The people and the food

While the sharing of new ideas and the invigoration that comes from being around the movers and the shakers is exciting,the best thing about any conference is the people you meet. Lunch (provided by the conference) is always a fun time to meet people and learn about their lives and challenges. Now that the conference is over, it is more difficult to strike up a conversation.

Everything at the hotel is so EXPENSIVE that we've taken to eating dinner at the bar (actually just chairs in the hotel lobby) where you can get a sandwich and chips for $21 - compared to the dinner prices of $45 per plate upstairs. Last night at dinner, we met a fellow who was talking to the chef about brands of food. Evidently he is a food producer (fruit, grains) throughout Europe who is taking "organic" to a whole new level. As he explained, "organic" can mean most anything. He was into producing food with absolutely no pesticides and giving reassurances that the food was as pure as he claimed. He talked about food producers having markedly different costs, but dealing with the expectation that all food should be reasonably priced. He said, "The reason California can produce food cheaper than the East coast is Mexican workers. If you tell a New Yorker you will pay $8 an hour, long days of work, and no benefits, they refuse to work. If you tell a Hispanic the same thing, they ask, 'When do I start?' - especially if you will provide a home for them and allow family to come with them. The same is true in Europe. Our cheap labor force is Eastern European. You don't get cheap food without taking unfair advantage of people with few options." He was an interesting fellow.

Breakfast (provided by the hotel) is quite the affair. This morning I had two kinds of cold meat (salami and Proscuitto) and six kinds of cheese. The fresh fruit is amazing - melons, mango, pineapple, red grapes, kiwi, oranges. Little pastries and breads are delicious. Steve sticks with traditional fare such as eggs, bacon, and pancakes - but I (who am not a breakfast fan) am enjoying the amazing variety.