Nourish: Feel-Good Critique of the Food System

John Birdsall | SF Weekly | October 21, 2010

Around here, questioning where your food comes from is as reflexive as recycling, even if you lean on Safeway far more than you admit. A show airing on KQED next week drives home the question. But where Food, Inc. employed shock therapy to get you to cold-turkey factory chickens, Nourish: Food + Community applies a bit of Vaseline to the lens in a portrayal of eating as a communal act capable of, ahem, nourishing the spirit. From the press release:

Nourish features interviews with local food heroes such as Berkeley author Michael Pollan, Oakland eco-chef Bryant Terry, Bayview pediatrician Dr. Nadine Burke, and organic farmer Nigel Walker of Eatwell Farm. Nourish showcases our region’s vibrant food culture with footage from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, Google’s Caf 150, Star Route Farms, the Edible Schoolyard, and Frog Hollow Farm.

It’s nothing Alice hasn’t been telling the nation for years, though judging from the clips, Nourish tells it in a way that feels nicer, less nannying. Oh, and it’s narrated by Cameron Diaz: Don’t let anyone tell you there hasn’t been a profound revolution in America’s food consciousness. Nourish airs Sat., Oct. 30, at 3 p.m.