Newswise — Hull-House founder Jane Addams met other social reformers every day to share meals and ideas in the dining hall of the landmark settlement house in Chicago.
Staff members of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum have revived that tradition with a few twists in "Re-Thinking Soup," a weekly soup kitchen.
The free soup is made of local organic ingredients from the museum's nearby Urban Farm. The free bread is by artisan bakers. The recipes and cooking expertise have been donated by noted local chefs, including Sam Kass, now personal chef to the Obamas.
The conversation is about food issues. Every Tuesday at noon, guest speakers address hundreds of visitors to talk about food issues such as urban agriculture, big agribusiness, farm working conditions, animal rights, rising diabetes and obesity, and energy use in food production.
The 2009-2010 lecture series began on Aug. 25 with a talk by Joshua Viertel, president of Slow Food USA, about his nonprofit organization's role in an international movement to promote "good, clean, and fair food."
"Eating local organic food isn't new," said Lisa Lee, museum director. "Dumping pesticides into the food supply and land is new.
"When we buy organic and local food, it links the personal with the political. It's better for our health, the environment, and local economies."
For information about "Re-Thinking Soup," go to http://www.uic.edu/jaddams/hull/Events/kitchen/newSoup.html.
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