(continued)

We asked: Do you ever eat a meal on the run?

Alice Waters:
I love to eat a sandwich standing up at a bar in Italy -- in a community of people who are all sharing that kind of experience....Every meal doesn't have to be a multi-course event -- a good bowl of noodle soup at a counter -- mmmm!

cardoon:
Alice- do you know of any profesional training courses aimed exclusively at vegetarian cooking ?

In addition, we asked about vegetarianism in general:

Alice Waters:
Vegetarian cooking is very important and we should think about meat in a very limited way -- like the Mediterranean countries have always done, using it as a condiment. But no, I don't know of any professional training courses -- I just love vegetables?ripe ones ?alive ones.

Legit:
What is the most challenging part of having a successful restaurant?

Alice Waters:
The most challenging part of having a successful restaurant? It's always keeping it alive - always challenging yourself -- never allowing it to go on automatic.

We asked Alice about the connection between food and politics:

Alice Waters:
Food is a way of bringing people together -- when people care about what they're growing and are honest about it and really care about other people's nourishment, the people who are eat their produce feel that and in turn feel responsible towards growers -- so there's something that goes back and forth that is the basis of community. And, to me, that's something is what builds a society and a country. One thing we all share is that, no matter what, we all have to eat - and how you choose to eat, what kind of food you choose, is a political act.

GordonSt:
Alice: This is my last post. I have to go. But I wanted to say thank you. To be honest, I am not really a food person (although I do enjoy eating), but it always interesting to hear the thoughts of someone who is really passionate about what they do. Thank you and good luck.

Pinky11:
Hi - I'm (for CuisineNet) coming in under Pinky11 - saying good-bye for Alice -- thanks you all for coming -- we'll post this on the venue -- sorry for the glitches in the system -- we'll try to work them out for next time! Thanks again.

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