How do we think of food?

For 8 years I have worked for a very bureaucratic, yet impactful, organization.  The Museum for all its wondrous interiors is still a state entity.  It is, after all, THE State of Florida's natural history museum.  For the last 5 years I am the one who plans events all year long.  I approve menus, I proof invites, I order booze, I decide on decor and much to my annoyance I obey rules and fill out forms.  Form after form after form.  Everything has to be approved by a higher being living in a couple of different places on the campus of the University of Florida, legal, the Foundation and UF administration. What does that mean for me? My events cost a lot of money, I have little control on creativity when it comes to food, and I am constantly worried about liability.
I must use a caterer that 1. has at least $2 million in insurance and 2. a legal catering license.  This eliminates many eateries in Gainesville. I must use licensed bartenders that fulfill the above criteria, plus they must be trained for safety reasons. I get all of this, but it also makes me sad.

I just watched Bizarre Foods, and I was amazed at 2 different segments they did on it. They were in San Francisco and they filmed Food Not Bombs.  The get perfectly good, yet slightly bruised, food out of restaurant dumpsters around San Fran.  Then they make dinner for the homeless with it every Thursday.  Now this illegal of course, but the police looked the other way. People are starving all over the world and restaurants throw out dumpsters full of food every day.  Orlando's leg of this organization have been getting the crack down from their police. I can't even reuse dishes for public consumption without having them washed in a commercial cleaner.
More info on this org: http://www.foodnotbombs.net/
More info on the City of Orlando vs. Food Not Bombs: http://blogs.orlandoweekly.com/index.php/2010/11/round-two-of-orlando-vs-food-not-bombs-set-for-february-of-next-year/

They also did a segment on Urban Foraging. yes, that is exactly what I wrote! People around San Fran forage for wild grown food, and then have a flash mob-esque restaurant.  They charge $85 for a an 8 course meal, and text the location 2 hours prior to dinner. Again, this is illegal, because they aren't a licensed restaurant and it's not a house dinner party. They are amazing though.  They find wild fennel, wild snails (cleaned of all toxins of course), wild boar and seaweed.  Gourmet!!
A great article/interview with Iso Rabins, a mastermind behind the movement: http://www.thelocaldish.com/san-francisco/find-it-san-francisco/local-gone-wild-urban-foraging.html

How cool would it be to have a foraged catered meal for 60 or 70 people at the Museum, a natural history museum? What kind of impact could we make by spreading this message? Look at your environment, learn about your environment, use your environment!

I get the "rules," i understand wanting to protect our patrons (or more selfishly, protect the Museum and ultimately UF).  But the legal necessity of our lives makes us miss out on so much!

Bon Appetite!