Before you read any further, I must tell you something first. The show I am about to share is broadcasted on Dutch television, so it therefore is in Dutch. I like to have consistency in my blog, that’s why is blogpost is in English. So, if you’re not Dutch, you probably can’t understand the show. Or you can work on your Dutch haha. Anyway, the series ‘Gefileerd’ is a show I watched is about fast food ánd sustainable food. I feel like you should watch it too!
Fast Food
Just like with fashion, there are so many aspects to food you can’t see when you buy it. There is a whole world behind food which most people don’t know about. Even though we eat it multiple times a day! I personally want to know what I put inside of my body and what has happened to get that food in my belly. I don’t want to harm people, animals nor the planet with my food. It’s a matter of compassion, I don’t want anyone/thing to suffer for me.
And so, fast food is almost never a good idea. Fast food is usually fast and cheap. If something is cheap for you, this means that somebody else is paying the price for that. Harmless chickens or humans who process your food for instance. And if food is fast, I believe it can’t be good for you. Attention and care is needed when you want to make nutrient-rich food. I like it slow and fair.
‘Gefileerd’
The series ‘Gefileerd’ is a show alike ‘Genaaid’ and ‘Bloed, Zweet and Tranen’. It has a certain theme, which is food in this case. It’s usually the same set-up: a group of young people is brought together, thinking they’re going to learn a craft and create something amazing, in this case a dinner in a fancy restaurant. But then the plot changes. They’re sent to a certain country, depending on where the ingredients they are about to use for this craft come from, to learn the story behind it. They’re usually shocked.
The show consists of 6 episodes and I’ll give you a quick summary of each episode.
Episode 1:
In this first episode the people attending the show are introduced. They are all different, varying from people who are quite conscious with their food choices already to people who literally don’t care. With the theme food this means we have among others a big meat-eater who thinks only chicken has protein, a lover of fast food for who it can’t be cheap enough and an all-you-can-eat restaurant-lover. They’re told they’re going to Thailand.
Episode 2:
This episode is about chicken. Many people consider this as the ultimate source of protein. They eat a lot of cheap chicken. The young people visit a chicken farm and slaughterhouse to face reality. Nobody likes to see chickens being treated awful and slaughtered, but what’s also important and usually forgotten: the awful working conditions in such places.
Episode 3:
Another type of food: shrimps. The attendants go to work in a shrimp farm and a shrimp factory. They realize the working conditions are again awful (including child labor), the shrimps are not seen as a living animal and a lot of chemicals are used in the proces. In this episode they visit a seaweed farm to see a sustainable alternative as well!
Episode 4:
Fish. Almost all episodes are about alive food, which is logical. Eating animals sustainable can never be realized. This episodes shows that the fish stocks are emptying out. At one point there won’t be enough fish left (sooner than we think). Yet again, there is also an issue concerning humans. Men are often kidnapped and made to slave for years on fishing boat. Fish means blood on your hands twice.
Episode 5:
Since I’m vegan, this episode was actually most important to me. I don’t eat fish, shrimps or chicken and I already knew most things that were wrong with those industries. But with rice I didn’t know everything just yet. Of course, when there is a fair-trade version of a product, the non-fair-trade product isn’t good. I know that. But this episode made the dark side of rice very clear to me again and made sure I’ll never buy non-fair-trade rice again. Since rice-farmers and people who work in rice factories don’t make enough to earn a living wage, a lot of (young) women end up in the sex industry. They speak to two young women doing this work.
Episode 6:
The people attending this series are always lured into attending because they think they’re going to learn a craft. After the trip to Thailand they now get to do so. They’re going to cook a fancy dinner for all kinds of guests in a fancy restaurant. The question is: what are they going to do with the things they learned in Thailand and how is this going to affect the dishes they make?
Must Watch
The series ‘Gefileerd’ is a must-watch! I think we can make better choices when we’re educated. I think nobody wants to contribute to the ugly sides of food. Child labor, slave labor, the destruction of the earth and the list goes on. The key is to be educated.
Have you seen the series ‘Gefileerd’ already?
Yours sincerely,
Romee