Spring 2013

EdibleAustin_27-cover

The Wellness Issue

Welcome to The Wellness Issue. I promise we’ll stop welcoming you to each of our themed issues as soon as we’ve made the rounds of introducing them this year. As our first issue with this theme, however, I’d like to share a bit of background.

Perhaps you’ll notice a preponderance of children gracing the pages of this issue, along with chickens, hogs and farm dogs. This issue is about caretaking the next generation and about the creatures that instinctively caretake us.

While we focus on wellness for our families and our environment in this issue, there is also an underlying theme of “children and food.” It began with a collaboration last summer with the Children’s Environmental Health Institute to curate a photography exhibition called “Children and Their Food.” The exhibit was a continuation of their Picture the Children project—a visual exploration of children in their environment. This juried exhibition (a selection of photos can be viewed here, as well as on our cover) debuted at an international science symposium held last fall in Austin, and will be on display at our Wellness issue signature event, a “Children’s Picnic and Real Food Fair,” on Sunday, April 7 at the French Legation Museum. With sponsorship from the Whole Kids Foundation, “Children and Their Food,” will also be touring the country, appearing at Whole Foods Markets in multiple cities. It cuts to the core of what it means for children to interact with and explore food on a visceral level.