Were you at Woodstock in 1969? Me neither. Those who were call themselves members of Woodstock Nation. They tell me the festival was a ground-breaking event, that you had to be there to understand its impact on music and lifestyle.

This Labor Day weekend I am going to San Francisco to attend Slow Food Nation, the largest celebration of American food in history. I guess that makes me a member of a nation. The organizers, Slow Food USA, say the food conference will be packed with ground-breaking events, most of them free and open to the public. Some 250 leaders of local chapters of the international Slow Food organization will be there to work, eat and play along with about 50,000 others who will be there to eat and play.

Virginia Phillips, who will also attend Slow Food Nation, and I have been co-leaders of Slow Food Pittsburgh going on eight years. The question we are most often asked is, "What is Slow Food?" The short version of a really long answer is this: Slow Food is a 10-year old international organization with a vision that everyone is entitled to eat food that is good for them, good for the people who grow it and good for the planet. And yes, it is the opposite of "fast food."

Slow Food was founded in Rome in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, a scholar and intellectual, who pretty much pitched a fit when McDonald's opened shop at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. Mr. Petrini's philosophy -- that food is much, much more than cooking and eating -- launched the Slow Food movement (although I prefer the term organization to movement, which to me sounds too much like peristalsis), now with some 83,000 members worldwide, 16,000 of whom are in the United States. The group philosophy that has evolved is to promote food that is fresh, local, seasonal and sustainably produced, while considering the social, ecological and political complications as well.

Nothing is simple, especially the food we eat. Think about that the next time you are in the supermarket staring, say, at a potato and wondering where it came from, how it was grown, if anything was added to it and how many miles it traveled to get to your grocery cart.

San Francisco, a foodie mecca for many, will welcome an assortment of farmers, educators, artists, food artisans, politicians, environmental advocates and anyone else who can snag a hotel room to attend this celebration of food.

Here's a preview of what's happening today through Sunday.

• Victory Garden. The lawn was dug up in front of City Hall and planted with a quarter-acre garden. Seeds and starts for the garden were donated by Seeds of Change and individuals from around the country. (I wonder how it will compare to my dad's ambitious victory garden back in the '40s.)

• Marketplace. Civic Center Plaza marketplace will showcase nearly 100 California farmers and artisans. It will be the quintessential farmers market.

• Taste pavilions. Fifteen architects volunteered to build pavilions dedicated to things such as beer, cheese, chocolate, charcuterie, pickles, Native foods, bread and wine. We get to see, taste and compare.

• Music festival. Big names in rock, folk, soul and jazz will hold forth on the Great Meadow. I doubt it will have the Woodstock impact, but it will be a memorable experience.

But before we get to have all that fun, we Slow Food delegates will listen to speakers such as Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, Marion Nestle and Wendell Berry. We will attend workshops with titles such as "Help Wanted --50 million New Farmers," "Re-imaging School Lunch," and "Something Is Fishy: Seafood and Sustainability." And we'll be tasting at a lineup of 23 Taste Workshops, one-hour-in-depth taste experiences led by artisan producers: Rare Flavors of the South, Tasting California Olive Oils, Heritage Pork, Artisan Cheeses and Microbrews.

Ah, but as sure as the fog rolls in, evening will come and we'll be out on the town, looking for great eats, good wine, like-minded friends, the next trend. I'm taking walking shoes, elastic-waisted pants, sweaters, cash and a reporter's notebook.

Stay tuned.