A corny, yet insightful, film

What’s America’s most-planted, most-processed and most-subsidized crop?

If you guessed corn, you’ll want to catch the showing of “King Corn” at The Magic Lantern Theater on Jan. 23 and 24.

Filmmaker Curt Ellis will introduce the documentary he made with Ian Cheney, his best friend from college, about an acre of corn they planted in Iowa. With the help of their neighbors, genetically modified seeds and herbicides, the men planted and grew one acre of corn in the same northern Iowa county where their great-grandfathers lived 80 years prior.

They try to follow the corn they raised through the food system, which makes them concerned about how Americans eat and farm. They find that almost everything people eat contains corn, including high-fructose corn syrup, corn-fed meat and corn-based processed foods, and they become alarmed about the subsidized crops’ link to their generation’s bulging waistlines and obesity.

A Village Voice reviewer said “This is as much a thoughtful meditation of the plight of the American farmers as it is a rant against our expanding waistlines.” Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post said of the film, “It should be required viewing before going into a supermarket, McDonald’s or your very own refrigerator.”

“King Corn” will be shown at the Spokane Community College as part of a yearlong focus on sustainability issues. Hagan Foundation Center for the Humanities is organizing a campus-wide look at sustainable social, economic and environmental policies. For more information, go to www.scc.spokane.edu/?hfch.

The film will also be shown at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 and 24 at the Magic Lantern Theater, 25 W. Main Ave. in Spokane.

Ellis and filmmaker Caitlin Boyle will introduce the film and host an audience question-and-answer session afterward. The cost is $8.

For more information about the film, go to www.kingcorn.net.

Do the fondue

The January class we mentioned in a recentFresh Sheet at Saunders Cheese Market is full, but there’s a menu of other options.

There’s “Fun with Fondue” on Jan. 21 or “Cheddar Madness” on March 10. Each class is $45. They’ll also be hosting a “Love is in the Air” class on Feb. 11 with “some new romantic tips for the kitchen.” Hummm … Learn to prepare a romantic meal from start to finish. That class is $50 per person.

They also have a few other wine and cheese pairing classes with John Allen of Vino! on tap. The classes are all held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the cheese shop, 210 S. Washington St. Reach Saunders at (509) 455-9400.