HW 26 - Looking back & forward in unit

1) In the end we turn to religion to comfort us with the idea that the person we love is going to die. When Beth believed that her husband was near his time, she went to a Buddhist monk and he told her all the signs to expect before he died. (Beth’s presentation)

2) Death is a topic that is avoided because people don’t really want to think about death. People do believe that when death comes it will come but until it comes you should live your life. (Personal Insights/ Relationship)

3) There is unequal access to healthcare because there are certain requirements for healthcare and if you don’t fit within those requirements you are rejected. Rejecting people for the smallest illnesses makes it much easier to maximize profits for health insurance. (Sicko)

4) The issue of consent can be a problem when it comes to death because doctors must be the ones who have to decide what is right for the patient. If a patient is being given drugs for their pain, they will not be clear minded and able to make a decision for the patient, doctors must do the right thing. Some people believe that doctors don’t do all they can to help the patient but they must because they took an oath. In the documentary near death, the doctors always have a conversation about the best thing to do with the patient and think of a backup plan in case the first plan doesn’t work out. (Near Death)

So far we have used different texts to understand illness & dying from different perspectives, we have watched films that have focused on different aspects of death such as the healthcare system, and finally we have spoken to people that have illnesses and we have seen how they have been treated within the healthcare system. In the movie sicko, Michael Moore explored health care insurance and the atrocities that exist within this system. In the movie Michael Moore wanted to show the viewers that even with health insurance we still can’t afford proper healthcare. Workers for healthcare insurance looked for any pre-existing conditions and used that as ammunition to refuse people healthcare. There were several instances where patients were refused treatment and they died because they were denied health care insurance. Then Michael Moore took us to France, Britain, and Canada, where the health care insurance in those places are very different from the U.S. For example in Britain there is a new system where you get paid based in the health of your patients, and the saying a banana a day keeps the doctor away is true in that case. This movie helped mw to understand some of the absurdities about the health care system but at time I felt it was biased and I’m sure there are some alternatives within the health care system that are not bad.

For the past couple of weeks we have been hearing from patients, doctors, but I would also like to hear from politicians about their perspectives on healthcare and what should be done to maintain control of the health care system. A question I have is what would be an ideal system of healthcare? Another question I have is what does it mean to live your life? If you know that death is drawing near why do so many people choose to do all the things they have wanted to do rather than doing all those things now while they are still living. In a movie the character once said, “Are you living or are you existing?” What does this mean? Since the unit is coming to an end I believe it would be best to think about what we need to do to live our lives according to our will and purpose. I think life is all about finding meaning and this is essential to living. We could explore these topics by looking at people who have had more positive outlooks on death.

HW 25 - Response to Sicko

Précis:

Even if you have insurance we still can't afford proper healthcare. In the United States health care industries before considering a candidate for healthcare insurance, workers look for any pre-existing conditions so they can be denied health care insurance. These requirements are set when considering a candidate for healthcare insurance because denying people healthcare will maximize profits. When people traveled to other countries such as: France, Canada, or Britain, they found the health care industry to have some major changes than healthcare insurance in the United States. These drastic changes can be made equal if the United States decided to work together to create a new system of healthcare insurance.

Evidence:

1. While Bill Clinton was president, Hilary Clinton worked to create equal healthcare for everyone. As Hilary Clinton tried to expand this bill, more politicians began to go against it because there argument was that you don't want to have a bureacrat telling you how to treat your body. More people began to become fearful of this idea of socialized medicine so they spent over $100 million trying to defeat Hilary's healthcare plan. They succeeded in defeating the plan and Hilary wasn't allowed to talk about it for the rest of Bill Clinton's presidency. The issue of healthcare remained unimportant.

2.

a. The healthcare system in Britain is very different from the system in the United States. As studies have shown," Even the poorest people in Britain are healthier than the richest people in the U.S." Based on this quote one can conclude that there are significantly higher rates among people from Britain and the people in the U.S. The healthcare system in Britain is very accessible and affordable for for everyone, and that's because it's free. According to a medical doctor, there is a new system in Britain where doctors are paid more based on how healthy their patients are. The money does come out of their taxes but they don't really have to pay out of pocket expenses for anything.

b. These pieces of evidence are important for supporting the thesis because it provides evidence to respond to some of the arguments Michael Moore developed throughout the film.

c. Read..

d. Britain's healthcare plan was always to create a healthcare system that is affordable for everyone. According to the New York Times article this new system would change $100 billion to $125 billion a year would be meted out to general practitioners, who would use the money to buy services from hospitals and other health care providers. The goal of this company is to reduce administrative costs by 45%. This new system would put more power in the hands of practitioners because they would have the right to choose who they want to associate with and such.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/world/europe/25britain.html

3. I found this movie very interesting because I never thought about the dark side of the healthcare system. There are groups of people that are ignored because they had health conditions that were made larger by health care workers, that were not important. This movie has shaped my perspective on illness & dying in our culture because most of the people who died in the movie had a possibility to be saved, they were just ignored by doctors and health care insurance people that didn't think it was that serious.

HW 23 - Illness & Dying Book, Part 2

(Jamaica Kincaid, My Brother, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997)

Precis:
Everyone dies, even the people that we can bear to be seperated from. There is no point in being depressed about someone's death because there is always someone else who had died before that person, and someone who will soon die. Death is a touchy subject but it needs to be discussed because people never mention the fact that when we die we may go to heaven, or hell but it all depends on what you believe. Everyone is going to die one day.

1. "...I did not love my brother, I did not like my brother, I was only so sorry that he had died.. (Pg. 106).

Jamaica wanted her brother to die because she felt like he didn't learn anything from this experience.

2. "I did not feel strong, I felt anger, my anger was everything to me, and in my anger lay many things, mostly made up of feelings I could not understand, feelings I might not ever understand, feeelings that everyone who knows me understands with an understanding that I will never know, or that someone who has never met me at all would understand as if they had made up my feelings themselves" (Pg. 108-109).

This sentence reminds me of Jamaica perfectly because throughout the whole book I could never understand her true feelings. She came back to Antigua because of her brother's death and in the process she began to develop a relationship with many people she had given up on from the day she left Antigua.

3. "...these are my thought on his dying and on his life- and that is one of the reasons to outlive all the people who can have anything to say about you, not letting them have the last word) that I understood him again.." (Pg. 111).

