Since the blog began, the incentive for “food thought” has increased exponentially. This blog fuels many outlets of my growing passion for food and its discontents. Yesterday afternoon I felt like I “hit the big one.” Which is to say a new idea was born, a really big idea.

Currently, my interests in food have led me in 4 separate directions,

1. The blog – discussing/critiquing/lamenting/arguing the ebbs and flows of the local food movement.
2. Menu Consultations – Empowering individual households with the resources and knowledge base to afford and sustain themselves on “ideal meals.”
3. “Healthy Eating and Meal Planning” class – One, teaching families how to think critically about the food system – asking questions like, where does our food come from/how is our food produced/what effects do these growing practices have on our health, the environment and the economy. Two, teaching families how to prepare and cook a nutritious (whole foods) meal -cooked as a family and eaten as a family.
4. Cuisines of the World potluck – encouraging friends to explore the cuisines of the world, through reading, home cookery and sharing.

And here I share a 5th potential venture in my ever-expanding food-focused world,

Imagine a school, a charter school perhaps. An urban high school devoted to food. Now when I say food, I mean more than school gardening and cooking classes. I’m thinking of the ultimate manifestation of my food curriculum project. At this school students study food, be it urban agriculture, food policy, nutrition, food justice, or any of the other possible food issues. The school offers math, science, social studies, health/p.e., language arts and some sort of leadership/service learning class. Yes, the school would have a garden for teachers to “practice what they preach,” and there would also be final projects for students to complete. These projects would involve a large research paper, an internship and a presentation on their work.

In a city like Portland the possibilities for a place like this are incredible. On the one hand you have a huge population of green-minded people from all walks of life. You have a city that really cares about sustainability and makes the tough choices to bring these technologies to the city as a whole. The urban gardening here is definitely growing; the farmers markets are hugely popular, and besides San Francisco, I really believe Portland is on the forefront of the local food movement.

This school would have instantaneous connections to so many organizations and community groups given the very nature of its mission. Of course, the main problem is money. But since this is an idea (a dream even,) I envision a variety of funding sources for this school. In this perfect world of mine, the farmers who currently grow local and organic foods will have become so rich that they will help afford the costs. There would also be the federal government that would lend to us without any political strings attached. And community members would be so excited about a place like this that money would just pour in!

If anything, this is the beginning of a long thought process. Here is the dream, next come the reality check. And then if it passes reality, a planning process. Though it’s important to note that this idea is on a really long life span, say 5-10 years. No less, it’s good to put this on the blog, to share with myself and all of you.

Related posts:

1. The Food Curriculum Project (part I)
2. Urban Foraging
3. Another Food Curriculum Project (literally)
4. School Gardens are All the Rage – Resources to Join the Movement
5. Cooking Class Takes New Direction

Tags: education, food literacy, local food movement, portland