Food Fight: Dana Goodyear on Renegade Chefs vs. Regulators

The culinary world is preparing for a looming food fight, with
adventurous eaters and chefs on one side, and the law on the other.
Author Dana Goodyear spoke with Reason TV’s Alexis Garcia about how
underground chefs, raw foodists, and exotic eaters will cope with
an impending crackdown from the Food and Drug Administration.

Originally published on July 7, 2014:

“We are heading toward a clash,” says Dana Goodyear, author of
Anything That Moves: Renegade Chefs, Fearless Eaters and the Making
of a New American Food Culture. “What’s happening in the food world
is that chefs and diners are demanding greater variety and less
oversight and our regulatory system is not set up for that.”

The rise of foodie culture has made the adventurous palate
mainstream. It’s no longer uncommon to see exotic ingredients such
as offal, insects, or even dirt on restaurant menus. 

Goodyear, who also writes for The New Yorker, describes foodies
as people who are passionate about food and dining experiences.
“Whereas other people may care about literature or film or sports,
a foodie cares about food,” states Goodyear. “I think that’s a
really new thing in this country—that there are people who are
activists around access to food and ingredients and food
experiences.”

While Goodyear sees the foodie movement as an indicator that
American food culture is becoming more democratized as more choices
are made available to consumers, the regulatory regime that has
been built around ensuring food quality has proven outdated and
unable to handle the artisanal, homegrown movement. 

“[T]he way in which that initial legislation—the Pure Food and
Drugs Act of 1906—has been built upon has really encouraged the
industrialization of food and it’s really only possible for very
large producers to comply perfectly,” says Goodyear. “A lot of
people are feeling now that smaller scale producers who may not be
able to afford the manpower to keep up the paperwork that’s
required for compliance are actually practicing safe
food.” 

The growing tension between regulators and food producers has
led to more innovation in the fine dining world as chefs seek new
ways to offer people unique dining experiences free from the
bureaucratic headaches that typically consume restaurant
operations. Pop-up restaurants and underground supper clubs are
just some of the more inventive ways chefs are able to experiment
and provide new dishes to customers.

Goodyear describes her experience at an underground supper where
cannabis was the featured ingredient as an illustration of the
growing disconnect between regulators and foodies. “That was a
really fun dinner because it really got to the heart of chefs
innovating and experimenting and using ingredients that are not
typically thought of as food ingredients,” says Goodyear. “And then
here it is an ingredient that is actually a Schedule I drug.”

Produced by Alexis Garcia. Shot by Zach Weissmueller, Tracy
Oppenheimer, and Will Neff. Music by ProleteR. 

Approximately 9 minutes.