Innovation: Food supply & community are defining world issues
ANALYSIS: McLaren Vale, South Australia — Writing from South Australia, outside Adelaide in the McLaren Vale wine region. Been researching innovation in food supply in the region.
Food supply important to innovation?
Yes. Definitely. Community and food (never eat alone) are crucial to the development of ideas, and understanding the point of life.
Community and food are a large part of life. French people don’t view food as ‘fuel’ this is an English-speaking (largely big city) definition.
Food and company are to be savoured an enjoyed.
In the community conversation, good ideas grow, bad ideas may be weeded out, and the best ideas pruned and shaped like topiary. Food is a vital component of inspiration.
The McLaren Vale wine region, the oldest in South Australia, is among the best of the new world producers. Today we headed to D’Arenberg, and tasted some of their best, including some great fortifieds. (formerly known as Port!)
Loved the Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, but also some of the French, Italian and Portuguese style varietals.
Inspiration comes from love
This deep and lasting love, that is wine-making certainly enriches the soil, each year and vintage building on the year before, but t also ripens and adds layers to the people.
Invariably a love of food, is a love of life, and a love of the things the earth brings us.
To harm the environment after such love, is as to slap the face of the lover after unforgettable passion, something that is unforgivable.
We need a closer connection to nature and the food of nature. The tomatoes we ate last night were real tomatoes. Not watery rot. The olives the best I have had anywhere.
It is this love, this care, that is true cultural innovation.
The Italians, French and Austrians know it. This region, SA and coastal Vic have the moderate temperate climates to be world class food regions. McLaren Vale is part of Australia’s Tuscan region, the local south of France.
Victoria, where I live, has similar excellent regions such as Rutherglen & Gippsland.
When we create change, we need to ask what is that change for?
Is our change: positive social change? Is it innovation?
Or is it just more slapped together fried chicken and chips, more plastic disposable rubbish, more mass-produced thinking? More fried chicken innovation - useless, pointless, tasteless unsatisfying change?
So… What are you aiming for?
Take care, go drink some red & hug a cat,
Christopher.
Speaker. Author. Editor-In-Chief. Executive Director of Innovation, 2thinknow.
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