the american food project
So, I’ve posted a couple of short video clips about a documentary project that I came up with awhile back. It is called, The American Food Project. I had the idea about 6 months ago as I was working on the podcast. As I often do, I let it play in my mind for a little bit and then dismissed it. I then waited to see if this idea came back. This is usually the sign that I need to, at the very minimum, kick the can down the road a little further. Which I did, and have. Now I’m at the point of no return and I couldn’t be more freaking stoked about it!
“ What I aim to do is to be a catalyst for change. Change in conversation, change in points of view, a change in how we treat each other in our journey on this big blue planet together.”
You’re probably asking yourself what it is going to be about, right? Well, the plan is to dive into the lives of immigrant workers in the restaurant and food industry on many levels. I want to be able to show viewers that the men and women that I have come to know throughout my career in the food industry are no different than any of us. I want to be able to shed light on some misconceptions and untruths that many people of this country carry around with them about immigrant workers. I want to help you, the viewer, get to know these people as I have come to know many of them throughout my work life. If I can change the perception of just one person, then this project will have been a success. Aside from the human aspect of things would be the financial or economical component of immigrant workers on, not only the US but, the global economy.
I’m not a huge statistics guy, but there a several places where you can look for labor stats and financial impact numbers for immigrant workers related to the food industry. However, for the purposes of what I am trying to convey at the moment, I’m gonna drop some stats on y’all! In a Forbes article from February 28, 2017, the US Department of Labor sites that 57% of our country’s agricultural workforce is undocumented. Why is this significant or important? Well, most of the workers are paid lower wages which basically keeps the wheels moving…literally. Here’s how it works in a nutshell: Lower paid workers allow farmers to keep their farms operating. By continuing to operate the farmers are able to meet the demand for product and bring it to market at a lower end price. If we took immigrants out of the agricultural equation food prices could go up 6% or more in some studies. That may not sound like a lot, but given the impact of having to pay other workers higher wages would start to put some smaller family run farms out of business. This doesn’t begin to cover the other organizations that depend on lower costs at market - restaurants and school food programs to name a couple.
Speaking of restaurants… There was a study done by the Pew Hispanic Center that suggests that the percentages of undocumented cooks is about 20% and dishwashers at about 30%. This study was done back in 2008. From having spent most of my adult life in kitchens, those numbers made me laugh. I imagine if the study was done differently you would see different results. For example, if the studies were done in major metropolitan areas where there is a heavier concentration of immigrants and restaurants it would tips the scales heavily. I can tell you from my experience over the course of my career the percentages would be closer to 85-95% undocumented workers. Now, before you get your undergarments all in a bunch, I am speaking of my own personal experience. There is another component to this that no one is really talking about. Taxes being paid to the government. While there are restaurants that still pay people cash off the books, the fact is that most employers are paying people through payroll. In other words…on the books.
How? It’s pretty simple actually. Getting a social security number with a card, a fake green card or any other documentation is not as hard as one would think. Especially, if you know a guy that knows a guy. That’s not what this is about though. The fact is that a lot of times the documentation is recycled or “borrowed,” etc. So you have this person working, getting a paycheck with taxes deducted that they will virtually never benefit from. Money going into the government systems that is almost completely unaccounted for. I often wonder about this. With the amount of undocumented workers in the restaurant industry and our country as a whole, where does all the fucking money go? Bottom line is, if you get a paycheck taxes are being deducted. Wouldn’t you think in some areas, we would have a or should have a surplus of funds? That’s a conundrum that I don’t know, unless I got into politics, that I’ll ever solve. I digress…
The American Food Project is going to be something special. I can feel it. I’m sure that I’ll get push back and I’m sure there will be a great deal of support too. What I aim to do is to be a catalyst for change. Change in conversation, change in points of view, a change in how we treat each other in our journey on this big blue planet together. I hope that you join me, us, on this exploration of people, culture and food. Who knows what we’ll actually find?