Keep your mouth shut if you go to Asheville’s Chow Chow Food + Culture Festival Thursday, September 7th through Sunday, September 10th.
Be sure to read the Code of Conduct, found under website menu item “2023 Festival”. Acceptable and Unacceptable behaviors while at Chow Chow are outlined clearly, including this warning*:
“By attending any Chow Chow Food + Culture Festival you agree to abide by this Code of Conduct and understand that any failure to do so will result in your immediate removal from the event and that law enforcement may be involved, if appropriate.”
*I’m pretty sure their failure to comply with the Code of Conduct warning was originally written as, “You will be forcibly removed by our staff”. That would have been quite a show if they tried that, wouldn’t it?
THREATS vs WELCOME
As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to “celebrating and enriching the foodways of Southern Appalachia and Asheville’s creative economy” a positive, welcoming message would be so much better than “comply or you will be removed”. By the way, the event was previously called Chow Chow Asheville and the above statement read, “As a 501(c)3 non-profit, the mission of Chow Chow Asheville is to celebrate and enrich the unique foodways of the Southern Appalachian region.”
Celebrating Asheville’s creative economy is great! It’s a big reason why so many people visit and move here. BUT, do you really need to lecture with statements like:
“It is our utmost priority to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all regardless of race, ethnicity, body size, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual identity, physical appearance, disability, socioeconomic status, religion or other group identity. In order to do this, Chow Chow Food + Culture representatives will actively enforce this Code with no exception.”
It’s like restaurants that post “Be Nice or Leave” signs. Right in the door, the message is you’re not nice and need to be threatened to be nice. Why not a positive message, if a message is necessary at all, that inspires folks to be nice rather than a threat?
ADMIRABLE GOALS – WASTED OPPORTUNITY
What are the foodways of Southern Appalachia? And what is Asheville’s creative economy? Does celebrating and enriching either involve lifestyle choices, physical appearance, and socioeconomic status? Why not offer non-judgmental learning opportunities and discussions about the history of the Southern Appalachia foodways – the good, bad, and ugly – and where it is today? What about interactive sessions by or with Asheville creatives and their work that might lead to broader understanding of what it is to be a creative/artist, their creative process, why they do what they do, etc.?
Reading Chow Chow’s Code of Conduct made me think about how wonderful the Chapel Hill, NC TerraVita Food & Drink Festival (no longer active) Sustainable Classroom discussions were. I attended a panel discussion, one of many on varied topics, that consisted of respected professionals that felt organic, sustainably produced food must be mandated in all situations, as well as the Director of food service at a major hospital who presented the realities of feeding ill, possibly dying patients, and others. It was an informed, respectful discussion from multiple points of view. Pretty sure those on both sides of the issue learned something new.
Chow Chow experienced a lot of blow back after their inaugural event over funding questions, locals expressing out of reach costs to attend, political agenda, and more.
My April 15, 2021 Facebook post (https://tinyurl.com/ChowChow2021), “Why I won’t go to Chow Chow” included my take on this sanctioned, front and center “Why We’re Different” video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R329-1Ysc4E), in which Jefferson Ellison, Jawbreaking Creative, Chow Chow Communications (at that time) says: “In a city like Asheville, that is overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly privileged, overwhelmingly wealthy…thriving off of a community that may feel unseen, unheard, unvalidated”.
Bottom line, it feels like the new group of Chow Chow event managers are trying to make positive changes, but are falling short. If you want folks to feel welcome and attend, stop the demeaning lectures. If part of this event’s mission is to act as a catalyst for societal change (?), fine, but this isn’t the way to go about it.
