April 26, 2019
On March 27, Alice Waters — famed chef, author and founder/owner of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California — visited Arizona State University to deliver the year's first Wrigley Lecture, called "We Are What We Eat: Teaching Slow Food Values in a Fast Food Culture." In the lecture, Waters discussed the dangers of fast food culture and presented slow food values as the antidote.
Waters said that fast food is more than about just food — it's about values. A fast food culture, she said, encourages the insidious values of uniformity, speed, availability, cheapness, (meaningless) standards and dishonesty. On the other hand, a slow food culture fosters sustainability, seasonality, interconnectedness, responsibility, generosity and community.
At the end of her lecture, Waters talked about the importance of "edible education" — school gardens and tying them to curriculum — and advocated for all K-12 schools to provide a free, delicious lunch that supports local farmers. Schools are the best places to cultivate slow food values, she said. Waters discussed her Edible Schoolyard Project and ways for everyone to get involved with moving society toward a slow food culture.
Watch the full Wrigley Lecture:
Following the lecture was an engaging Q&A led by Kathleen Merrigan, director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, using questions submitted by the audience. This lecture was co-sponsored by the Swette Center.
Want to watch another Wrigley Lecture? All past lectures are available on the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability website.