Jamaica is saying that the only way to live your life meaningfully is to prove those people wrong that doubted you and show that you are worth more than they imagine.

This book is very interesting because I can never really understand the true meaning behind Jamaica. Sometimes it seems that she wants to improve the relationship with her mother or brothers but other times she just accepts the fact that nothing is going to change. The point of her leaving Antigua was to find another life, a better one, in the States. I do believe that she has found a better life but sometimes I don't understand why can't she treat her mom or brothers the same way she treats her husband and children. I do understand that death has a big impact on your life whether you want it to or not but I am still confused about the impact Devon's death had on her.

HW 21b - Comments

T/W Groups
Team Name: Sparkles

For Michelle, "I enjoyed reading your response. Something that stuck out to me that you mentioned was "are there some common things we all do before we die?". I am also interested in finding out what people do when they are faced with death. I noticed some of the same things you noticed during the presentation, such as, the fact that Beth went to a Buddhist monk for advice on what to expect before her husband's death, and she began to spend as much time as possible with her husband and those were the best days of her life. I also agree that everyone wants/needs to leave some kind of imprint before we depart from the earth. I do believe that we take things for granted because there are many people that don't have what we have. Some people waste their lives doing meaningless things but we should be looking at everyday as a gift. We are being given a new opportunity to start over each day and it is important to take advantage of it before our time comes."

For Leah, "I enjoyed reading your blog because I felt like you expanded on one perspective Beth developed during the presentation, which was the fact that men are more resistant to medicine. I feel like it has something to do with their independence because men want to feel like they have power and that they can do everything themselves but that's not the case. We all need some kind of treatment and sometimes its the only kind the doctor/pharmacy can provide. I also like how you mentioned that Beth stayed with her husband through this ordeal and it was very inspiring because instead of deserting him because she didn't know what to do, she guided Erik through the process while trying to stay positive that everything was going to work out okay. I also agree that death is ignored by people because we don't even want to consider the possibility of what things will be like when we pass away."

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Older Reader (Friend in College)
Berenise said, "I love the blog and how you cared to share 8 points. This gives us an insight of the situation. Beth was a strong lady and wife. She was still with her husband as he was facing something so hard as cancer. She became his rock. When you spoke about when God doesn't answer ur prayers you don't loose faith, which is great sometimes God doesn't give us what we pray for because he is guiding us and giving us what we need. If he says NO to our prayer is because he has his best interest at heart for us. You expressing your thoughts shows your ready to speak about death and not because your over it but because You have peace within you. And you are so right about sharing our experiences good and bad. what we go through can help another person. I love this ....can't wait to read more."

Younger Reader (Sister of a friend)
Angela said,"Angela Flores said...
This is an interesting take on life. This sounds like the kind of person who refused to let the situation get the worst of her. I also agree that religion is that one thing people turn to when they need it the most, because it's a thing that won't ever change unless you change your views."

HW 22 - Illness & Dying Book Part 1

My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid

Part 1

Précis:

Jamaica returned to her homeland, Antigua, because she found out her brother was sick. She was never very close to her family but in a way his disease was something that brought everyone together again. Jamaica’s relationship with her mother was strange because they couldn’t get along most of the time and Jamaica had always felt like her mother did things sometimes that were unnecessary; however her mother believed that she made no mistakes. Jamaica felt ambivalence towards her brother because she loved him but at the same time she wanted him to die because he was suffering from AIDS. Sometimes Jamaica felt like she loved him but she had never said those exact words. Watching her brother suffer from AIDS was interesting because he was isolated and his friends no longer talked to him, and you would think that since he had AIDS he would stop having sex but he continued. He even gave a woman AIDS because they had unprotected sex and he didn’t tell her about his disease. People’s reactions to hi illness were also interesting and sort of expected because once he told people he had AIDS they shunned him, but he was cool until they found out about it.

Quotes:

1. “I now only understand why it is that people lie about their past, why they say they are one thing other than the thing they really are, why they invent a self that bears no resemblance to who they really are, why anyone would want to feel as if he or she belongs to nothing, comes from no one, just fell out the sky, whole” (Pg. 13).

Sometimes the background we come from doesn’t make us want to tell people about our lives. We want to move past the things we’ve known all our lives because we think there’s something better. There is no point in being ashamed of where you come from because it shapes the person we’ve become today. There are some experiences we can share with other people that may help them through their situations.

2. “When I heard that my brother was sick and dying, the usual deliberation I allow myself whenever my family’s needs come up- should I let this affect me or not?-vanished. I felt like I was falling into a deep hole, but I did not try to stop myself from falling” (Pg. 20).

Jamaica didn’t want to feel anything for her sick brother because they weren’t that close but she was surprised that she actually felt something, sadness. She was feeling sad that this disease was affecting him, her little brother, and the one she used to change diapers for, before she went off to the U.S.

3. “Everyone I told that my brother had just died said how sorry they were, they would say this, “I’m sorry,” and those two words became so interesting to hear: everyone tried to say them with an emphasis that they hoped would convey the sincerity of their feelings; they were really sorry that this person they did not know was dead, that this person they would not have liked at all (I knew this, for they would have found him charming,)… (Pg. 105).

This quote made me question common practices in our society like why we say sorry for someone else’s death. I guess to some people that may be offensive because they never knew the person, so why apologize for their death.

This book does support my feelings about illness & dying because Jamaica’s mom tried to do everything she could to keep her son safe, and the rest of her children, but he still contracted the disease. At first it seemed like Jamaica felt that death was inevitable and it was something you could not avoid but as she spent more time with her brother she wanted to do everything to save him. She made sure he was able to spend extra time even though he was going to die by purchasing his medicine and doing everything she could so he could stay alive. I don’t know what I would do if someone in my family had contracted AIDS. I do believe I would want to know why they didn’t protect themselves and I would also spend as much time with them as I could. This book also helped me to realize that life is too short for holding grudges, Jamaica felt angry towards her mom but her mom believed that in order to be a good mom your children must hate you half the time, because before you know it that person can be gone.

