Hear the word, capital and most of us think of financial capital. Yet in the Slow Food and Slow Money communities, we know other sorts of capital flourish as well.
Slow Food members will recognize the idea of natural capital. Much of the work being done with terroir centers on the natural capital of a geographic place. The heritage fruits, vegetables and animals found in our region are a treasure. Taste of the Ark celebrates a cultivated and nurtured natural capital.
Slow Money also centers on natural capital. We look particularly to the natural capital of a healthy soil. Our slogan, In Soil We Trust, demands we support the food related businesses designed to serve natural capital and terroir.
As Director of Investment Programs for Slow Money SoCal, I’m often called upon to give presentations explaining our approach to money in the
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Whether from a local grocery store buyer, an experienced farmer or a more knowledgeable entrepreneur, there is always a priceless amount of intellectual capital at our Gatherings. I pause for a moment to recognize our intellectual capital.
Finally, I note the amount of cultural capital we have in our region. The diversity of cultural traditions in Southern California is a regional wealth. From these local influences, we generate recipes, cultivation practices, preservation and the goods of our foodshed. Again, folks look around the room with understanding and recognition.
Only then do I touch on financial capital.
By helping our communities expand the meaning of the word, capital, I know we’re better able to come together and care for our foodshed. When we reflect on a variety of capital, we can begin to appreciate the depth of our community resources. We aren’t just a group of those with money and those that need money. We’re a community of folks ready to sustain our local businesses through a variety
Capital can come from state and corporate pension funds, public and private endowments and personal investors
Southern food embodies a history that has evolved over time and explains why we have come to believe of exclusive foods as deeply southern. “The South is a world so shaped by history and memory that is difficult to separate myth from reality. The same is true for southern food” (Ferris, 3). Southern foods are rooted in culture and traditions of the past. “Real southern food is distinctive, innovative cuisine that is grounded in the world of local agrarian traditions—soil, waters, region, season, flora and fauna—and the influence of global cultures” (Ferris, 3). Through agricultural innovation, southern food has advanced to become the tasteful southern cuisine
Tradition has been said to mirror a way of life. Observation has concluded that participants in tradition “actively construct as well as reflect culture and community” (Sacks 275). For most people in the 21st century, tradition only reveals itself during special times or certain seasons. For others it is simply a way of life. The foodways of Mexicans and Native Americans are of particular interest in this study because of the food that grew from necessity and is maintained as sacred or reserved for only special occasions. The tamale is one such food. Significantly changed and altered throughout history it has remained a
In the early 1990s, the farm economy in the heartland of the United States was weak. Farmers in North Dakota produced hard, amber Durham wheat and exported 75% to Italy for the production of high quality pasta. Prices for raw wheat fluctuated radically, depending on weather and growing conditions. Many farmers were having difficulty meeting payments for the expensive farm machin- ery required for crop production. Small family farms were disappearing and non-farm jobs in the area were scarce. Although consumers were paying record prices for food, many farmers felt that processors, who converted the raw grains into finished products for sale in
The most important economic resource is capital. Capital is what really gets the business up and running. Without capital, no money is earned and the business fails. Capital allows for more locations nationwide. Capital is necessary in any business.
Throughout the first part of the edible south, Ferris, accounts for the long history of encounters, which marked the formation of this regions distinctive cuisine. Ferris states, “the historic interactions between southerners and food tell us much about this distinctive region.” She then goes on to say “Food reflects both our
Food is a major part of any cultures identity. The foods that are eaten in Southern California have the influence of the Mexican, Asian, and eastern Americans, as well as other groups. These three groups of people make the cuisine of Southen California much more diverse than many others. The Mexican influence on the food is probably the one thing that seperates this region from many others. With a population of Hispanics being so large it only
Here in California, there are several Mexican supermarkets that offer almost all of the basic and essential products in making or preparing the dishes common for this culture. This is an advantage for Mexicans that reside here in California. The interviewees also mentioned that in other states, Mexican food products are scarce making it difficult for some of them to prepare the meals that they are used to eating.
If one were to order Chile Relleno at most restaurants in the Eastern part of the United States, one will usually find a cheese stuffed bell pepper on his plate, instead of the long, tasty green chile every Southwesterner would expect. While remaining generally a mystery to other areas of the U.S., green and red chile are staples in many southwestern homes -especially in New Mexico. The New Mexican cuisine is just one aspect of its distinct culture; the food, personalities, art, and vast, beautiful region are all uniquely enchanted (as the State slogan suggests). New Mexico also has a special history; history is the ingredient that has shaped and molded New Mexico into the one and only culture it has today. When one examines New Mexico’s
There are a vast number of cultures around the world, with things that makes each of them unique. What is culture? “Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts”. (Zimmerman 1) In other words culture is everything that makes us who we are and it’s the building blocks that created the society that we were raised in. While doing research I found out that I closely identify with the Southern American culture. The three things that identify my Southern culture are the Music, food, and religion.
Upon initial research of the rich heritage of California the two minority groups that stood out as especially influential in historic California and today’s society are the Native Americans and Hispanic Americans. To better understand and identify with these minority groups we must identify the common themes within their day to day life. By researching each culture’s common family traditions, religious beliefs, arts & entertainment, and language one can gain a greater appreciation of many different kinds of people, and in turn have more effective relationships in a multicultural society.
As can be seen from the novel, Capitol is the most wealthy and powerful place in Panem, it has advanced technology and the citizen do not need to work or seek jobs because all the fortunes are supplied by other districts. Citizens have too much food to eat and they also have special liquids causes them to vomit, thus providing enough room in the stomach for more food. Besides, most of people in other districts suffer from starvation and also dead due to the lack of food. It is also very true in our world nowadays, when developed countries occupy almost fortune in the world and developing nations usually supply them labor or raw material like coal, wood or gold. Indeed, 41% of the total world assets is owned by just only 0,7% of the world population (Klein,
In the short term, we can see the positive effects of local production and consumption for economic prosperity. (Source A) Under different circumstances, this method has proven far more effective than our current model. Moreover, our economics have transcended to a global scale. Our countries thrive off international trade. Entire companies have built themselves by providing high quality food in correlation
Through the years, Native Americans adapted to the ingredients gifted to them by the government and created frybread. At the college campus Vantrease attended, frybread was used an identification method at the campus. One of the comments the author reported was, “Are you working on that commod bod?” In addition, frybread was also seen as an acceptance method on the college campus for other Natives who grew up on reservations. The most important meaning that frybread and commodity food is heritage. Through the adaption of ingredients, we can see how the culture and heritage the Natives have created.
Before proceeding it is crucial to define the term “capital”. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, it is “invested savings used in the process of production, or money used to bring in income.” Investors around the world hold various assets to earn economic returns. The funds they loan out finance growth and development of economies abroad. It is their hope that they correctly allocate their wealth so that they can profit from sound investment. Emerging economies, nascent industries, etc. hope that they receive adequate funding to facilitate their development. Without it, they would stagnate and collapse. Capital is the lifeblood of an economy; its significance to economic growth cannot be overestimated or overstated.