San Francisco food policy: my wish for fresh food taking over fast food may one day come true
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am committed to healthy living. So it’s great that I’m living in a city with a regional food policy, the first of its kind in the United States. Mayor Newsom announced the policy in July 2009. Hopefully other cities will follow suit.
I love the unpolished quality of [...]
Food, Inc. & Mexican Workers
Food, Inc. shows us that one of the most disturbing aspects of ignoring where our food comes from is that we could be unknowingly hurting workers, many of whom are Mexican. U.S. companies actively recruit in Mexico for factory/farm workers, treat workers terribly, then let the government deport the workers.
Food, Inc. gives us a peek [...]
Sharing
I like to share my food. I got stuck in an airport with some friends last year when we were on our way to the Smithsonian. My brother had made food for the plane trip and packed it into plastic dishes. I shared the lunch pack with my friends, saving us from eating airport food.
Sharing [...]
Tapologo by Gabriela & Sally Gutiérrez Dewar at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in New York City
Tapologo is a subtle and hard-hitting film. Without being belligerent or preachy, the film reveals the extreme challenges of being female in South Africa, where 50% of the women are living with HIV.
Sally Gutiérrez Dewar and I co-taught Gender and the Politics of Culture at the New School. She and her sister Gabriela continue exploring [...]
Alternatives to high heels (museum shoes)
Sometimes, you or a loved one may be tempted to wear heels to a museum. I spotted these intrepid museum-goers at the De Young on a Friday night. It was full of people dancing to live music, checking out art, watching films, and making art. Perhaps the high-heeled were wearing the shoes because it was [...]
How to recognize depression: Are you an immobile mouse?
One way researchers test to see if a mouse is depression-prone is to put mice in water to see if they will swim or not. A depressed mouse will barely move while a non-depressed mouse will swim. I wonder what would have happened if the researchers had made the mice swim? Would the sad mice [...]
Surprise is good for the brain: Irreverent Nordic craft art at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Yerba Buena’s Irreverent: Contemporary Nordic Craft exhibit is full of surprise, which is what the brain needs to stay elastic and resilient. Simply taking a new route to work or a different path in the park can help your brain remain elastic, so walking through an exhibit of Nordic crafts must be a serious stimulator.
The [...]
Come camote
Remember your grandparents eating camote y leche? You might not, unless you grew up on the U.S.-Mexico border. My grandpa would mash up the sweet potatoes with milk, sometimes adding in cinnamon. Sweet, warm, mushy, easy-to-cook comfort food that nourishes a sweet tooth.
I offered this delicacy to my boyfriend, and he thought it was wacked [...]
How to deal with family: Media & Juice
This holiday season, my microfamily (mother and brother) stayed with my boyfriend and me. Yikes. I moved in with him in December, and my family came to stay with us.
Movie watching saved us. We saw Me and You and Everyone We Know, Mongul, Slumdog Millionaire, MILK, and The Dark Knight. We had plenty to discuss [...]