HW 21 - Expert #1

1. When Beth and her family found out that Erik was diagnosed with kidney cancer they couldn’t believe it because they wondered how this could happen to such a great guy.
2. While Erik was going through various treatments, and as his condition worsened, still their family refused to talk about death.
3. Beth’s family members helped Beth around the house so she wouldn’t have to work, or do laundry. She was able to spend more time with Erik and those days were the happiest moments of her life.
4. While Erik was in the hospital she didn’t want other people caring for her husband and looking at him as another cancer patient. Beth wanted to treat him like a human begin not a cancer patient because he was still the same but he was suffering from an illness.
5. Beth turned to a Buddhist monk on advice on what to look for when Erik’s last days would be. The Buddhist told her that first he would stop talking, then he would have hallucinations, and finally he would stop eating altogether.
6. When Erik died there was stillness in the room and in his body and she called Evan to come and see his father. She knew that he was going to die and she didn’t want to sleep because she didn’t want to miss “it”.
7. Erik fought death with everything he had. He refused to give up on life he went to many different doctors and took a lot of medication to reduce the illness.
8. Beth mentioned that we should never pass up the opportunity to tell someone you love them because you never know when any day is going to be your last.

Something that I found interesting was that she mentioned that while in distress she turned to a Buddhist monk for guidance on what she should do. Although I am not a Buddhist I do understand that we turn to religion because we need something to hold onto and figure out if what’s happening is part of the plan for our lives. Many times I pray for a miracle but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. It doesn’t mean I lose faith in God, it just makes me happy that I have some guidance in my life because if not I would be a lost soul. I have never personally experienced death at my age but I experienced two deaths in my childhood, my great-grandmother and my brother, but as I get older I am thankful for the opportunities I have to meet new people and give them advice and have them do the same for me. In our lives as we grow it is important to share our experiences with people because we may be facing the same struggles someone else has faced before and we may take heed to their advice before we end up going down a path of destruction.

It is important to develop relationships with people because we never know when any day might be our last. Beth talked about the importance of giving someone a compliment because for some people it is really difficult to compliment others. The smallest gestures may brighten someone’s day. Another important idea is that life is too short to hold onto grudges and dislike we may have for other people. I move past the mistakes I’ve made and I allow those mistakes to shape me.

Beth’s presentation sparked more interest in people’s experiences with death. While Beth was speaking I was surprised that she didn’t become emotional because her husband’s death took place only three years ago. I thought that referring to old wounds would open up old feelings and that would trigger feelings Beth felt when she was with her husband before he passed. I am also interested in what different religions believe should be done with the actual care of the dead bodies.

HW 19 - Family Perspectives on Illness & Dying

Illness & Dying is a very hard topic for everyone because we never want to lose people’s existence in our lives. I believe that when we die we go to a better place, which is heaven. I have never had any experiences with death besides when my grandmother and baby brother died but I believe I was too young to comprehend the extent of each situation. I am not as afraid of death as I was when I was younger, because now I have come to realize that everyone has the chance to live their lives, whether they use that time to fulfill a purpose or not, everyone has one life to live. Some people die young and some people die old but everyone is going to die one day, the most important thing is how we live our lives. Maybe even how we find happiness.

When I asked my mother about her experiences with Illness & Dying I could tell she didn’t want to talk about it. My mother expressed that she went through a traumatic time when her grandmother (my great-grandmother) died from lung cancer. She smoked a lot and as her difficulties worsened my mother had hoped things would get better. The death of her grandmother was a difficult situation to face, but she managed to get through it. A couple of years after that my baby brother was born on the couch at my grandmother’s house. We were devastated when we found out that my brother had died because he developed an infection. After all the deaths that my mom has faced she would rather not talk too much about them because it makes her sad. She also believes that when we die, we leave our earthly bodies and our souls depart for heaven.

Everyone handles death in different ways; we may approach death knowing that everyone has to die but the fear of when death will come leaves us questioning our existence. I do not believe that the fear of death should make people want to fulfill their lives and do everything they set out to do, but I believe that we are living in the now and we need to live our lives for the present.

HW 18 - Health & Illness & Feasting

Thanksgiving has always been an anticipated event. My family prepares for thanksgiving by looking up different recipes that they can add to the menu. Some people are usually excited for thanksgiving because it’s a worldwide holiday and most people use this time to eat as much as they want until they get sick.

The anti-body vs. center-body practices of our culture connects to thanksgiving because people are not concerned about their food intake and whether or not they have eaten too much. When we sat down to eat we shared one thing we were thankful for, the atmosphere was comfortable because we were sitting in comfortable chairs. I couldn’t wait until the food was prepared because we had waited until all the food was prepared so we ate around 6 p.m. By the time the food was prepared I was ready to dig in even though I wasn’t that hungry I forced myself to eat because I enjoy eating meals on thanksgiving. Why do we stuff ourselves despite the feeling we have of being full? That question remains simply because food gives us pleasure.

Unfortunately every single person ended up being too stuffed to move for a while but we had fun. While the food was being prepared we made a soul train dance line, while my family made fun of the way I dance. The main idea of thanksgiving is to eat, eat, eat, and we don’t worry about anything else besides the great taste of the food and the pleasure we feel for a few moments. These elements lead up to the illness& dying unit because when you are preparing a thanksgiving feast the last thing you are worrying about is how much sugar is too much. We do whatever we can to make the food taste good but eventually too much sugar or salt can lead up to high cholesterol, diabetes, and other illnesses.

HW 17 - First Thoughts on the Illness & Dying Unit

When I think of Illness & Dying several things come to mind. I think of the way the person died, and whether or not they lived their lives to the fullest. Growing up I was scared of death because I truly believed that you were sleeping when you die. I would cry about death and finally someone explained it to me. My mom explained that you never know when your time is going to end, people can be alive one day and gone the next so you should take one day at a time. There are many causes of death and some may seem less painful than the others. For example if I were to die I would want to die as painless as possible so I would rather not be burned or have any other slow and painful death.

In my future I aspire to be a Pediatrician so I have an ambivalence towards hospitals. I believe that hospitals can be a place of healing but sometimes the answers we find are not very pleasant to hear. I love being in hospitals because they make me want to do everything I possibly can to save lives. Hospitals provide doctors many attempts to do everything they can to save lives. I really like hospitals because I love the smell of gloves and I love helping people. There are some doctors that care but just like this world there are many people that could care less. We depart from this earth when we have lived our lives accordingly and some people have yet to fulfill all they need to accomplish, meanwhile some people already have.

