 "Photo: Courtesy of Eleni Vlachos")
Arguably one of the most frequent and significant decisions one makes on a daily basis is what to eat. Regardless of whether you choose to eat at a dining hall, use your Points or play chef at home, there is virtually always some sort of choice when it comes to eating.
Students’ decisions of what to eat have far-reaching consequences, and Eleni Vlachos’s documentary “Seeing Through the Fence” reminds viewers that making the right choice when it comes to eating a meal can be not only easy but fun.
“Seeing Through the Fence” is about food’s role in society and the modern day alienation of the consumer from the food production process. Students for the Environment arranged for the documentary to be shown on campus. It will be showing in Kirkbride Hall today, Sept. 22.
The focus of Vlachos’s documentary is to create a discussion that transcends the typical stereotype of a vegan animal-rights activist attacking a non-vegetarian lifestyle. According to PorchLifeProductions.com, the documentary is based on a series of interviews with random people across the U.S. and Greece.
After touring for a year as the drummer in her band, Vlachos found she had garnered a large positive response about the documentary. So far the documentary has been a success with vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.
According to her Web site, the documentary was screened at over 90 universities and performance spaces nationwide from 2008 through May 2009.
Vlachos put together the documentary through the dialogue that ensued from her growing interest in animal activism.
“When I started as an activist, I was led down the path of listening to people and asking questions about animals,” Vlachos says.
She says people have a natural compassion for animals, as proven by the abundance of people who have pets, and Vlachos hopes that these sentiments will continue into the realm of how animals are treated with regard to food processing.
“People seem to relate to the home-made nature. It’s not judgmental,” she says.
Vlachos says the general public misconstrues choosing to eat in an ethically responsible manner as an inconvenience. They think that one must eat less, she says.
“The main thing to think about that: it’s not a subtraction problem, it’s an addition problem,” Vlachos says.
Vlachos says she believes eating responsibly is not only convenient, but it can also be made enjoyable.
“It’s becoming an adventure to make your plate more interesting,” she says.
People often get intimidated by activists for their all-or-nothing attitude towards food choices. However, this is only a tendency of social groups and the aim is to show people that responsible eating can be socially acceptable on a wider scale, she says.
The very nature of the subject causes it to touch upon larger issues present in the national discussion, including caring for the environment and crop sustainability. The documentary touches on a variety of topics, and that is what allows it to connect to so many different people.
Bari Grossman, co-president of Students for the Environment, says the documentary is a reminder to make conscientious food choices.
“Every day we make a million little decisions without even thinking about them, and I'm hoping the documentary reminds us that every so often we should step back and do some thinking,” Grossman says.
As far as the expected turnout goes, he says, “I’d love to see as many people there as want to be there. I'm just beginning to advertise so I don't have an idea just yet. Hopefully it'll be a pleasant surprise!”
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