Slow Food Nation Comes on Fast

What the famous Armory Show did for modern art in 1913-change the entire rules of the game-Labor Day weekend’s Slow Food Nation might do for food. The San Francisco event will be, as the Web site slowfoodnation.org puts it, “the first-ever American collaborative gathering to unite the growing sustainable food movement and introduce thousands of people to food that is good, clean, and fair.” The good news is that eating well is its own reward, which will be proven at taste pavilions offering everything from beer (curated by David McLean, owner of Magnolia Pub & Brewery and Alembic Bar) to fish (curated by Tom Worthington of the Monterey Fish Market) to cheese (curated by Peggy Smith and Sue Conley of Cowgirl Creamery). Of course, there will be food for the mind, too, with panels featuring the likes of Wendell Berry, Vandana Shiva, Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Eric Schlosser, and Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini. There will be a Victory Garden to show you how to grow your own. And since no revolution is worth its while if you can’t dance to it, Slow Food also rocks with two full days of concerts featuring bands like The New Pornographers, Phil Lesh and Friends (this is San Francisco, after all), and Gnarls Barkley. Order your tickets online now.