FORKS OVER KNIVES RESPONSE

   This past week we finished the documentary Forks Over Knives and later in the week worked in the garden for the first time since Fall! The garden is now closed indefinitely due to rats uprooted by Houston St. construction and attracted to mountains of delicious litter dropped by ecologically conscious and careful students. We were lucky to work in the garden at all. But forget that: the garden looks lovely, with most vegetation insulated over the winter now in bloom and providing lovely color to springtime landscapes. We weeded the garden so that all our desirable plants get the nutrients they need and deserve. I forgot how nice and unusual the experience of gardening is – nice because you are cultivating and helping life thrive; unusual because, like petting a dog, gardening is an active and conscious interaction with a living thing that is not a person, and most of my day is spent actively and consciously interacting with other people. The break is nice, making me appreciate plant life, and human life when I return. That’s all I have to say about the garden today – now onto Forks Over Knives. 

   The message of Forks Over Knives is clear: a diet based in meat, dairy, and processed foods is more likely – almost guaranteed – to cause health problems than a “whole-foods, plant based diet.” The movie should be called Whole-Foods Plant Based Diet, but the current title is better and subtler. In the final half of the movie I was struck a) by the influence of evil corporations and philistine politicians and advisors on government diet policy and propaganda, and b) by the vegan fire squad in Texas. I’ll address the fire squad first: AWESOME!!! Enough said. I’ve seen fireman hauling meter long pork loins from supermarkets: impressive lengths of meat, but NOTHING as impressive as vegan firefighters. Now for the government policy and propaganda, specifically that recognizable object the Food Pyramid. I’ve taken health at bard. We reviewed the Food Pyramid. I used to believe it is inherently a good thing, until seeing Forks Over Knives. The flexibility of the Food Pyramid is its failure – what you can eat and still be considered healthy according to it is appalling!!!! I think one reason it is bad is the same reason the US government’s websites are so ugly – there are too few young people working on government projects. I assume that young people, no matter political or religious or other sort of ‘biased’ backgrounds, are more willing to accept younger ideas such as those proposed in Forks Over Knives. My solution to the Food Pyramid and website aesthetics? HIRE MORE YOUNG PEOPLE!!! This is highly debatable. I hope it is debated. Adios!

- Alex Fenichell

Evaluation of Community Interviews

Nearly everyone we spoke to in our interviews seemed quite interested in choosing healthier options; at least, no one seemed apathetic or hostile to the possibility. This might just be because they sensed the answers we wanted, but I don’t think that’s the entire reason. No matter how ill informed or disempowered people are (and many of the people we spoke to were surprisingly well informed), the desire to get better food is an obvious one. One woman, who was walking with her two young children, talked about walking all the way to the Essex Street market from eastern Alphabet City to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Clearly, the demand exists.
So where is the supply? BHSEC students endlessly bemoan the lack of healthy or even appealing food options, as did many of the community members we interviewed. Shop owners were at best dubious at the prospects of carrying healthier options, and had somewhat fuzzy definitions of what “healthy” meant. The notion of carrying local food was far beyond anything they had ever considered; the clerk at Adinah’s Farm (a bodega-eque grocery store widely considered the healthiest option for its hot food, fresh produce, and wide selection) wasn’t even sure whether the produce came from Hunt’s Point or not.
Students were, by and large, unimpressed with the cafeteria food available. The widely-held stereotypes about cafeteria food in general may have been a part of this, but even so, we should take their opinions seriously. Students were unhappy with both the quality and healthfulness of the food. When asked about the salad bar, they complained that the lettuce &c was tasteless and not fresh.
In fact, one student even explicitly complained that she “doesn’t know where [the lettuce] comes from.” Again, the possibility of using fresh, local food in the cafeteria seemed not really on her radar, but she did demonstrate interest in the freshness and quality of the produce being used in the cafeteria.
When we asked her and other students about the possibility of implementing the Garden to Café program, they seemed a bit daunted by the possibility. They saw it as an impressive ideal, but their reactions didn’t suggest belief that it would be a real option any time soon. They were also dubious about the possibility of working in the garden. That reluctance is sure to be one of our biggest obstacles; motivating the BHSEC community to get involved in shaping the garden. The student body is generally very reluctant to commit time to any extracurricular activities, for the simple reason that time is a scarce resource for us.
Ideally, the garden should supply a significant portion of the produce used in the cafeteria. But it should do more than that. The simple change of a connection to the food we eat should certainly inspire BHSEC students to look more closely at where their food comes from, and a strong Garden to Café system would do that automatically. Getting students involved in the garden is a further step in that intellectual journey, as well as a way to connect our very fractured community. The garden has the potential to be very powerful as a community-shaping and conversation-starting tool within the BHSEC community. At present, there are maybe ten students who are informed about it. Within a few years, there should be six hundred.
And outside of BHSEC? That’s a much larger goal. Using the Garden to Café program as a model for other public schools seems like the most realistic way to expand beyond the boundaries of our school. Getting involved with neighborhood garden associations is another viable long-term option. Improving the quality of food generally available in the neighborhood by ourselves might be too ambitious, except as increasing the awareness and public interest in community gardening.

