Ever think of hosting a monthly vegan dinner and movie group? It can be the type of thing that you do with your co-workers or friends, all from your own living room, or it can be expanded to be at a community center or the likes, and open to the public. A recent article from Southwest Minneapolis Patch features Chef Marianna Padilla, a woman who is doing just that, with her own spin. Owner of Casa Marianna, a nutrition and exercise hub that offers, among other things, classes in vegetarian cooking, Chef Marianna is offering a Friday Night Dinner & a Movie series, which will pair a food or water themed documentary with an optional veg meal. Some of the films she intends to show include Food, Inc. and The Future of Food.
This is clearly the type of activism that is easily replicable. With dozens of food-related films popping up left and right (some of our faves include Vegucated, Chow Down, and Fat Sick & Nearly Dead), this is a timely endeavor. Perhaps even create a rotating group, where each month a different person hosts the “dinner and a movie” at their digs. Or open it to friends-of-friends, and charge a nominal fee to cover the expenses. Or make it vegan potluck style, encouraging folks to extend their culinary skills in a compassionate direction. Or make it big, and host it in the back room of a local restaurant that offers vegan options (of course, keep the evening exclusively vegan — and every other evening too). There is no wrong way to do this. It’s easy, sociable, and can generate some very lively and eye-opening discussions. Food for thought…