Daniel Klein

WARNING: Spanish Food Road Trip Will Cause Hunger

2013-05-14T16:07:22-04:00

Before you go any further, you should eat something, or at least have food at hand. As you know, Spain is one of the great culinary countries of the world. So when Intrepid Travel helped us travel for two weeks: eating in San Sebastian, across Galicia, in Sevilla and Barcelona was a dream come true. We took the hours of jamon, squid ink, anchovies, chorizo, wine and cheese and packed it into a three minute video for you. Enjoy!

A Spanish Roadtrip from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.

Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

Fishing After the Tsunami

2013-05-01T18:10:27-04:00

In 2004, the Tsunami that hit Sri Lanka killed eight members of this small fishing family. And yet today they still fish (either on stilts or in a boat), because they have to do it to survive. The family lives in a small, makeshift hut with a back "window" that opens onto the ocean -- the same sea that gives life also takes it away.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

Coconut: Nose to Tail

2013-04-16T10:06:22-04:00

In Sri Lanka, the coconut is, in a sense, a source of life. Not only it is the main ingredient in most Sri Lankan dishes, but the entire coconut tree -- from the roots to the coconut itself to the tips of the leaves -- plays a major role in the non-culinary ways of life. Without the coconut, things in Sri Lanka would be very different. We spent the day with a family of eight on their coconut plantation outside of Negombo, where they showed us all this fruit (nut?) has to offer.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

A Love Story

2013-04-03T19:27:55-04:00

Our first love story from the road: We came to Sri Lanka with every intention of filming a video about an organic, fair trade tea farmer. That is exactly what we were planning when we set foot on the small tea farm of Piyasena and his wife Ariyawatha. What we didnt expect was to be so taken with the relationship between the two of them. What started as a farm story quickly turned into a story about love and dedication amongst the Ceylon tea fields. Inspiring.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

What Is Sri Lankan Food Anyway?

2013-03-27T16:03:45-04:00

If you are like me, you are curious about Sri Lanka. It's a far off land with golden beaches and a cuisine centered around the coconut. We had the opportunity to travel there this winter, we spent two weeks traveling through Sri Lanka -- by foot, moped, car and boat -- and captured the animals, people, food and other things that move through this small island country every day. Enjoy!

Walking Sri Lanka from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

The Best Food Delivery Service In The World

2013-03-11T13:13:22-04:00

Each day in Mumbai, 4,000 men in white outfits and matching hats transport 175,000 lunches across the big city. They retrieve the tiffins (lunch containers) of food from mothers and wives, and bring them (by foot, train, bicycle and even carried on top of their heads) to the office buildings of waiting husbands and sons. The Dabbawallas have been doing this since the late 1800s. Despite the unsophisticated mode of transport, the lunches always arrive on time (the error rate is 1 in every 16 million transactions). It's a pretty impressive feat and we were lucky enough to follow a couple Dabbawallas for a day in Mumbai, and see their work first hand.

Dabbawalla from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

Non-Violent Farming

2013-02-26T13:14:17-05:00

In Gujarat, India, we spent two days with Bhaskar Save, the Gandhi of Indian farming. He approaches all aspects of life with non-violence. That doesn't just mean anti-war, that means no tilling, no pesticides, no meat.

After visiting his family, seeing their way of life and eating their food, we were inspired to compose a type of visual "poem" out of his non-violent philosophy. Enjoy.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

Don't Take Your Cup of Coffee for Granted

2013-02-22T16:55:13-05:00

This summer I had the good fortune of taking a trip with a team of Equal Exchange employees to middle of nowhere Peru. The middle of nowhere was Bahuaja-Sonene Naitonal Park and the coffee growing towns that surround this protected area. To get to our starting point, we took two planes followed by a 12 hour drive (some of it at 14,000 feet). From there, shorter trips of hours of driving and hours of walking up hill topped off this grueling travel. The trip to Peru wasn't quite as glamorous as it initially seemed. But after filming a woman wheel a 50 lb bag of coffee six miles down a mountain, all complaints were off. If there is one lesson I was reminded of on this trip, it was the undeniable fact that coffee is hard work. Watch these videos to come along on the adventure and see what goes into each cup of coffee you drink.