I remember a time when I was really sick. I was vomiting and my head was spinning so all I wanted to do was sleep. My family was really worried about me because I had a very high fever. They constantly stood by me waiting to see what would happen next and for some reason I didn't like that feeling. It comforted me to know that I have a family that cares but I didn't appreciate the worried looks they were giving me. They stood by me as if this were my last moment. I like it when they give me my space and only come if I really need them. I wouldn't want my family members to be scared for my life. I know that death is unavoidable and that when it's our time to go we will go, but I want to live every day as if it were my last.

HW 12- Final Food Project 2 Outline

Overarching Thesis:
Many of the dominant social practices in our society- practices that define a "normal" life- on further investigation turn out to involve nightmares and industrial atrocities.

Major argument 1:
Social practices that are "normal" consists of the inhumane treatment of animals, workers who are treated like cattle, and consumers who have not been exposed to the truth.

Chunk 1 of Major Argument:
Animals are being treated inhumanely in slaughterhouses.

Evidence 1 of Chunk 1 of MA 1:
The treatment of animals at KFC and other fast food restaurants.
Hyperlink & Citation for Ev 1 of C1 of MA1:
http://www.peta.org/

Evidence 2 of Chunk 1 of MA1:
Statistics about the number of animals that are slaughtered each year.
Hyperlink & Citation of Evidence 2 of C1 of MA1:
http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-aninsidelook.html

Evidence 3 of Chunk 1 of MA1:
Evidence from Fast Food Nation about the feeding of the animals and their environment.
Hyperlink & Citation of Evidence 3 of C1 of MA1:
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

Chunk 2 of Major Argument 1:
Workers in factories are being exploited.

Evidence 1 of Chunk 2 of MA1:
Statements from workers in the factories, telling their stories about the pay of the job, the conditions, and the treatment towards workers at these plants.

Hyperlink & Citation for Ev 1 of C2 of MA1:
Fast Food Nation. Food, Inc.

Evidence 2 of Chunk 2 of MA1:
Statistics about the treatment of workers in slaughterhouses.
Hyperlink & Citation of Evidence 2 of C2 of MA1:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/irrad/slaughterworkers.cfm

HW 11- Final Food Project

Something that I never thought about was my consumption of meat each day. Usually when I eat food, I eat meat for breakfast lunch, and dinner. It wasn't until I heard that the FDA believes that you don't need more than a handful of meat each day and I realized I had exceeded the daily limit of the amount of meat we should eat each day. I knew it would be difficult but I decided to lower my consumption of meat each day. For the day I didn't eat breakfast, I had sushi for lunch, and for dinner I had pork Chops. This routine was followed continuously as I ate lower portions of meat throughout the day and saved the most meat for dinner time.

I liked eating this way because usually when I eat meat, I eat it because I want to finish all my food and not because I actually want it. After eating all that meat I felt stuffed and had a stomach ache but as I began eating lower portions of meat I actually feel full. I strongly believed that since I was eating less meat I would be hungry but that's not the case. Eating less meat has made more room for other foods I like to eat but may not have been able to enjoy due to the fullness I felt after eating large portions of meat.

I learned that it takes a routine to break certain habits that have been embedded in our minds, such as our consumption of fast food. Reading Fast Food Nation and watching Fast Food, Inc. has helped me come to some conclusions about our society. We may find out the truth behind fast food but that doesn't mean we will use that truth and apply it to our lives. There are many reasons why we stick with fast food knowing that we are being used. One reason, is that we love the taste, and the second reason is that we love the prices. Fast food is made in a hurry and after coming home from a long day at work the last thing we think about doing is cooking. This is the role fast food plays in our lives, we may think we are making our children happy but in reality we are setting them up for possibly diabetes, or other fatal illnesses.

Knowing all this information about fast food has made me more aware about the production and sales of food, and I begin to analyze the things I eat and think about the bigger picture. I can't say that right now I will leave all that food behind me and go organic because I don't make any money for myself so I can't help support my mom. I can continue to think about the different fast food restaurants and their involvement with meat packing industries and slaughter houses.

HW 10 Food, Inc Response

Power is being used against workers, farmers, and consumers who don't understand the complexities of food in the United States. Farmers are being exploited by these big businesses who purposely give them less money for a larger quality of food. Workers in these factories are being exploited because they are used up until they can't work independently. Working in slaughterhouses is one of the most dangerous jobs out there, because everyday workers risk stabbing someone, cattle falling on them, and other dangers. Big corporations have a connection to the government because in the movie there was a guy working for Monsanto, who moved on to get a government job, then came back to work for Monsanto after being offered a higher salary. The main idea is that all these people have a connection and this is what allows their businesses to strive. In the movie, something that was not mentioned in Fast Food Nation was that Monsanto sued a man whose job was to clean seeds, to save money. Monsanto didn't want that, the goal was to make people spend more money to buy seeds and they would continue to increase the prices. Monsanto sued this man because he would interfere with that goal. In the book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser made an interesting point, he said, "Today the handful of agribusiness firms that dominate American food production are championing another centralized system of production, one in which livestock and farmland are viewed purely as commodities, farmers are reduced to the status of employees, and crop decisions are made by executives far away from the fields" (Pg. 266). Basically the most powerful businesses in the past have been replaced by technology and a new system of capitalism. This new system exploits farmers,workers and the consumers who don't know the truth.

HW 7d Reading Response

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

Chapter 1: The Founding Fathers

Precis:
The sacrifices we make for something can either affect us in the future or expand our growth. Carl Karcher helped to create the fast food industry through his persistance to stay in the game even with all the competition from McDonald's and the development of several other fast food businesses.

Gems:
"My whole philosophy is-never give up..The word can't should not exist...Have a great attitude" (Pg. 27).

Thoughts:
1. If people were more informed about fast food restaurants do you think they would apply that knowledge to their daily lives?
2. McDonald's is a franchise, it is in politics, and sports and many other things, making it that much harder to change our natural way of life.

Chapter 2: Your Trusted Friends

Precis:
As competition intensified between McDonalds and other fast food restaurants, McDonalds found new ways to keep their business sales up. One of the ways in which sales increased was through children. Advertisements were created to use children to persuade their parents to bring them to McDonalds.

Gems:
"The aim of most children's advertising is straightforward: get kids to nag their parents and nag them well" (Pg. 43).
"The fundamental goal of the "My McDonald's" campaign that stemmed from these proposals was to make a customer feel that McDonald's "cares about me" and "knows about me" (Pg. 50).

