Side bar note: If you’re stumbling on this blog for the first time, (first of all welcome) please realize that this post, the earlier, and probably the next several posts will be about my four-day experience at the Sustainable Foods Institute (SFI) this past May at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. For you regulars, welcome back.
Now, on to the fishy matters of this post.
An event like SFI in combination with Cooking for Solutions First, the event combines the biggest thinkers in the sustainable fisheries and oceans industry along with celebrity chefs and media. SFI has a dual effect on the brain. The lectures and networking fires us up, and the food nourishes and fuels the gray matter. I liken it to six words: Think. Inspire. Connect. Cook. Eat. Repeat. But it takes its toll, too.
The first evening, at the meet-and-greet, I was not only overwhelmed socially, but the doom-and-gloom that comes with the territory when you bring marine biologist, ecologist and all the other –igists together freaked me out a bit. Disclosure: this was my first SFI. After I ambushed Paul Greenberg, author of Four Fish, at the chicken station to say hello and introduce myself (I mean, really did he need to eat when I was busy being star-struck?) I decided I should relax, quit staking, and get a bite to eat.
At the cod station I met Kate Geagan, America’s Green Nutritionist, a dietitian from Utah, and we agreed we should sit with the lone slim man at the four top near the chocolate station. Matt Howard, environmental sustainability director for the city of Milwaukee was most gracious to let us intrude on his four-top. Then Dr.Tessa Hill, with the Department of Geology and Bodega Marine Laboratory at UC Davis joined us and I never left the table for the rest of the evening (except to replenish for more wine, cheese, chocolate, and seafood of course). The three of them made me feel so at ease, I was able to absorb the sobering issues of what was coming down the pike the next three days. Think acidification, simulated aquaculture bed studies 100 years into the future and the plight of urban water supplies.
More chardonnay please!
This is the part where, if you would’ve attended, you’d be unbelievably grateful for the chefs dedicated to cooking food from sustainable fisheries and all the other organic goodness they prepared. I could swallow any amount of “the sky is falling” scenarios after slurping fresh oysters, fresh cod, cheese, fruit and more chardonnay.
In a nutshell here’s how things went for the three days:
(This is not the last word on the event, I promise)
The days began early with amazing breakfasts (thank you Monterey Bay Aquarium and Earth Bound Farms) and plenty of networking. My new media pals included Gina Murphy-Darling, a radio host called Mrs. Green’s World. And yes, she is a darling-who wouldn’t want to be on her talk show? Linda Gassenheimer, NPR radio personality, another charming author and Rachel Duchak, a California Central Coast food-aggregater and food & wine extraordinaire. Followed up with serious lectures, more amazing food for lunch, then more how can we combine science and creative to spread-the-message type lectures. Enter happy hour, more food, and six or less hours of sleep.
Repeat for the next three days.
On the third morning, I thought my brain would explode with a lack of proper sleep, visions of charts & graphs, information & ideas swirling around in my gray matter like tiny amoebas, and I got a little sleepy despite the fascinating presentation and conversation with Washington Post’s Juliet Eilperin and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on Hugh’s Fish Fight.
Here’s my tip on how to avoid falling asleep at a conference:
Sketch a picture of the panelists. Now, obviously, I do not get paid to draw, but I think this is a pretty good rendition of the two of them. I mean, usually I draw trees and birds in the privacy of my home, not live larger-than-life personalities at a conference.
To sum up, in my opinion, SFI saved the best for last: the conversation with Juliet and Hugh in the morning, and a panel on GMO’s in the afternoon.
And just so you know, while we learned, listened, connected and got inspired, kayak-ers paddled in the Bay, boats bobbed like corks and the sun dazzled the water like scattered diamonds.
And to top it off, after a stupendous, how much food can I eat without falling asleep during the last afternoon sessions of the event? lunch, outside in the sunshine, at Monterey Plaza Hotel and a whopping apricot lavender waffle ice cream cone (I know, I know, calories & fat), we moved back inside to the small-ish, warm-ish conference room . But the energy in the room perked up for “GMO’s: Bad Reputation or Good Solution?” And I was in no fear of falling asleep, or doodling for this conversation. (More about that in another post.) However, I did sleep well that night.
If there’s one thing Monterey Bay Aquarium chefs can do, it’s put out fine food. And those scientists can make the brain work overtime. No-Nap zone required.
