Food For Thought

Saying Penn kids take food seriously is an understatement. It's definitely a top student priority, followed by drinking and breathing, respectively. So we were a little confused when Bon Appetit (the new Penn dining company, for those with a complete mental block courtesy of repressed Commons experiences) decided we needed a week to talk about food. In fact, in their words, "We eat food every day.  This week we'll talk about it."

You might think to yourself, "I talk about food all the time! I make plans to eat, I offer reviews, and I belligerently scream at Wawa sandwich people." To that, Bon Appetit would say you're wrong. Then they'd invite you to Food Week February 1st-5th, promising insights into sustainability, fair trade and all those other things we should probably know about by now.

If this has anything to do with that cool hydroponic garden under Commons (oh, didn't know about that, did you? It's awesome), we're totally in. Check the full schedule after the jump!

Monday [2/1]: Farmworker Rights: What do tomatoes have to do with slavery? Presented by Bon Appétit, UCCANF, CAUSA, and Fox Leadership There is more to our produce than meets the eye. Please join us for an honest discussion of the controversies of the tomato industry and the rarely told stories of those who work in the fields for little to no pay, picking our tomatoes every day. There will be a short film screening and a presentation by Bon Appétit East Coast Fellow Carolina Fojo, followed by discussion. 8-9pm Houston Hall Class of 1947 (floor 3)

Tuesday [2/2]: Sustainability and the Philadelphia Foodshed Presented by Bon Appétit, FarmEcology, and Fox Leadership A dinner and panel featuring individuals who are working to provide sustainably sourced food to Philadelphians and the Penn community. Sustainable food will be served! 5-7 pm 1920 Commons Lower Level RSVP by February 1st at tuesday.food@gmail.com

Wednesday [2/3]: Mind the Food Gap Presented by the Penn Garden, Penn Bioethics Society, Penn Urban Nutrition Initiative Club A dinner and conversation bringing together various communities in Philadelphia to talk about food justice. Guided by three courses and highlighting three aspects of food justice, this dinner will encourage conversation among all in attendance. Come have dinner with us! 6-7:30 1920 Commons Lower Level RSVP by February 1st: http://foodgap.eventbrite.com/

Thursday [2/4]: Food and You: Health and Nutrition Presented by the Health and Societies Student Advisory Board A question and answer seminar and luncheon featuring Dr. Stella Volpe 12-1:30pm, Irvine Auditorium RSVP: nsladley@sas.upenn.edu

How to Prepare Healthy Food: A kitchen tour of Bon Appétit A cooking demonstration by Bon Appétit, featuring nurtionist Terri Brownlee 7pm, Kings Court Dining Hall

Friday [2/5]: "Food Inc.: Hungry for Change" film screening In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here. 6:30-8:30pm, Claudia Cohen Hall 402