As you may recall, a week ago I was venting about the complacent state I've found myself in. More specifically, that I'm devoting thousands of dollars toward attaining a graduate education in Food Studies. My days are spent learning about sustainable agriculture, the social dimensions surrounding food and even dabbling in some cooking and food writing. (Read more about this here.) However, my actions as of late have not reflected my passion for sustainable food and my desire to feed millions of hungry brothers and sisters in Christ.
Whether, it's my own feelings of helplessness that have paralyzed me or the fact that I've been living with a man whose life revolved around wine, cigarettes and red meat (we're making progress...) remains to be seen. But as of Wednesday night, I've awoken with a FRESH perspective!
I talked Chuck into going with me to Slow Food Chatham's viewing of the documentary, FRESH. As my classmate described it, the film was more of a grassroots approach to what Food, Inc. achieved. The movie followed a couple of industrial chicken farmers, a natural hog farmer and a sustainable farmer, among others. It displayed the vast difference between conventional and sustainable farming and where our food system stands as of yet.
The movie took such a well-balanced approach, showing the ugly, behind-the-scenes footage of industrial chicken farms as well as shining a positive light on farmers who have opted to take a more natural and harmonious approach to farming. I was so happy Chuck was with me to see it because he's been contemplating vegetarianism lately (partly to just make me happy, I think and partly because he's learning more and more the harsh realities of industrial farms).
Regardless, the film gave me the kick-in-the-butt I've been needing and provided me continued evidence of why it's so important that I keep working to eradicate our unjust and environmentally degrading food system and put in its place one that works with nature (not against it) and has the potential to feed the world over for generations to come.
If you'd like to view the trailer or learn more about the movie, visit their website here.
I am totally frustrated. I just wrote a GREAT response to your blog and Google deemed me "unable to respond." What's up with that???? I love you, Kaity The Best. Will try to re-write my brilliant thoughts again tomorrow! (God probably spared you! :) Just sayin').
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting this! It sounds excellent. It sounds like Chuck is where MacGyver was a few years ago. Winning him over has been slow, but Food, Inc really helped. Still, some days he feels like a victim of my passions. I think a new movie might help remind him that he feels the same way ;-)
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