Andrew Zimmern and Bizzare Foods Party with SF Food not Bombs

[ellipsis]

via The Revolution Script (http://therevolutionscript.blogspot.com/2010/10/andrew-zimmern-and-bizzare-foods-party.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0xCx5PWyccM/TL0B4Wkf0gI/AAAAAAAABbk/-pLw75h0tZw/s400/IMG_0711.JPG

Hopefully a sign of an increasing acceptance of dumpster diving and freeganism in lamestream Amerikkkan culture, food critic/journalist Andrew Zimmern recently filmed a segment profiling the work of San Francisco Food not Bombs (http://sffnb.org/) for an upcoming episode of the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods. Irish, a chapter member sent out this email announcement:

They filmed Katie & Margie reclaiming food for 2 nights, then Andrew worked with FNBs volunteers handing out food at the food bank (Arriba Juntos). The made a cash donation to ARRIBA and the food bank people where extremely happy with all the good publicity they received. The final day of filming was difficult. We split the cooking up to 2 kitchens, for security reasons. We filmed at Noise Bridge (tech collective) kitchen with much thanks to MILO. At noise bridge we cooked banana bread, tomato basil soup, rice and a garden salad with Andrew, while the Station 40 kitchen cooked a huge pot of Curry vegetable stir fry. We also had plenty of bread and vitamin water donations on hand. It was are largest SHARING at 16 & Mission in memory (150 plus).

Part way through the serving a masked person ascended a building to raise a banner reading "Solidarity Orlando FNB" in reference to the the Orlando, FL chapter of FnB (http://www.orlandofoodnotbombs.org/), who operate in a much more hostile city and as such have been facing continuous opposition from the City and local reactionaries. Funds raised also was dispersed to support the FnB chapter in Richmond, VA in their struggle to keep the park in which they have served for 17 years open over the course of a year and half "improvement" project.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0xCx5PWyccM/TL0B-DRdUqI/AAAAAAAABbs/O2hLr0fT2Mw/s400/IMG_0724.JPG

[ellipsis]

My search to find someone who cares continues...

[ed miliband]

Hopefully a sign of an increasing acceptance of dumpster diving and freeganism in lamestream Amerikkkan culture

:laugh::laugh:

[bretty]

I find this interesting, I like the idea behind FNB's. I was thinking of volunteering with my local group.

[KC]

FNB is cool, so is Zimmern.

[ellipsis]

The sneak peak of the episode is now online.

http://www.travelchannel.com/travelchannel/TV_Shows/Bizarre_Foods/Video/Dumpster_Diving_For_Food

[griffjam]

In the 1940s, needing a term to designate complete abstention from animal products, Donald Watson gutted "vegetarian" to coin the word "vegan." In the 1990s, anticapitalists suspicious of the expanding market for "cruelty-free" commodities adjusted this neologism to "freegan" to describe total avoidance of exchange economics. But in a world still dominated by capitalism, many other marketplaces loom beyond the marketplace proper—the marketplace of ideas, for example, in which some self-described freegans decided they should sell the idea of not buying things.

Fast-forward a decade, and freeganism has been covered in dozens of newspapers, radio shows, business and fashion magazines, and television programs. Of course, in order to fit the story into the narrative of the corporate media, it is necessary to emphasize that freegans are neither homeless nor destitute: freeganism is a political statement, a canny improvement on bargain-hunting, or simply another lifestyle preference, but in any case nothing that would discomfit bourgeois viewers. No desperate expressions of need here! It turns out that even garbage is granted legitimacy and value sooner than the people thrown away by the capitalist system.
One can imagine an officer of the NYPD, having seen on of these news programs, accosting a homeless person rummaging in a trash can: "Hey—get outta there, you! Don't you know there are nice college students who depend on that for food?"

[Blackscare]

In the 1940s, needing a term to designate complete abstention from animal products, Donald Watson gutted "vegetarian" to coin the word "vegan." In the 1990s, anticapitalists suspicious of the expanding market for "cruelty-free" commodities adjusted this neologism to "freegan" to describe total avoidance of exchange economics. But in a world still dominated by capitalism, many other marketplaces loom beyond the marketplace proper—the marketplace of ideas, for example, in which some self-described freegans decided they should sell the idea of not buying things.

Fast-forward a decade, and freeganism has been covered in dozens of newspapers, radio shows, business and fashion magazines, and television programs. Of course, in order to fit the story into the narrative of the corporate media, it is necessary to emphasize that freegans are neither homeless nor destitute: freeganism is a political statement, a canny improvement on bargain-hunting, or simply another lifestyle preference, but in any case nothing that would discomfit bourgeois viewers. No desperate expressions of need here! It turns out that even garbage is granted legitimacy and value sooner than the people thrown away by the capitalist system.
One can imagine an officer of the NYPD, having seen on of these news programs, accosting a homeless person rummaging in a trash can: "Hey—get outta there, you! Don't you know there are nice college students who depend on that for food?"

