In 20 years and 132 CDs we have only twice focused an entire episode on one topic. “The Dirt on Food” is one of those special episodes. Why? Because we believe what we eat, where we buy it, and how it is raised, is key to many broader issues. Using our varied cast of storytelling devices we touch upon those hard-to-reach corners of of the food story. Some pieces are playful… some are hard hitting. All of them are presented by kids — in their voices and metaphor.
MONEY: The “Food Episode” starts, appropriately, at Freddy’s Rhubarb and Banana Sandwich stand where an old customer is complaining about the higher prices of Fred’s fresh organic ingredients… On their AMERICAN JOURNEY, Toby and Gramps grab a bowl of soup in Pescadero, California, then get a personal tour of a nearby organic herb farm… In SOUNDS, we hear the sound of a revolving door, transporting Monsanto executives between their boardroom and government positions… Laura goes back in time to the 1980s to interview a conventional Illinois farmer experimenting with a new “old” way of farming in this episode’s TURNING POINT…Clodagh has a commentary about Frankenfood and genetic modification… Saffron and that famous French Chef, Jacques LaTour, reacquaint listeners with the joys of cooking (and eating)… On the BIG IDEA, Hayley and the King of Complicated Stuff explore the moral dilemmas involved in choosing meat in the marketplace… Finally, Natalie has a NATURAL WONDER about the beauty of black, wormy, soil. Why do we treat this precious commodity like… dirt?