Congratulations on a wonderful documentary. It is funny, emotional, beautiful, timely and important. You take on a huge subject and make it understandable. Seeing the world through the eyes of families, and especially the children, totally works. I really found it a delightful movie about a subject that matters greatly to me and clearly is of fundamental importance. Serious questions are raised yet the touch is light and wonderfully human.
I am proud of my small association with the project and told Celeste how great I thought it turned out. She can’t wait to see it and was sorry not to be in New York. Good luck with the film and I look forward to hearing more about its progress.
My students' comments were mostly positive, in terms of admiration for the two narrators of the film, whose intelligence, curiosity and activism they deeply admired. In fact, they expressed some shame at being older yet not as involved in issues affecting them as Safiyah and Sadie. There was some discussion about the differences they perceived between themselves and the girls in terms of background, family life and environment and how these might partly account for the gaps in awareness of health issues, access to people and information, etc.
I explained that part of the reason I chose the film was for its depiction of the "whole food" (or "food justice" or call it what you will) movement as one cutting across age, class, gender, national and ethnic boundaries and uniting people in the common goal of accessing the safe, healthy, affordable and sustainable food supply that is our right. Many of the other films I had to chose from failed to convey this, and some proposed solutions I found difficult to, well, swallow. I much prefer the strategy of supporting small farmers, for instance, than that of focusing on getting organic food into Walmart. Along these lines, I would love to see a film explore the formation of member-owned food co-ops that use multiple members' labor, committment and buying power to encourage ecologically and socially informed, responsible consumption and to allow people access to these products affordably.
In short, the film facilitated a rich and timely discussion. I'm thankful to have seen it just when I did and to have been able to share it with my students. Very best of luck to you all in getting it out there.
Hi Catherine - thought you might have a WE LOVE SMASHED VEG CATEGORY SO I CONTRIBUTED MY WINS-EM-OVER-EVERY-TIME Cauliflower dish - no dairy! Can be made very grown up by upping the garlic and the red pepper flakes!
Super Cauliflower-tastic
Ingredients:
- 1 head of Cauliflower
- Water
- 2 Cloves of Garlic (more if, less if)
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- Salt & Black or White Pepper to taste
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes to taste
- Trim cauliflower stalks and separate florets. In large stockpot, add cold water and 1-2 garlic cloves. Place cauliflower in large steamer basket and place into stockpot. Bring to boil, about 10 minutes.
- When cooked, remove water and toss boiled garlic in with the cauliflower. Remove the strainer. Return pot to low heat and add olive oil. Mash all with potato masher.
- If you don’t have a potato masher, use the back of a heavy spoon or fork.
- Taste and add salt and experiment with the use of white or black pepper seasoning. Use crushed red pepper for garnish for to spice up the dish.
- Serve warm - tastes great cold too!
*Adding your favorite fresh herbs bring a different taste thrill - try dill or oregano. Try a lemon squeeze over a bite-ful for a tasty zing...
I was at the BAM screening of WOYP and wanted to congratulate you on a fantastic doc. It’s really a wonderfully positive addition to the growing body of film and literature about food politics. I’d picked up a postcard at the Manhattan Borough President’s Food Politics conference last Fall and have been eagerly awaiting a chance to see it ever since.
Also, I’m doing some research on school gardening and garden-based learning programs for the BP’s office. I noticed there is a garden at the girls’ school at the end of the film, and I’d love to know if that came about in the course of shooting the film, or if it had been there before and if there are any garden-based learning opportunities there for the students. Any information you have and want to share would be greatly appreciated. Or if you could put me in touch with the principal or dietician or whoever else is in charge of the garden, that’d be great too.