martelvonc

Last night I had a good evening attending the Alumni Art Show at Aelfwynn's former Highschool- Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson, MD.

The highlight of the evening was the showing of videos made by alumni. Aelfwynn showed the stop action film she made last year for her E Mac class. I still love to see Rufus and Sam and to hear the music! She has a knack for this medium.

But the best was yet to come. We saw a documentary called "Have you Eaten?". It was made by a guy who graduated in 2002. It was about his visit to china to visit his brother who moved there to study the country. The story was about the real everyday China you don't get on the news and how food plays a huge role in Chinese Society. This role is bigger than politics, bigger than what our government wants you to know about them "Communists".

China in recent times went through a terrible famine and many of the current population can remember it. So food is everywhere and is treated not only as sustinence but as an activity to bring friends and family together to bond. In China you are greeted not with "Hi! How Are you?" but "Have you Eaten?" They were greeted with suspision at times but when they explained what they were filming, strangers took them in like long lost relatives.

I also came away from the viewing with the sure knowledge that no matter where you go, no matter where you come from there are basic truths to life:

Folks will be nice to you if you are nice to them.
A magic trick, no matter how old, can still wow the crowds.
All children think the same things are funny.

And most important:
Food is not just food but love on a plate.