This is the real meal

CHRISTOPHER FREY
Special to The Globe and Mail, August 11, 2006

With Richard Linklater's film version of Eric Schlosser's blockbuster Fast Food Nation scheduled to hit theatres this fall, the subject of where our food comes from is poised to become one of the hot-button issues of the year.

The groundswell of interest is already there -- hence Harbourfront Centre's decision to introduce food politics into this weekend's Hot & Spicy Food Festival three-day menu of cooking demonstrations and competitions. Co-presented with ACT for the Earth, a peace and social-justice activist group, the series of film screenings and a food justice forum are designed to kick-start a discussion on our food supply and the politics of farming in the 21st century.

"We'll be talking about the past, present and future of food," says Dylan Penner, a food activist and moderator of the forum. "Corporate control of the food supply, how food production is interrelated with oil, and issues on the horizon like terminator seeds and nanotechnology -- all very relevant at a festival about food."

The forum Penner is hosting features guest speaker Percy Schmeiser, the Saskatchewan farmer who took his dispute against biotech giant Monsanto and its genetically modified seeds to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004. Schmeiser had argued that companies can't patent a plant or seed gene, but the court found that while higher life forms such as a plant couldn't be patented, seed genes that had been researched and developed could.

The Future of Food and Seeds of Change are two recent documentaries screening at Hot & Spicy that shed light on the debate around genetically modified foods and crops.

Among the best places for Torontonians to learn about the politics of food are local restaurants, many of which are already involved with events and campaigns designed to stir up discussion about growing, distribution and consumption issues.

This month, the Gladstone Hotel launched Harvest Wednesdays, a weekly event designed to showcase locally grown produce, connecting consumers directly with farmers, while promoting the Queen West landmark's new expanded food service. Every Wednesday evening for the next eight weeks, there is a buffet or seated dinner service featuring dishes made from peak-season produce, culminating in a Harvest Gala Fundraiser on Sept. 27 to benefit FoodShare, an organization trying to improve access to affordable, healthy food. Chef Marc Breton, formerly of the Rivoli, doesn't create his menu until the day before each event, when he learns what produce is ripest and best.

For Gladstone president Christina Ziedler, the program extends beyond food service. As part of Harvest Wednesdays, the staff and their kids went to a farm near Peterborough and worked it. "What we harvested we cooked the following day," says Chris Bennett, the Gladstone's food and beverage director. "It was a real eye-opener to see how much hard work and care is put into farming."

If you prefer your meals to be food-politics-free, however, there is a more carnival-esque alternative this weekend. Just lose yourself amid the many beer tents and souvlaki stalls of the 13th Annual Taste of the Danforth.

Sobey's Hot & Spicy Food Festival at Harbourfront Centre and Taste of the Danforth both run today through Sunday. See http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com and http://www.tasteofthedanforth.com for details. Harvest Wednesdays at the Gladstone Hotel are weekly through Oct. 4, http://www.gladstonehotel.com.