|
printable version
- js reader version
- view hidden posts
- tags and related articles
View article without comments
by The Rail Ratt
Thursday, May. 02, 2002 at 5:40 AM
therailratt@yahoo.com
On Mayday Eve, April 30th, protesters gathered in front of a trendy vegan restaurant in Santa Monica. Armed with picket signs, hot burritos and a big bowl of salad, they set up on the sidewalk near the restaurant. The produce was donated by local farmers.
Signs read "Organic Vegan Food Shoudn't Be For the Rich"...
Vegan Activists Pay Mayday Eve Visit to Local Eatery
On Mayday Eve, April 30th, protesters gathered in front of a trendy vegan restaurant in Santa Monica. Armed with picket signs, hot burritos and a big bowl of salad, they set up on the sidewalk near the restaurant. The produce was donated by local farmers.
Signs read "Organic Vegan Food Shoudn't Be For the Rich", "High Priced Healthy Food is War on the Poor", and "Organic Food Isn't Hip - It's Our Right".
Protesters said they picked the location because of its proximity to the Promenade and the fact that there are many homeless people in the area who could appreciate some healthy food. Also, they felt that the restaurant's prices were exorbitantly high.
Hungry people passed by and were invited to eat organic vegan food for free. A night-time picnic formed. From inside, diners watched the picket signs go back and forth.
The spectacle received mixed reactions. Some of the customers were angry.
Many of them were very encouraging, and got a kick out of the signs. Lots of people engaged in dialogue with the protesters.
A young woman walked out of the restaurant. She said she had done years of protesting, and she couldn't understand why people were targeting a place that was doing good work and exposing veganism to the world.
A man said that the restaurant had to make a profit. "Wouldn't it be great if one day there were one of these restaurants on every block?" he asked. A protester pointed down to the free food set up on the sidewalk and smiled.. "Wouldn't it be great if there was one of these on every block?"
The event was brief - the last burrito was served minutes after the first one was served, as there were many takers. Then the diners behind the polished glass walls were left to sign their credit card slips in peace.
Report this post as:
by economically challenged
Thursday, May. 02, 2002 at 1:34 PM
As a poor person who is forced to eat genetically engineered pesticide poisoned frankenfood, I really appreciate this action.
Report this post as:
by the economist
Friday, May. 03, 2002 at 7:48 AM
The existence of extremely low cost foods is a good thing, but if they are substandard, they tend to destroy the market for better quality foods.
The better foods, unable to sustain sufficient volume, become "gourmet" foods that are prices exorbitantly.
Report this post as:
by the rail ratt
Friday, May. 03, 2002 at 6:01 PM
therailratt@yahoo.com
So we should all join GE Free LA? You're probably right!
I would love to hear more of your analysis. Please add more information if you can. Also, if you have some information on the economics of organic farming, please add it. I learned a little about it in Jim Hightowers book ("There's nothing in the Middle of the Road But...") The government's loan policies and the power of the Chemical lobyists have a lot to do with the problem with producing fairly priced healthy food.
I realize that restaurants serving organic food do need to charge more, since their costs are higher. At this particular restaurant, the prices are outrageous for simple items that I know cost little more than the conventionally grown items.
The protest was symbolic and tongue in cheek, to a certain extent. Many of the customers got it, and smiled or laughed.
I think everyone wonders why organic food, which is nothing new, is so expensive. And many people I know worry that it's being marketed to yuppies as if it were hip. Although the food may be more expensive to produce, I think it's obvious that capitalists are taking advantage of the situation and turning a good trend into a way to get rich. I think it's kind of like the health care industry. In this system, people who have money will have health. Of course, there are ways to get around it, and that's why I thought of this protest. Food came from our garden - with a surplus we could give food away. Other produce came from the Burbank Farmers market - it was surplus. that food would have gone to waste, but intstead we used it to feed hungry people. We were hoping to spark a dialogue with the protest and in that regard it was a total success.
The protest was staged for Mayday Eve, because we were making a statement about capitalism and its effect on the public's health. Another statement was that we don't have to be locked into going through the motions inside the system. We can think outside the system too. Althought that restaurant is promoting health, they only care about health for the wealthy. Which is just more of the same, I think.
Report this post as:
|