Slow Food Chicago 3rd Annual Pig Roast at Goose Island -

Just as you all are finally feeling less stuffed from the Green City Market BBQ, there's another event guaranteed to fill you up with the best in local foods. Slow Food Chicago's annual fund raiser is a pig roast at Goose Island. We've secured some hogs from Slagel Farms, and five area chefs are going to make it delicious. Event details below. Hope you all can make it. It's a great cause (and not too expensive to boot), and an outstanding opportunity to eat and drink well.

Who: Slow Food Chicago

What: 3rd Annual Pig Roast at Goose Island

Where: Goose Island Beer Company (1800 W. Fulton Street, Chicago, IL 60612)

When: Sunday, September 11, 2011, 2:00 p.m. -- 5:00 p.m.

Cost: $50.00 per person before August 17st, $60.00 per person thereafter

Tickets available online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/188253


Join Slow Food Chicago for the pork party of the summer! Enjoy Goose Island beers & local pork prepared by talented chefs:

* Rick Gresh (David Burke's Primehouse)
* Andrew Hroza (Goose Island Clybourn Brewery)
* Rob Levitt (The Butcher & Larder)
* Nicole Pederson (C-House)
* Matt Troost (Three Aces)


Vegetarian option provided by Chris Spear (Uncommon Ground, dessert provided by Stephanie Samuels (Angel Food Bakery), and coffee provided by Intelligentsia. Music provided by DJ Jacob Ross.

Tickets also include a commemorative beer glass.

All proceeds benefit Slow Food Chicago, a non-profit organization seeking to create lasting change in our local food system, to ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat.
NOTE: No one under 21 years old will be admitted.
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With over 3,000 members, volunteers and friends, Slow Food Chicago seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in our local food system to ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat. We build public awareness around the economic, environmental, political and cultural impact of our eating through education, garden projects and social events. For more information, please visit our website at: http://www.slowfoodchicago.org.

In an unfortunate case of poor planning, Slow Foods has scheduled this event on the same day as the LTH Forum Picnic. Probably not the best choice of dates on their part. Too bad. I would have loved to go.

stevez wrote:In an unfortunate case of poor planning, Slow Foods has scheduled this event on the same day as the LTH Forum Picnic. Probably not the best choice of dates on their part. Too bad. I would have loved to go.

Goose Island, the generous host, dictates the date.

No reason people cannot do both!

Vital Information wrote:No reason people cannot do both!

Hi,

Yeah, I had someone plan an event against something I was planning. They still did it on the same date and time, despite my friendly suggestion not to. Guess what? People do not go to two places at the same time.

If 10 or 20 people who might have attended do not, then it is $500 to $1000 less revenue.

You may want to graciously ask your donor location for another date.

Regards,

The Slow Food announcement has already gone out to several thousand people. Can't change the date now. Dare I said it, Chicago may be big enough for two food events on the same day.

And, I have a hunch that there's some, but not a lot of, overlap between Slow Food & LTH. Sounds like a great event.

aschie30 wrote:And, I have a hunch that there's some, but not a lot of, overlap between Slow Food & LTH.

Agreed, which is why you try not to plan on the same date.

Regards,

Too bad neither of the events are on the fabulous new aggregated dining events thread. Perhaps then this crisis could have been averted.

Vital Information wrote:No reason people cannot do both!

If you've ever been to the LTH Picnic (which I know you have), you must realize how unrealistic that suggestion is. There's SOOOOO much food at the picnic (very likely even including a pig), that there's no way to enjoy both events.

I was also really surprised to see that the White Sox hadn't cancelled the Sept 11 home game in light of the LTHForum picnic.

Kennyz wrote:I was also really surprised to see that the White Sox hadn't cancelled the Sept 11 home game in light of the LTHForum picnic.

Likewise, I can't believe that all the 9/11 10 years memorials on this day haven't been cancelled due to the LTH Picnic.

Kennyz wrote:I was also really surprised to see that the White Sox hadn't cancelled the Sept 11 home game in light of the LTHForum picnic.

When you are organizing a fundraiser, you look to see if there are any avoidable conflicts for your audience.

LTHforum picnic a few people lighter does not mean much, because it is a party. If I were organizing a fundraiser hoping for the same people, I would avoid it.

White Sox game has little to no influence. LTH picnic and a Slow Food event, there is some overlap.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:When you are organizing a fundraiser, you look to see if there are any avoidable conflicts for your audience.

Sure. Then if you find out there is a conflict, you take it into consideration. Along with the dozens of other factors you have to consider. Then you look at all of those factors and make what seems like the best - though always imperfect - choice. To say someone is guilty of "poor planning" because they chose September 11 as the date for an event sounds narrow minded and pretentious.

Sometimes you have to make the best with what you have.

Kennyz wrote:To say someone is guilty of "poor planning" because they chose September 11 as the date for an event sounds narrow minded and pretentious.

No, it's not narrow minded, pretentious or having anyting to do with September 11th pe se. It's poor planning when you are trying to reach the same audience that wll be attending another gigantic event that has been announced for nearly a year already. I've got nothing against the slow food event. If anything, I'm bumed that I won't be able to attend.

stevez wrote:

Kennyz wrote:To say someone is guilty of "poor planning" because they chose September 11 as the date for an event sounds narrow minded and pretentious.

No, it's not narrow minded, pretentious or having anyting to do with September 11th pe se. It's poor planning when you are trying to reach the same audience that wll be attending another gigantic event that has been announced for nearly a year already. I've got nothing against the slow food event. If anything, I'm bumed that I won't be able to attend.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Cathy just announce the actual date of the picnic on LTH on August 8th? As I'm sure the Slow Food event was well in the works by then, maybe LTH should move the date of its picnic, as it's trying the reach the same audience as Slow Food.

