged Ms. Waters to live in Minnesota for a year and then visited her in January to see how much fresh, locally grown food she was eating. Perhaps she'd be cooking a few fish caught through a hole in the ice, but that would be about it.

[Nannmike]

This is great for San Francisco but what about the people who live in more northern climes? How can they get fresh vegetable and organically grown food during the winter months? Her ideas are great but they don't translate to the "masses,"

[scapegoat74]

Egg on your face, 60 Minutes.

Re: Alice Waters, Mother of Slow Food.

I am writing to inform you that your delusional statements of Alice Waters being the founder of SlowFood, are laughable and ridiculous. The SlowFood movement was founded in 1986, in Bra, Italy by Carlo Petrini, founder and President.

Only in America does Al Gore invent the internet, and Alice Water found SlowFood.

Idiots.

[brainteaser2]

"opened her French bistro Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., today considered one of the finest restaurants not just in the United States but in the world.'

Give me a break. I have eaten at Chez Panisse several times and its not that good. Believe me I am not a food snob either. There is a mystique regarding alice waters - but given this way of cooking has been around for many years I don't think she's more than a glitzed up celebrity.

[movinfwd]

I was initially disappointed by all the negative comments about Ms. Waters, but after thinking on it I realize that it means one thing--you are all paying attention. I applaud CBS for the courage to tiptoe into a subject that has been under the rug for decades; the quality of our food supply. There were several comments during the interview that hit home with me. One, our food supply makes us sick. This has been going on for decades and we've only begun to become aware of it. I feel sorry for the farmers who try to earn a living without the intervention of Big Agriculture and their genetically modified seeds. If anyone wants to learn the truth about our food, it's out there, you just need to do the research. Farmers on the take make more money than you or I could ever spend on organic produce. It's those small farm farmers who still have a little integrity that suffer and yes, have to charge more to make ends meet. It amazes me that somehow we have more of everything nowadays yet we have no honest explanation of how it got there. Have plants become more frisky and want to multiply? Do we have an excess of bees to do the pollinating? Has a miracle occurred? Nope, science has found a way to "engineer" our food. Two, some people want to buy Nike shoes, maybe even two pairs. Some other people want to be able to choose where the food that nourishes our bodies and drives our good health comes from. Some of us are willing to pay more for that right, even though paying more for a basic right "ain't right". Nuff said on that one. Three, creating a relationship between kids and real food is absolutely the right thing to do. Obesity is rampant and the next few generations won't last very long if they don't change their eating habits. Four, and this is my own editorial piece, the reason we're all in this economic mess is the same reason why we're all fat and sick, it comes down to greed. We think faster, bigger, and more is somehow satisfying. We demand more and we get more, albeit modified, engineered and fake, we get what we ask for. Consider, we've all lost our jobs, 401K's, any chance of selling our home (yes home, not a house) and yet we still can't wait for things to get back to the way they were. Hello?? Why go back to something that never worked to begin with? I say, let's open our minds to something different and basic and let's rely on our own judgement as to what's really "best". Thank you 60 Minutes for providing us with the information to do just that. Thank you Alice Waters for the interview. And thanks to all of you for being so passionate about your views...there is hope afterall.

[ajohnpeters]

I would love to eat fresh grown food all year. Please explain how, living in Northern MN, I can do that.

No, I do not want to move to a Southern Climate.

Since many of us do not access to this fresh food, why do peoplein NE, MN SD etc. have the highest life spans in the country.

[robinrose555]

The world needs older hippies like Alice. She reminds me of my brother. Somehow it escapes them that soils have cut worms, corn gets smut fungi, and snails destroy crops. In all of the starved African villages I've been in I never once saw worm free cabbages and no one had eggs, muchless cook them over a fire in a spoon. I've been a scientist and world traveler for 30+ years. The Alices of this world are good people - rich, well meaning, caring, and oblivious. But, by God if they can get other rich people to put Victory gardens in ghetto schools and make some kid admit that a fresh avacado-tomato with sprouts sandwich tastes go, then MORE POWER TO HER! As for Leslie, you screwed up... what was the recipe for the breakfast? If you are going to do Food Network shows I expect pop up windows with ingredients lists. Plus, you need to mmmmm...mmmm more to make the rest of us feel like we are eating it too. Gees, where is Mike Wallace when we need him most???? :-)

[xxdream]

You can keep your dirty, bug infested organic food. Strawberries, spinach, lettace, peanuts, etc have killed hundreds over the past decade. The stuff is gross and the people who eat too much of it become psychotic, and try to force their rodent food on others.

