"The Real Dirt on Farmer John", Film & Book Signing music by Lesley Littlefield & organic buffet of appetizers Monday, August 14, 6pm, 80 pesos Film & book signing only, Tuesday, August 15, 4:30pm, 50 pesos

Teatro Santa Ana, Biblioteca Pública, Insurgentes 25
One of the earliest written recipe collections takes the form of a Babylonian clay tablet dating from about 1500 BCE. The Greeks and Romans left copious records of their often fantastical culinary concoctions, many of which still exist in variant forms today. Cookbooks as such did not come into widespread use until the mid-18th century. In Colonial America, a reprint of an English edition called The Complete Housewife, by Eliza Smith, appeared in 1742 in Williamsburg, Virginia. In 1796, a cook named Amelia Simmons self-published her American Cookery, and it became known as the first American cookbook, and the first published by a woman.

In the 20th century, our first forays into our mothers' and grandmothers' kitchens familiarized us with such standards as Betty Crocker, Fannie Farmer, and The Joy of Cooking. 

Cookbooks have continued to evolve since their days of homey covers and smiling homemakers-and good thing, too. I remember leafing through venerable standards of the culinary arts with about as much enthusiasm as reading a doctor's prescription pad. Chop two of these, add this, and fry. There was usually a section of fairly lurid color plates in the middle of the book, few of which summoned forth the urge to cook.
Nothing could be further from the cookbook's austere and subdued beginnings than Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables. Sure, it contains a wealth of inspirational, creative recipes, but this is just the tip of the iceberg lettuce.
The book itself, like "Farmer John" Peterson's crops, is organic, an interlinked amalgam of components that together go beyond the genre to incorporate narrative, philosophy, nutrition science, and even drama of a fashion. This is a book to be read and savored, rather than consulted only when you have forgotten once again how to make coq au vin.

As Peterson remarks in the preface, this is "not a conventional cookbook, but an image of a farm in motion." As much as a compendium of recipes it is the history of Angelic Organics, the Illinois family farm that Peterson resuscitated from ruin. Born out of the cooking pages of the farm's weekly newsletter, Farmer John's Cookbook functions like the farm itself-growing, changing, integrating into the life of the cook. Turning the pages, you can practically smell the turned earth and the pungent ripening of tomatoes on the vine.

Organized by season (planting, leafing, rooting, and planning), the section on each vegetable opens with information on storage, handling, culinary uses and "partners" (herbs and spices, condiments, and other foods and vegetables that are complementary). 

The recipes themselves are inventive and accessible and have roughly the same effect as going to the grocery store on an empty stomach.

The book is liberally peppered with observations, comments and anecdotes from Farmer John, the shareholders of Angelic Organics, the farm's cook and crew, and even anonymous overheard comments. Complementing these are excerpts from a decade of the harvest week newsletter chronicling the weather, the crops and the running of the farm.

Essays by Andrew Lorand, MD, Louise Frazier, and Rudolf Steiner address food and nutrition from an anthroposophical and biodynamic perspective and serve to further amplify what would already be an ambitious, entertaining and useful tome.

The cookbook is beautifully and thoughtfully designed and lavishly illustrated with drawings and photos of the produce, farm workers, and well-fed recipients of the garden's bounty.
In one of the book's numerous entertaining sidebars, the following overheard comments is recorded for posterity: "I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and I think, "Well, that's not going to happen."
For Farmer John Peterson, science fiction has become reality. For those who buy and enjoy his book, the banquet awaits.

Orange Curry Carrots 

This dish is a nice accompaniment to a chicken curry; it's a fine side at a luncheon of sandwiches and makes a simple vegetarian meal on its own over a helping of basmati rice. The thick, sweet-savory sauce nicely complements the tender carrots. If you use the cardamom seeds, grind them with a mortar and pestle. And don't be shy adding the banana-that's what makes this dish unique and delicious. Angelic Organics Kitchen.

Serves 4

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 medium oranges)
1 cup water
4 cups 1/4-inch-sliced carrots (about 6 medium carrots)
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons ghee or butter
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric seeds from 3-4 cardamom pods, freshly ground (optional)
2 tablespoons flour
1 very ripe banana, peeled, mashed
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh cilantro

1. Bring the orange juice and water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the carrots and reduce the heat to a simmer; cook, uncovered, until barely tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the raisins and remove the pot from heat; let stand.
2. Melt the ghee or butter in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the curry powder, turmeric, and cardamom seeds; cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the skillet and stir constantly until a smooth paste forms. Remove from heat. 
3. Drain the carrots and raisins, reserving the orange liquid. Add about half of the liquid to the curry powder mixture in the skillet, return the skillet to medium heat, and stir to combine. When the sauce thickens nicely, slowly add in the rest of the liquid, and then stir in the mashed banana. Add the carrots and raisins and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