Thoughts:
1. Good marketing strategies come when you include the influences into your plans. For example: if your mom takes you to McDonald's she may order food for your family and that gives McDonald's a couple more customers.
2. What makes McDonald's so special, why are there more McDonald's in the world and not Wendy's or Burger King?

Chapter 3:Behind the Counter

Precis:
WW2 helped to create economic prosperity for certain businesses that's why fast-food restaurants succeeded. McDonald's is a business that likes to keep processes simple, their is an instruction manual that breaks down how every single object is used. Behind the counter is where it all goes down and you notice specific patterns among workers and a certain age group as well.

Gems:
"Her family's modest townhouse sits beside a busy highway on the south side of Colorado Springs,in a largely poor and working-class neighborhood" (Pg. 67).
"At Burger King restaurants, frozen hamburger patties are placed on a conveyor belt and emerge from a broiler ninety seconds later fully cooked" (Pg. 69).
"Godbout called McDonald's "one of the most anti-union companies on the planet" (Pg. 77).

Thoughts:
1. What would happen if a manager wanted to start a union, would the corporation "leaders" handle that situation?
2. Why isn't McDonald's willing to compromise as a result of all the difficulties the restaurant has been facing with workers?
3. It's very interesting that most of the people working in McDonald's come from poor or working class families and their job becomes their life. Sometimes when you get a job it becomes more important than everything else because you feel like an adult but in a way McDonald's is robbing its workers of their freedom and salary.
4. It's sad how some people can look down on someone for having a job at certain fast food restaurants. The most important thing is that the person is working because they know there is no one else to care for them at home.
5. What are the ethnic percentages among the customers?

Chapter 4: Success

Precis: McDonald's and other fast food restaurants are not the problem. Everyone is being squeezed by the government and those who have more power can avoid being squeezed. Opening new franchises is the way these businesses succeed.

Gems:
"Set goals to meet key people. Imagine yourself talking to them. Plan in advance what questions to ask them...When there is an important individual you want to network with, be prepared to say something insightful to them that shows you're aware of their achievements.." (Pg. 106).
"I see people who achieve these conventional goals," he says in a mild, even tone. "None of it matters" (Pg. 107).

Thoughts:
1. Their marketing strategies are good but there are a number of people being exploited in fast food businesses. Illegal immigrants, teens, and the people that are buying the products.
2. When they had the fast food convention it was interesting reading about the things the speakers said to the audience. They gave them words of wisdom and possibly helped some people to realize that you don't get joy from material things because they can be gone in a second.

Chapter 5: Why the Fries taste Good?

Precis: We prosper because the things we make originate from us and it's better when people don't follow the things we created. When people do follow our lead it becomes more difficult to succeed in competition. Our consumption of potatoes is a big part of society as well as it's production.

Gems:
"The only thing I did smart, and just remember this- ninety-nine percent of people would have sold out when they got their first twenty-five or thirty million. I didn't sell out. I just hung on" (Pg. 116).
"You increasingly find two classes of people in rural Idaho: the people who run the farms and the people who own them" (Pg. 118).
"If potato farmers don't badn together they'll wind up sharecroppers" (Pg.119).

Thoughts:
1. It's interesting when businesses are always in competition with one another when it would be much easier for them if they worked together. There are some skills that each business that someone else can benefit from.
2. Businesses want to sell as much as they can. This is a good thing but sometimes there are disadvantages to wanting to sell as much as possible in a small amount of time.

Chapter 6: On the Range
Precis: As meatpacking industries become more high in demand, the need for ranchers is decreasing. Ranchers pay is decreasing and they fear that they will become powerless and in debt. As society progresses their is less demand for farms, and the work farmers contribute to the meat industry.

Gems:
"Ranchers currently face a host of economic problems: rising land prices, stagnant beef prices, oversupplies of cattle, increased shipments of live cattle from Candada and Mexico, development pressures, inheritance taxes, health scares about beef" (Pg. 136).
"Anger toward the large meatpackers is growing, and a new range war threatens to erupt, one that will determine the social and economic structure of the rural West" (Pg. 137).
"Over the last twenty years, the rancher's share of every retail dollar spent on beef has fallen from 63 cents to 46 cents" (Pg. 138).
"Instead of buying their own ranches, the meatpacking companies have been fincancing a handful of large feedlot owners who lease ranches and run cattle for them" (Pg. 138).

Thoughts:
1. If a selection of ranch owners are chosen to lease ranches and run cattle for them I can understand why some ranch owners share's are starting to decrease. There may be a number one farm that these companies look to for their meat and they raise that industry higher than the others. If you are financing for a farm of course the farm owner will make more money.
2. Are farm owners rights being stripped from them once they decide to partner with businesses that rely on the meat industry?
3. I think farms should continue to run because everything that is done on farms are more natural. A farm may not be easy to maintain but i'm sure that once you get the hang of things you can handle it. Machines can break down but the farms will always be there to provide meat.

Chapter 7: Cogs in the Great Machine

Precis: Workers at slaughterhouses are being exploited. Illegal immigrants dominate jobs at meatpacking industries because they will not organize unions and they are willing to work for little pay. These jobs are dangerous because these immigrants are not provided with health insurance, and they are replaced very easily.

Gems:
"Insurance is not available to new employees until they've worked there for a period of a year or, in some cases, six months. Vacations don't acrue until the second year. There are some economies, frankly, that result from hiring new employees" (Pg. 161).
"Far from being a liability, a high turnover rate in the meatpacking industry-as in the fast food industry-also helps to maintain a work-force that is harder to unionize and much easier to control" (Pg. 161).
"Mexington"- as it is now called, affectionately by some, disparagingly by others-is an entirely new kind of American town, one that has been transfigured to meet the needs of a modern slaughterhouse" (Pg. 165).

Thoughts:
1. There is so much corruption in the meatpacking industry, not that I wouldn't guess, this book confirmed it. Workers are being exploited because they hire workers that will not compain about the working conditions. Whenever someone attempts to organize a union they move the plant to another location as a warning not to organize unions.
2. Farmers are being cheated out of their money because one company had a law suit filed against them because they purposely misweighed grain to buy it at a lower price from the farmers.
3. I can't imagine what life would be like working in a meat-packing industry. Workers constantly smell burning hair, blood, and an odor of rotten eggs. They have gotten used to this smell and this is their way of life because they are willing to do anything to provide for their family. I can tell they have great family values because they are willing to put up with anything just to provide money for their families.

