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.