I was in dire need of a heating pad and some ibuprofen, quickly, so I headed to Walmart (cringe, but it’s close) and as I am walking out a woman approaches the “greeter” and says, “I’m looking for some carrots, the fresh kind, do you have those”? To which the greeter replied, “No, we don’t have any of them”.
CASE IN POINT. (And very true it happened just this morning)
A very best friend and I journeyed to Baltimore to see Food Inc. on Sunday. If you aren’t already aware I posted the trailer, here.
With Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) co-producing and appearing along with Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemna) how could I not love this movie.
As a lover of natural and local foods how could I not love this movie.
As a mother, interested in the well-being of her children and the planet in which I am leaving them, how could I not love this movie.
I loved this movie.
I don’t have enough space here to tell you everything about this movie. So if you can, go see it. If it’s not near you, get it when it’s on DVD. The movie makes such an important point of how our food production has changed and is now well, food production.
I made it through the factory farms, the downed cattle, the horrid chicken houses. I made it through the mother who has fought for years and years and years for change after her healthy two-year old died from e-coli at a fast food chain. I made it through a farmer who cleans seeds to be saved for next harvest be grilled and made to turn in fellow friends and farmers by corporate greed for stealing patented seeds. I made it through reminders over and over how so much of what we are offered to eat in our local groceries is modified, cheap, imitation, processed crap.
There is so much wrong with our food system today, but of course, most of you already know that. We seem to be cut from the same mold.
My best friend and I made it all the way to the end of the movie. That is when words started filling the screen, reminders of what we can do to start a path for change.
Plant a garden. Buy local. Support small farmers and CSA’s. Encourage your farm market to accept food stamps.
That is where we choked up. Because the problem is huge and the movie a reminder of how multi-faceted and difficult reform can be when your government is in bed with the problem. When you look at the sheer number of people who either A. cannot afford to eat real food or B. have no idea or care to know where their food comes from, it can seem you are alone in the fight.
But there is Eric Schlosser, Michael Pollan and Barbara Kowalcyk. Profiled here for the movie.
There are local farmers. There are the Rumbleway Farms and Kilby Creamery and local honest to god real farmers who love their animals and the land they are blessed to work with each day.
There is you and me and my best friend, and the 100 others who sat with us in the theatre for ONE showing of this movie, yes really.
Take the time to know what is in your food and where it comes from and as Michael Pollan (my hero) would say. Try not to eat anything with more than five ingredients and don’t eat anything you see advertised on television.
I’m not perfect. I will still eat some crap food. But I will have knowledge, and knowledge is power and that is why it is important to see this movie and pass it’s message along.
11 Comments
July 16, 2009 at 5:12 am
Oh I can’t wait to see it…it sounds right up my alley. Although I don’t know if I can take all of the animal cruelty. Years ago when I was taking some night classes at our local jc I took a speech class. One of thee speeches was to be “informative”..and at the time I was becoming aware of cruelty to animals…chicken factories, rabbits being used for testing…you know, the ones with no eyelids? etc. etc. Anyway…I had a friend that worked at the local paper…he took photos I’d found of animal cruelty and blew them up poster size and we adhered them to foam core. They were my “visual aides”…and during my 7 minute speech that was supposed to last no longer than 3 minutes…oops…5 people left the room..one gal was crying. I ended up getting a C-…and nobody talked to me for the rest of the year! But I still remember those images…it’s so horrible. So…when I watch the movie, I may have to close my eyes at some parts. Sometimes it’s just more than I can handle looking at…you know?
End of novel….thanks for sharing about the movie. xo
July 16, 2009 at 5:27 am
I’m so excited about this movie and its message. We need to get back to real food, grown and raised by real people. I don’t know if it will make it to the theatre here, but at the very least I’ll be watching it on DVD.
Like you said, we will all still eat crap – we’re not perfect. But the seed of the thought has been planted. And I will be thinking about my food more and be more grateful for it – and for the people who cared enough to produce it.
July 16, 2009 at 9:17 am
We are still rather priviledged in Australia to have sheep and beef that is raised the traditional way on farms that eat grass and hay. They are rarely feed anti-biotics or other nasties because they are on massive stations and rounding up cattle is a 6 week exercise. We do unfortunately have hormone feed chickens and pork that is farmed in the most inappropriate ways, but on the up-side free-range chicken, eggs and pork is in abundance and not too much more than their unfortunate counter-parts. Locally produced dairy products are the norm, as is locally grown fruit and vegie. However, the big national supermarkets are very quickly filling their shelves with discounted canned goods that are produced overseas. And we seem to have a huge influx of American takeaway chains such as Krispee Creme, Taco Bell and Starbucks.
July 16, 2009 at 12:30 pm
amen sister!
July 16, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I was just looking for places to see this near me last night and came up with nothing. Baltimore isn’t too far though – if you wouldn’t mind could you let me know where you saw it?
July 16, 2009 at 1:22 pm
In my country we still have good, varied, fresh and local produce and food available at most stores, although our whole food production chain is heading very quickly the way you describe. I never exactly know what I’m going to find in the stores, except for staplefoods, just like I’m never exactly sure what I’ll find in my garden. When I’m in the US, I notice how people by and large have different shopping habits: they go for groceries with shopping lists and planned menus, they already know what they’re going to buy and head straight to the correct isle, and then choose it cheap and in bulk, the two main parameters. Seems to me that freshness, seasonal and quality quite often don’t come into the process mainly because of set habits and expectations, and not only because of socio-economical considerations.
July 16, 2009 at 3:18 pm
You know how much I love this post. Can’t wait to see the movie too. Working so hard on getting the processed out of the pantry. It takes time, commitment, and lifestyle changes, but I am working on it. Even my closet cheeto eating..
I called our local farm marked this week to see about setting up a table for honey sales. I was asked it I was a “business.” I replied..No, I am a local beekeeper with a honey surplus. I was then told I couldn’t sell honey (or anything for that matter) unless I had “business insurance.” I hung up the phone and stood there stunned. Still digesting it. What about the little homesteader who has a little extra? I am by no means a “honey producer” or one man farm market.
A friend told me to sell it out of the trunk of my car by the side of the road with one of those signs like the kids do for car washes – with one leg hanging out- waving them in. Good grief.
July 16, 2009 at 3:56 pm
For those of you close to Baltimore, we saw it at The Charles Theater: http://www.thecharles.com. Unfortunately, since it’s a small boutique type theater I don’t know if they’ll hold it over a third week or not.
July 16, 2009 at 10:52 pm
I am very excited to see this film, and almost bought the book last night from Whole Foods, but thought, I ought to buy this book from our local-owned bookstore, so I’ll hopefully get it today! I was also thinking of getting one of Michael Pollan’s books…which would you suggest? I’m almost done with Animal,Vegetable, Miracle, and am wanting to stay on a similar path there…but all of Pollan’s books look so interesting! I imagine they are similar in nature.
I too am on a path to living a life that is more in tune with our earth. Bad food is everywhere, but I don’t want to say I’ll always eat it because then I leave out the possibility that I can live within a scope where I am only eating the freshest of foods, and saying a big fat “no” to all foods produced that are processed or sold by the big corporations for food dollars, not healthy people. I want to believe that it is very possible. I know I do love my quick and easy frozen pizzas from Trader Joe’s, but it only takes time and a change of habits to make serious changes in our lives. For me, starting a serious garden is in my not too distant future. I think this will make all the difference in the world.
July 17, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I want to see this movie. Really want to see it. Closest theatre showing it is 2 hours away. My boss saw it last weekend. He said if it comes to our theatre he will buy tickets for every employee to go see it.
I have some time off coming up the end of the month and in early August. If the movie is still playing 2 hours from home, I’m takin’ a day trip. Loadin’ up the whole family and going. The girls will probably fuss about it but someday they will thank me and they’ll be glad their mother served them real food. Heck, maybe they already are glad about eating real food. I’ve heard them say several times they can’t believe how many fruits and veggies we eat compared to their friends. Hmm…maybe spending time in a friend’s home is a real eye-opening experience. I’d like to think that the same is true when the friends are in ours.
July 17, 2009 at 11:55 pm
i have struggled SO much with this issue since we moved. i thought it would be easier to eat better moving to a big city… WRONG! i had it so good living in small town america
there was a local wonderful farm not 5 minutes from my front door. now all i have within that range is processed crappy fast food joints.