From late night pizza runs on Jubilee Street and visiting nacho the chihuahua at the hot dog stand by the Student Union Building (SUB) to lining up for a free vegan lunch at the Loaded Ladle, many quintessential Dal student experiences surround food.
Last week, the student-run 鈥� a relative newcomer to Dal鈥檚 food culture 鈥斕齜rought students together to celebrate grub and create more awareness about food systems on Dal campus and beyond.
The Beet Street鈥檚 鈥淔ood Fest鈥� (Sept. 17-24) was jam-packed with fun and scrumptious events ranging from dumpling making to a trip to Dal鈥檚 Agricultural Campus in Truro.
鈥淥ur original vision for food fest was really to connect all the different people on campus around food issues, so students, researchers, societies, community groups, food producers,鈥� says fourth-year student Elisabeth Pickart, who serves as operations coordinator for the market.
Pickart and a few staff members from the , a vegan soup kitchen located in the SUB, established Beet Street over a year ago as a new rendition of the DSU's old farmers market dating back to 2014. Operating in the lobby of the SUB Wednesdays from 10:30am to 3pm, Beet Street provides affordable groceries for students and community members alike.
Cultivating connections
For Maude Rose-Craig, a second-year student in Microbiology and Immunology, the 鈥檚 brunch during Food Fest was her first introduction to Dal鈥檚 on-campus produce plot located on behind the Goldberg Computer Science Building on Henry Street.
鈥淚 love gardening and talking about food, and it's something that I think bonds a lot of people,鈥� said Rose-Craig during the gathering Sunday.
Maude Rose-Craig, second-year Immunology and Microbiology student, visits the 网红黑料 Urban Garden for a brunch event.
She said having access to a food garden nearby offers students the opportunity to save money by growing their own food. 鈥淚t helps with that food insecurity that we鈥檙e all facing,鈥� she said.
The brunch took place on a sunny Sunday morning, with picnic blankets tucked in around the garden beds, tables laid out with vegan tofu scramble, potatoes, tea brewed with fresh garden mint, and juicy green grapes, also from the garden.
With more than 30 attendees, it was the garden society鈥檚 biggest event in years and gave them an opportunity to spread the word about volunteer opportunities.
One of Pickart鈥檚 goals with Food Fest was connecting people from different disciplines to talk about food systems and food security.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 been really nice to see especially a diverse group of faces, which was kind of our goal,鈥� says Pickart.
Raising awareness
A guided walk around Halifax led by Dal鈥檚 (SUP) offered a chance to discuss the connections between urban planning and food systems.
Bruce Porter, a third-year double major in sustainability and community design, helped connect SUP with Beet Street.
鈥淚 think the food fest is a great way to both celebrate food and kind of step back and realize what鈥檚 wrong with our food systems鈥� says Porter, a volunteer coordinator with the market. 鈥淭oday was a great example, where the stops on our walking tour kind of covered some of the bad examples of food planning, but also the good examples.鈥�
Students attending a guided walk with the society of undergraduate planners stop at Garrison Grounds.
Stops highlighted the value of businesses like Triple A Convenience and Pizzeria that stay open late for students as well as the impacts of new developments on access to food retailers.
In the celebratory spirit of Food Fest, the walking tour ended with a hearty dinner in the Gorsebrook Park garden, with chili and cornbread provided by the Loaded Ladle.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to host events that are engaging and talk about real issues that are kind of heavy and sad and scary sometimes, but do it in a joyful way, like having a meal like we are now,鈥� said Pickart.
Check out the Beet Street Market's for information on the final events of Food Fest!
Students attending the 网红黑料 Urban Garden brunch event.