Forgot Something!

The consequences of urban food insecurity affect really every aspect of ones life. You are what you eat, if a certain area does not have access to nutritional food, they will suffer physically and mentally. Eating unhealthily can cause to major health risks like obesity, heart disease, diabetes. Eating habits also affect thought productivity and attentiveness. It's a vicious cycle, if one does not eat well they will be tired and distracted and will not be paying attention at work or school, preventing them (to an extent) from reaching their full potential. The problem is, many people do not really have the chance to truly choose what they eat. They eat what is available to them. When an entire community is denied proper nutrition they are denied the right to reach their full potential.

Bodega Down Bronx Response

In New York City the availability of necessary resources are concentrated in certain areas. There may be nice markets, grocery stores and a plethora of train lines in one neighborhood, but travel a mile north, east, south, or west and the area is in need of stores necessary to fulfill the nutritional needs of its inhabitants. As BHSEC students, we can all relate to this problem. In a 50-minute lunch period, there are few places to find a healthy and affordable meal. After interviewing members of our school's community, it is evident that it takes a large amount of effort to attain fresh foods and vegetables. This isn’t to say its impossible, everyone we spoke to agreed that the way that they eat is in their hands, but it is certainly more difficult for LES residents to eat the way they may want to than say Upper West Side residents. New York City is extremely concentrated, and real estate is expensive. Every company and industry involved in food distribution is seeking to make the highest profit possible. Neighborhoods like the Lower East Side, where residents may have slightly lower incomes, lack larger and more diverse (in terms of food) supermarkets. If your intent is to make the most money possible, then in richer neighborhoods you can jack up the prices and ultimately make more money. This is why many residents in low-income neighborhoods (parts of LES, South Bronx, etc…) rely on small privately owned shops (like bodegas). Although this supports the local economy, these stores often only sell junk food.

         Ideally, I think it would be great if there were many more farmers markets in the city. In the summers there is one in Seward Park (still quite far from the Baruch housing developments), but it would be great if the community had an affordable one that was yearlong. It could meet somewhere like Hamilton Fish Park, and when it is too cold out side it would meet somewhere inside. Affordability is really important. Too often do I find myself hungry and all the healthier prepared food around is far too expensive. Places like Trader Joes and Whole Foods are good too, but their organic and local foods are often pretty expensive. Also, in establishing big supermarkets in the neighborhood, it would be really bad for local businesses; this would not be good for the community. A farmer’s market is a different environment than a store, and is certainly less competitive. It would also be great if bodegas could get the proper refrigeration systems to sell fruits and vegetables. This would maintain the culture and local economy while providing fresh food.

- Mia

Cooking Class Number Three!

A few weeks ago, we had our third quasi-bimonthly cooking class! The cooking was made very efficient by our increased class size (yay!) and everyone's willingness to pitch in.
After examining the ingredients (nearly all local), the recipes, and splitting into two groups (one for each dish) we were all assigned jobs--washing, chopping, beating, frying, &c. At the end, Tess and Ms. Powell surprised us with a lovely dessert of baked cinnamon apples!
We sat down to the cafeteria table and spent five minutes practicing mindful eating; eating slowly, contemplatively, silently. Mindful eating is an extremely important part of taking control of the food that you eat. It encompasses not one's only eating habits themselves, but also being mindful of what your food is and where it comes from. Mindful eating not only increases awareness of how the food system affects your daily life, but also makes eating a more pleasurable experience.
After our five minutes, we had a brief discussion about how we had been affected by the experience. All of us said that we noticed the flavors much more richly and complexly than we ordinarily do. Meal Three was an exercise in food as it should be; prepared and enjoyed slowly, with care, and with friends.