For more information and an interactive map, visit http://www.equalexchange.coop/expedition

Farmer Suicide, GMOs and Seed Saving

2013-02-11T13:30:24-05:00

Our last video was a pretty montage of India, this week it gets a little more serious. We decided to cover the controversial topics of GMOs, farmer suicide and seed saving (not so controversial) in India. There has been a lot written about GMOs, pesticides, organic, etc., to the point that it's easy to lose touch with how these issues actually impact people's lives. On our recent trip to India, we got a wake up call from environmental activist Dr. Vandana Shiva on the reality of these issues and how they can impact farmers to the point of suicide (270,000 farmers have killed themselves in the last 15 years). We spent some time with the famed activist and the head seed saver of her organization (Navdanya), Bija Devi. They are a passionate pair and we tried to accurately represent their points of view. We think this is an important subject, and we hope you can take the time to listen to what they have to say, and investigate more.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

India Food Porn

2013-01-28T12:06:10-05:00

It's hard to put your camera down in India. With so much beauty and filth, food and poverty, happiness and stress, India is an overwhelming (and wonderful) place to film. We came back exhausted, full and still overwhelmed (this time with the task of editing all the footage into a short video). Because India is a big place, and each area varies dramatically, we attempted to construct a day across India: from north to south, from dawn till dusk.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

Local Food: Not Just for the Wealthy

2013-01-22T08:57:31-05:00

In between our international videos, we wanted to share a short film we made for a new website DarkRye.com (it's a side project of Whole Foods). We loved the family in the video so much that we couldn't not share. This is a backyard farming/chicken story in all its glory. This family isn't raising its own pigs/chickens/goats because it's trendy, but because it makes sense financially and works as an important lesson for kids to learn in raising animals.

WARNING: The video is a bit graphic.

Jason Ring from Dark Rye on Vimeo.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com

The New Organic China

2013-01-15T08:26:12-05:00

We ate a lot of tofu in China. Mirra had just emerged from two weeks of eating only miso in Japan, so it was time to get serious about vegetables. Inspired by tofu being way better in China, we set out to learn how to make it. Along the way we met the young woman behind Kunming's only organic restaurant.

After years of food scandals across China, Ms. Yang is part of an effort to bring healthy and organic food to Kunming, a city in the Yunnan Province of China. But beyond finding an alternative to the scary mass production of modern China, her story is an inspiration. After graduating from University and working in business for a number of years, she found herself frustrated by the rat race. She wanted to go back and farm with her parents by turning their conventional soy bean operation into an organic farm. Instead, she started a restaurant and bought her family's newly organic produce to supply the changing demands of the urban population. Her entrepreneurship, delicious food and ethical and inspiring way of life could lead to a new food movement in China.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

China's Rooftop Farms

2013-01-04T16:16:13-05:00

As a series we've covered a number of urban farms, it's a subject that's near and dear to our hearts as urbanites. Farms in the city, and particularly rooftop farms seem to be an obvious way to make positive change in our food systems. For that reason we wanted to see what two iconic Chinese cities had to offer. We found a burgeoning new movement with two charismatic folks at the forefront. Meet our farmers from Beijing and Hong Kong.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

The Most Beautiful Farm On Earth

2012-12-19T12:46:24-05:00

One of the most beautiful places on earth, the rice terraces of Yuanyang, are a site to behold. Beyond their striking beauty, they are also an incredible example of sustainability. The system of terraces has been around for 1300 years and has provided a constant source of rice (and protein) for this area. The Hani people who farm this way have a commitment to preservation that has resulted in their own ability to survive. Watch the video to have your mind blown.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel

Chinese Food Porn Adventure

2012-12-10T08:50:40-05:00

The next country on our world tour came with a lot of preconceived notions. Before we left, everyone had something to say about China. Most of them were wrong. China is amazing (to the tourist at least). Intrepid Travel brought us to Beijing, Yunnan and Hong Kong, eating lots of MSG and unidentifiable foods. If you want the experience without the heartburn, take the journey with us in three short minutes.

For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com Video created in partnership with Intrepid Travel