Chapter 8: The Most Dangerous Job

Precis: Working in the meatpacking industry is one of the most dangerous jobs. There are different tasks that require a great amount of sacrifice and workers are more often than not, injured. The IBP purposely treats patients with minor injuries so they don't have to report those case to the OSHA. Workers are used up until they are weak and can barely walk, they are then replaced like old shoes.

Thoughts:

1. It's sad the way workers are treated. I remembered some scenes from the movie Super Size me but I didn't know the truth behind the way workers are treated.

2. Do you think the workers organize secret unions outside of work that no one knows about?Are they doing something to protect their rights or at least expose these industries?

3. How can the supervisors be so heartless towards these workers. Most of them have given up everything just to work in these factories where they are mistreated and injured.

Gems:

1. "During a three month period in 1985, the first log recorded 1,800 injuries and illnesses at the plant. The OHSA log recorded only 160- a discrepancy of more than 1,000 percent" (Pg. 180).

2. "The court found that seriously injured workers were required to show up at the IBP plant briefly each day so the company could avoid reporting "lost workdays" to OHSA" (Pg. 181).

3. "They used me to the point where I had no body parts left to give," Kenny said, struggling to maintain his composure. "Then they just tossed me into the trash can. Once strong and powerfully built, he now walks with difficulty, tires easily, and feels useless, as though his life were over. He is forty-six years old" (Pg. 190).

Chapter 9: What's in the Meat?

Preics: If your cattle has not been cleaned properly it's possible that there is feces in your meat. There was an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 due to improper sterilization of the animals. E.coli is a potentially harmful, deathly stomach virus that developed around the time of AIDS.

Gems:

"The meatpacking system that arose to supply the nation's fast food chains- an industry molded to serve their needs, to provide massive amounts of uniform ground beef so that all of McDonald's hamburgers would taste the same- has proved to be an extremely efficient system for spreading disease" (Pg. 196).

"Stomachs and intestines are still pulled out of cattle by hand; if the job is not performed carefully, the contents of the digestivesystem may spill everywhere" (Pg. 203).

Thoughts:

1. If there was an outbreak of E.coli do you think it could be prevented?

2. I remember the process of taking out the animals intestines mentioned some other time. How do the workers take the necessary steps to make sure their are no intetines or other insides left in the stomach of the cattle.

3. Do you think giving cattle dirty water and dirty food has an effect on their bodies, which then causes viruses that are passed on to humans?

Chapter 10: Global Realization

Precis: "Americanization" has lead to an epidemic of different cultures attempting to follow the American way of life. This way of life is not necessarily the best to follow because no country has higher obesity rates than the United States.

Thoughts:

1. The connection between the fall of communism and food is intersting because after winning the war when we got to take colonies we imperialized those countries and left something from the United States in their culture. We are constantly in cotnrol of other countries, we would never stand for another culture/country trying to destroy the United States.

2. It is true that other countries want to be just like the USA because their are advances in technology, and other things that make our country seem more attractive. What these people don't realize is that they are not following the correct way of life. If those countries continue following us theyir obesity rates may increase and everything will collapse, like the fall of communism.

Gems:

"As people eat more meals outside the home, they consume more calories, less fiber, and more fat" (Pg. 241).

"The kiddie factor alone- children urging their parents to shop at Wal-Mart because they have a McDonald's inside the store- could generate an upsurge in customers" (Pg. 233).

"The golden arches have become so commonplace in Germany that they seem almost invisible" (Pg. 233).

Epilogue: Have it your Way

Precis: Officials claim that the United States has the safest food supply in the world. This statement has been proven wrong through outbreaks of E.Coli 0157:H7 and the exploitation of workers in the factories, and the fast food restaurants themselves. There are alternatives to living and eating healthier, including the source of our meat supplies. There are ranches such as: Dale Lasater, which was run by a man who bred cattle in inexpensive, less harmful ways. There are better ways to eat, it's our choice to decide what we want to do about it.

Gems:

"Their philosophy of cattle ranching is based upon a simple talent: "Nature is smart as hell" (Pg. 256).

"According to the consumers polled by Restaurants and Institutions in 2000, the lowest-quality food of any major hamburger chain was served at McDonald's" (Pg. 260).

"If all that mattered were the unfettered right to buy and sell, tainted food could not be kept off supermarket shelves, toxic waste could be dumped next door to elementary schools, and every American family could import an indentured servant (or two), paying them with meals instead of money" (Pg. 261).

Thoughts:

1. This book has opened my eyes to the reality of food and it's connection to the government, and that connection to our way of life. Big businesses have begun to control our society and they are squeezing the workers, and consumers because they want to make money.

2. A question that seems to come up is : "How can we avoid eating this food?" as Ally said. As I began to think about it for days I realize that it takes extra work to eat healthier but if it's worth the work, and it is then we will take the necessary steps to eat healthy. There is also a point of view that it doesn't matter what you eat because if 70% of the meat we eat os coming from factories that are not so clean, theat are cleansing meat with amonia, etc; there is no way to avoid eating this meat.

3. A point that was made in the movie Food, Inc that connects to Fast Food nation is when a family was talking about their eating habits. The father had diabeties and instead of changing his eating habits they remained the same. Both parents worked all the time and the last thing they wanted to do when they came home was cook. When they went to the grocery store they found that a head of broccoli is more expensive than a cheeseburger. These big corporations know this information and they use it to their benefit. It is more expensive to eat healthier and that is why there is such an outbreak of obesity and diabeties. I don't think out eating habits will change too much beacuse the big corpporations have some connection to the government and each law that attempts to be passed does not go through because of the connections these businesses have with the government.

HW 9- Freakonomics Response

When you develop an idea about an issue that you are passionate about you may want to conduct research to find the results. This is something that was done many times in the movie. In the movie, an experiment was conducted to find out why crime rates in New York had decreased. Through the experiment they found that most of the “criminals” had been placed in jail and since they were in jail robberies also went down because crack dealers are in jail. Some thefts and robberies are committee by crack dealers and since they are in jail it’s no longer as much of a problem. Steven D. Levitt was telling a story about how he got his daughter to use the bathroom. His wife had been doing everything she could think of to make her daughter use the toilet but she wouldn’t budge. Steven D. Levitt is an economist and that helped him to think about a compromise in the situation. Steven decided that he would give his daughter a bag of M&M’s every time she used the bathroom and she did it because she loves candy. At the end Steven found that his daughter controlled her bladder so she would use the restroom consecutively to get more M&M’s. Another experiment that was conducted would be looking at the results of a test to see if the teacher has cheated. Teachers must fill a certain requirement with their students, or their school may have a problem, so this is the motive behind cheating. On a test Steven said that the teachers would help the students with a test by giving them the last few answers. There is a pattern because if you are able to answer the hardest questions when you didn’t fill in the “easier” questions it’s safe to say you can suspect that something isn’t right.