Was this from the website of the show or did you just decide to post a random blurb about freeganism? :confused:

[ellipsis]

Was this from the website of the show or did you just decide to post a random blurb about freeganism? :confused:

The latter.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Aye.
Dumpsterdiving and Food Not Bombs are only interesting as part of a broader anticapitalist practice - the sort of thing that can't be communicated by the media.

Fuck letting those vultures anywhere near anything.

[ellipsis]

Fuck letting those vultures anywhere near anything.

Yah because getting your organization's message out to 92 countries and hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people is a COMPLETE waste of time.:laugh:

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Yah because getting your organization's message out to 92 countries and hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people is a COMPLETE waste of time.:laugh:

The medium is the message - the Travel Channel is not a means by which Food Not Bombs can build meaningful relationships.

[ellipsis]

The medium is the message - the Travel Channel is not a means by which Food Not Bombs can build meaningful relationships.

Nor do I or any other of the FnB members involved makes such claims. The message of freeganism, bringing awareness to the waste of capitalism, is the more important objective, in my mind. The travel channel contacted us, and we chose to use them as a platform, and its not like our participation was uniquely profit generating for them, them could get anybody involved in food to work with them for free.

I don't see how this is any different, other than in scale and medium, from passing out fliers, tabling, giving interviews to the local news, any other means of promoting your organization/network or one of its campaigns. How does the travel chanel as the medium create a negative message? You have failed to make any real arguments other than simply denouncing the media and the travel chanel.

And I shook Zimmern's hand, which was well calloused from years working in kitchens, which is prole points in my book.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

The difference between television and passing out flyers is actually an excellent example with which to illustrate my point:

Handing out flyers means a direct interaction, between two individuals, with the opportunity to talk, to broaden scope. Television is narrowing - it prevents dialogue.

Handing out flyers happens in common space - the terrain of radical activity.
TV happens in antisocial space - the couch - the domain of passive inactivity.

Handing out flyers is easily reproducible - it offers a means that can be easily emulated by others.
Television is the realm of specialists, inaccessible to most people.

One ally in the streets is worth a thousand consumers in their homes.
One dumpsterdiver with a broader anticapitalist project is worth fifty self-righteous university pseudo-freegans.

[ellipsis]

The difference between television and passing out flyers is actually an excellent example with which to illustrate my point:

Handing out flyers means a direct interaction, between two individuals, with the opportunity to talk, to broaden scope. Television is narrowing - it prevents dialogue.

Handing out flyers happens in common space - the terrain of radical activity.
TV happens in antisocial space - the couch - the domain of passive inactivity.

Handing out flyers is easily reproducible - it offers a means that can be easily emulated by others.
Television is the realm of specialists, inaccessible to most people.

One ally in the streets is worth a thousand consumers in their homes.
One dumpsterdiver with a broader anticapitalist project is worth fifty self-righteous university pseudo-freegans.

So to get our message out, in your opinion, It has to be face to face interaction, in the common space, in a manner in which anybody can copy the method of getting the message out, and only to people you deem to be authentic enough for dumpster diving? And you call this TV narrowing? how does that even make sense?

SFFnB is out interacting with people at least five days a week in the city, on the street, feeding homeless and/or hungry people. We cook to support housing actions, to support Tristian Anderson a U.S. activists shot in the head by an Israeli tear gas canister and left in a wheel chair, we cook for housing occupations which gives free housing, however temporary to anybody who needs it. For you to suggest that this TV appearance is our only means of communicating our message is myopic and ignorant, as is your attempts to discredit our association with the broader anti-capitalist movement.

A couple weeks later we had a TV crew from Japan film at a FnB sharing in relation to the recently passed sidewalk ban (which we continue to fight through direct action) in san francisco, in which they just talked to homeless people and didn't even interview FnB. But I suppose in your opinion we should have told them to fuck off, huh?

Your argument reeks of armchair revolutionary, and one who, possibly due to his/her own inactoin relegates their contribution to the anti-capitalist movement to finding alledged flaws in what everybody else is doing, denouncing them as inauthentic and misguided, yet not offering any real solutions of your own. IHMO.
Congrats bro you are anti-TV and anti-college student, that is so fucking radical and orginal.:rolleyes:

[ellipsis]

Also here is FnB founder, who helped coordinate the filming, serving free vegan food in nairobi, kenya, apparently to self-righteous university psuedo vegans.
http://www.foodnotbombs.net/400_300_nairobi_keith_doug_share_rice.jpg

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

FYI - I've been involved in Halifax Food Not Bombs for eight years. I'm certainly not talking smack on FNB. I just think what's most valuable about Food Not Bombs is Food Not Bombs itself. It's, as you put it, "face to face interaction, in the common space, in a manner in which anybody can copy the method" and an important step in the direction of achieving food-autonomy (so that we can "bite the hand" without worry about being fed). I just don't see how television fits into the tactics/strategy/goals implicit in Food Not Bombs.

