So I’m new to the foodie scene. In fact, I’ve been on the run from food, foodies and food-related controversies for quite some time. As someone perfectly at home with my Kraft Mac & Cheese and frozen pizzas, entering the world of culinary politics is a jump into a deep pot.
Which is suprising, since kashrut is such a significant manifestation of my faith — meat and dairy separated to acknowledge the sacredness of taking animal life for food, of not eating animals which hunt, and so on.
So why shouldn’t I take a closer look at my everyday fare with an eye to those ethics, particularly when it comes to the life, death and rebirth of the planet’s ecosystems as a whole? Or the sustainablity of agribusiness practices? Or my garbage disposal? This, as I said, is all new to me.
It is just with such questions in mind that Hazon will host From Latkes to Lattes: Hazon’s Conference on Jews, Food and Contemporary Life, the first conference on the intersection of Jews and contemporary food issues, this December 14-17 at the Isabella Freedman Retreat Center in Falls Village, Connecticut, over the first nights of Chanukah. From Latkes to Lattes will examine such questions as:

• How do we add a distinctly Jewish flavor to today’s healthier food?
• How do we eat sustainably while maintaining Jewish food traditions?
• What would it take to gain a more direct connection to where our food comes from?

Check out the info here and meanwhile give me some links to read about food, foodies and food-related controversies.