Talking Moose Meat

The Honest Weight Food Coop and the Linda Norris Auditorium (WAMC's Performing Arts Studio) put together a wonderful combination of film and food last night.

A long table was dressed with colorful pint-sized appetizers like blueberries mixed with yogurt, granola and a sprig of fresh mint and wholesome crackers stacked with smoked lox, cream cheese and capers. Deb and I could have made a meal of both had it not been for a pizza slice next door.

Before the show coordinators encouraged an auditorium of about 70 people to jump up during the screening and fill their plates. Even the rows were widened so that people could reach the fresh fruits and veggies comfortably.

The documentary "Eating Alaska," was about a vegetarian who marries and moves to the final frontier and learns to fish, hunt, skin and cook meat. After the 90-minute flick, a panel of 2 Schoharie County farmers and 1 local author answered questions from the audience.

The movie's underlying themes addressed the importance of buying local, consuming less and respecting nature. The story is told through the direction and humor of 48-year old director/producer Ellen Frankenstein. She does a wonderful job portraying diverse female protagonists who advocate for safe, healthy, meaningful, and sustainable food options. Some are vegan, some are vegetarians but most are carnivore who go to great lengths to secure a clean kill of caribou, elk, goat or deer.

There were moments in the film that bugged me like when Frankenstein's self-proclaimed environmental husband Spencer sells Pacific sea cucumbers to Asia for profit or when overweight tenth graders baked fatty pretzels during home-ec. But truthful documentaries need to show conflicting parallels even in the most well-intentioned eco-minded, like Spencer, to understand the complexity of a globalized food industry.

Deb and I left there talking moose meat while enjoying free berries and Saratoga mineral water. The next showing of Food for Thought, an evening of socially relevant cinema is August 20th called "Neighbor by Neighbor."