Time For Lunch, Slow Food Eat-In

America's children are getting chubby. When looking around for the culprit, many people are eyeballing school lunches. Grade schoolers favor mac & cheese and of course French fries and ketchup seem like the perfect vegetable to a seven-year old. But this trans fat love affair is taking its toll and citizens are thinking it's time for some more fruit and vegetables on the lunch plate. In the month of September, The Child Nutrition Act is up for reauthorization in Congress. Under the National School Lunch Program, the USDA reimburses schools for every meal served: $2.57 for a free lunch, $2.17 for a reduced-price lunch and 24 cents for a paid lunch.

Hence, the nationwide Time for Lunch Eat-In this September 7th organized by Slow Food USA . Potluck picnics have been organized around the country where petition signing and letter writing will be part of the plan. The movement is asking Congress to keep up with escalating food prices and raise the school lunch reimbursement amount to $3.57. This will help schools include food that's less processed and more nutritious. There are also hopes that the Obama administration will support small, family farms and green jobs. And in the best of all worlds, school kids would be growing their own lunches at schoolyard gardens.

Bring together food and politics and it's sure to be a hit in Northern California. SF Bay area folks are organizing in full force for the Slow Food Eat-In. The list below is just a sample of what's going on this September 7th. From Walnut Creek to Dolores Park to Santa Cruz, picnic blankets will be spread and California's bounty shared for a good cause. Visit the Slow Food National Day of Action website to find the one for you. RSVPs will help the organizers tremendously.

Calendar Buzz

San Francisco
Civic Center Plaza Larkin St. at McAllister St.
San Francisco, California
12:00-3:00

Speakers include Daphne Miller, MD. Author of The Jungle Effect, Monica Guerra, Balboa High School graduate, 2009 and Senator Mark Leno, representative of the 3rd Senate District. Activities include a kids gardening project table. Soil and seeds donated by Sloat Gardens as well as sushi making table with Choice Lunch and letter writing to representatives after lunch, special color sheet with fill in letter for kids.

Mill Valley
Boyle Park
180 Camino Alto
Mill Valley, California
3:00-5:00

Speakers will include Rep.Lynn Woolsey and Lamonte Bishop will be presenting a certificate of recognition on behalf of Senator Mark Leno. For activities, Wendy Johnson, author of Gardening at the Dragon's Gate will be leading a "plant in" and Operation C.H.E.F, Whole Foods & Marin Open Garden Project will be providing planting and cooking lessons for children.

Berkeley
Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park
2151 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, (between Allston Way and Center Street)
Berkeley, CA
11:30-3:00

Speakers include Barbara Lee, Congresswoman; Erica Torrence, People's Grocery; Jacob Wright, The Center of Ecoliteracy; Jessica Prentice, Three Stone Hearth; Leon Davis, Hope Collaborative; Ella Ross, Youth Radio; HuNia Bradley, Ecology Center. Activities will include music with Uncle Eyes, gardening project with Garden Fare,
souvenir photos from Magnolia Photo booth and ice cream from Laloo's.

St. Helena
Ehler's Winery
3222 Ehler's Lane
St. Helena, CA. 94574
10:00-1:00

There will be a roundtable discussion at this biodynamic winery with one school administrator who has had success bringing real food into the St Helena School District with Long Meadow Ranch, one certified dietitian who is working on Childhood Nutrition issues at one of our local clinics in Napa City, one program coordinator who assists in the School Garden project at one of Napa's local High Schools and a local farmer trying to connect with the school districts in Napa County.

Vacaville
Hoskins Ranch (aka Joyful Ranch)
8212 Pleasants Valley Road
Vacaville, CA.
12:00-2:00

Speakers will include Kathy Hoffman, field representative for Congressman George Miller (Miller chairs the House Committee that will review the Child Nutrition Act.) Discussion to be facilitated by Carole Paterson, Director of the UC Cooperative Extension, and her husband Craig, a Methodist minister. Both Carole and Craig have been facilitators on a wide range of national and local issues including energy policy, land use and childhood obesity for 15+ years. The goal is to have some practical doable solutions that would result in improved school lunches locally. The Solano Slow Food Convivium already supports 4 school gardens through a garden grant program.

Healdsburg
Healdsburg Plaza (Healdsburg Ave & Matheson)
Healdsburg, CA.
5:00-8:00

Speakers include Jeff Harding (local school district superintendent) and
Dan Imhoff, author of Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill. Medlock Ames Winery will be there sharing produce from their organic gardens to start the momentum for The School Garden Network of Sonoma County.

Santa Rosa
Bayer Park (Community Garden)
1550 West Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA.
4:00-7:00

For this bilingual event, speakers include Maria Echaveste, Former Deputy-Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton along with other community leaders. It is co-sponsored by Land Paths, who along with Slow Food, will be serving locally-raised goat tacos and homemade organic tamales. Those who plan to attend should bring a side-dish of food to share (salad, beans, rice, dessert), as well as their own plate, cup and eating utensils. The event is free, but there will be a nominal cost for the goat tacos and tamales.

San Jose
San Jose University
Associated Students House
El Paseo de San Carlos, near 4th St
San Jose, CA.
11:30-2:30

Speakers include Dr. Eugene Cordero, Associate Professor of Meteorology at San Jose State University and co-author, along with chef Laura Stec, of Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite out of Global Warming. Amie Frisch, co-founder of Veggielution, San Jose's Urban Farming Project will be on hand to teach kids to plant veggies.

Fort Bragg
Weller House Inn
524 Stewart Street
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
1:00-3:00

For this event, bring a dish or a recipe. Local chefs have donated recipes for kids' lunches. These local luminaries include Margaret Fox ( Morning Food), Lisa Geer (The Ledford House), Nicholas Petti (Mendo Bistro),Kim Badenhop (The Rendezvous), Jim & Susan Larson (The Restaurant), Jim Muto (V'Cantos), Jeff Stanford (The Ravens),
Jamie Griffith (955)

Recipe: Local Cheese Board by Alison Ghiorse founder of Savory Thymes (Savory Thymes is an organization that supports and educates the public about local, sustainable food systems through events that celebrate the tastes, beauty and textures of the earth.)

Goat cheese by Andante Dairy

Point Reyes Farmstead Blue by Cowgirl Creamery

Dry Monterey Jack by Vella Cheese

Honey

Fresh Figs

Bronx grapes

Gravenstein apples

Walnut current bread

Arrange these on a large platter. Don't cut the cheeses, but leave them in wedges. Supply cheese knives so people can easily help themselves.