World Food Day
Today is world food day, which sort of goes along with yesterday Blog Action Day: Poverty. 
Download this brochure and read up on the challenges facing the world-wide food supply.
If any of you read Michael Pollan’s “Farmer in Chief” article in the NY Times Food Issue you’ll have a good idea of the problems facing the food supply not only in this country but around the world. He also gave some great ideas for solving these problems. Do you think any changes will be made in our food supply in this country? Perhaps we should vote Michael Pollan for president.
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Blog Action Day: Fighting Poverty
I just found out that today is Blog Action Day: Fighting Poverty.
I grew up in Colombia, South America. My parents are missionaries and they have working at fighting poverty in Colombia for over 37 years (read my dad’s blogpost about poverty and what they’ve done to help). Many people in the United States aren’t familiar with real poverty. We may know someone who can’t afford to have a car, or that needs foods stamps to help pay for their food. While that is a form of poverty, it isn’t the same depth of poverty that the majority of the world lives in.
According to the Global Rich List, Mr Chiots and I (and the majority of Americans) are in the top 1% of the world wealth-wise because of our income. Check out how you rank, I bet it will be in the top 1% as well. So what can we do as the top 1% of wealthy people in the world? Obviously we can donate money to one of the many organizations that helps with poverty relief around the world like Heifer International, Kiva, the Grameen Foundation, or Oxfam International. Mr Chiot’s and I choose to donate to pay for the education of poor children in Colombia.
We support a school in Colombia that provides a free or low cost education to the children of the very poor. Through their education they will be able to rise up out of poverty. They’ll never be able to make it into the top 1% of the world wealth-wise, simply because they don’t live in a country like the United States, but they might make it up into the top 25%. We don’t just support with money, Mr Chiots and I have traveled to the school several times to make videos for them to help raise funds. I also work to raise scholarships for a lot of the children at the school.
What else can you do to help fight poverty? You can get involved in local program like a food bank or a homeless shelter or perhaps an after school program for lower income families, or get involved in the world-wide peasant movement, or support better working conditions for farm workers. It doesn’t really matter what you do, just do something.
This is the face of poverty in a poor section of Bogota, Colombia Mr Chiot’s and I visited in February.
What does the face of poverty look like to you and what are you doing about it?
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Algonquin Mill Festival – Take 2
On Sunday I went back to the Algonquin Mill Festival with Mr Chiots and a some friends.
On Sunday all the vintage cars are there. It’s always fun to see the old cars, I never see any old MINI’s though (Mr Chiot’s and I are saving up to buy one). 
They also have little antique booths with some interesting things. It’s always hard to leave without buying something old. (I wonder what people will sell from now in 100 years? i-pods????)
Every year there’s a dulcimer group there. It’s very interesting music. Mr Chiot’s and I collect Christmas music, so I got a CD for our collection. It will be perfect for relaxing with some hot cocoa to the light of the Christmas tree.
One thing I always buy at the festival is some sorghum syrup. My grandpa always tells stories of eating sorghum on biscuits. I use it in place of corn syrup in my pecan pies, you just can’t beat that flavor. They have a horse that is actually pressing the sorghum and they cook it down in big kettles over the fire.
On Sunday we once again ate pancakes (and I can’t believe I didn’t take a photo). They are that delicious. I’m sure all the other food is good, they have beans & cornbread, chili, sauerkraut, and a few of the more typical fair foods. We’ve never made it past the pancakes though. I’ve always wanted to learn how to make rag rugs like this. HM, perhaps that will be a good winter hobby. 
The sights and sounds of this little festival are just great. I love going back each and every year.
I’ve never bought any of the flour that they grind at the mill until this year, I decided to buy some blue cornmeal.
I’m trying to decide what to make with it, blue cornbread perhaps. Any suggestions?
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Dear Future Mr President
Head over to Kitchen Gardener’s to read an excerpt from an article Michael Pollan (author of: Botany of Desire, In Defense of Food, and The Omnivore’s Dilemma) wrote for the NY Times. I would recommend heading to NY Times and reading the entire article, it’s well worth it. Hopefully it will raise awareness of a few things we don’t talk about much in this country. The food & farming issues would be big in my book in choosing a president, too bad the candidates don’t talk about them.
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Algonquin Mill Festival
This weekend I attending the Algonquin Mill Festival, twice. On Friday I went with my parents, my sister and my 2 nieces and nephew, and on Sunday I want with Mr Chiots and some friends.
I had a great time both times, it’s definitely different when you go with kids. The girls love the Little House on the Prairie books so they kept saying, “Oh that’s just like Laura’s”. They had a great time seeing all the old stuff.
There were also thingsfor our little nephew to enjoy. He was fascinated by all the steam engines and the model trains. He’s also a big fan of tractors, and there were a bunch of those there as well.
We had some delicious pancakes made with flour ground at the mill – yum yum. We also enjoyed some ice cream churned by a steam engine, my dad can’t pass up ice cream any way it’s made.
The highlight of the kids day was the pony rides. They loved the ponies, by the end of the ride they knew the names of all the ponies.
I think the ponies liked having their pictures taken. This one, named Shorty, kept wanting to lick or eat my camera.
All-in-all we had a great day (both days). The kids were tired when we got back to my house, it looks like grandpa was pretty tired as well.
Anyone else like little festivals?
