I recently learned about a great new documentary while searching the internet.  It stars two best friends and follows them as they learn more about where the food we eat comes from.  I emailed one of the girls (Sadie) and she was kind enough to "come" to Mr Jackson's Zone and do an interview.  I really appreciate her time, and I hope you enjoy the video and the interview.   Let me know what you think.  I want to hear from you .

Here's an introduction from their website, www.whatsonyourplateproject.org.

It’s a witty and provocative documentary produced and directed by award-winning Catherine Gund about kids and food politics.
Filmed over the course of one year, the film follows two eleven-year-old multi-racial city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. Sadie and Safiyah take a close look at food systems in New York City and its surrounding areas. With the camera as their companion, the girl guides talk to each other, food activists, farmers, new friends, storekeepers, their families, and the viewer, in their quest to understand what’s on all of our plates.

The girls address questions regarding the origin of the food they eat, how it’s cultivated, how many miles it travels from the harvest to their plate, how it’s prepared, who prepares it, and what is done afterwards with the packaging and leftovers. They visit the usual supermarkets, fast food chains, and school lunchrooms. But they also check into innovative sustainable food system practices by going to farms, greenmarkets, and community supported agriculture programs. They discover that these programs both help struggling farmers to survive on the one hand and provide affordable, locally-grown food to communities on the consumer end, especially to lower-income urban families. In WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE?, the two friends formulate sophisticated and compassionate opinions on the state of their society, and by doing so inspiring hope and active engagement in others.

【Help】

★ activists n. 活动家 ★ quest n. 寻求 ★ address v. 提出 ★ formulate v. 阐述

Interview with Sadie

 MJ: How old are you?
Sadie: I am 14 years old

MJ: What made you want to do a documentary about food?
Sadie: I wanted to make a documentary about food because i had become a vegetarian, and was interested in what made someone a "good eater" versus a "bad eater"

MJ: Before you got involved with making the movie had you ever thought about how our food is grown, or the ingredients in the things we eat?
Sadie: I hadn't ever really thought about it before, all i knew was that the food at the farmers market was from real farms, but the food in the super market was from somewhere far away.

MJ: What did you enjoy most about the process of making the documentary?
Sadie: The part I enjoyed the most was when we got to go to the Angels' farm--that was really fun! We were just planting all day, getting our hands dirty. It really put into perspective how long it takes to maintain a farm.

MJ: What was the most difficult part?
Sadie: The most difficult part was probably the voice-overs. Safiayh and I had to go to a recording studio after school for about 3 hours, just saying the same lines over and over again. It was REALLY boring and tedious.

MJ: After making the movie how has it changed the way you eat on a daily basis?
Sadie: Of course! Now, it's become a regular habit to pick the healthy snack over in the unhealthy one. I eat veggies, but I still have to occasional slice of pizza or cupcake.

MJ: I understand that you live in New York City, which borough do you live in?
Sadie: I live in Manhattan, in SoHo (south of Houston St)

MJ: I love New York, its one of my favorite cities in the US, I especially like the MOMA, Bryant Park, the New York Public Library, and Central Park...where are your favorite places in the city?
Sadie: I don't know if I have a really special favorite part of NYC. I love just walking around my neighborhood and taking pictures. I do love Central Park, but I don't go there often since it is uptown.

MJ: What is your favorite subject in school and why?
Sadie: I really like Literature, because I think that it is really interesting how we have discussions about what we think the book is about, or what kind of message the author is trying to portray. Right now in Lit, we are reading the Bluest Eye. Such an intense book!

MJ: Students in China are really interested in the daily lives of kids in America. What is a typical weekday for your? What do you do on the weekends?
Sadie: A typical weekday is to get up around 7 am, get ready, then walk to school and be there by 9 am (most schools start at 8, I'm so happy mine starts at 9!! Extra sleep!) My school is on the Lower East Side, so it's like a 30 min walk for me. Once I get there, I have school until 3:20. After that, me and my friends go to this really good cupcake store that's a few blocks from school. It's so tasty! Everyone at my school goes there for cupcakes. After that, I just head home, and do homework for the rest of the night.

On a weekend, I sleep until 9 or 10, but stay in my pajamas until lunch. (I'm in my pajamas as I'm writing this :] ). Then, I might go to one of my brother's soccer games, or go to the movies with either my friends or my mom. Or if it's nice outside, I'll go walk around, but not on Broadway, because it's always PACKED with tourists.

MJ: Do you have a favorite book, movie...TV show??
Sadie: Most recent favorite movie would have to be The Social Network. I don't know if they have the movie in China, but it's about the invention of Facebook. And the Notebook will always be in my top movies. The Hunger Games is my favorite book!!! I recommend it to all your students! I have too many favorite TV shows! Glee, The World of Jenks, The Buried Life, Pretty Little Liars, White Collar, and Americas Next Top Model. But they aren't on all in the same season, so it's easy to balance them all out.

MJ: Do you have any other hobbies or interest?
Sadie: I play the ukulele (I taught myself!) and sometimes I go jogging. I used to be into sports, but that changed a lot recently. I love fashion and to shop, and I live in the perfect neighborhood for it.

MJ: What type of music do you like?
Sadie: I like a lot of different kinds of music. I like pop, of course, and I also like alternative and rock music. Some country music, like Taylor Swift, and some folk music, but that's pretty much it.

MJ: What are your favorite foods? Do you like foods from different countries?
Sadie: I love Japanese and Thai food! Pad Thai noodles are my favorite. Also, Italian, because I love pizza and pasta, but I don't eat it all the time! Sometimes I have tacos for dinner, and those are always fun to eat. But the funnest dinner you will ever have is breakfast for dinner! Try it!

MJ: Have you thought about what you would like to be when you grow up? If so what would you like to do?
Sadie: I've thought about it, but I still have no idea. I would be interested in being a writer or a journalist, but I also think it would be very fun to have a job in the fashion world. Who knows where I'll go!

MJ: When did you go on vacation last and where did you go? What did you enjoy the most about it?
Sadie: The last vacation I went on was for summer break in August, and I went to Greece. It was AMAZING!!! The water was just an indescribable blue color, and it was so clear! I was with my friend when I went there, and that made it more fun, of course. We went to some ruins that were so beautiful to see, and to think that they had been there for hundreds of years!

MJ: Do you think kids can make a difference in the world?
Sadie: I most definitely think that kids can make a difference. We are the next generation! We have to make the world better, because we are the ones that are going to be living on it, and preparing it for our families and ancestors.

MJ: Finally, the question I ask everyone that "comes to Mr. Jackson's Zone"....If the world was listening, what would you say?
Sadie: (Aargh, this is hard. I don't want to sound too cheesy.) "Hello World! Always be yourself, then anything is possible. Love, Sadie"

MJ: Thanks so much for your time Sadie, thanks for stopping by, we wish you the best of luck in the future!
Sadie: And thank you! It's so exciting to think that kids my age across the globe are going to read this. And say hi to them for me :)