Food Project 1- Vegetarian for acouple days

The assignment that was given in social studies class was to choose a modality for your last experience in the food unit. Your options were either to choose an experimental like change your change diet, second was academic and example of that is doing research on a specific aspect that was learned that interest you. Lastly was some type of advocacy work to inform others about better food. The modality that I chose was experimental, which was to see how it feels to live a vegetarian lifestyle for a couple days. Apart from that healthy eating as well. Everything that I have taken in about the meat and the food that I’ve been consuming all my life, being a vegetarian and eating healthy seemed like the perfect project idea.

Being a vegetarian seemed so easy when the idea was brought up or on first day of trail the first day but it actually wasn’t.  Trying to find a tasteful and fulfilling meal for lunch and dinner that wasn’t repetitive was pretty difficult. I didn’t want to eat the same meals everyday because I wasn’t familiar with this eating habit. This made me realize how many times meat is a component of my meal everyday. One day coming home starving from work I found myself looking through my fridge with my new "vegetarian eyes" and saw that there was nothing for me to eat. I then went to the supermarket and came back home and cooked 2 marvelous quesadillas with a fruit salad. Cooking is an important component of eating vegetarian I saw; no matter where I walked around my neighborhood the supermarket was the only place that fit the criteria of eating no meat. Another day I ate 13 dollar meal that included a sandwich with fresh mozzarella cheese, basil, and tomato with bottled water. This was a good and healthy meal and it puzzled me how a simple sandwich could be so good. It was a combination of eating healthy and eating vegetarian which was pretty hard during my experimentation. The pricing of healthy food is much more expensive than anything else I could’ve been eating for lunch.

Eating healthy and not consuming any meat whatsoever isn’t as simple as I thought. Everything around us is meat oriented and unhealthy. Fast food takes such a huge toll on our environment and eating unhealthy is something that’s so difficult to shy away from. Many people do not always come across healthy organic places and even if they do they don’t see themselves purchasing a meal that’s more than ten dollars that isn’t of huge proportion. The amount of money spent on food is very important, and it compares to spending a lot for a lot of "crap" or spending a lot for small amount of healthy. Every individual should look to care for their body’s and purchase healthy food but most of our population wouldn’t be able to have it as an expense. i think i remember andy saying about 3 % or 13% purchase healthy. correct me if im not.Whole foods is a great place to buy food, food that isn’t too expensive and pretty healthy. Before the start of the food unit I had no clue that whole foods sold a broad selection of delicious and healthy food and I know many can compare to my situation.

My former "addiction" to fast food had me comparing what I ate with what I use to eat. I could see the comparison from eating greasy meals like McDonalds or whatever and eating a sandwich from organique, whole foods. on top and last but not least not eating meat.  My body felt lighter, I wouldn’t receive instant ides from the food I ate. Energy and your body willing to do more throughout the days was the result of eating healthy and not eating meat. My experiment showed me that being a vegetarian isn’t something I would want to follow as a lifestyle but eating healthy is. Healthy is a component of living a good life and that should always be acknowledged. to further my experiment and to further my motives on eating healthy I want to become more custom to cooking for and buying for myself and not stoop to the nearest and unhealthy fast-food place that lies on every corner.

Food, Inc. Response

Food Inc. gives us the visual perspective of what occurs behind the scenes in the fast food industry. The domination it has had and has obtained for the last 50 years. “The way we eat today changed more in the last 50 years than in the past 10,000". This quote from Food inc. shows us this transformation and the impact it has really had. From cattle being fed grass (organic) to being fed corn, anti-biotic and steroids. Processed food and its overproduction making it possible for the low prices of food. Paying for crap. Genetically modified food becoming out of control and being pushed to be highly used by other countries as well. American influence. Huge cooperation’s making millions off the subsidies. the government, the ones who are suppose to be the ones in control and "taking care" are also apart of the problem. The fight to shutdown and sue these factories, stop false labeling, false advertising and more had backfired. Everything will diminish in our society if these cooperation’s are effected.

Food inc. offers us to actually see visually the corruption of these billion dollar cooperation’s. Whereas Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser shows us this through facts and narratives. the film shows you common experiences of those who have been hurt  and have dealt with the alterations that fast food has inflicted on their farm communities .things we don’t see are put out there, the production of cattle, how their hurt, overly fed and even contaminated. The music that the film provides shows the feelings that us the audience are reacting towards what has become new and shameful to see. The film combined with the book has given me a different and powerful perspective on food.

I’m not left with many questions about the film. Its just mind boggling. To read but than be given visual shows me the true colors of our food system and the way we live. What I do want to know, is how will things change? Those "things" include everything that has been put in front of us to buy these products, what hasn’t been put in front of to stop us. Broad question because I have no clue on how a world that is totally conformed can possibly change. Over the years I hope to see slight change but even that is a stiff prediction.