Give me a Porterhouse steak with a side order of Sushi... That's what I call Health Food.

The only good fruits and vegetables are the ones that are fermented & distilled.

[MEENASHANKER]

Does Alice Water even remember that there is widespread hunger in the whole world including right here in the U.S., even though it is the richest country in the world? In an ideal world, everyone would eat freshly grown organic food, meticulously hand chopped, slow cooked on a wood fire, with all fresh herbs and ingredients. There would be no frozen foods, no microwaves - in other words, back to the world of our great great grandparents. However, such a lifestyle is almost impossible for 99% of the people all over the world. Most homes have both parents working, sometimes more than one job, yet they cannot afford the highest quality of anything! As with any expense in a family, food is also subject to budgetary constraints. People have to be able to afford food ? any food, period, before they can think of organic! I know from personal experience that organic foods and "green" cleaners cost at least 60% more, and we have to stop buying such because of the economy. Perhaps Alice Waters can afford it and she can strut around in that dream world, and Leslie Stahl can smile and stand in awe of her.

I see a number of comments posted saying what I am saying. However, there is one thing that struck my husband and me about Alice Waters. Despite her elitism about food and gardens and good restaurants, etc., she does not seem to have even a basic sense of hygiene or etiquette. It was gross and disgusting to watch her literally shoving pieces of something she had made into everyone?s mouth in front of the City Hall in San Francisco at her ?Food Fair?. Each person was taking a bite and then she would go on to offer the same half-bitten piece to another, all this with her bare hands! How gross and crude! She acts like she is so knowledgeable and sophisticated, but what good is organic or fresh of you do not observe basic hygiene?

[mikesweaver354]

While I appreciate the much of the appeal of the "slow food" idea, I think it's application is more limited than Ms. Waters would care to believe. First, the vegetables she can obtain at will in California are avaialbe in more limited quantities -- if at all -- in other parts of the US during the winter months. Second, organic (whatever that means) is almost always more expensive. I assume that's because farmers who grow crops without herbicides and pesticides yield significantly fewer crops per acre. And if that's true, it might have been fair (and fun) for Ms. Stahl to ask Ms. Waters whether organic farming is morally justifiable. With 7 billion people in the world, and many starving, is it really right for a rich old lady in Berkeley to demand that precious farming resources be devoted to growing HER food inefficiently?

[motherwell25]

I found Alice Waters totally out of touch with mainstream America and the world in general, but that seams typicall with many people from Norhtern California. Maybe all of her organic, fire roasted food, is what makes her feces not stink, so to speak.

[mamothree]

About 18 months ago I decided that my family and I were only going to eat whole foods. At first I found it really hard because it took so long to prepare everything. The kids complained that there is nothing to eat(no snack food) only ingredients, but they got used to it. I liked the fact that my microwave was gathering dust. I enjoyed knowing that my children were eating good things. Well aparently that's not good enough. Here in Nova Scotia there is a big push for people to eat organic foods also. I can't see how organic farmers can possibly justify how much they charge for everything! I buy locally as much as I can but there is no way I can afford organic food. One thing about whole food eating is that you have to shop often. My grocery bill has gone up by about 30%. I am lucky that I can do it, but many people can't. It would be ideal if all people could shop and eat organically but, Alice, most people live in the real world.

[Fly-498]

Alice,
We agree wholheartedly with your organic gardens. I have 1 question for you. You stated you do not use herbicides. How do you keep the bugs from devouring your crops?

