Food Oriented Topics at the Chicago Humanities Festival

I always fail to take advantage of as many events at the Chicago Humanities Festival as sound interesting, so in the interest of locking into my memory some that may be good as well as possibly flushing out people who might want to go (and thus motivate me to go as well), here's a rundown of foodish events:

207. Abby Mandel
Mandel, founder and board president of Chicago’s Green City Market, will address farming and agricultural issues such as farmland protection and local farm sustainability with a special focus on regionally grown food and food sources.
Presented in partnership with The Notebaert Nature Museum.
Sunday, October 28; 1:15 - 2:15 pm
The Notebaert Nature Museum
South Gallery


306. Richard J. Franke Lecture: Peter Singer
One of the Festival’s most prominent lectureships this year will feature a talk by this brilliant, provocative, if often controversial, Australian philosopher, currently professor of bioethics at Princeton University. Singer, who has challenged conventional views on a host of ethical issues ranging from animal liberation, abortion, and euthanasia to eating locally grown foods, now turns to the ethical dimensions of climate change. The fate of billions of people, for example, depends on whether the states that emit the most greenhouse gas emissions can agree on which nations should do the most to reduce them. In light of differences already expressed between the U.S. administration and the governments of China and India, this question is likely to be at the center of international diplomacy in coming years. Singer argues that, were climate change to be seen as an essentially ethical crisis, it would not be all that difficult to elaborate broad principles that could serve as a basis for reaching a fair outcome. But how do we get there? Sure to be a Festival highlight. This annual lecture recognizes the significant contributions to the Chicago Humanities Festival made by its founder and chairman emeritus Richard J. Franke.
Thursday, November 1; 6:00 - 7:00 pm
Northwestern University School of Law
Thorne Auditorium

905. The Future of Food
This unnerving documentary takes a hard look at the effect of biotechnology and U.S. patent laws on the livelihood of small farmers and on consumers’abilities to recognize accurately the most basic of crops — corn, canola, soy, wheat. Exposing the web of connections between major agricultural industrialists and the highest levels of the government, the film reveals how genetically-modified foods have slipped into the food supply without the knowledge or support of the public. This powerful film is cited as a major component in helping pass Measure H, which bans genetically-altered crops in Mendocino County, California; and it will make you think twice on your next trip to the supermarket. Directed by Deborah Koons Garcia.
U.S.A, 2004; 88 mins.
Thursday, November 1; 6:30 pm

906. Our Daily Bread
This film exposes the brave new world of industrial food production and high-tech farming. As seemingly futuristic as any sci-fi mis-en-scène,the environment in which food is now produced for the developed world is one where people, animals, crops, and machines play mere supporting roles in a super-efficient system. While this remark able documentary will likely engender fasci nation, awe, and even shock among viewers, it simply aims to show the industrial produc tion of food as a reflection of our society’s values: plenty of everything, made as quick ly and as efficiently as modern technology permits. Directed by Nikolaus Geyrhalter.
Austria, 2005; 92 mins. In German with English subtitles.
Thursday, November 1; 8:30 pm

409. Organic Connection — Agriculture and Our Food Supply
Most Americans are unaware of how the food they eat is created and transported, who is behind the whole effort, and at what environmental cost. But a growing national movement is building greater awareness, along with consumer demand for healthier, local, organic, and sustainable options — strengthening economies while bringing the worlds of the farm and the metropolis closer together. Corby Kummer, senior food editor for The Atlantic Monthly, will discuss the latest trends with Terra Brockman,food and farm writer and executive director, The Land Connection, a non-profit organization saving farmland and training new farmers; Ken Meter,food-system analyst and president of Crossroads Resource Center, whose ground- breaking “Finding Food in Farm Country” studies document economic losses suffered in 24 regions across the U.S.; and regional organic farmers Dennis and Emily Wettstein.
Saturday, November 3; 12:00 - 1:30 pm
First United Methodist Church at The Chicago Temple

724. Gregory V. Jones: The Grapes of Warmth
Call it a “microclimate of concern:” vineyard productivity and quality is affected by even the most subtle alterations of local climate. Jones, a climatologist in the Geography department at Southern Oregon University, considers the probable future impact of large-scale climate change on the world’s wine industry, which could turn places like Napa into has-beens and British Columbia into the next hot “wine country.”
Saturday, November 10; 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Alliance Française de Chicago

(I'm probably most interested in the Facets films, a double feature on 11/1)