In the film there were several examples of correlation vs. causation. The beginning of the story started with an example of how our names may or may not determine our success. A mother watched the Cosby Show and she really liked the name Tempest, so when she gave birth she decided to name her daughter Tempest. The only problem was that she had given her the name Temptress. Misplacing a t can change your name a lot. The movie showed that she lived a life of promiscuity and robbery and as she was seeing the judge the question came up of whether or not her name destined her for the life she lived. The correlation is that Black people have strange names and the causation would be that those names don’t determine your success, in some people’s opinion. There were two different researchers who tried to answer this question. At first it seemed as if the two researchers agreed but they disagreed. The Black researcher proved that your name does not determine your success and he used an experiment that proved his thesis. There were two African American brothers named Winner and Loser. Winner was born before Loser but their names didn’t determine their success. Loser became a detective and Loser was in and out of jail. Their names didn’t influence their success because it was the opposite of what I thought it would be. The Indian guy argued that your name does determine your success and he also conducted an experiment to prove it. White people with names like Chester, and Sarah sent out their resumes with Black people with names like Tyrone or Keisha. They sent out the same resume for the same jobs and only 33% of the black people received callbacks and most of the jobs went to the White people with more simple names.

The Freakonomics researches mostly rely on the facts, they don’t make judgments if they want to prove something they conduct an experiment to find the truth. I think Freakonomics did provide an inspiration and good example of our attempt to explore the "hidden-in-plain-sight" weirdness of dominant social practices. It shows that you can find the truth if you ask the right questions you need answers to. This provided me with an inspiration and example to use when I ask people about their food ways. The idea that people will do anything for money came from the study conducted at the school. Students received money when they received B’s or A’s on their report card and then they had an opportunity to win $500. It was interesting to see how many of the students grades did or did not improve depending on their motivation and willpower. Based on the experiment 5-7% of the students passed that wouldn’t have passed otherwise. The results were that their goal wasn’t accomplished but it raises ideas such as: Should people get paid to eat healthy? With research I think an answer to this question can be derived.

HW 8- Growing our own Food

It felt weird to grow my own food because i'm more used to going to the supermarket and buying my food. I never thought about how much work it takes just to grow food and growing sprouts helped me to think about that. I would water my sprouts but truthfully I forgot to water them sometimes. It wasn't very easy for me because caring for plants is not a natural part of my life. It would be different if I actually worked on a farm and grew food because it would become a natural part of my life. Something that was both shocking and true is that when Andy asked us if we knew any plants that grew in the month of October, no one knew the answer. It is sad that we know more about the number of times that Lindsey Lohan has went to jail than foods that grow in October. This process wasn't very sacred to me because I know I can go to the supermarket and get carrots, corn, the basics, and I don't need to grow the food myself. However if by some strange occurence we had to grow our own food, I don't think we would survive because most of us don't know a thing about Agriculture.

HW 6 Food Diary

On September 28th I ate:
Garlic knots
Ridges Sour Cream and Onion Chips
Spaghetti

On September 29th I ate:
A piece of a protein bar
Pizza
Cookies

On September 30th I ate:
A Bagel with Butter
Chicken with french fries

There is no nutritional value in the food I ate the past few days. Usually we eat one vegetable with every meal we eat but based on the food diary I haven't been eating my veggies. When I eat food I base my enjoyment on how the food tastes to me. When I eat Spaghetti I love putting a lot of cheese on it because it adds a little more flavor. When I smelled the Spaghetti I could smell the different spices used to make the tomato sauce, such as, sage, rosemary... When I ate the Spaghetti I finished it in record time because it was so delicious. I also notice that I eat healthier when my mother cooks, than when I buy food for myself. Sometimes I get distracted by cake, pie, and cookies so I don't focus on carrots, corn, and peas because sweets are a little more appealing than eating celery. I know that I should eat healthy because I don't want to have diabetes or high blood pressure, those are things that run in my family. When I eat food if I am stuffed I will not force myself to finish everything, sometimes I just save it for later. Most of the time I do finish all my food.

Sometimes the food I eat is very unhealthy for me but I choose to eat it anyway. It's only when my stomach starts to hurt or I get sick, when I realize that I need to watch what I eat. If you don't watch what you eat you can become unhealthy quickly. I didn't really enjoy the garlic knots I ate because they were literally dipped in garlic, after I used a napkin to wipe off the garlic I ate it because it was all I had for lunch. I also ate Ridges sour ceam and onion chips and they were good. Lately I have been watching what I eat so if I eat too much junk food I will spend the next couple of days eating veggies. This connects to the articles about eating veggies because it is true that people don't want to eat vegetables. Most of us would rather eat carrot cake than a carrot but it makes sense to understand that carrot cake only gives you temporary satisfaction after you eat it and what are you left with, a fat stomach.

HW #5 Dominant Discourses

After much discussion I think I understand what a “dominant discourse” is, a “dominant discourse” is a discussion that occurs when a group of people share a common idea that is expected of a certain group of people. An idea of a common discourse is Abortion. There would be an anti-abortion group and a pro-abortion group. The anti-abortion group may be a group of religious people that believe abortion is a sin because the person having the abortion is taking someone else’s life. If there was a spokesperson for abortion there would be a doctor who is representing statistics about the number of unplanned teen pregnancies. What’s going on is a discussion about the topic of abortion so someone in a coma might not be asked about their stance on the issue. Food connects to dominant discourses because the people who are putting the information out there about food and health are involved in the health care system.

In Told to eat its Vegetables, America orders fries by Kim Severson, research proved that we are not eating enough Vegetables. Sometimes it may be more appealing to eat a cake, than celery but that doesn’t make us fatter than the next person. There was a study done from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention about the behavioral study of fruit and vegetable consumption. The studies show that only 26% of the nation’s adults and vegetables three or more times a day. This also deals with the different ways to prepare vegetables, people don’t know how to add veggies in their ingredients and this stops them from including it at all. Dr. Foltz a Pediatrician who worked on the C.D.C. report said, “Women, as well as people who are older and more educated and have higher incomes, tend to eat more vegetables.” In a discussion our class had with Mr. Fanning last year we came to the conclusion that people that make more money tend to live longer than people that don’t. Can you guess why? It’s because people that make more money pay more money for foods that may be considered expensive for some people.

