Food Film Festival 2009

Last week Rob and I headed up to the water taxi beach in Long Island City to catch some of the third annual Food Film Festival. It incorporated many things I like -- free stuff, sand, faux palm trees, beer, events that are walkable from my apartment, cheeseburgers, a beautiful view of the city and films that are short enough to fit my attention span. Monday night was a perfect night to go -- it wasn't too crowded and the weather held out, although it did get a little chilly.


The films themselves were okay, although I wasn't terribly impressed with any of them. Beef is Bueno, which gave a brief glimpse into the Argentinian beef farming industry, was one of my favorites. Partially because it makes you think about where your food comes from, but mostly because they handed out free samples of grass-fed beef burgers afterwards (but WHY on earth would they put ketchup on all of them?!). Eat or We Both Starve was an interesting look at a catfish restaurant in Mississippi with lots of history and a strong Southern soul. I learned quite a lot about how tequila is made from Sixty Hands, but by the end it felt like a really long infomercial for Patron.

Overall, a really fun and unique evening, and the setup on the beach made me feel like I'd left the city (save for the huge skyline looming right across the East River). Maybe next year I'll go more than one evening to see if any films strike my fancy.