Freakonomics

 What sources of evidence do the Freakonomics authors most rely on? Why is this innovative?


Freakonomics examined the problems we face around us in different lens than what we are use to. What you think, true really is not.  The authors of Freakonomics prove their theories by using surveys, statistics and conducting experiments. These sources of evidence are the most reliable and most accurate when trying to prove something. For example in the movie they conducted an experiment on how does a persons name effect them in the working world?  They did this by submitting the same resume to the company but from two different people to apply for a job. One individual with a primarily black name and another with a primarily white name. The experiment resulted in the white man getting a callback 5 weeks before the black man. Showing that someone’s name can bring about assumptions and characterizations.

How do the Freakonomics authors address the "correlation versus causation" issue? Do they pretend correlation IS causation?


The authors in Freakonomics prove that some correlation is causation. In the movie they show how something so little or something that had occurred in the past can affect the future. That is true in some cases. They proved this by bringing up the matter of the crime rate going down. Many would say that this is due to the works of the governor and the police. While the authors of Freakonomis believe it was because of the result of Roe v. Wade where abortion was made legal. They felt that the crime rate has gone down because all the unwanted kids, who are believed to be the ones who are the burdens of society, aren’t born. A point of view that is strange never looked at but than quite interesting.

Statement: Freakonomics serves as an inspiration and good example to our attempt to explore the "hidden-in-plain-sight" weirdness of dominant social practices.

Freakonomics serves as a prime example and inspiration to uncovering the wierdness and the actions of people in our society. people are acustom to others doing thinking for them. the news and the media dictate they way people think and where there point of views are directed. whereas Freakonomics brings up different possible causes of the way people act and how the world is around us that many do not know or think of.this connects to our food unit because you can say the reason why Americans are so accustom to eating "unhealthy" is because of the industrialization of Fast food in the early 1900's. another point we look at is our eating habits and social practices are reflected off of economic class and home life. correlation, causation.

Growing Your own Food

When we were given the assignment to get a cheese cloth and an open jar for HW because we will have the opportunity to grow our own food seemed like a new and interesting assignment. When giving this assignment the memory of a vacation came to mind. When I went to Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic for my first time, I was able to see a whole different approach of a whole community when it came to food. Grandfather showing me the acres right in back of his house that he owned for years and treated it like it were his baby son. He was 90 years old but he would move like were 40, cutting a bunch of food from the ground for the day with his machete showed me the advantages of growing food instead of taking a walk to the supermarket to buy something that was processed or given to you because you’re dependent on them. I knew seeing a 90 year old man who moved like he were 50 years younger having such bliss when it came to his garden that I would do something similar when I were to own my own place. Why not?

When I was first giving the seeds to grow sprouts, I didn’t think just by keeping something in a jar something could grow to be eaten. But I was wrong. First day of watering them I had no type of faith in them growing. After watering them for a couple days I saw the change in the sprouts and noticed that if they were taken care of and properly treated than the growing would be successful. The sad part I wasn’t able to successfully grow the sprouts to their potential because I didn’t provide enough to attention to the and because that they died. its like HW, a practice, something you've adapted into your daily routine.  So I wasn’t able to taste my own food that I had grown or take a picture of it but I must say I was very excited to do so. Growing your own food takes patience; it doesn’t take a couple days and is it not done by itself. This put me in the shoes of my grandfather and showed me in proportional way what it takes to grow your own food and why its practiced.

Fast Food Nation By Eric Schlosser

Chapter 1

Precis: During the 1940s Carl N. Karcher became one of the founding fathers of the fast food nation we see today.  The nation began rapidly changing due to the end of the World War 2, and its economic boost and the rise of industrialization. Carl took advantage of the "fabulous boom" and went from successful hot dog stands to launching fast food restaurants. Leading many to follow in his food steps.

Gems: "He was amazed by the number of hot dogs stands they were opening and by the number of buns they went through every week"- pg.15

 ”Southern California had recently giving birth to an entirely new life style- and a new way of eating. Both revolved around cars"- pg.15

Thoughts: it was interesting to see how and when the era of fast food started. Carl N. Karcher saw how much everything was changing around, the automobile industry and electronics evolving to make the lives of Americans easier and faster. Fast food served the same purpose. Question that comes to my mind is how has the "new life style" of back than show about the average American?

Chapter 2

Precis: Ray Kroc and Walt Disney developed strategic strategies in influencing the hearts and minds of the people home. Advertising, marketing, promoting, radio were all implemented when it came to beating the competition. The target was the youth of America, luring them in by using toys in kid’s meals, mascots, and pleasing images and to gain their support and interest. The cheap prices and the "good" food that was offered also manipulated the working class and low income families.