Here are the recipes we used.

Delicious Fritatta
Makes 4 servings***

Ingredients
8 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion halved and thinly sliced
1 all-purpose potato (7 ounces), cut into 3/8-inch cubes
1 cup small broccoli florets
1 cup small cauliflower florets
¼ cup diced herbs of your choice

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. Beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in medium bowl.

Heat oil over medium heat, in medium nonstick (10-inch) sauté pan. Add onions and potatoes and cook until onions are softened, 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in broccoli and cauliflower; cook until vegetables are tender, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low and pour in egg mixture. Add herbs and cook for about 2 more minutes

Transfer to oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the eggs have just set in the center. Note that if you are using a skillet with a nonmetal handle, wrap it with double-thickness aluminum foil before placing in oven. Remove from oven and slide out of pan onto a cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve warm.














Quinoa and Arugala Salad

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Preparation time: 15–20 minutes

Quinoa, a unique whole grain, was the staple food of the Incas. It is rich in calcium and iron, and has 10.5 grams of protein per cup.

Salad
1 cup dry quinoa
pinch sea salt
1 3/4 cups water
1/2 bunch arugula
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, minced
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds



Dressing
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari or shoyu

Rinse quinoa well with warm water and drain. (Quinoa has a natural coating of saponin, the bitter taste of which repels insects and birds. Rinsing with warm water removes the saponin.) Place rinsed quinoa, salt, and water in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer 15-20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Fluff into large salad bowl and allow to cool.

Prepare vegetables and dressing. Combine garlic, lemon juice, oil, and tamari or shoyu; pour over quinoa and toss well. Wash and spin-dry arugula leaves and chop into bite-size pieces or thin strips. Add arugula, carrots, seeds, and parsley to quinoa. Toss gently. Serve at room temperature or chilled.










Baked Apples
Serves 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 30-40 min

Ingredients
4 large good baking apples, such as Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious, or Jonagold
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup boiling water


Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash apples. Remove cores to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples. It helps if you have an apple corer, but if not, you can use a paring knife to cut out first the stem area, and then the core. Use a spoon to dig out the seeds. Make the holes about 3/4-inch to an inch wide.

In a small bowl, combine, cinnamon, and nuts of your choice. Place apples in a 8-inch-by-8-inch square baking pan. Stuff each apple with this mixture. Top with a dot of butter (1/4 of the Tbps).

Add boiling water to the baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until tender, but not mushy. Remove from the oven and baste the apples several times with the pan juices.

Bodega Down Bronx Follow Up

Francesca Craft
Food Politics
The Little Apple

Of
all of Manhattan, I personally view the Lower East Side as the most convenient
in terms of pricing, nutrition, and of course taste. By the Lower East side,
however, I mean everywhere from First street to Union Square—Avenue D to
Fourth. I’m not quite sure if these are the official boundary lines of the neighborhood,
though it’s within this district alone that I have located a great selection of
Mom and Pop businesses and farmer’s markets, most of which are healthy, relatively
inexpensive, and tasty. The area immediate to BHSEC, on the other hand, is much
less favorable; the food is actually cheaper than that purchased in typical
Lower East Side shops, but it is much less satisfying in terms of nutritional
value and flavor. There is not much to choose from, unless you are up for a
real trek, and what is right here is just… eh.
The
students of BHSEC commute from all over the city to get to school; we all come
from different nutritional backgrounds, some with higher or lower standards than
others. However, almost everyone agrees that when there is a lack of food, as
opposed to a fusion what they might consider good and bad, one’s diet no longer
relies on what is appealing to them, but depends on what is available to them
and everyone else. It becomes a matter of survival. But why, in this day and
age, and in the Big Apple, should finding good food be a struggle? It is hard
enough surviving under the academic pressure of BHSEC, but when it comes to
trying to fuel our bodies so that we can keep up with our busy days, we take on
an entirely new set of problems.
Food
insecurity is not an issue unique to the Houston area, but the Bronx, Harlem,
Midtown, and the much Lower end of Manhattan, as well as many parts of Brooklyn
and Queens (I’ve never been to Staten Island…) also experience similar and far
worse problems. The consequences of urban food insecurity manifest within our
bodies and minds. We lose sight of our communal order and begin to compete for
what is available. Moreover, many face serious health issues such as obesity,
(due to heightened intake of processed fatty ‘foods’ which come at extremely
low prices), and even starvation if the district is that devoid of resources appealing
to its residents.
Ideal
food access comes in many shapes and forms; from the growing of food in local
farms and gardens, to affordable pricing, to the freedom to cook in your own
home. We have been to the moon and back yet we still have not tackled the most
primitive of struggles human beings have ever faced. As creatures of the same
species living on the same planet, we each have the right to a fair distribution
of her resources. We all know that there is an endless supply of healthy food
out there, but eventually it has to come down to what is growing in here.

