Veganism--Are you up to the challenge?

Some of you are investigating the possibilities of a vegan diet and lifestyle for your research project. The New York Times has an interesting article on the challenges of Veganism. Check it out here.

Food, Inc.

You are all watching Food, Inc. this week, a rather popular film that is in many ways a follow up to Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, as well as Eric Schlosser's book, Fast Food Nation.

You might want to check out this New York Times' review

Here is an National Public Radio piece.

The company Monsanto is important to the argument of Food, Inc. Check out their response to the film. 

Here is the official website for Food, Inc.

If you liked this film, you might also like this one.

For a comedic take on these issues, check out Fast Food Nation the movie.

An Interesting Blog

Marion Nestle's Food Politics is an interesting blog about, well, the politics of food!

Check it out here.

Michael Pollan & Eric Schlosser

 These are two important figures in the current debates about food in America.

Pollan wrote, among many other books, The Omnivore's Dilemma, which you read a selection from this past week. Check out this older post on Pollan.

Schlosser, a journalist, wrote Fast Food Nation, which you also read a selection from, and he appeared on the Colbert Report.

What?

Vegan Bodybuilders?

For real . . .

The New Food Pyramid

What's on Your Plate?

Maybe you should check out My Plate . . .

Is that food?

What is this?

Food Day 2011

Food Day 2011 Horse Feathers Market, which is a local social iniative, will host a day of food, film, and music that you may want to check out.

The "Average" American Diet

Check out this article in The Washing Post. 

Joel Salatin

This guy is arguably the standout star of Food, Inc, and he is a research topic for sure. As you know from watching the film, he runs Polyface Farms. He is also the author of several books such as Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal and Folks, This Ain't Normal. 

Ask Michel Pollan

The New York Times Online is running an interesting feature this week: Ask Michael Pollan. If you get a chance, you should definitely check it out. Ask a question!

Niagara County Produce

The last few Sundays Sarah and I have visited Niagara County Produce, a great open air market for local food. It's probably about a 10 minute drive north from UB North Campus. Check it out!

A Recent Issue of TIME Magazine

Check out TIME Magazine for some possible research topics.

Tour de Farms

This past weekend my wife, Sarah, and I participated in a local event called the Tour de Farms that raised funds for the Mass Ave Project, a local urban farm in the Elmwood area. As the name suggests, we rode our bicycles to a series of local farming initiatives and local food venues, eventually making our way (some 35 miles later) to Ole's Farm in Alden for a wonderful festival of food and music.

Our first stop was at Mass Ave. This is a great example of what urban farming is and can do. If you're looking for a research paper topic, then this might be a good one to look into . . .

The next stop was at Wilson Street Urban Farm. This is a fascinating experiment in urban farming because, unlike most other initiatives of this type that are done as a cooperative, it is family-run. In fact, the Stevens family lives off this land. Check out this article at Buffalo Rising.

Along the way, I got a flat--but thanks to the folks at Buffalo Green Options I was soon on my way.

We then made our way to Ole's for tons of delicious BBQ & great live tunes from Outer Circle Orchestra.

Stonehill College Farm Project

A Friend of mine, Bridget Meigs, just started a farming project at Stonehill College (outside Boston, MA) that grows produce for food banks.

Check out the farm's blog.

The Local Food Movement

This might be possible research topic for some of you. Check out this link to the Slow Food Movement for more information.