Happy October!

Although here in Philadelphia we are experiencing an unseasonably warm and sunny week, the coming of fall has nonetheless arrived at the Fair Food farmstand in Reading Terminal Market where I volunteer on Saturdays. Fair Food is an organization that not only runs the farmstand (which provides Philadelphians with locally, sustainably grown produce, dairy and meat products, and dry goods) seven days a week, 52 weeks a year; it also offers tours to local farms and helps local institutions source from area farmers for their food. I'm slated to help out with their next farm tour, which will take place on October 22. In the meantime, I've been enjoying the bounty of apples, eggplants, squash, potatoes, and other fall produce that has greeted me at the farmstand every Saturday. Indeed, my time outside of my cubicle has rekindled my love of cooking and is inspiring me to apply for a slew of culinary/food justice fellowships for next year (in addition to fantasizing about going to Le Cordon Bleu and applying the French I am learning at Alliance Francaise Philadelphia to some real-world cooking scenarios).

While my time outside of work is full of kitchen experimentation, I have also had the chance to sample some of Philly's amazing artistic offerings. I just went to several screenings at International House (iHouse), a building at Penn that houses international students and also has an amazing repertory cinema. I bought myself a membership and plan to become a regular, especially at their India-focused film series. The Philadelphia Film Festival will start next week; I bought tickets to see the latest from Lars Von Trier and Werner Herzog and am excited to see "The Artist" and "Like Crazy," all of which have been generating positive film festival buzz. It's hard to believe that I've already spent almost four months in my fellowship- it feels like I've just gotten settled and have a grasp on Philly culture!