Food, Inc.

I heart a good friend date every once in a while. Yesterday afternoon, Stephanie and I had one such date. It was also on the cheap none-the-less, which made for a super time. Since Steph and I both consider ourselves foodies (despite my disdain of the word) and locavores of sorts, we've both been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Food, Inc. to the Michigan Theater, and we decided to make a date of the very first 4:30pm Sunday showing.
First up though, we had to check out a newbie on the campus foodie scene: Swirlberry. I know, I know, you're thinking, "Lady Lisa, don't you remember your post here about how terrible Pinkberry was? Why could you possibly want to sample such a terrible impostor?" But I do it for you dear readers, in the name of food love. Plus, I've got a penchant for all things new, and any arrival onto my radar is reason alone for me to try it. Stephanie and I even joked about a fro-yo Ann Arbor tour, what with Yogobliss, Swirlberry, and very berry all appearing on the scene in the last few months.
Swirlberry was, in spite of my best intentions to hate it, actually quite good. There are currently six different soft serve flavors to choose from (regular tart, blue tart, acai, mango, vanilla, and deep chocolate) and all the toppings similar to Pinkberry. Unlike Pinkberry though, this soft serve is actually good! All of the tangy natural yogurt flavor, with none of the sick citric acid intrusion. I made a mess of a cup that included vanilla topped with cocoa pebbles and strawberries, acai topped with mini chocolate chips, and deep chocolate topped with coconut flakes. I really can't pick a favorite. I truly enjoyed each one.

Swirlberry fro-yo, I see you!Steph is also excited for her Swirlberry

To close the deal on the Swirlberry situation, we both also had $1 off coupons, which made the whole thing worthwhile. Otherwise, the 65 cents/ounce price tag is pretty hefty, especially when you consider the only size cup they offer holds a whopping 16 ounces. Nothing like some savvy marketing, eh?
After our bellies were swirling with yogurty goodness, we headed on over to the Michigan. Have I mentioned my love of old theaters? The seats may be the most uncomfortable, but where else are you treated to an organ player before the show, and beautifully lit stained glass theater windows during previews? I won't even lie and say that the free passes Steph scored us for the movie didn't help that ambiance. ;-)As for the movie itself, I struggled with it a little bit. I struggled because I have so much to say about it's subject matter, but try my hardest to not come off as "preachy" or "fanatical" when talking about it with those that I care about. You see, I've been working pretty hard on changing the way I eat and how I view our national food chain ever since I read Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan 2 years ago. It's a book that I can honestly say, changed my life. So watching a movie loosely based on it's content, was obviously going to be pretty emotional for me. I think I held it in check, which may have been aided by the fact that I was somewhat disappointed with the outcome of the movie. For a message that I so strongly believe in, and has so much potential, I felt like the movie producers really missed a big opportunity to spread the word.
In case you're not familiar with the movie and it's premise, it's basically about how all this man-made processed and packaged food is really doing a number on our society (i.e. obesity epidemic and higher onset of type II diabetes and metabolic disorders). The movie goes through some of how we've got where we are, describes facts and figures about how bad things have gotten, and then tries to walk the viewer through how to go about changing that by voting with your mouth, one meal at a time. Something I whole-heartedly believe in.
Unfortunately, there's not much assistance provided in the movie about how to go about making good choices to help usher change. I thought it would have been a great opportunity for some organizations like Slow Foods Huron Valley, the Farmer's Markets, or the local food movement organizations to be handing out literature about what types of substances to avoid on product packaging, reasons for buying organic, and local (and cheap) sources for how to feed yourself and your family better to improve health. But in spite of my initial disappointment, I have to take a step back and realize that I'm a bit more educated about the issues than that average viewer. Thinking about it from that perspective, I think the film actually did a good job of trying to capture and motivate the relatively uninformed. If you haven't already checked the film out, please do. I'd love nothing more than to discuss it when you've finished. :-)