French Food Fight

The pairing of French culture and carefully cultivated food is a symbiotic relationship. It is seen as a balance between health and taste; supposedly just being a French woman comes with better health advantages, despite the croissant intake. The 2008 documentary Food Beware (or as it's ominously titled in France, That Should Not Be: Our Children Will Accuse Us) takes a hard look at the unhealthy effects of big agribusiness in the cozy commune of Barjac in Southern France. What sparked a discussion on how to provide a more holistic life for Barjac's children turned into a communal revolution, beginning with the introduction of local, organically farmed food in school cafeterias. The obvious critique is that this implementation is far easier said than done in many areas of the world, but Food Beware is a moving story that ultimately provokes necessary questions about food production and farming. The Webster Film Series screens Food Beware tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Webster University's Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Avenue; 314-968-7487 or www.webster.edu/filmseries). Admission is free.
Wed., Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m., 2014