9/6/2015 11 Powerful Netflix Documentaries That Will Change How You Think About Food

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11 Powerful Netflix Documentaries That Will Change How You Think About Food

By Jen Winston May 12, 2014Like Mic on Facebook:

11 Powerful Netflix Documentaries That Will Change How You Think About FoodImage Credit: Cinespect.com

Food porn, #cleaneating, Instagrams of each and every meal of your day: We are living in a culture of food obsession by way ofvoyeurism. We rarely dine without documenting the experience, and in response to the timeless question "who runs the world?" onelook at social media will give you the answer: foodies.

But there is a lot we can't learn about food from the perfectly filtered photos on our feeds. Food documentaries are a powerful way tofocus on smaller stories about the industry that highlight the bigger truths about where our food comes from and how it affectseverything from our bodies to the environment.

Netflix is now home to countless food-inspired documentaries that examine the creation of, inspiration behind and taste of our favoritesubject. From food science 101 to the implications of overeating, these documentaries will blow your mind no matter how manyrestaurants you're the mayor of on Foursquare.

Here are 11 Netflix documentaries that will change the way you look at food:

1. 'Spinning Plates'

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Spinning Plates takes the viewer behind the scenes of three incredibly different restaurants, focusing on the obstacles and intricaciesthat make each unique. From the high stakes of a molecular gastronomy hot spot to the struggles of a small mom-and-pop shop, thisdocumentary paints an intimate portrait of the food service industry from a variety of angles.

2. 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi'

Jiro Dreams of Sushi offers a close-up of Jiro Ono, his three-star Michelin restaurant in a Tokyo subway station and his quest to createthe perfect sushi. Jiro's underground restaurant is pressed for space and can only seat about 10 people, so this may be the closest you'll

ever get to a table. As Roger Ebert wrote in his review, "This is a portrait of tunnel vision. Jiro exists to make sushi. Sushi exists to bemade by Jiro." The tunnel vision paid off: This documentary made Jiro a global sushi sensation.

3. 'Forks Over Knives'

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Though it sounds like an instructional video about how to use cutlery, Forks Over Knives is actually a shocking portrait of America'seating habits and the health risks our animal and processed food-based diet can incur. The "knives" referenced in the title are actuallysurgical scalpels, which support the film's thesis: If we change our diets, we can ease up on our medicine.

4. 'Inside: Chipotle'

Rather than waste all day talking about how you're craving Chipotle, why not spend 21-minutes learning something about the franchise?Inside: Chipotle shines a spotlight on the business and innovation strategies of everyone's favorite chain, right down to the in-store chairdesign.

5. 'Food, Inc.'

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Food, Inc. presents a no-holds-barred look at the production process behind the stuff we eat, and tackles the agricultural implicationsthat don't stop at your stomach. The documentary focuses on the extreme changes to the food industry that have taken place over thelast 50 years and exposes the laws that help keep those often overlooked new practices a secret.

6. 'Super Size Me'

Good news for anyone who missed the notorious film back in 2004 — Morgan Spurlock's legendary documentary is available forstreaming. Watch what happens to Spurlock's body as he spends a month eating nothing but McDonald's. The ominous trailer gives astrong hint: There's not a whole lot of "lovin' it" here.

7. 'More Than Honey'

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More Than Honey aims to understand why the world's bees are disappearing, and in the process provides an abundance of mind-blowing facts about the insects. For example, one-third of what we eat wouldn't exist without bees. That figure alone should makegetting stung seem like much less of a big deal.

8. 'Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead'

If you're looking for motivation to change your lifestyle, look no further. Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead chronicles Joe Cross' attempt to lose100 pounds and offset the food-induced damage he's done to his body. The film also recounts the struggles of people he meets along theway. Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead investigates the effects of an unhealthy diet and explores our ability to reverse it.

9. 'Hungry for Change'

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Changing the way you look at food isn't necessarily a pleasant experience. Hungry for Change aims to uncover some of the foodindustry's worst secrets about the FDA, sugar and what humans as a species should be eating. Sure, the film may serve as healthy eatingpropaganda, but at least that's spoonful of sugar we can take down.

