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ISSUE . May 8th, 2008
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Market On Your Calendar
Where to get fresh with the locals this spring
by Tami Fertig
The produce will soon be scattered across more than 30 farmers markets, and it's our job to track it all down. Aft all, we asked for it.

Soil Survivor
We sent our writer to work the land at Mill Creek Farm.
by Sam Tremble
Mill Creek Farm has no intentions of expanding — but it does intend to be a model.

They Came from the Ground!
Does anyone actually know what these vegetables are?
by Tami Fertig
Given the choice between a green bean and an unidentifiable vegetable with hairs growing from it, who among us — besides daredevil foodies — would opt for the latter?

More Farmers Markets
Listings by day and location



Editor's Letter:
Dining for Life
We're a town that appreciates food.
by Brian Howard
If you take just one thing this week's issue, let it be that everything you could want — countless little everyday choices, say — can be made and grown not far from you.

Slant:
Slam Bunting
Six and a half years of a little red, white and blue lie.
by Nathaniel Popkin
Food, energy, and housing have been removed from the government's gauge of inflation, the Consumer Price Index, rendering it false — and irrelevant to most consumers.

Loose Canon:
A Sewer Runs Though It
by Bruce Schimmel
Time moves forward, and can't be unwound. We can remake an old creek, but can never really re-create it. And some mistakes are best left buried.

Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"There was a great debate about who was the fastest in the school — Marvin or another young speedster. To settle the issue the student body briefly blocked off Vine Street and the two raced. Marvin was fastest."



Naked City :: Cricket at Square OneCricket at Square One
Modern batsmen champion their sport in a city once known for it.
by Annamarya Scaccia
Today, there are about 20 clubs keeping the game alive in Philadelphia, including 13 in the Philadelphia Cricket League, which Mandelia helped establish in 2006.

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
You could've stood on my corner and listened to neighbors make dick jokes about the big top tent-raising for Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA.

Running Numbers
A scholarly look at the digits that matter.
by Nick Norlen
Come marvel at how much more talented children are than you.



News :: When Ends Don't MeetWhen Ends Don't Meet
Food prices are going up. Food stamp allowances aren't.
by Tom Namako
Even if changes can be brought about, the relief won't be immediate. In the meantime, Philadelphians on food stamps continue to wait — and improvise.

The Bell Curve
City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

Two Minutes With...:
William Burrell
Corrections Consultant
by Doron Taussig
Is there a better way to do this? Or is this parole thing essentially a crapshoot?

Political Notebook:
Minnesota Stampede
With Democrats competing, Republicans can kick back and plan a party
by Mary F. Patel
The Republicans have recently held grander, more extravagant conventions than Democrats simply because they have more money to spend on them.

Professor Street Says:
Prof. Street Concludes
Final excerpts from the former mayor's class at Temple.
Goodbye Professor Street! We'll miss you!



Arts :: Pig Latin
Art:
Pig Latin
Local theater companies bridge the cultural divide, one Fiesta at a time.
by A.D. Amorosi
While local liberal-minded companies comfortably gravitate toward topics of gender and sexual identity, race is often left out of the equation.

Culture Shock:
Things That Matter To People Who Matter
Hot rods | Brushes | Amman, Jordan | Biking the Schuylkill River and Perkiomen trails
Hot rods | Brushes | Amman, Jordan | Biking the Schuylkill River and Perkiomen trails

Art:
Very Long Engagement
With some big backing, a local group is looking to give the city a shot of culture.
by Natalie Hope McDonald
"We're imagining what Philadelphia could look like if we did everything right. It's a license to be able to think big."

Re-View:
Glass Half-Full
Robin Rice on Visual Art
by Robin Rice
Vanitas art was supposed to make people think. The fact that the links between the artists in the show are more intuitive than explicit is unexpectedly effective.

Theater Review:
Up to Scratch
Theatre Exile's Bug is a creepy-crawly must-see.
by Mark Cofta
The brilliance of director Matt Pfeiffer's superb production is that we care so much about these characters, even as their horror builds.

To Inch His Own
Hedwig rocks Philly so hard.
by David Anthony Fox
Dito van Reigersberg is everything you could hope for. He looks just right — like Ingrid Thulin on a very bad day — and he can really sing the difficult score, a compendium of pop idioms.

Arts Picks:
Moving Research: slip
Through May 18, $15, Studio 34, 4522 Baltimore Ave., myspace.com/movingresearch, danceboxoffice.com.
by Shaun Brady
Meg Foley will inaugurate Moving Research with a new piece, slip, which will explore the concept of viewer perception.

Philadanco
Thu.-Fri., May 8-9, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., May 10, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sun., May 11, 2:30 p.m.; $34-$46, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., 215-763-8100, kimmelcenter.org.
by Janet Anderson
Hinton Battle, known as much as a performer as a dance-maker (he was in Dreamgirls) is choreographing a piece called Commitments.

Iolanta
Fri., May 9, 8 p.m.; Sun., May 11, 2:30 p.m.; $33, Curtis Opera Theater at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., 215-569-9700, curtis.edu.
by David Shengold
Iolanta's simple message (belief in love conquers all impediments) needs nothing elaborate to be a moving musical experience.



