What Are We Doing Here?

One of the 4 young men who made this documentary is Daniel Klein, you might recognize him from the many Perennial Plate videos I have posted here over the last year.   This is a project he, his brothers and a cousin did looking at the effectiveness and ramifications of international aid in African.

Food Aid is a significant way the west gives to Africa.  With the Gates foundation who are in now working h and in hand with Monsanto, you see in this film, how so much of our food aid specifically although not exclusively has nothing to do then helping the poor people of African but rather helping the rich corporations of America, like for example by giving aid that then helps to expand Monsanto's market.

Those are my examples neither are mentioned in the film although one of the most disturbing sections of the movie for me is of the christian food aid which comes with a healthy does of: we'll give you food as along as you'll accept Jesus!  Up with Jesus down with Satan! 
 
God forbid help should just be given with out a caveat.

What Are We Doing Here takes a very broad look at the situation in Africa and how in so many instances international aid makes things worse, it's well worth a watch and very much about food.

Perennial Plate Goes on the Road

The Perennial Plate Episode 52: Real Food Road Trip from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

Help them out make a donation.

Butchering a Lamb

This is so cool. Daniel Klein is a young chef who worked in Brooklyn at Applewood who has moved to Minnesota and is doing a great blog called the Perennial Palate that I just learned about from my daily Tasting Table email.

What an awesome site! Here is a video he had his vegetarian girlfriend film about how to butcher a lamb. I really like the information in the video about what kind of lamb it is, Icelandic, and that it's a Ewe because they don't give milk so they are used for meat and that it's not a baby lamb, because that isn't sustainable.

I love that the site is commercial free, survives on donations and takes place over one calendar year. It is motivation for me to get going with my new project! 52 Sunday Suppers to Save the Planet....more on that later.

Check out The Perennial Palate there's a lot of good videos, recipes and food information you don't want to miss!

The Perennial Plate Episode 6: Butchering a Lamb from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.