10. 'Somm'

You know what pairs well with food documentaries? Wine documentaries. Somm follows four wine lovers as they take the world's mostdifficult wine test — the Master Sommelier exam. Expect to learn a lot about wine, as well as a lot more about how much easier it is tojust trust your waiter.

11. 'I Like Killing Flies'

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For many people, eating and New York are synonymous. Those people will love I Like Killing Flies, a Sundance film that documentsthe final year of Shopsins, a restaurant in Greenwich Village. The film offers insight into the New York dining scene, as well aspoignant observations about restaurants that we may take for granted. If you take one thing from the movie, let it be that you shouldalways tip.

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Jen WinstonLover of words, dogs, and novelty jewelry.Follow @jenerous

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A College Instructor Got Rape Threats for Banning the Term "Illegal Alien" FromClass

By Jamilah King September 04, 2015Like Mic on Facebook:

Rebecca Fowler expected a fight this school year, but not this one.

The fourth-year Ph.D. student at Washington State University is writing her dissertation on how immigrant advocate groups challengepopular discourses on immigration and, like all doctoral students, is slated to eventually defend her work before a committee of facultymembers. But as the school year begins, she's found herself in a different battle altogether over whether an instructor can bandiscriminatory language from her classroom.

Earlier this week, Fowler's syllabus for Comparative Ethnic Studies grabbed national attention for warning students against using termslike "colored," "tranny" and "illegals aliens," or risk a lowered grade. The story was picked up by a range of news outlets from theWashington Post and Fusion to the conservative outlet the Daily Caller. Within hours, Fowler's email inbox and office voicemail wereinundated with hateful messages.

The syllabus, which was once available online, has since been removed. Here are the guidelines as captured by Fusion before it wastaken down:

Source: Washington State University/Fusion

The response has been "really vicious," Fowler told Mic on Thursday. She said the threats include slurs ranging from "douchebag,""cunt" and "bitch," to detailed rape threats. "I've been protecting myself because there's so much hate and venom." One email, with thesubject line "Marxist Moron," tells Fowler — who's white — to have a "Nigger-free day." A right-wing blog post laments, "Clearly thisbitch is mentally ill and should be fired for such insanity."

The level of that venom is, in a way, surprising given that she's taught the class — with the now-infamous disclaimer on the syllabus —many times before. Students, she says, haven't complained much either, minus the occasional student who can be "very opposed" totalking about their white privilege. But for Fowler, that's the point.

"I'm a white woman of privilege, so this just makes it personal in a way that it never was," she says. "People of color and undocumentedpeople get this kind of pushback every day."

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But that sentiment hasn't stopped the university's interim president, Daniel Bernardo, from issuing a public statement effectivelynullifying Fowler's efforts. "No student will have points docked merely as a result of using terms that may be deemed offensive tosome," the statement read.

"I'm a white woman of privilege, so this just makes it personal in a way that it never was. People of color and undocumentedpeople get this kind of pushback every day."

Willingly or not, Washington State has become the latest battleground in the fight over how Americans talk about immigration.Advocates have waged a long battle to eliminate the term "illegal" from acceptable usage.

"It's racist," Thanu Yakupitiyage, communications manager for the New York Immigration Coalition, told Mic about the term "illegalalien." "It's an inaccurate description of immigrants in this country, and it's used to isolate and racialize immigrants."

In 2006, California university professors Justin Akers Chacon and Mike Davis published the book, No One Is Illegal. In 2010, RaceForward, a racial justice organization, launched a campaign to "Drop the I-Word," and eventually management at the New York Times,Associated Press, NPR and Los Angeles Times adjusted newsroom policy around the term "illegal alien," along with its manyiterations.

The human element: Fowler says the controversy has banded her students together in her support. "My class is sympathetic to themessage," she says of the now-scuttled policy. "My [students] who [come in saying] 'illegal alien,' they've been taught to say that, theyunconsciously use that phrase. When someone stops and starts speaking out [about] why it's demhumanizing they're very open totalking about embracing a change in their terminology."