[Sickle of Justice]

hey b come watch the goddamn movie

[ellipsis]

FYI - I've been involved in Halifax Food Not Bombs for eight years. I'm certainly not talking smack on FNB. I just think what's most valuable about Food Not Bombs is Food Not Bombs itself. It's, as you put it, "face to face interaction, in the common space, in a manner in which anybody can copy the method" and an important step in the direction of achieving food-autonomy (so that we can "bite the hand" without worry about being fed). I just don't see how television fits into the tactics/strategy/goals implicit in Food Not Bombs.

OK, sorry to have misread your argument. Feelings within the chapter and obviously the movement are mixed about use of this platform. Orlando Food not Bombs in in federal appeals court as we speak, see the banner drop in OP.

By showing people, lots of people the bounty of dumpsters, it helps dispel some of the myths and misconceptions that people have about dumpster diving, it may get them to look into their local food not bombs chapter, much like a flier, table or cup of soup at a protest might. The more people dumpster in the greater number of areas the better, for ecological and social reasons, as well as getting people food.

I can see why you and others might be weary of it, and I can definately respect where you are coming from. I think that food not bombs as a movement needs to grow and gain greater legitmacy, and one route IMO is broad exposure, including use of TV, but only as a means to get as many people fed as possible.

[ellipsis]

you can watch the whole episode here
http://www.videobb.com/video/icL0FkgMSlOT

food not bombs's part starts at around 3:50.

we were pretty happy with how it came out.

[Dunk]

Looks like FNB is doing important work and strengthening community. Just saw there was a local chapter in my city. I'll have to check it out sometime, maybe call and find some food for them.

[Delenda Carthago]

via The Revolution Script (http://therevolutionscript.blogspot.com/2010/10/andrew-zimmern-and-bizzare-foods-party.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0xCx5PWyccM/TL0B4Wkf0gI/AAAAAAAABbk/-pLw75h0tZw/s400/IMG_0711.JPG

Hopefully a sign of an increasing acceptance of dumpster diving and freeganism in lamestream Amerikkkan culture, food critic/journalist Andrew Zimmern recently filmed a segment profiling the work of San Francisco Food not Bombs (http://sffnb.org/) for an upcoming episode of the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods. Irish, a chapter member sent out this email announcement:

They filmed Katie & Margie reclaiming food for 2 nights, then Andrew worked with FNBs volunteers handing out food at the food bank (Arriba Juntos). The made a cash donation to ARRIBA and the food bank people where extremely happy with all the good publicity they received. The final day of filming was difficult. We split the cooking up to 2 kitchens, for security reasons. We filmed at Noise Bridge (tech collective) kitchen with much thanks to MILO. At noise bridge we cooked banana bread, tomato basil soup, rice and a garden salad with Andrew, while the Station 40 kitchen cooked a huge pot of Curry vegetable stir fry. We also had plenty of bread and vitamin water donations on hand. It was are largest SHARING at 16 & Mission in memory (150 plus).

Part way through the serving a masked person ascended a building to raise a banner reading "Solidarity Orlando FNB" in reference to the the Orlando, FL chapter of FnB (http://www.orlandofoodnotbombs.org/), who operate in a much more hostile city and as such have been facing continuous opposition from the City and local reactionaries. Funds raised also was dispersed to support the FnB chapter in Richmond, VA in their struggle to keep the park in which they have served for 17 years open over the course of a year and half "improvement" project.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0xCx5PWyccM/TL0B-DRdUqI/AAAAAAAABbs/O2hLr0fT2Mw/s400/IMG_0724.JPG
Viva la revolucion...

I thought SF FNB was the only one NOT using dumpster food but it was based on donations.

[ellipsis]

Viva la revolucion...

I thought SF FNB was the only one NOT using dumpster food but it was based on donations.

There are currently four chapters in the city, the one filmed is the largest and uses a mix of dumpstered and food-bank surplus for the meals. I gather food for another chapter and I use a mix of food grown at the urban farm where i work, dumpstered food and some that i get from a neighbor who eat all the veggies he gets from a food bank.

a lot of food diverted from food banks wouldn't be used by people in the form they get it. In sf a lot of people live in studios without kitchen or very limited. so dry lentils and dry beans aren't really of use to them or to homeless people, as a result there is an abundance of this technically not dumpstered, but not utilized food.

We are not the only ones to not use only dumpstered food.