Pass the Salt

 The search for the ‘sweet spot’ of this nutritional trickster uncovers the secrets behind our salty crystal craving. 

Essential? Harmful? Or both?

Markham Street Films
presents

Pass the Salt a film by Michael McNamara

Are you salt addicted or salt sensitive?

I recently viewed this new Documentary about salt.  It was a very interesting take on salt.  Do you start shaking salt on your food before you taste it?  Do you put it on everything?  Are your cravings salt based?  Or are you salt sensitive like myself.  If I have Chinese food I expect to pay for it within a half an hour after eating it.  It doesn't always stop me from having salt but it does make me make different choices depending on my circumstances that day.  Salt and sugar are in everything these days and even things you would never think they are in.  It's now trendy to add flaked salt on top of caramel and chocolate desserts just the same way we add sugar to ketchup and tomato sauce and that is the new normal.


 For decades, salt has been labelled "bad" for us but this has recently been complicated by findings on the importance, nay the necessity, of salt in our diets. Weaving these two opposing sides together, Pass the Salt shows the complexity not of only salt but of our own bodies.

In the new documentary from Markham Street Films, veteran filmmaker Michael McNamara (Hot Docs Don Haig Award recipient, Writers Guild of Canada Award winner and Gemini/Canadian Screen Awards favourite with a combined 8 nominations and 1 Gemini win) puts salt, literally and figuratively, under the microscope.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to write this post before the film's nation-wide broadcast and streaming premiere on January 17 but I didn't want to miss providing the info about this film in case you had another opportunity to see it on the CBC or by other outlets.

I am going to try and provide you with information like this documentary sooner than this one but I took a little break on my blog posting to catch up on my life.  But one of my new years resolutions is to get back to posting timely information on my blog again.

This post is an FYI in case you get a chance to watch this documentary in the future.

Personally for me it grabbed my attention because I do have issues with the amount of sodium that goes into our food because most of it is highly processed which adds way more salt than we require in our day.

Look at the ingredient list of one of those instant Ramen packages and you will be shocked.  The recommended daily allowance for Sodium is about 1200 milligrams in total and check out the next freezer meal you pick up and see how much is in one little portion of food.  The fact that when you go to most restaurants and you have no idea what the sodium content is shocking to me but at this point in my life I can tell that it's going to be an issue for me by the type of food and how it's prepared.   IE:  I skip the soy sauce when I get Sushi.

Salt isn't the enemy but the levels of salt consumption and the knowledge of how much we consume is really important to our health/

It is streaming across Canada on CBC GEM now.

Planet in Focus - Food on Film

The 20th year of the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival is on this weekend until October 20th, 2019.

I was able to preview 3 of the 4 Food Related Documentaries showing at the festival this year.

I have a soft spot for these documentaries because of my love of all things food and my interest in the sustainability of the food for future generations.

These films are all different but similar in the fact that there is a goal surrounded by what is best for the food industry and the people that are fed by them.

Artifishal

by Josh Murphy

G+ | United States | English | 2019 | 75min | Documentary

This documentary was visually stunning and mezmerizing to watch but also very thought provoking.  It is hard to reconcile the benefits of doing what is good for the environment with feeding people in the future and the battle between the fishermen who know what the costs are to the science and political figures who make the decisions that affect the fishermen and the public.

Setting the Bar: A Craft Chocolate Origin Story

by Tim Shephard

Rated G+/Mexico/English, Spanish/2019/85 min/Documentary

I wasn't able to see this film but I am really looking forward to it because of course anything related to chocolate will be interesting of course.

When Tomatoes Met Wagner

by Marianna Economou

G+ | Greece | English, French, Greek | 2019 | 72min | Documentary

This documentary was a little slower paced on the journey of a small community of people who are trying to produce a product that they want to spread to other countries.  They believed that music affects the quality of their products and they believe their product is superior to others because of the nature of the territory it comes from.  They are very proud of their accomplishment with a few mature women and a determined man with a vision.

SOYALISM

by Enrico Parenti, Stefano Liberti

PG+ | Italy | English, Chinese, Portuguese | 2018 | 65min | Documentary

This film speaks to the fight between large scale production and small scale farming practices and what it costs the communities surrounding the areas that take over large scale farming practices have to deal with on a daily basis.  This film makes you think that there must be a better way of communicating the importance of good practices that are sustainable and beneficial to everyone now and for generations to come.  It's very sad at the destruction caused by greed of people who are only concerned with the money that can be made in the Pork industry.

