Small Bites: an underground dinner and a downloadable documentary on organic food

Tuesday Night Dinner celebrates immigration and Chicago’s collective food history with “Off the Boat, Into the Kitchen.” And the documentary In Organic We Trust is now available on iTunes and On Demand.

Underground dining experiences combine lots of our favorite things. Eating great food, meeting new people and doing it all in nontraditional spaces. Tuesday Night Dinner has been creating just such creative dinners for Chicagoans since 2009. TND  is an underground dining community committed to creating an environment where guests feel a closer connection to their food and its sources. During the winter, TND hosts a communal dinner the last Tuesday of each month. This month’s dinner,  “Off the Boat, Into the Kitchen,” is an interpretation of Old World favorites tweaked through the lens of the Windy City.

For $30, guests will enjoy a four-course meal, libations by Strange Pelican Brewery, live music by New Millennium Orchestra and art by No Sandbox Studio resident artist Lindsey Clair. The menu will include Hen of the Woods Vesuvio, ‘Czech me out’ Boar Loin, Devon St. Tacos and Lavender & Candied Ginger ‘Flan-ton.’ There are limited spaces left for the event this Tuesday, January 29. Order tickets through Brown Paper Tickets.

What exactly is organic? And what other ideas do you have?

In 2011, certified organic food production surpassed the $30 billion mark in America. But according to filmmaker Kip Pastor, that roughly represents just one percent of farmland. In his new documentary In Organic We Trust, he explores social and economic aspects of our food system and its impact on our health.

The health of farm workers, animals, consumers and the environment has become a growing concern with our current industrial agriculture model. Organic farming is one answer, but it’s only one. And organic farming itself is in danger of being co-opted and watered down by agribusiness.

Pastor questions exactly what organic means and what it’s becoming. And he looks beyond organic for other possible solutions. No one sustainable food production system or model can feed the entire planet. As we’ve said here before, local farmers markets, school gardens and urban farms are revolutionizing the way we eat.

In Organic We Trust has been starting conversations and winning acclaim at screenings around the country. It is now available On Demand with a number of cable providers and online through iTunes, Amazon Video, YouTube and other broadband sources. You can find out more at the In Organic We Trust website.

5 thoughts on “Small Bites: an underground dinner and a downloadable documentary on organic food

  1. We’re really looking forward to this dinner. We went to their last one, South Side Staples, that highlighted Chicago’s packing house and fishing heritages, the vibrant Mexican neighborhood in Pilsen and Chinatown, all in inventive ways.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *