Folks Gotta Eat

Fake food cesspool

melanieredman — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:46:44 +0000

I grew up at least an hour and a half's drive from a fast food restaurant. I think Dairy Queen would have been the closest. I remember feeling like country was turning to city when we drove past it on our way to Grandma Wilma's place up in St. Louis. I do have one fast food memory that almost counters my recollections of the strawberry sundaes at Dairy Queen -- the McDonald's McRib -- which took about two hours to drive to get.

Childhood obesity is child abuse?

melanieredman — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:25:24 +0000

My Saturday morning reading revealed some disturbing public service-type videos on good ol' YouTube (via Grist). I guess there are lots of folks out there who are framing feeding kids junk food as child abuse. Excuse me?

Food resistance

melanieredman — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:07:00 +0000

Even in job interview settings, when folks ask me what my biggest professional challenge is, I can easily name that I am not so good with authority. I also consider this one of my greatest assets. It's why I choose leadership positions professionally, and why I love to host the dinner parties. So, naturally, resisting the food authorities resonates with me.

I should qualify this post by saying that I firmly believe in food safety regulations. However, my inner Libertarian (we've talked about her before) asserts that individuals have the right to, for example, consume raw milk products if they darn well please!

Monsanto Meets Blackwater (cringe)

melanieredman — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 16:03:38 +0000

They say corn is king

melanieredman — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:15:47 +0000

Like many of us, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, co-producers of the film "King Corn," wanted to understand corn. They started off their journey by getting a professional hair analysis. Turns out, the carbon in their bodies originates from corn. It seems most of us these days are made of commodity corn that must be processed before we can eat it. (Fact: An Iowa farmer can no longer feed herself by the corn on her farm.)

Where, oh where, does commodity corn go?

Eating organic on modest means

melanieredman — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:34:45 +0000

I'm always a little wary when someone gives me tips on how to do this or that on what they are calling "modest means." Depending on who you are and where you come from, the term can mean very different things.

I just found a little piece on WikiHow that lays out some simple tips for eating organically on modest means. I will note that they are specifying modest means as at least $1,000/month after taxes. In downtown Toronto, that does comprise modest means.

Open Data in agriculture

melanieredman — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 14:54:16 +0000

Thanks to the fabulous Mark Kuznicki, I just finished reading a piece on Food+Tech Connect about Open Data in agriculture. If you're not yet familiar with the Open Everything movement, don't feel bad. You probably understand it and agree with it inherently, as the ideas just make sense.

Save our prison farms

melanieredman — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 17:40:42 +0000

When I read about folks engaged in peaceful, direct action, I am filled with so much admiration. My girl Shana sent me the link to the Canadian Save Our Prison Farms website earlier this week. Neither of us had any idea that 1. there are prison farms in Canada or 2. they are in danger of being closed.

Serving up knowledge

melanieredman — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:49:09 +0000

The world is pretty darn messed up. I think it probably always was -- it's just a question of scale these days. What gets me by (other than massive amounts of exercise and a bit of vino to take the edge off)? I love learning about really cool projects that are trying to educate and break down some of these global barriers we erect. My latest find comes via AlterNet -- the Conflict Kitchen.

Oh Nestle, why are you so f#$%ed?

melanieredman — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:22:06 +0000

Ever feel like some things are just inherently f#$%ed? That's how I feel about Nestlé. I used to find it appalling and tragic that Nestlé convinced women around the world that baby formula was better than breast feeding. Later, as I traveled through South and Central America, I was disgusted that the only coffee available in coffee-producing regions was Nescafé. I can't even talk about their bottled water. And now? Folks, Nestlé has raised the bar on predatory practices.

National Round Table on the Environment releases water report

melanieredman — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:28:46 +0000

The National Round Table on the Environment and Economy (NRTEE) released a report in conjunction with the Canadian Water Summit. The report, "Changing Currents: Water Sustainability and The Future of Canada's Natural Resource Sectors," is the culmination of the first of a two-phase, cross-sectoral research and engagement process concerning the future of Canadian water. Folks, this stuff is important.

Canadian Water Summit starts

melanieredman — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:05:38 +0000

When most folks in Canada and the U.S. hear about Canadian water, their first response generally goes something like this: "Man, Canada is SET. We/They have all the fresh water. (Lucky bastards)." Well folks, sadly, that's an oversimplified view of the advantages Canada has and the challenges it now faces. The Canadian Water Summit begins today. Convened by my amazing friends at Innovolve, it brings together businesses, public sector leaders, municipal planners, civil society and citizens alike to talk about the present and future of Canadian water through five frames:

Planet Green's list of unsafe foods not to eat

melanieredman — Mon, 31 May 2010 00:17:00 +0000

Have you ever read an article or report about food safety and come away thinking, "What the hell am I supposed to eat then?" Lucky for me, I love to cook and have access to amazing local, organic foods, so I can generally answer that question myself. However, I just had another one of those "what the hell" moments after reading a piece on Planet Green called, "7 Foods So Unsafe Even Farmers Won't Eat Them." Folks, there are a few surprises on the list.