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/
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