Gems: "And their success led many others to aim marketing efforts at kids, turning America’s youngest consumer into a demographic that is now avidly studied, analyzed, and targeted by the worlds largest corporations". - pg.33

"it’s the law of the universe that the strong shall survive and the weak must fall by the way, and I don’t give a damn what idealistic plan is cooked up, nothing can change that"- pg. 37

"" [our goal is to make] consumers believe McDonalds is their "trusted friend" ". - pg. 50

Thoughts: What were or are marketing strategies that have brought you to buy something? What’s the most provocative way of luring the youth now in days and is this different from back than? Is fast food a family place?

 Chapter 3

Precis: Fast food industries like McDonalds looked to gain as much profit possible but make sure their employees that included college students, minorities and immigrants were all paid low wages. McDonalds becoming an enormous success creating scores for new billionaires and franchises and chain stores all across the United States.

Gems: “ Every saturday Elisa Zamot gets up at 5:15 in the morning. its a struggle, and her head feels groggy as she steps into the shower"- pg. 67

" in the absence of good wages and secure employment, the chains try to inculcate "team spirit" in thier young crews"- 74

"i see the possibility of Unions"- pg.88

Thoughts: still till this day you see large cooperation’s and there horrible treatment of their workers while the company makes millions of profit. Millionaires and brand companies push to retrieve any sort of leverage when it comes to beating the competition. McDonalds and its success was a teacher and a vocal point for many to push start a business or something new to present to their American culture new like GAP clothing.

Chapter 4

Precis: Franchisee is someone who decides to buys a franchise from a franchiser because there able to benefit more than they would if they tried starting their own business. In chapter 4 the author Eric Schlosser focuses on Dave Feamster, a franchisee who opened up four pizza chains for the parent company “Little Ceasars" in Detroit after starting off with just a 200,000 loan. This idea of franchising cannot be successful because you must follow the franchisor (parent company) rules and guidelines, if not your business and whoever is involved with it is in jeopardy.

Gems: “the franchisor wants to expand an existing company without spending its own funds”- pg. 94

“But it was McDonalds that perfected new franchising techniques, increasing the chains size while maintaining strict control of its products”. - pg. 95 

Thoughts:  Franchising has become so popular and big cooperation’s like McDonalds have benefited from it because people have faith in the product or that business. Shows you how big cooperation’s are looked at and idolized by people. I remember hearing Mr. Wexler saying he had first came up with the idea of putting a papaya on the corner of our school because it would see nothing but gains in that location but he got beat to it. He was manipulated by vision of representing Papaya. But what if franchising was put to a limit? How will this affect our community and what we were accustom to?

Chapter 5

Precis: Potatoes became the most important food necessity when it comes to fast food industries. J.R Simplot changed the ways of many fast food industries and the eating habits of many. He did this by starting off with acres of potato farm, a potatoes sorter which was a new invention. With that brought him to introduce the world to frozen fries and frozen food when new gadgets were becoming common in households. The faults in the manufacturing of foods are pushed to be a kept as a secret as much as possible.

Gems: "After the war, Simplot invested heavily in frozen food technology, betting that it would provide the meals of the future". - pg.113

“In 1960, the typical American ate eighty-one pounds of fresh potatoes and about four pounds of frozen French fries. Today the typical American eats about forty-nine pounds of fresh potatoes every year and thirty pounds of frozen French fries.” pg. 114

“the flavor industry is highly secretive...the secrecy is deemed essential for protecting the reputation of beloved brands". - pg. 120 

Thoughts: Simplot envisioned frozen food becoming the meals of the future and he was absolutely right. Frozen food is "fast food"; fast food is all around us, its what we love. It’s crazy to see our food habits and the way look at food be manipulated by fast food industries, commercials, advertisements and more. Why it is hard for people to realize what their purchasing or eating is bad? At what point do you not buy that product and why? Not saying I don’t do myself but it would be insightful to hear the variety of answers.

Chapter 6

Precis: Chapter 6 On the Range shows the impact that fast food had on farm areas and their cattle businesses .the author introduces us to a local rancher from Colorado Springs named Hank. Who addresses the hardships that ranchers and their families faced as fast food meat packing industries took over the production of meat. Instead of meat products being traditional being produced in farms, fast machinery and unhealthy chemicals took over.

Gems: "there is one indisputable fact, however, abut American ranchers: they are rapidly disappearing... many of the nations remaining eight hundred thousand ranchers are faring poorly."- pg. 136

“The Chicken McNugget turned a bird that once had to be carved at a table into something that could be easily eaten behind the wheel of a car. It turned bulk agricultural commodity into a manufactured, value added product". - pg.139

“The threat of wealthy neighbors"- pg. 144

Thoughts: It’s a bitter feeling seeing the way fast food industries altered the lives of communities and farmers/ ranchers. Businesses and the wealthy have always had a way of stepping over whomever it is to get what they want. This makes me think about Trump and his efforts of buying and kicking out the people in my housing community in the lower east side. It just doesn’t seem right at all

Chapter 7

Precis:  Greely Colorado is a modern day factory town and from places like this is where most hamburgers that are eaten today come from. Industrialization of meat packing has fully changed how beef is processed and the towns that do so. What once use to be the United States best manufacturing jobs now is the home of low wages and brutal treatment.

