Maybe you missed the multiple screenings of Food, Inc. at Bottletree over Labor Day weekend. That’s a shame. The documentary is a sort of adaptation of Michael Pollan’s powerful book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and Eric Schlosser’s equally impactful Fast Food Nation, with the added ingredients of original reportage and animated sequences that make dense data easy to grasp. Directed by Robert Kenner, Food Inc. painstakingly “lifted the veil” on the American food industry, revealing how our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that put profit ahead of consumer health, the safety of workers, the livelihood of American farmers and the protection of the environment. These companies are fattening us as they fatten their coffers, and although everyone is eating, almost no one is getting nourished.
If you saw Food, Inc., you probably had a good meal of fresh and local foods at Bottletree afterward and went home feeling empowered. Maybe you went to bed with a full belly and a firm resolve. But maybe by breakfast time the morning, as you contemplated the high-fructose corn-syrup quotient of the contents of your very own pantry, that queasy pinched feeling in the pit of your stomach probably wasn’t hunger so much as dread. Who wants to think about the villains of industrial agribusiness first thing in the morning, anyway? Stopping for a McSkillet every now and then really doesn’t make you part of the problem, does it? Does it? OK, if it does, what are we supposed to do? When the problems exist on such a massive scale and seem so intractable, what is a hungry person supposed to do?
Ana Sophia Joanes’ new documentary Fresh covers a lot of the same material as Food, Inc. but with a lighter touch. Where Food, Inc. was a rigorously reported account of the problems, Fresh is a compilation of portraits of problem-solvers. Included in the cast of characters are an agricultural economist, a couple of policymakers and an? outspoken advocate of change in author Michael Pollan (who, between his appearances here and in Food, Inc. seems well on his way to a second career in documentary film). But the movie’s real stars — its heart and harvest — are the farmers who share their personal stories. Urban, rural, conventional and organic farmers are all represented in Fresh; each gives voice to the oppressive difficulties of the industrialized food production system, and a few articulate their conversion experiences — how they actually managed to get into (or back into) the business of growing food. Hearing their individual testimonies gives you the sense the problem of changing what we eat may not be as hopeless as every trip to the supermarket suggests.
Birmingham-Southern College will host a screening of Fresh at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22, followed by a discussion with the director. The event is part of a three-day “Dialogue on Food” being held on the BSC campus Sept. 22-24. This academic year marks the launch of the college’s new “Dialogue Series,” in which students participate in a year-long, cross-disciplinary discussion on a single topic. While a few of the “Dialogue on Food” events are for students only, the sessions below are free and open to the public.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 22
11 a.m.
“Let the Dialogue Begin: From Sustenance to Community”
?Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet and co-founder of Small Planet Institute
Munger Auditorium
4-5 p.m.
Concurrent Discussion Sessions
• “What is the place of food in your religious tradition?”
Dr. Amy Cottreill, BSC assistant professor of religion & John Richardson, BSC Chaplain
Stephens Science Center #138
• “Pre-Historic Tacos: The Origin of Tortillas”
Dr. Bill Nicholas, BSC professor of history
Catering Kitchen (adjacent to Executive Dining Room, third floor, Norton Campus Center)
• “Food & Italian Culture”
Dr. Sam Pezzillo, BSC professor of classics
Stockham Parlor
7 p.m.
Screening of Fresh
Followed by a discussion with director Ana Sofia Joanes
Norton Theatre, second floor Norton Campus Center
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23
11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Food Organizations Fair in the Atrium
Featuring local organizations including the Alabama Farmers Market Authority, Angel Food Ministry, Bread for the World, BSC Garden Club/Community Garden, Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners, GrowAlabama, Jones Valley Urban Farm, Magic City Harvest, West End Community Garden/Urban Ministry and Whole Foods
Norton Campus Center
5:30 p.m.
Hunger Banquet
Bruno Great Hall, third floor, Norton Campus Center
7 p.m.
“Exodus from Hunger”
David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World
Bruno Great Hall, third floor, Norton Campus Center
THURSDAY, SEPT. 24
11 a.m.
“Food and the Public’s Health: Local Issues”
Panel discussion featuring:
• Dr. Ed LaMonte, BSC professor of political science, moderator
• Beth Kitchin, MS RD, assistant professor from the UAB department of nutrition sciences
• Webb Lyons, community initiatives manager from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham
• Ama Shambulia, program director of the West End Community Garden
Norton Theatre, second floor Norton Campus Center
4-5 p.m.
Concurrent Discussion Sessions
• “Taxing Food: Is That Any Way to Run a State?”
Rep. Patricia Todd (Alabama House District 54) and Dr. Natalie Davis, BSC professor of political science
Stephens Science Center #130
• “Feast & Famine: Indvidual Diffeences in Eating Disordered Behaviors”
Dr. Tricia Witte, BSC assistant professor of psychology, & Dr. Heather Meggers-Wright, BSC assistant professor of psychology
Stephens Science Center #134
• “Large Scale Food Production and Distribution: Benefits & Efficiencies”
John Herndon, Greene County cattle and catfish farmer; George Thomas Lane III, marketing director for Wood Fruitticher Food Service; Dr. James L. Novak, extension economist and professor at Auburn University; Dr. Katleen Rossmann, BSC professor of economics; and Dr. Bert Morrow, BSC associate professor of business administration
Stephens Science Center #138
• “Community Supported Agriculture & Food Co-ops”
Dr. Gretchen Repasky, BSC professor of biology, & Dr. Alicia Weaver, BSC assistant professor of sociology
Stephens Science Center #238
Complete details about the Birmingham-Southern Dialogue on Food, plus an extensive list of books and films of interest to everyone who eats, are available online at www.bsc.edu/dialogue.
