Weekend Reading and Fun

Reading

Personally, I thought this was ridiculously interesting. The NYT's Economix blog reported on research saying you're more likely to buy unhealthy foods when you're paying with plastic.

San Francisco has fired another salvo in the war to stop marketing junk to kids by banning toys in unhealthy meals.

Education Week did a great synopsis on where we are with (still) trying to get the Child Nutrition Act reauthorized.  The links in the article give a very comprehensive look at the school lunch program and where advocates think it should be headed.

The USDA just published a report entitled, "How Food Away From Home Affects Children's Diet Quality" with some very important findings. You'll be stunned to find out that fast food restaurants are bad for you - but school food doesn't escape unscathed either. Here is the abstract:

Based on 2 days of dietary data and panel data methods, this study includes estimates of how each child’s consumption of food away from home, food from school (which includes all foods available for purchase at schools, not only those offered as part of USDA reimbursable meals), and caloric sweetened beverages affects that child’s diet quality and calorie consumption. Compared with meals and snacks prepared at home, food prepared away from home increases caloric intake of children, especially older children. Each food-away-from-home meal adds 108 more calories to daily total intake among children ages 13-18 than a snack or meal from home; all food from school is estimated to add 145 more calories. Both food away from home and all food from school also lower the daily diet quality of older children (as measured by the 2005 Healthy Eating Index). Among younger children, who are more likely than older children to eat a USDA school meal and face a more healthful school food environment, the effect of food from school on caloric intake and diet quality does not differ significantly from that of food from home.

And if you read all that, you might be interested in Slow Food Huntington's new book club:

If you’re interested in joining a book club that focuses on books about food this is the one for you! We now have a Facebook page called "Slow Food Huntington Book Club".  Meeting are tentatively scheduled for Thursday evenings and the group will meet monthly. Questions? please email Veronique Stravato or via the Facebook page.

Fun

This weekend is Sea Cliff's annual costume sale to benefit the Brooke Jackman Foundation, an organization which promotes literacy.  Costumes are just $5 each. Sat. and Sun. 11- 5, Sheridan Lane, Sea Cliff (off Prospect.)

The really lovely Bailey Arboretum is having a pumpkin festival Sunday with guided nature walks.

Also on Sunday, the Boys and Girls Club in Glen Head holds their annual carnival.

And - this is National Friends of Libraries week - please drop by one of our two terrific village libraries and consider making an annual donation.

Looking Ahead

The Films on Food series in Huntington has been terrific - and includes a reception!

Thursday, October 28th 7:30pm
Lets Eat! Films on Food
Know Your Mushrooms
Film and discussion with special guest David Falkowski aka the Mushroom Man

From award-winning director Ron Mann comes this investigation of the miraculous, near-secret world of fungi. Inspired by a chance conversation with fellow filmmaker and mushroom buff Jim Jarmusch, Mann set off to the annual Telluride Mushroom Festival in Colorado where he encountered the unique sub-sub-subculture surrounding fungi that includes an unlikely assortment of nerds, nuts, hipsters, tripsters, artists, chefs, musicians, foodies, foragers, and seekers all paying homage to the mighty mushroom. Combining material filmed at the Telluride Mushroom Fest with animation and archival footage along with an original neo-psychedelic soundtrack by the Flaming Lips, Know Your Mushrooms opens the doors to perception, takes the audience on a longer, stranger trip and delivers them to a brave new world where the fungi might well guide humanity to a saner, safer place... With extra cheese...

David Falkowski is a third generation East End farmer who is know locally as the Mushroom Man. His farm, Open Minded Organics, produces beautiful mushroom, including organic shiitakes, blue and king oyster, yellow oyster, and white oyster mushrooms. David  grows his own mushroom spawn- which means that he is able to grow genetically strong, healthy, and nutritious mushrooms- not your ordinary supermarket fungi. His passion for fungi includes the wild ones, which he forages, including Chanterelles, Chicken of the Woods and Maitake (Hen of the Woods). www.openmindedorganics.com

Cinema Arts Centre
423  Park Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743
$9 Cinema Members / $12 Public / includes reception

Sara