If you would like to educate yourself on some of today’s farming practices – the what, when, why, HOW, and where of 80% of the food we all eat today, try reading Mickael Pollan’s An Omnivores Dilemma. As a recent advocate of sustainable, happy, healthy farm practices, I found the read fascinating, but maybe it is not for everyone. I have ordered, and am looking forward to watching, a recent movie/documentary, available on DVD, Blueray etc, called FED UP. Here is how the Executive Producers, Katie Cuoric and Laurie David, try to hook you into watching:
Everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past 30 years is dead wrong. FED UP is the film the food industry doesn’t want you to see. FED UP will change the way you eat forever.
Over the past 10 years there have been a number of films worth watching if you want to know more about the food you buy and consume. Here are a few:
Dirt: The Movie (2009) – Dirt is a humorous take on the one thing that is vital to everything that we eat. The film is very….. grounded.
Food Fight (2008) – I have yet to watch this one, but here is a summary: An amusing account of modern American agriculture policy and food culture that sprouted a counter-revolution.
Food, Inc. (2008) – Produced by the The King Hill Buck Studs of all that is right and wrong with the food we eat — Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser. Watch this one only if you want to be frightened by what most of us eat.
Super Size Me (2004) – This one had the broadest distribution and appeal, and although they will not admit it, McDonalds changed their menu because of this documentary. Morgan Spurlock spends a month eating only at McDonalds, and the results are…. predictable.
In an effort to be fair to McDonalds and the subject, I must say that, 10 years after Super Size Me came out, a high school biology teacher named John Cisna made headlines by LOSING weight by only eating at McDonalds. Their 2 approaches to eating at only one fast food restaurant were a more than slightly different.
Ultimately what these films and documentaries espouse is for you to support your local gardener, family restaurant, and farmers market, and enjoy your food and drink locally, naturally, and sustainably.
It is only in company that eating is done justice; food must be divided and distributed if it is to be well received. – Walter Benjamin
For the record, I prefer eating with my fingers, but sometimes this is considered culturally taboo. What would you think about Walhill hosting a special menu one evening where everything must be eaten with your hands. No silverware. The menu would, of course, be appropriate. Let me know what you think. plh@walhillfarm.com.