… and see the film
How does a traditional family-owned farm survive the tumultuous '60s, the hippie-influenced '70s and the farm crisis of the '80s under the management of a son who eats dirt, romps through fields in a bumblebee outfit and brings artists and movie makers to pick vegetables? The award-winning film The Real Dirt on Farmer John reveals the plight of family farmers in the US through the visual documentation of John Peterson and his family over a period of more than 40 years. Incorporating home movies taken by John's mother Anna in the 50's, the film offers a rare and moving insight into the crises, difficulties and strength of the farming community.
Profoundly moving and yet with an earthy humor, The Real Dirt is a story of personal integrity, pursuing a dream and creating a vision-a timely tale that is being embraced by more and more people.

After the Monday and Tuesday screenings the real Farmer John will be on hand to sign copies of his new earthy cookbook The Real Dirt on Vegetables. And for a sneak preview tasting of John's recipes, stay for the delicious organic buffet of appetizers after the Monday screening. Advance purchase tickets are available from the theater now.

Farming at the cutting edge of ecology

Bioneers Summer Film Series, Michael Ableman and Omar Freilla, Tuesday, August 15, 3:30pm, Teatro Santa Ana, Insurgentes 25, 50 pesos

The two Bioneers films this week speak to the issues of ecology, organic farming and urban farming. They were chosen for an August 15 showing because they complement the work of John Peterson, whose movie The Real Dirt on Farmer John will follow the Bioneers films. (The Real Dirt on Farmer John also shows at 6pm on Monday, August 16.) Please note that the Bioneers film time has changed from 5pm to 3:30pm to precede Farmer John's movie at 4:30pm on Tuesday.
The first Bioneers film features Michael Ableman, who is well known in both the organic and urban farming circles. Ableman has been a leader in the Urban Agricultural Movement since its beginnings in the early 1980s. He is a farmer, educator and executive director of the Center for Urban Agriculture at Farview Gardens, California. In this Bioneers address, he uses stories and pictures to tell the stories of some of the most innovative individuals growing food today. These include master farmers, food artisans and those using their farms as platforms for social and ecological change. 
The second film features Omar Freilla, an "urban guerrilla" in the sense of combining food supply and social justice issues. A former board chair of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, Freilla was raised in the South Bronx. In 2003, he created The Green Worker Cooperatives, an organization dedicated to the creation of worker-owned and environmentally friendly manufacturing cooperatives in the South Bronx. This film is an inspiring example of how the worst of urban slums can be reinvigorated aesthetically and in terms of social justice.

Global Justice film series

Romero, Thursday, August 17, 3pm
Teatro Santa Ana, Insurgentes 25, 50 pesos

Romero is the true story of Catholic priest Archbishop Oscar Romero (played by Raoul Julia in the performance of his life) and his role during the political unrest in El Salvador in the late 1970s. Initially selected by the church as a soft, safe candidate for archbishop, Romero surprised everyone by speaking out against the violence of the government's terror campaign against the guerillas in an attempt to crush them. 
This is an intensely moving film that portrays Romero's painful and conflicted transformation into a champion of the poor and the oppressed after seeing his fellow priests murdered and tortured by the country's brutal, repressive government. 
Eventually, his principled stand for the teachings of Christ led to his assassination in 1980 while he was blessing the wine during mass. Romero was selected by Arts & Faith as one of the 100 most "spiritually significant films" ever made.
Released in 1989, the film runs for 102 minutes.
Center for Global Justice Film Series

Shalom SMA screens The Pianist

Film: The Pianist, Monday, August 14, 4:30pm
Hotel Quinta Loreto TV room, Loreto 15, 50 peso 

The Pianist is the true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jew who, in the 1930s, was known as the most accomplished piano player in all of Poland, if not Europe. But fate tested him when he was one of the millions who were forced into the squalor and indignity of the Warsaw ghetto, an area where ousted Jews were forced to live during the war. He suffered the tragedy of his family's deportation to a death camp, and he himself was conscripted into a forced German labor compound. He finally escaped and went into hiding at which time he witnessed the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. After hearing him play the piano, a German officer helped him survive.
In this film, Roman Polanski brings a highly personal story to life with vivid detail. The Pianist haunts us with the reality that many faced in taking what little belongings they could and staying in a heavily populated area where many starved, fell ill and died. Subjected to random violence by the SS, their lives became disposable. Adrien Brody gives a rousing performance in this film that won four Academy Awards. A discussion follows the film.

