Alice Waters: From The Garden To The Table

From the Garden to the Table

Wife, mother, restaurant owner, project starter, revolutionary, and award winner: these are just a few of the titles which Alice Waters became known for. But in 1944 she came into the world simply a human. Her life experiences led to an expanded point of view, which she chose to share with the rest of the world in an effort to benefit the country to which she calls home. During Waters’ early life, many Americans were ignorant about the importance of pure ingredients and fresh food. Waters worked to revolutionize society’s relationship with food by encouraging the use of fresh ingredients instead of previously popular but unhealthy alternatives.

Unlike what many people would expect, in her youth Alice Waters was the exact opposite of how she is today. She was picky about what she ate, and usually only wanted cheap, unhealthy food that children might crave. Her mother would pack her bland lunches consisting of food that was thought to be the healthiest option, like plain whole wheat bread and the occasional banana (Gross). These dietary norms led Waters and her peers to expect “healthy” foods to be tasteless and boring, without much variety. As a child in the late 1940s and mid 1950s, her restaurant meals were the usual “entrees covered in heavy sauces” as explained by Laurie Krause, a member of the healthy food movement. She clarifies that during most of the 1900s, “ingredients’ pure flavors were not left to stand on their own” (Krause). During this time, food was not judged base on quality or origin, nor was it celebrated; rather, it was viewed as simply fuel for the body (“Chez Panisse Restaurant”). Ms. Waters’ generation came to expect this type of food at grocery stores and restaurants. She naively...

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...tirelessly to change the relationship our society has with the food they eat by reevaluating the ingredients used to create a meal. She used the knowledge she gained from her experience in Paris and not only recreated the food economy in the United States, but also educated America’s youth. People experienced the enhancement that pure, locally sourced food could actually make, due to her involvement. Alice’s mission for fresh ingredients expanded and swept the nation by storm after people noticed the positive change in their meals. Before Waters implemented this new way of experiencing food, Americans were ignorant about what they were eating. However now, a new ideology for a better food quality has been set in place. Our nation has the knowledge it needs to continue moving forward and forever carrying on Waters’ mission for a “good, clean, and fair” food economy.