Arts Agenda :: Last ChanceLast Chance
Catch it or Regret It
by Nadia Stadnycki
Baseball as America | Bertha Leonard Retrospective | In Praise of Apathy

Arts Agenda Picks:
Day Tripper
True Norwegian Black Metal
by Shaun Brady
Opening reception Fri., May 9, 6-8 p.m., runs through June 7, Steven Kasher Gallery, 521 W. 23rd St., second floor, New York, N.Y., 212-966-3978, stevenkasher.com

On The DL
Phèdre
by Mark Cofta
Runs May 9-24, $15, Vanity House Theater, 4373 Main St., 610-955-9282, vanityhouse.org

Galleries
Galleries are usually open Tuesdays through Saturdays; please call the gallery for exact days and hours. Receptions are denoted with Reception

Museums/Exhibits
Museums and exhibits have varying schedules;please call for exact days, hours and prices.

Performing Arts
Please call the phone number listed with the venue for specific dates, times and ticket information.

Readings/Book Signings
Allen C. Guelzo | Barbara Daniles and Therese Halschied | Claudine Wolk...



Movies :: He Kids You NotHe Kids You Not
Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely has something to say, even if we don't understand it.
by Sam Adams
Soon the air is filled with skydiving nuns, single and in packs, and in one case with a dirt bike clamped between her legs.

Taking Flight
Hou Hsiao-hsien's quiet nod to The Red Balloon soars on its own.
by Cindy Fuchs
Repeatedly framed by doorways and windows, each character in Hou Hsiao-hsien's film exists in a separate space, but they also reach toward one another.

Screen Picks
by Sam Adams
Documentaries about forgotten bands tend to act as if their lack of success were the fault of a blinkered society intent on overlooking genius. But in Sam Wainwright Douglas and Paul Lovelace's The Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose, it's clear that this duo were their own worst enemies.

Repertory Film
Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.
Send repertory film listings to tami.fertig@citypaper.net.



Music :: Aim for the HeadAim for the Head
Jazz band Shot x Shot target their collective consciousness.
by Shaun Brady
Bonus Web Content
Over the past five years, the members of Shot x Shot have become that rarest of entities in the jazz world — an actual band.

Aid or Invade:
New Zealand
Rodney Anonymous vs. the World
by Rodney Anonymous
Flight of the Conchords is one of those CDs you'll laugh along with once and never listen to again.

Soundadvice
Get Out!
Natalia Zukerman | Mike Ness/Jesse Dayton | Michael Pedicin Quintet | Dolce Suono | Donny McCaslin

Music Picks:
El-P/Dizzee Rascal/Busdriver
Fri., May 9, 8:30 p.m., $15, all ages, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.
by John Vettese
Screw the qualifiers. It's all hip-hop, one and the same, and should all be treated equally.

New Philadelphia Classical Symphony
Fri., May 9, 8 p.m., $15-$35, Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce streets, 610-664-8481, classicalsymphony.org.
by Peter Burwasser
For the all-American closer of the New Philadelphia Classical Symphony season, director Karl Middleman has chosen music that represents a European style as filtered through the American experience.

Aunt Dracula
Sat., May 10, 8 p.m., $8, with Papertrigger and Hermit Thrushes, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.
by A.D. Amorosi
Aunt Dracula went from playing odd, frightened psychedelic folk to creating an edgier, irked noise pop that comes across like Tom Zé fronting Can.



Food :: By Georges!By Georges!
The city's most celebrated restaurant has gone casual. Does the food still astound?
by Trey Popp
After 38 years of coats and ties, Le Bec-Fin is attempting to open its proverbial collar and relax. Saying that he has "no fun anymore," founding chef Georges Perrier has decided to take his high-end French temple into casual terrain.

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
South Philly Bar & Grill | El Fuego | Lazaro's | Chipotle | Zento Contemporary

Everyone's a Vintner
How to approach this year's Philadelphia Wine Festival
by Shaun Brady
Once a year, the wine world takes pity and comes to us for the Philadelphia Wine Festival, which this year gathers nearly 200 wineries from around the world for a marathon couple of hours of Convention Center tasting.

Top 5:
Latin Brunches
Palm Sunday
by Kelly White
1 Cuba Libre | 2 Café Con Chocolate | 3 Tinto | 4 Tierra Colombiana | 5 Isla Verde

What's Cooking:
The Week In Eats
Get Out!
by Dena Merlino
Urban Nutrition Initiative Dinner | Pierre Robert Wine Dinner at Horizons | SustainaBall | Mother's Day on the Moshulu



Agenda :: Maxwell's House
Agenda Lead:
Maxwell's House
Brini shows Philly how it's done.
by Natalie Hope McDonald
"Cheese is such a great comfort food. It can be high-brow, like a good cheese fondue, or low-brow, like mac 'n' cheese. And all of it makes you feel safe and warm."

Agenda Picks:
Just Do It
Brain Machine Workshop
by Rick Valenzuela
Sat., May 10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $40 ($25 if at least 12 people attend), the Hacktory, 1524 Brandywine St., 267-687-9996, thehacktory.org

Just Do It
Christian Finnegan
by Ben Kharakh
Wed.-Thu., May 14-15, 8 p.m., Fri.-Sat., May 16-17, 8 and 10:30 p.m., $15-$30, Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St., 215-496-9001, heliumcomedy.com

Just Do It
Liberty Rodeo Stampede
by Nadia Stadnycki
Thu.-Sun., May 8-11, $20 (per event)-$55 (weekend pass), visit libertygra.org or call 888-321-3603 for complete schedule and locations

What We Heart
Art in the Age T-shirts
by Monica Weymouth
$28-$42, artintheage.com, and at Sailor Jerry, 116-118 S. 13th St., 215-531-6380, sailorjerry.com


 
 
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