Cinemateca

José Luis's Pick and Tips:

The pick: 

Tsotsi
How strange, a movie in which a bad man becomes better, instead of the other way around. Tsotsi, a film of deep emotional power, is the story of a young killer whose cold eyes show no emotion, who kills unthinkingly, and who is transformed by the helplessness of a baby. He didn't mean to kidnap the baby, but now that he has it, it looks at him with trust and need, and he is powerless before eyes more demanding than his own. The movie, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, is set in Soweto, the township outside Johannesburg where neat little houses built by the new government are overwhelmed by square miles of shacks. There is poverty and despair here, but also hope and opportunity; generations of politicians, entrepreneurs, artists, musicians have come from Soweto, as if it were the Lower East Side of South Africa. Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae) is not destined to be one of those. We don't even learn his real name until later in the film; "tsotsi" means "thug," and that's what he is.

The tips:

Please take note that in order to provide the best viewing experience, the show times for some movies may be adjusted to accommodate their length. So please double-check the times in your schedule. Also, please remember our new ticket price of 50 pesos. 
Discount cards are 400 pesos for 10 shows. 
On Monday after 4pm, buy your tickets for any selection of the week. Don't take the risk of being locked out! Nos vemos en el Cine….

My Name Is Bill W. (1989)
Tuesday, August 15, at noon
English with Spanish subtitles, 100 minutes
A discussion will follow the movie. 
This film shows every Tuesday at noon until October 3.
Director: Daniel Petrie
Based on the inspiring true story of the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, this moving drama stars James Woods in an Emmy-winning performance as Bill Wilson, a successful stockbroker who loses everything in the 1929 stock market crash. After succumbing to depression and drink, he eventually sobers up with the help of fellow recovering alcoholic Dr. Bob (James Garner). With newfound hope for the future, the two create the now-famous support group. 

Bioneers Summer Film Series
Tuesday, August 15, at 3:30pm 
Michael Ableman will speak about farming frontiersmen-innovative individuals using their farming methods as platforms for ecological change. Omar Freilla will speak on urban farming as social change in the South Bronx.

Paper Clips (2004)
Wednesday, August 16, at 5pm
English, 82 minutes
Director: Elliot Berlin, Joe Fab
Whitwell Middle School in rural Tennessee is the setting for this documentary about an extraordinary experiment in Holocaust education. Struggling to grasp the concept of 6 million Holocaust victims, the students decide to collect 6 million paper clips to better understand the enormity of the calamity. The film details how the students met Holocaust survivors from around the world and how the experience transformed them and their community.

Art Special:Degas and the Dance (2004) 
Wednesday, August 16, at noon
English, 54 minutes
French Impressionist master Edgar Degas is widely known for capturing the grace and elegance of dance, most famously in his paintings of ballet dancers. Actor Frank Langella narrates this exploration of Degas's art, his many muses and influences and his impact on the art world. 

Global Justice Film Series: Romero (1989)
Thursday, August 17, at 3pm
English, 102 minutes
The film is a true story of Catholic priest Archbishop Oscar Romero (played by Raoul Julia in the performance of his life), during the political unrest in El Salvador in the late 1970s. Initially selected by the church as a soft, safe candidate for Archbishop, Romero surprised everyone by speaking out against the violence of the government's terror campaign against the guerillas in an attempt to crush them. This is an intensely moving film that portrays Romero's painful and conflicted transformation to a champion of the poor and the oppressed after seeing his fellow priests murdered and tortured by the country's brutal, repressive government. Eventually, his principled stand for the teachings of Christ led to his assassination in 1980 while blessing the wine during Mass.

Tsotsi (2006)
Friday, August 18, at 4pm
Monday, August 21, at 5pm
Tuesday, August 22, at 7pm 
Zulu with English subtitles, 94 minutes.
Director: Gavin Hood
This Oscar-winning Best Foreign Language film shows that no soul is too far gone from being reformed. After shooting a woman and driving off in her car, Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae), a ruthless thug, is surprised to discover he isn't alone, there is a crying infant in the backseat. He grudgingly takes the child home, and through his efforts to care for the tyke, Tsotsi slowly rediscovers his compassion, self-respect and capacity to love.

Musical Saturdays:
Opera: Tristan e Isolda
Saturday, August 19, at 2:30pm 
Sung in German with English subtitles, 241 minutes, with intermission and refreshments
Tristan & Isolde is often regarded as the most important opera composed in the nineteenth century. It is also regarded as the beginning of modern music. In this 1999 presentation from the Munich Opera Festival, Jon Frederic West more than holds his own in the taxing role of Tristan, but it is German soprano Waltraud Meier who triumphs as Isolde. She's a fearless actress, sexy, sullen, resigned, and animated by turns, while vocally, she more than meets Wagner's near-impossible demands.

Kids' Cartoons
Saturday, August 12, noon
Free 

Musical Saturdays
Aida
Saturday, August 19, at 2:30pm
158 minutes.