Glibness aside, is there a precedent now that if a food-related event coincides even minimally with an LTH event, the moderators will heckle the event? As Darren said, I think there's enough room in this city for two food events, and it will come down to whether people want to attend a DIY picnic or a chef-driven event, or both.

aschie30 wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Cathy just announce the actual date of the picnic on LTH on August 8th? As I'm sure the Slow Food event was well in the works by then, maybe LTH should move the date of its picnic, as it's trying the reach the same audience as Slow Food.

This is the correction you requested:
Cathy posted the date for the picnic as "etched in stone" for 9/11 on January 22, 2011.
See first post under:
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=30862

Hi,

A tentative date was set before our picnic last year, because we aim for the Sunday after Labor Day. Since you cannot buy a picnic pass until the first business day in January, that's all you can do.

I have sympathies for the Pig Roast solely from my own experiences in opportunity conflicts on the same date. I remind myself over and over again: it's better to have choices than be the only game in town.

Regards,

aschie30 wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Cathy just announce the actual date of the picnic on LTH on August 8th? As I'm sure the Slow Food event was well in the works by then, maybe LTH should move the date of its picnic, as it's trying the reach the same audience as Slow Food.

Glibness aside, is there a precedent now that if a food-related event coincides even minimally with an LTH event, the moderators will heckle the event? As Darren said, I think there's enough room in this city for two food events, and it will come down to whether people want to attend a DIY picnic or a chef-driven event, or both.

OK. I'll correct you.

Please don't try to put words or intent in my mouth. My point had nothing specifically to do with the LTH Forum picnic. I'd feel the same way if the Slow Food Pig Roast was being planned on the same day as the Green City Market Chef's BBQ. The point is that both events are major draws to people who love food and now we are forced to pick one or the other, as you pointed out (personally, I can't imagine anyone attending both). That's my only complaint. Believe me, I'm not worried at all about attendance at the LTH picnic. I'm sure we'll be near capacity as always, but for us it's just a picnic as Cathy said. There is no benefit one way or the other based on how many people show up. In the case of Slow Foods, it's a fund raiser, so holding the event on a day where there is a major conflict could potentially hurt their bottom line. It's a tactical error. I don't mean to "heckle" the event (nor am I a moderator), my comments are partial constructive criticism and partial dissapointment that I won't be able to attend the great sounding Slow Food event.

This is pretty much all I have to say on the subject, so go ahead and have your final word and then let's just let the thread exist in peace.

Maybe Slow Food intentionally picked 9/11 to prevent LTH'ers from coming.... I smell a conspiracy!

I'm lying to myself right now and planning to do both, but most likely I'll just end up doing the picnic (eating and cooking great food wins out over just eating good food every time). The Goose Island Pig Roast is a great event, I really enjoyed it last year.

Here's a pic of Rob Leavitt's roast pig from last year - they basically skinned and boned the pig, ground the shoulder into sausage, laid out the loins and other tender cuts in the skin and fat carcass, and stuffed it all back into the skin.

I really doubt that LTH's Events calendar is on Slow Food's radar. We're a fairly small organization and it doesn't surprise me that our picnic doesn't appear to have been a consideration in their planning. If not for the picnic, I'd likely attend the Slow Food event but given what a massive feast the picnic is, attending both doesn't seem very realististic...even for a trooper like myself.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I really doubt that LTH's Events calendar is on Slow Food's radar.

Well, since VI is on Slow Food Chicago's board of directors, I'd say it's at least a small blip on their radar.

gleam wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I really doubt that LTH's Events calendar is on Slow Food's radar.

Well, since VI is on Slow Food Chicago's board of directors, I'd say it's at least a small blip on their radar.

As I've noted before, the date is pretty much totally, and I mean totally, driven by Goose Island. Goose Island is a very generous host, and has been a generous host in the past to Slow Food and many similar projects. They have a variety of considerations of their own (which I am not privy). Based on their considerations, they pick the date.

Does anyone else have an uncomfortable feeling that September 11th was not an appropriate date for either a picnic or a pig roast?

Katie wrote:Does anyone else have an uncomfortable feeling that September 11th was not an appropriate date for either a picnic or a pig roast?

I will respect your decision to stay home.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

Katie wrote:Does anyone else have an uncomfortable feeling that September 11th was not an appropriate date for either a picnic or a pig roast?

I will respect your decision to stay home.

Regards,

As I heard someone say (sadly, I cannot remember who) July 4 is our day, not September 11.

=R=

Doesn't answer my question, though. Moreover, and I realize text can be misleading, but I can't help thinking, Cathy, that your response was worded to convey that I was not welcome at the picnic, and I thought we were in the process of moving beyond that kind of touchiness. I recognize that dates for events in parks must be requested many months in advance, and that may well have been the only date available. Still, I have a little bit of discomfort thinking about a picnic on a solemn date, and I was curious to know - I think it's a fair question - if I'm the only one who felt that way. Perhaps, on the other hand, a quintessentially American summer celebration like a large picnic is the ideal way to mark the occasion, and I'm open to that view as well.

Katie wrote:Perhaps, on the other hand, a quintessentially American summer celebration like a large picnic is the ideal way to mark the occasion, and I'm open to that view as well.

That's the way I look at it. I know it sounds very cliche, but like the politicians are fond of saying, if you let the terrorists affect your life, they win.

I will respect your decision to stay home.

Doesn't answer my question, though. Moreover, and I realize text can be misleading, but I can't help thinking, Cathy, that your response was worded to convey that I was not welcome at the picnic

You know what I respect?

Cathy, for doing this every year. Despite the previous year's thread about it.

Thank you, Cathy.