I am obsessed with obsessives. I get wrapped up listening to enthusiasts expound upon their particular interest, whether it be netsuke collecting, lasagna gardening, praying mantis breeding, sea glass searching, mushroom hunting, or whatever happens to turn an obsessive's crank. Their enthusiasm is infectious and I gain a newfound appreciation for the object of their obsession.
So, I was very happy to come across CHOW's video series called "Obsessives," which profiles people who have a devout interest in some aspect of food. So far, CHOW has profiled the proprietor of the best soda pop store in the country, a lawbreaking raw cheesemaker, a master pickler, an absinthe distiller, a tea aficionado, an extreme espresso enthusiast, and other food fanatics.
The most recent "Obessive" is Novella Carpenter, a woman in West Oakland who was dismayed by the lack of good grocery stores in her neighborhood. She started growing beans and other vegetables in an adjacent abandoned lot, and before long she began keeping livestock: bees, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, ducks, geese, pigs, and goats. She calls the lot "Ghost Town Farm."
Carpenter scrounges through dumpsters to find food for her livestock, and enjoys it when her neighbors come over and help themselves to her fruits and vegetables. She says her neighbors, who came from Vietnam, Yemen, and Somalia, aren't surprised by what she does because they did the same kind of urban farming in their home country.
The video does include scenes of animal slaughter, so viewer discretion is advised.
Mark Frauenfelder Credit.com contributor, editor-in-chief of MAKE magazine and the founder of the popular site Boing Boing, Mark was an editor at Wired from 1993-1998 and is the founding editor of Wired Online. He covers creative DIY projects and how-tos that will help you make the most of your money.
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