It's Not Easy Being Green

Last month, public television aired a program called "The Botany of Desire", based on the book by Michael Pollan. In it, he explores the life and history of 4 plants: the tulip, the potato, the apple, and the marijuana plant. He demonstrates that what is critical to the evolution of each of these plants is human demand, and how that shapes the development, science and marketing of what may seem like ordinary products.

Since I watched the show during a fund drive, I got to hear Pollan's commentary on the making of the program, and he talked about how difficult it was to get PBS to sign on to a show that talked openly about the state of marijuana today, from the medical marijuana stores to the grow houses. We forget, especially here in California, that while some of our public media may appear to be liberal, they are essentially running a business and do not want to air anything that may risk offending their viewers, aka supporters. It is only through the success of Pollan's other works and resulting celebrity status that this program finally made it to air, 10 years after the idea was conceived. And what we would have missed had it never been viewed - it's a interesting, informed, scientific and social exploration that will change the way you think the next time you look at an apple or a french fry.

If you don't think that marijuana products are a serious, regulated, legitimate, big business, just visit a medical marijuana store, and look at how the product has evolved (and lest you think that these stores are a rarity or only in hippie communities, consider that Denver reportedly has more pot dispensaries than Starbucks stores).

Around the same time that Michael Pollan was on his quest, in 1999 my friend Drew conceived the idea and image of The Bong Girl, which he created as a symbol for the legalization of marijuana. He has just launched a new website detailing the history of The Bong Girl and her role as the crusader for ending cannabis prohibition. The site offers flirty and fun apparel and accessories, surrounding the simple claim that "Activism + Sexy = You".

The design was inspired by the mudflap girl image that is seen on trucks throughout the country - exploring the notion that truckers are the cowboys of our generation: out on the open road, guided by truth, living an authentic lifestyle.

The Bong Girl is a site devoted to the idea of freedom, and the grass-roots movement of a community getting together to show the demand and desire for marijuana as a natural, peaceful leisure product that should not be restricted by law. Check it out, get informed, and if you are in support, buy some gear. This is the botany of desire, indeed.

In the Slow Lane

Some highlights from the Slow Food Nation festival, Aug 29 - Sept 1, 2008. Over 60,000 people were in attendance.

Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.

The title of this post is a simplified version of Michael Pollan's formula for a successful diet, taken from his new book "In Defense of Food".

Food is a subject that is always on my mind, and especially at the start of a New Year, I am resolved to eat more healthfully. But how to sift through the enormous, and often conflicting, amount of theories and information out there? No carbs? Some carbs? No fats? Good fats? Protein? Food combining? To juice or not to juice?

Diet is a word that I detest. I still have a copy of this Grapefruit, Beet and Hard-Boiled Egg diet I went on about 12 years ago, guaranteed to make me lose weight in a short amount of time. All it did was make me want to kill everyone. It was a long time before I ate those foods again.

I love food. I don't want it to be my enemy. There are very few things in the world that I will not eat (and I have eaten some things that would make a lot of people shudder) - the more simple, regional and fresh, the better. Moving to California made me more conscious of not eating processed foods and the benefits of farmer's markets. But we are also eating out more than we ever have, and even the most moderate grocery store caters to the desires of our inner foodie. I have more $15 jars of jam than I would have ever thought possible.

Not long ago, I was advised by a friend to become more of a food connoisseur and less of a hedonist. Sound advice, but now I have to come up with the parameters around this and put it into action.

I think the key to any successful change is understanding the science behind it. I don't want to blindly follow a regimen laid out by someone else, I want to be able to make my own educated choices and be creative in my selections. I want to continue my lifestyle with modifications that don't feel like deprivation. In other words, I want to become my own nutritionist.

So this book, among others, is on my reading list. I am looking forward to delving into the world of food in a new way, and taking my first bite of healthful living.