THE GAME CHANGERS

by Louie Psihoyos

PG+ | United States | English | 2018 | 88min | Documentary

I highly recommend this film.  I saw it over a year ago and was blown away by it.  If you are a meat eater and hate your veggies and think that you need protein to be strong then you need to watch this film because it will change your opinion on what a plant based diet can do for someone's body.

The film is smart, funny and informative and there are many surprises that you will love in this gem of a documentary.

check out Planet in Focus this weekend.   You will be entertained and Inspired.   wWW.PlanetinFocus.org

Starving Foodie guide to best places to eat during TIFF19

Guide to good eats near TIFF theatres.

This will be my 19th year doing Tiff and between my festival experience and my foodie life I have picked up a few fav picks for eats close to the festival.  I have been trying to do this list for the past few years and it changes every year especially since King Street West has changed so much because of the King Street Project.  Most of my choices are based on proximity and the food being tried and true.  Most are fairly reasonable and quick because sometimes you just don't have a lot of time to eat between films and sometimes you might have time to kill and want to catch up on the films you like over a decent meal, for myself I start craving a good meal after the first weekend because that's the busiest time.  These places aren't chosen for celeb spotting but more on where me and my fellow film lovers would actually go.

1. TIFF Bell Lightbox

350 King St. W,

Pizzaolo on John Street at Adelaide $5 for a cheap and quick slice
A&W on John Street south of King St. always has special deals so a meal under $10
Luma at the Lightbox 2nd floor- Great place for drinks and an appy between films
Montecito - lots of money and time to kill and get a great meal.  Director Ivan Reitman is one of the owners so you will find Ghostbusters items and lots of photos near the washrooms.

2. Scotiabank Theatre

259 Richmond Street West

Melt - 300 Richmond St. W, - Want a grab and go hand held bite?  It takes a few min for the grilled cheese but it's worth it.

Blaze Pizza - Open less than a year but this franchise is spreading around the city.  You can get whatever you want for around $10.

3. Princess of Wales

300 King Street West-

PAI-18 Duncan St. - This place is really popular so there may even be a line to get in.  This Thai resto is a hot spot for foodies in the know in Toronto.
FIGO - 295 Adelaide St W -  This place is lovely and has the best zucchini fritti. This is a linger with some wine kind of place.

Montecito - lots of money and time to kill and get a great meal.

4. Roy Thompson Hall

60 Simcoe Street

Ritz Carlton -181 Wellington St.W..   This is where industry meetings happen and a lot of people watching.  I really like the Truffle fries on the back patio.
Elephant & Castle -212 King St. West -  Consistency is key to this long standing successful resto.  This is where you might find my entourage team having dinner while a film is happening at Roy Thompson Hall because the food is good, reasonable and hits the spot.

5. Elgin/Wintergarden

189 Yonge Street

Richmond Station - Richmond St. W. if you have some $ and time this is a great bet for a great meal. Get the burger.
Pusateris - 176 Yonge Street. - Inside the Saks at the Bay is a great place to grab a roast beef sandwich by the inch or my fav Poke bowl or a freshly tossed salad and Greenhouse juice.  You may spot an incognito celeb even because of the Bay and Eaton Centre shopping there.
Sud Forno - 132 Yonge Street. - This is a fancy Italian eat in or take out place.  Not just a slice of pizza but a decent variety of salads and sandwiches and sweets.

6.  AGO - Jackman Hall

317 Dundas St, W.

Pizzaiolo - 289 Dundas St. West.  - I listed this twice because it's fast and cheap.

Village by the Grange Food Court - 109 McCaul St. -Mean Bao, Helene's  Magic Kitchen, Jerk King - a great variety of fast food kiosks.  I eat there during the week a lot.  This is a daytime place though.

7.  Ryerson Theatre

43 Gerrard St. E.

Banh Mi Boys - 399 Yonge Street - They have the best $5 fried chicken Bao. and the Banh mi sandwiches are great too.
Hot Star Fried Chicken - 374A Yonge Street - Craving a big hunk of KFC that you can walk down the street or stand in a rush line at Ryerson and eat.  This is a good deal for that but sometimes it takes some time to wait.
Salad King- 340 Yonge Street - This is a Ryerson Student favourite.  Eat in or take out.