Dishing It Out- Excellent Discourse on Food & Economics

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Dishing It Out
My address to the Southern Appalachian Youth on Food conference

By Tom Philpott
08 Mar 2007

Tucked into the rolling hills of North Carolina's Swannanoa Valley, Warren Wilson College is essentially surrounded by a farm. The school's 800 students not only tend the 275-acre farm -- which includes pastured livestock and vegetables -- they also provide the labor to run the campus. They do everything from accounting to plumbing to cooking in the cafeteria. I've had the privilege of hosting several Warren Wilson kids at Maverick Farms, and I've been amazed at how well those kids know how to work, and have plenty of fun while doing it.

On March 3, I addressed a conference organized by Warren Wilson students called the Southern Appalachian Youth on Food Symposium -- or simply, SAY Food. Among the conference's organizers was Hillary Wilson, one of the founders of Maverick. Seventy students attended, coming together from as far away as Georgia, South Carolina, and Kentucky.

For someone who spends a lot of his time in isolated circumstances -- staring at a computer screen, working in the field -- the conference was a great reminder for me that people all over the country are mobilizing around food issues. I'm no fiery orator; I read directly from my prepared text. Yet the students bombarded me with smart questions afterward, demonstrating passion, critical thought, and the zeal to do something.
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