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Jamilah KingJamilah King is a senior staff writer at Mic, where she focuses on race, gender and sexuality. She was formerly senior editor atColorlines, an award-winning daily news site dedicated to racial justice. Prior to Colorlines, Jamilah was associate editor of WireTap,an online political magazine for young adults. She's also a current board member of Women, Action and the Media (WAM!). Her workhas appeared on Salon, MSNBC, the American Prospect, Al Jazeera, The Advocate, and in the California Sunday Magazine. She's alsoa music junkie and an avid Bay Area sports fan.Follow @JamilahKing

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We Spend More Time Watching Netflix Than Eating or Fucking, New Study Shows

By Kevin O'Keeffe September 04, 2015Like Mic on Facebook:

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Americans looking for Netflix and chill are apparently not getting their chill on at all.

According to a new study conducted by TDG Research and published by Exstreamist, Americans who subscribe to Netflix spend anaverage of 90 minutes per day watching shows and movies on the platform. Comparatively, only an average of two minutes per day arespent in the act of intercourse. Call it "coitus interruptus by Netflixus."

That's not the only activity that gets overshadowed by our need to stream. Exstreamist's research shows that eating, reading, shoppingand more also take a backseat to new episodes of Orange Is the New Black.

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Source: Mic/Exstreamist/TDG Research

Americans only spend 70 minutes per day eating — about 22% less time than we spend watching Netflix. So neither our hunger northirst is being sated, all thanks to the allure of being able to watch two full episodes of Gilmore Girls. Sure, intimacy is important inevery relationship. Is it more important than binge-watching Rory and Lorelai Gilmore's adorable antics for the fifth time, though?

Other activities that Americans spend less time on than their Netflix queues: answering phone calls, responding to emails andsocializing with other people. Americans are apparently watching Netflix alone, emails piling up in their inbox as they can't resistletting the service auto-play the next episode — and the one after that.

With Netflix only growing larger each day, adding more and more beloved original series, chances are the amount of time spentwatching will only increase. Before we know it, Americans will have to start scheduling their sex. Unwatched episodes ofDaredevil await, after all.

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Kevin O'KeeffeKevin is a staff writer at Mic focusing on arts, entertainment and culture. Previously, he wrote for The Atlantic, The Advocate andTexas Monthly. He's still sad about Smash getting canceled.Follow @kevinpokeeffe

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Miley Cyrus Goes Topless in Photos for 'Interview' Magazine's #Me Campaign

By Chris Riotta September 03, 2015Like Mic on Facebook:

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Just when you thought Miley Cyrus couldn't get any more risqué, she did. This time by masturbating on FaceTime before the entireworld.

Cyrus, along with a gang of celebrities famous on social media for their selfies, posed for Interview magazine's September issue, whichfeatures a collection of selfies — curated by photographer Mert Alas — taken by actors, performers and models.

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Miley Cyrus For Interview Magazine! 11:16 AM - 1 Sep 2015

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While other stars like Kim Kardashian (who showed off her wedding ring) and Victoria Beckham (who captured her family) used theirselfies as windows into their lives, Cyrus decided to bare it all. Here's what she came up with:

Warning: The following pictures are NSFW.

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Source: Interview

Source: Interview

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@MileyCyrus for Interview Magazine!! 12:25 PM - 1 Sep 2015

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These selfies are not out of the blue. The young star has been on a nude streak in the press recently. Not only did Cyrus wear next to

nothing in each of her 10 MTV Video Music Awards outfits, but the "Wrecking Ball" singer also managed to show her nipple as thehost of Sunday night's show during a seemingly unplanned mishap.

Photographer Alas is popular on Instagram for his constant stream of photo shoots with big names, including Kardashian, Cyrus, NaomiCampbell and Cara Delevigne. It's not the first time he and Cyrus have paired up for some controversial, Internet-breaking shots, either.Alas uploaded this photo to his Instagram account just four weeks ago:

According to Alas' work portfolio, he has shot for the covers of Vogue, Interview, W, Playboy and Love Magazine, among severalothers. However, this is the photographer's first time his selfies with friends, some of the biggest names in Hollywood, are appearing inan actual magazine (and a September issue, no less).

Check out the full set of Cyrus photos at Interview.

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Chris RiottaBrooklyn boy and breaking news reporter. Connect with him on social media @ChrisRiotta. Send tips to criotta@mic.com.Follow @ChrisRiotta

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