Ugh, the dog days of summer have set upon us, er, well, set upon me. Solution? Two long, lazy nights, two movies streamed over the Internet; both turned out to be thoroughly entertaining and even a tad thought provoking.

The first film, called “Spinning Plates” focuses on three restaurants, two of which are clearly family-owned/operated, the third, most assuredly is anything but… Wow, an immigrant family risking – literally – everything to start a restaurant in Tucson, Arizona. Another family confronting not one, but two, totally destructive restaurant fires and then rebuilding twice, citing their heartfelt obligation toward their tiny community in Balltown, Iowa. Oh yeah… The third place? Frankly, the pretense, over-inflated egos and nauseating sense of entitlement prompted me to completely tune out the third chef/restaurant/owner doing whatever it is they’re doing in Chicago, Illinois.

In Tucson?  How about venturing off the beaten path and following the arrow on that hand painted sign out at the curb to a tiny courtyard cafe.  I doubt you’ll be disappointed – I certainly wasn’t.  In Balltown?  I hear the fried chicken and berry pies are pretty good.  Me?  If I’m lucky, I’ll find myself passing through Balltown someday.  In Chicago?  I think I’ll stick with a ‘dog off the cart outside the Art Institute of Chicago, then take a couple of hours to wander through the museum – seems like a more authentic midwestern experience than waving off wisps of smoke curling up from freshly-ignited tree leaves while I gape at those seated at nearby tables gulping down twelve hours of work in a single bite…

The second film, called “To Make A Farm” follows five young people, (two couples, one individual), all of which are pursuing their dream of small-scale farming in Canada. Superb cinematography, an engaging storyline and a topic that’s near and dear to my heart = a film I’ll be recommending for some time to come. No experience? Check. Inclement weather? Check. Insects? Check. Bacteria/fungus? Check. Yet they stick with it – and in many ways seem to succeed, (just look at the vegetables finding their way to market), in spite of the myriad of obstacles. Let’s hope these five courageous farmers realize their dreams – they certainly deserve to!

The next time I’m wandering through the produce section at Whole Foods, or Sprouts, or HEB or Metropolitan Market, or wherever, I’ll be looking at those radishes, leafy greens and ripe tomatoes with more than a little bit of appreciation.  …and it strikes me we might be at a great time of year to actively support the farm to table movement, (read almost summer in my neck of the woods).  If these intrepid souls can make it work with a limited growing season, we ought to be able to make a go of it here in the lower 48…

Bored? Watch these films – they’re both worth the effort.