It is extremely important for people to have healthy food available as well as a variety of food accessible. Consumers can, and must, have power over what they choose to eat, instead of food choices decided mainly by marketers. Even though politics play a major role in the food system, consumers need to be aware of the power they themselves have over what they eat. Giving the power back to individuals can help insure that healthy food choices can be more readily made (even if there are the few stubborn people who choose, and want, to eat unhealthily most of the time). It is vital that people work together in their community to assert their power based on what they eat to fight food inequity and increase food access.

Urban food insecurity is clearly prominent around the BHSEC community because of the limited food variety available. There seems to be more lower income areas in New York as compared to the middle and wealthy class districts. In areas that are lower income, there are more major health risks, including physical as well as mental disorders. Obesity and diabetes are among the major, and most common, health risks and diseases common to Americans. Although these diseases develop in people in different ways, it is of major importance to get basic nutrients that are vital for human health to create a healthy diet. People in these areas are not getting many of these very important healthy foods, so they can more easily develop these diseases. The blue truck near BHSEC is a major source of food for the people living in that community, in addition to the students at BHSEC who buy from there. Rico (the owner of the blue truck) does not offer many healthy foods such as fruits or vegetables because it is extremely expensive to keep them. This is because New York City requires people like Rico to have a refrigerator, which becomes very costly to his business. What is not acceptable is that although he feels good about being a main source of food for the people in the community, he is not supplying them with healthy food choices. Furthermore, students at BHSEC are permitted to go out for lunch and frequently go to the blue truck or other bodega like stores. Students remark that eating “junk food” has a major affect on their mood during the day. This is partly because of the energy sugar supplies at first, but then causes an energy crash and the person feels tired and moody. The interesting part of this is that many students are exposed to healthier and better quality food outside the BHSEC area; however, they still choose to eat at the unhealthy food places and suffer the effects. In the BHSEC community, many store owners, students and faculty and people who live in the area share similar beliefs about what they eat. Since there is little variety and much of the food is fried, almost all of it is unhealthy, with not many choices for healthy eating within a reasonable distance for the short lunch period provided. 

There is a major difference between the food that is offered around the BHSEC community and around my neighborhood. I live in midtown Manhattan in a fairly well off area in the city. There are many sources to get food, which includes a lot of variety of food. This gives me, the consumer, an increased amount of power over what I choose to eat. Both healthy and unhealthy foods are available, which gives me the ability to make my own personal choices about what I eat. There are many reputable markets that I trust that also make me feel secure that the food I am buying and consuming is fresh and without harmful ingredients. For example, within a few blocks away from my house, I have two D’AGOSTINO’s, Gristedes and Food Emporium. In addition, there are food vendors on the street selling fruits and vegetables for very reasonable prices that allow me to make healthy choices that are also affordable. On the weekend, there are also greenmarkets where I can buy specialty foods if I desire them. This increased variety compared to the area around BHSEC, allows me as a consumer to have more control over what I eat, which is a crucial step towards creating a healthy diet.

Another major issue is that many parents are not aware of what their children are eating or have no control over it outside of the home. Kids then, have the power over their own health by choosing when they eat and do so often in a very unhealthy manner. They thus make uneducated choices about food and then suffer the consequences of those bad choices, which then can become bad habits and an unhealthy lifestyle. This is because many people consume food based on what tastes good instead of what is healthy. This contributes to the increased amount of unhealthy foods supplied in stores, because it is more commonly bought making the food system more about politics and economics rather than about health.