If you saw Food, Inc., you probably had a good meal of fresh and local foods at Bottletree afterward and went home feeling empowered. Maybe you went to bed with a full belly and a firm resolve. But maybe by breakfast time the morning, as you contemplated the high-fructose corn-syrup quotient of the contents of your very own pantry, that queasy pinched feeling in the pit of your stomach probably wasn’t hunger so much as dread. Who wants to think about the villains of industrial agribusiness first thing in the morning, anyway? Stopping for a McSkillet every now and then really doesn’t make you part of the problem, does it? Does it? OK, if it does, what are we supposed to do? When the problems exist on such a massive scale and seem so intractable, what is a hungry person supposed to do?
Ana Sophia Joanes’ new documentary Fresh covers a lot of the same material as Food, Inc. but with a lighter touch. Where Food, Inc. was a rigorously reported account of the problems, Fresh is a compilation of portraits of problem-solvers. Included in the cast of characters are an agricultural economist, a couple of policymakers and an? outspoken advocate of change in author Michael Pollan (who, between his appearances here and in Food, Inc. seems well on his way to a second career in documentary film). But the movie’s real stars — its heart and harvest — are the farmers who share their personal stories. Urban, rural, conventional and organic farmers are all represented in Fresh; each gives voice to the oppressive difficulties of the industrialized food production system, and a few articulate their conversion experiences — how they actually managed to get into (or back into) the business of growing food. Hearing their individual testimonies gives you the sense the problem of changing what we eat may not be as hopeless as every trip to the supermarket suggests.
Birmingham-Southern College will host a screening of Fresh at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22, followed by a discussion with the director. The event is part of a three-day “Dialogue on Food” being held on the BSC campus Sept. 22-24. This academic year marks the launch of the college’s new “Dialogue Series,” in which students participate in a year-long, cross-disciplinary discussion on a single topic. While a few of the “Dialogue on Food” events are for students only, the sessions below are free and open to the public.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 22
11 a.m.
“Let the Dialogue Begin: From Sustenance to Community”
?Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet and co-founder of Small Planet Institute
Munger Auditorium
4-5 p.m.
Concurrent Discussion Sessions
• “What is the place of food in your religious tradition?”
Dr. Amy Cottreill, BSC assistant professor of religion & John Richardson, BSC Chaplain
Stephens Science Center #138
• “Pre-Historic Tacos: The Origin of Tortillas”
Dr. Bill Nicholas, BSC professor of history
Catering Kitchen (adjacent to Executive Dining Room, third floor, Norton Campus Center)
• “Food & Italian Culture”
Dr. Sam Pezzillo, BSC professor of classics
Stockham Parlor
7 p.m.
Screening of Fresh
Followed by a discussion with director Ana Sofia Joanes
Norton Theatre, second floor Norton Campus Center
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23
11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Food Organizations Fair in the Atrium
Featuring local organizations including the Alabama Farmers Market Authority, Angel Food Ministry, Bread for the World, BSC Garden Club/Community Garden, Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners, GrowAlabama, Jones Valley Urban Farm, Magic City Harvest, West End Community Garden/Urban Ministry and Whole Foods
Norton Campus Center
5:30 p.m.
Hunger Banquet
Bruno Great Hall, third floor, Norton Campus Center
7 p.m.
“Exodus from Hunger”
David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World
Bruno Great Hall, third floor, Norton Campus Center
THURSDAY, SEPT. 24
11 a.m.
“Food and the Public’s Health: Local Issues”
Panel discussion featuring:
• Dr. Ed LaMonte, BSC professor of political science, moderator
• Beth Kitchin, MS RD, assistant professor from the UAB department of nutrition sciences
• Webb Lyons, community initiatives manager from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham
• Ama Shambulia, program director of the West End Community Garden
Norton Theatre, second floor Norton Campus Center
4-5 p.m.
Concurrent Discussion Sessions
• “Taxing Food: Is That Any Way to Run a State?”
Rep. Patricia Todd (Alabama House District 54) and Dr. Natalie Davis, BSC professor of political science
Stephens Science Center #130
• “Feast & Famine: Indvidual Diffeences in Eating Disordered Behaviors”
Dr. Tricia Witte, BSC assistant professor of psychology, & Dr. Heather Meggers-Wright, BSC assistant professor of psychology
Stephens Science Center #134
• “Large Scale Food Production and Distribution: Benefits & Efficiencies”
John Herndon, Greene County cattle and catfish farmer; George Thomas Lane III, marketing director for Wood Fruitticher Food Service; Dr. James L. Novak, extension economist and professor at Auburn University; Dr. Katleen Rossmann, BSC professor of economics; and Dr. Bert Morrow, BSC associate professor of business administration
Stephens Science Center #138
• “Community Supported Agriculture & Food Co-ops”
Dr. Gretchen Repasky, BSC professor of biology, & Dr. Alicia Weaver, BSC assistant professor of sociology
Stephens Science Center #238
Complete details about the Birmingham-Southern Dialogue on Food, plus an extensive list of books and films of interest to everyone who eats, are available online at www.bsc.edu/dialogue.
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