Thanks, PEC

[InedaName]

I agree with Alice Waters that quality food should be a right and not a privilege. But she comes off like some kind of earth mother moonbat. Alice Waters, with her fairy tale garden and wood-burning stove, does not live in the real world with the rest of us. I don't mean to denigrate her, but if she really wants to start a revolution, she might think about getting out of Berkeley once in a while and spending time in the homes and tiny apartments (sans wood-burning stove) of average Americans and busy working parents on a budget who don't have the means to lovingly prepare a rustic breakfast and still manage to get the kids out the door and get to work on time. Maybe a reality show is in order.

[XBonedriver]

What a goofy lady. While it's admirable to teach American children how to cook food and educate them where it comes from, organic food isn't the answer. Who can afford the $4/lb grapes that were shown? Quality food at a REASONABLE price is more important to Americans - that's why modern farmers and ranchers like myself do such a good job feeding the US and the world.

Although 60 Minutes tried to press her on this, why didn't the interviewer question her on her fireplace stove when she prepared the organic breakfast spread? Apparently the organic movement thinks it's OK to deforest and burn dirty wood to get the quality flavor??

The only way Americans will be having time to chop wood, start a fire, prepare foods will be when we're unemployed and living in tents. Perhaps that's the way she wants us to live???

[todali30]

I am an American living in Germany and have traveled to many different countries...Alice's concept is NOT a new over here!! Europeans have eaten simply and organically for years! Cold weather or not, you can grow vegetables in containers! It is not impossible to make a good wholesome meal for your family and work full time.

The one thing I do NOT understand about her concept is the pricing. WHY is it ok to pay more for organic? I don't think it's ok at all! Why does it cost MORE to grow organic when you aren't using costly pesticides or herbicides?? Europeans do not charge more for fresh food, why do American grocers? It should be the other way around...the foods that are overprocessed, full of preservatives and packaged with plastics should cost more!

Europeans eat MUCH simpler than we do...breakfast consists of breads, fresh yogurt w/fruit or muselix, and cold cuts or cheeses. I for one LOVE the taste of fresh over frozen and have cut way back on my grocery bill by making simpler meals!

Another thing Europeans do not do is stock pile food. Their refridgerators and freezers are MUCH smaller and they make more frequent stops to the store on their way home from work. Converting to this method has also saved us a lot of money because we aren't throwing out expired or unused food each week. We are fortunate to live near a grocery store and I can walk there as often as I need to.

I hope that "her" concept does catch on and that organic foods become more affordable...everyone really should be able to eat healthier and not be forced to eat cheap frozen junk!!

[Pommeray]

It is a sad day indeed when someone who has their own garden is labeled as a "revolutionary". Even sadder was Leslie Stahl's incredulous reaction to Alice chopping vegetables to have with her egg. Leslie acted shocked as Alice chopped vegetables for this meal. I have news for you Leslie, a lot of people eat this way and it is not a big deal. And yes, we have jobs and kids. Also, believe it or not, some of us use baking soda, Fels Naptha soap on laundry and good old fashioned vinegar for our cleaning products! And we grow herbs on our windowsills! Again, not a big deal.

60 Minutes could have cast a more positive light on Alice's way of life, thus encouraging millions of others. Instead of grabbing this as an opportunity, 60 Minutes chose a biased reporter to "dumb us down" . What a disappointment.

[Pommeray]

It is a sad day indeed when someone who has their own garden is labeled as a "revolutionary". Even sadder was Leslie Stahl's incredulous reaction to Alice chopping vegetables to have with her egg. Leslie acted shocked as Alice chopped vegetables for this meal. I have news for you Leslie, a lot of people eat this way and it is not a big deal. And yes, we have jobs and kids. Also, believe it or not, some of us use baking soda, Fels Naptha soap on laundry and good old fashioned vinegar for our cleaning products! And we grow herbs on our windowsills! Again, not a big deal.

60 Minutes could have cast a more positive light on Alice's way of life, thus encouraging millions of others. Instead of grabbing this as an opportunity, 60 Minutes chose a biased reporter to "dumb us down" . What a disappointment.