In the other articles I read it seemed that the authors did imply that this is a time of reform because there is a lot of information being put out in the media about the food we eat. Sometimes sports may be used to get people to care about their health. Read this title:
Blazers Oden not yet Healthy, but stops Eating and Drinking Fast Food by Mark J. Miller. This article was used to encourage those sports fans. If you have a favorite player that really inspires you, you will want to imitate everything they do. If you hear about them giving up their days of eating junk food and moving on to the more healthy foods that may inspire you to want to make the change for yourself. The media does inspire us because we are getting the information from the experts and they are more knowledgeable about these topics than we are, sometimes, and we rely on the media a little too much sometimes.

When I typed “eating” into the Google search box many websites appeared, and the one thing they had in common were that they referred to eating healthy and 5 steps to losing weight. Most people are influenced by the things they see and since we are constantly seeing standards of the perfect body or standards with our health sometimes we need to fulfill those things to make us feel accepted.

HW #4

My family approaches food as something that almost everyone can get involved in. We enjoy cooking for one another, but eating the food even more. When I asked my mother about her approach with food she responded by saying, “When I prepare food I cook for the family, so that means I have to make compromises sometimes about what I will make. I also love experimenting with different recipes that I obtain from food network.” My mother believes that food is used for enjoyment because we enjoy eating as much as we enjoy sharing our food with others. My mother shops at fairway because the prices are affordable and the food is fresh. My mom approaches food as something that must be organic and affordable. When I asked my grandmother the same question she replied with a similar response. “I enjoy food that has a good quality, food that adds simplicity to the preparation, food that uses organic products, and great presentation of the food. You also eat with your eyes and what you see as you eat is very important.” According to both my mother and grandmother the most important food ways are the freshness of the food and food from a family standpoint.

When comparing my approach to food the response is slightly different. I enjoy eating food that is fresh and edible. I do care about where the food comes from but I believe once the food is prepared you can make the dish into something new. From my mother and grandmother’s perspectives food is a way to share food and sample new recipes. These differences may come from the way my grandmother was raised which was to value family and to always look out for family. This can be included in our daily lives in many different ways which may include: jobs, school, food, and care for each other.

Looking at the picture above take a look at a meal that my family and I eat together, we ate Lasagna. This connects to theories about the foodways of my family and myself because if I know how something tastes, immediately I am drawn to it. I also enjoy trying new foods but the presentation of food is important to me as well. In the past I have been more attracted to the presentation of food but sometimes food may be attractive but not edible. This allows me to use my five senses to determine if I would like to sample the food. I can be a very picky eater but it doesn’t take much to please the members in my family when it comes to food.

Food HW#2

When we stepped into McDonalds their was a different atmosphere. Everything was pretty quiet and I couldn't help but notice that McDonalds was no longer the way it used to be. The walls were no longer filled with vibrant colors such as: orange, pink, or bright yellow but now the walls were lined with brown, black, and a very pale yellow. It was determined that this change had occured becase McDonalds was trying to show a more professional tone. There was music playing in the background, and everything was faced paced, alsmot robotic. Most of the workers were minorities and there was a mix of people. People enjoy coming to McDonalds because it's fast food made easy.

The quality of the food we eat is something that is very important to humans. Food is sacred because we are devoted to eating and maintaining our lifestyles. The origin of the food we eat is also a very important part to of our eating habits. When we split up we went to different booths to observe and ask the workers questions. There were many questions but the most interesting question that someone asked was: "How does one of your burgers differ than the burgers sold at McDonalds?". To which the worker replied that the cows are raised on a farm somewhere upstate New York and the way the cows are fed is the main difference. McDonalds burgers have more corn in them because these cows eat more genetically modified corn just so that they can get fat. These cows are not allowed to move because they would lose weight. The cows on the farm are given green leaves to eat and they have more freedom than the cows McDonalds uses for our burgers. Everything at the market was made fresh, homemade, and with no preservatives.

For this reason it may be more difficult for the poor and possibly working class to stay healthy. When you buy food some may notice that there are more meats than there are vegetables and they are a little more expensive. People that have more money are more prosperous because they are spending their money based on the quality of the food so they don't have to worry about the price of the food. However, a poor person can't afford to buy food because they are financially unstable. It is easier to buy food when you know how to plan so that you have money for groceries or whatever you may be doing.

Food HW #1

Food is an important part of our lives because we need food to survive as well as satisfy our hunger. Food is a necessity but it may not be available to everyone because it’s also kind of expensive. Among other things food can be used to fill a void that nothing else can fill, such as: relationships, dieting, and self-esteem. Some people eat more food when they get depressed because it helps them feel a sense of control and comfort foods help us through our difficult times. Food can be used as a weapon, enemy, or friend, people starve themselves, eat too much food, and they use food to draw people in.

I enjoy food because I love to eat. When I think of food I think of cake, chicken, cupcakes, shrimp, plantains, peaches, strawberries and all my favorite foods. The ideal meal for me would be eating a meal that I prepared, with my closest friends and family members. This would consist of my mother, sisters, and closest friends. I wouldn’t like friends there that cause too many problems and friends that are natural. I would prepare Shrimp Alfredo with garlic bread with an additional order of plantains, rice and beans, with chicken. For dessert we would have flan or some type of cake. I would like for us to be sitting on the beach at night watching the stars and reflecting on the many things we were blessed with.

There are foods that I enjoy more than others such as: chicken, with macaroni and cheese and candied yams. I also enjoy plantains and steak and other meat. I decide if I enjoy food based on the taste, smell, and presentation of the food and if I enjoy it I do a little dance. When I eat certain foods my stomach feels differently. When I eat rice and beans my stomach feels bubbly, which means I need to take a trip to the bathroom. When I eat sweets I feel energetic and my stomach feels fine and when I eat salad I do not feel that my hunger is satisfied. My satisfaction is very important because when I really like certain foods I eat that same food over and over again, never getting tired of it. There are so many ways to make food using similar meats, and vegetables.