H for Hunger

On Oct 27th, I attended Henry Rollins' spoken word show -- the Toronto stop of his Recountdown 2008 Tour. I've had the privilege of hearing him speak numerous times, both live and in recordings. Witnessing his evolution as an orator and as a human being over the last two decades has been stirring and awe-inspiring. Rollins' self-deprecating sense of humor and storytelling ability have won him many fans, but it is his tireless and sometimes manic social activism that has garnered him respect.

In his performance, Rollins discussed his recent involvement with "H for Hunger", a furious one-man rant/documentary that rails against world hunger and all its contributing forces. It is an English-language remake of "F Comme Faim" starring French actor, Dominique Pinon. Naturally, Rollins was cast as the angry mouthpiece; he also helped finance the project. The film has not yet been released, but I believe it is on the festival circuit now and will hopefully hit your local cinema soon.

Talking about hunger and famine is likely to be unsettling in a blog that celebrates food. First and foremost, eating is a survival mechanism, and it is only when people have the luxury of being picky about their next meal can we begin to talk about cuisine and gourmet dining. There's no difference between foie gras and Spam to someone who is starving to death.

However disturbing the subject is, it can't be ignored. Chronic hunger is omnipresent and caused by a variety of factors. Poverty, of course, is an immediate contributor. Overpopulation in a region ravaged by drought or a disaster leads to a regional shortage of food supplies. Warfare and military policies in certain countries have had a debilitating impact on food distribution and general living conditions. It's important to remember that hunger exists not only in the Third World but in the First World as well.

The treatment of acute malnutrition is not as simple as handing out sandwiches. When the human body has been severely deprived, it has great difficulty processing regular food. The restoration of nutrition needs to occur gradually and gently through therapeutic feeding. Treatment begins with a nutrient-enriched milk then moves on to a specially formulated porridge. These foods are designed to encourage rapid weight gain without taxing the atrophied digestive system.

What is it like, that moment when food is finally delivered to a mouth in desperate need? There's a story from the Japanese film, "After Life" which comes to mind: a World War II veteran recalls his capture by American soldiers after his platoon is decimated. There was not much point to it, given that he was already on the verge of death from disease and starvation. Out of pity, his captors offered him some rice seasoned lightly with salt. The intense deliciousness of the rice at that moment is the one memory above all others that the veteran chooses to take with him to the after life, where he will spend an eternity reliving it.

The value of food to the hungry is evident, but the power of food to nurture and comfort goes far beyond hunger. So, is it obvious or surprising that the most passionate of foodies are among the most active advocates of hunger relief programs?

The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) -- which provided support to the "H for Hunger" project -- challenged top chefs around the world last year to raise global awareness by incorporating corn soya blend (CSB) in stunning gourmet creations. CSB is a cheap, vitamin-enriched substance reminiscent of gruel that humanitarian aid workers distribute to disaster-stricken, war-ravaged regions. Much to WFP's astonishment, chefs signed up in droves. Heinz Beck, the executive chef of La Pergola restaurant in Rome (rated two Michelin stars), participated in the challenge and had this to say:

“For us chefs, it’s important to recognize that there are many people who are not able to afford to pay for even bad food... It’s not just a responsibility that we recognize world hunger, it is a duty as propagators of culinary art that we make sure even our most discerning clientele are aware of the problem of famine.”

Restaurants Against Hunger (RAH) is a coalition of UK chefs, restauranteurs, food critics, food writers, and others in the food services industry who have banded together to raise funds for Action Against Hunger UK (AAH UK), a non-profit humanitarian organization with the mission to combat hunger and famine.

RAH has innovative means of raising money. For example, member chefs can designate a dish from their respective menus to collect the proceeds from its sale on behalf of AAH. On October 19th, RAH hosted a fundraiser called Too Many Critics: notable food critics prepared a five-course banquet for a dining hall full of distinguished chefs. Hand-decorated plates by Heston Blumenthal, Gordon Ramsay and Fergus Henderson (gasp! gasp! and gasp! a veritable trifecta of culinary awesomeness, in my opinion) were auctioned off that evening to raise a stunning £2,800 (that's almost $5,500 CAD, folks).

Good food is the nectar of life and it should be a fundamental right for everybody to have it within their grasp. If the cookbook ever gets published and does reasonably well, I think the proceeds should go to one of these programs where they do so much amazing humanitarian work. Better keep at it, then!