Watch This: Bodega Down Bronx

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/7454224]

In the Bronx, bodegas are a way of life. You can get everything from snacks to supper. Who decides what they sell? Why is their stuff so cheap? Why should we care?

There is a lot of talk these days about national health, and the topic of food deserts often comes up in these conversations. It's all too easy, however, to oversimplify the issue or bemoan the situation without a clear sense of how to address it. If you haven't had the chance already, check out this great documentary short that maps out a local food system, one based in the bodegas that serve residents of the South Bronx, and considers the ramifications of this system for area residents and businesspeople, including the bodega owners. Bodega Down Bronx is a project from The Center for Urban Pedagogy and a group of students from the South Bronx that "explains the ins and outs of bodegas – from global supply to local demand – to reveal how a web of subsidies shapes their neighborhood’s health from hundreds of miles away.