The most ideal access for food would be supplied from an organic farm that does not use any pesticides on the crops that are grown and does not exercise animal cruelty. For example, there would be no pesticides sprayed on crops and no growth hormones or antibiotics given to animals. The animals must be kept in safe environments and not raised inhumanely. The farm would provide, among other foods, milk, eggs, and chicken. After the food is harvested, it would be manufactured with limited food processing and distributed to only one third party who would not tamper with any of the supplies. The food must be supplied only to local areas, in order to reduce transportation pollution. Once distributed to companies, the companies would be able to supply individuals and families with fresh organic and healthy foods for reasonable prices.

It is vitally important to educate people in what are healthy food choices so they can make educated decisions on what they buy and consume. It is likewise crucial to give a variety of food to make a balanced diet. Although it is not possible to stop food inequity on a small scale, many small-scale corporations working on this issue can help make a big impact on food systems and the politics behind them. As a small corporation, the BHSEC garden can start by helping our community (the school and the area around it) eat healthier. 

Lower East Side Food Access

The food access in the Lower East Side, specifically areas surrounding BHSEC, is very similar to the Bronx, judging by what we saw in the film “Bodega Down Bronx.” They are similar because both the Bronx and Lower East Side do have stores that offer a wide variety of healthy foods and fruits, but sometimes can be quite far away and a bit expensive. So they choose to rely on the nearby, relatively inexpensive bodegas, to supply food needs for themselves, and in many cases their families as well.

One of the obvious consequences of urban food insecurity is having health issues. Nutrition is key to good health, yet many struggle to maintain a healthy diet. This is because many living in the Lower East Side or Bronx have low incomes, and sadly their health has to suffer because of that. They prefer what is more affordable which usually means food of less nutritional value, since junk food is what seems to be the cheapest. Urban food insecurity can also have an effect on your mental health. When interviewing a student at Bard, she claimed that eating unhealthy food had a negative affect on her mood or attitude. She also claimed that eating unhealthily while under stress definitely does not help relieve it. Eating tasty and unhealthy food can maybe make you feel good, but this is just a temporary feeling. People need to think about how their health will be affected in the long run. However, it has been proven that making healthy choices in your diet does help reduce stress and has a positive effect on a person’s mood.

It would be great if stores such as whole food or fairway were closer to our school however their food can be pretty pricey. My ideal food access in the community would include having a variety of fresh and healthy food available in nearby stores, and the prices would not be so outrageous. It would also be great if more community gardens started planting food and made the garden, and the food they grow assessable to those in the community, just as BHSEC is hoping to do. People would be able to have easy access to healthy foods and they would know exactly where the food is coming from.

http://prospect.org/article/unhealthy-food-cheap-food

http://cms.carepages.com/CarePages/en/ArticlesTips/FeatureArticles/Contributors/healthy-meals-during-stress.html

BHSEC Food Politics & Systems Class takes to the streets!

After watching the short film Bodega Down Bronx in class a few weeks ago, we went on an adventure around our school's immediate neighborhood to do some field research of our own. The film interviewed members of the South Bronx community on matters such as food accessibility, their eating habits, and the inner workings of local bodegas. From our interviews it is clear that Lower East Side residents face some similar problems as those in the South Bronx. Many of our interviewees complained about the distance to fresh food in the more remote areas of LES (especially around BHSEC and the Baruch housing developments). We also tried to interview a bodega owner but there was an electrical repairman in the store and it did not seem like they were fully prepared to be interviewed. One very enthusiastic interviewee was BHSEC's beloved blue truck owner Rico! To my surprise the blue truck has been in Rico's family for over forty years, and has been parked on that same corner for that long. As I'm sure we're all aware the blue truck does not carry any fresh foods or vegetables, but only candy and chips (and apparently the best knishes in New York?) One lady told us that she shops at Essex St. Market for her produce, although it is quite a hike. Mostly everyone we interviewed said that they have the choice to eat healthily in LES but it takes time and effort. It would be great to be able to go back out and interview some more people, especially small business owners, to further investigate the food situation in our school's community.
Here's the link to the movie we watched:
http://places.designobserver.com/feature/bodega-down-bronx/12257/