Gems: "During the three months before slaughter, they eat grain dumped into long concrete troughs that resemble highway dividers. The grain fattens the cattle quickly, aided by the anabolic steroids implanted in their ear."- pg. 150

"The working conditions in these meatpacking plants were brutal....Human beings, Sinclair argued had been made "cogs in the great packing machine", easily replaced and entirely disposable". - pg.152

Thoughts: what has been brought to our attention recently in news and other sources of media is that what we eat everyday, buy at supermarkets is being produced with steroids and other harmful chemicals. But that hasn’t stopped me or others. Why? Many big businesses gain more profit by paying their workers low wages and treating them like dogs. How often is this noticed? Is it hidden from the public like Sean john sweat shops once were?

Chapter 8

Precis: Slaughterhouses is the home of the most dangerous jobs. The workplace consisted of harsh treatment, dangerous machinery and low wages. These slaughterhouses hire illegal immigrants to gain profit and to have leverage over the worker. Someone who is undocumented can’t complain. These slaughterhouse hire and abuse their workers and don’t care because theirs plenty more of them where they came from.

Gems:

They used me to the point where I had no body parts left to give,” “Then they just tossed me into the trash can.”

“During a three month period in 1985, the first log recorded 1800 injuries and illness in the plant. The OHSA log recorded 160, a discrepancy of more then 1000 percent.”

Thoughts: it’s crazy to see the true side of America. A capitalist and a greedy country and the strive to manipulate its individuals in a variety of ways. How many flaws can be found in the works of multi million dollar cooperation’s? Why aren’t they stopped? If they are stopped, how will we be affected?

Chapter 9

Precis: the truth about the production of meat becoming apparent during the breakout of various diseases in the meat and the people who’ve eaten in. E.Coli outbreak is an example. Meatpacking and slaughterhouses companies would intend to lie, some cases didn’t have their was inspection of meat for human consumption. Chapter looks deeply how these outbreaks occur and how it wasn’t and hasn’t been thoroughly stopped.

Gems: “far from their natural habitat, the cattle in feedlot become more prone to all sorts of illnesses. And what they are being fed often contributes to the spread of disease". pg. 202
"The Clinton Administrations efforts to implement a tough, science based food inspection system received an enormous setback when the Republican Party gained control of congress in November 1994". pg. 210
“Northern states beef was also link to a 1994 outbreak of E.coli 0157:H7 in Nebraska that sicken eighteen people". pg. 219

Thoughts: fast food industries and big cooperation’s contain so much power. So powerful, wealthy, popular and are additionally linked to the most powerful, government. The way our culture is now is the effect of their cause, how can we fully alter our lifestyle for the good?

Chapter 10
 
Precis: After Cold War Fast Food nations began to step foot and make their mark overseas and out of the country. Fast food chains like McDonalds became the phenomenon of western economic development. McDonalds served as the beginning of American influence and franchising and to many this seemed exciting while others saw the effect it had on its people and country. Germany changed and became one of McDonald’s most profitable overseas markets and so did over 120 countries as well.


Gems: "Global Realization"
 ”The anthropologist Yunxiang Yan has noted that in the eyes of Beijing consumers, McDonalds represents Americana and the promise of modernization". pg. 230 
“No other nation in history has gotten so fat so fast.” pg.240

Thoughts: Many ask why "Americans" are so hated but you could see the impact that American culture and franchising has on people. So you couldn’t blame them. Does majority of the world notice and try to eliminate the change that fast food brings? Or do they sit back and watch like us?

Epilogue

Precis: fast food industries false fully advertise their food and the effects it has on its consumers. Not all fast food chains seize to manipulate their consumers with "bull", their is still some successful but smaller family companies that have success by producing greater and healthy products like organic meat. The only boycott that would be victorious against this fast food lifestyle at this time would be the refusal to buy.


Gems: "There's take-out but no drive-through, and the food is only slightly more expensive than the half-empty Wendy's across the street. One day I met a customer at Conway's who has regularly been having lunch there for fifty years."pg. 258
“An economic system promising freedom has too often become a means of denying it, as the narrow dictates of the market gain precedence over more important democratic values". pg.261
“The low price of a fast food hamburger does not reflect its real cost - and should". pg. 261

Thoughts: it’s overwhelming to see the kind of power these fast food industries possess. They push to gain the eyes and minds of every single individual that is easy manipulated. By the colorful brightened pictures of their new food and to the toys they put in kid meals. Out of all the profit they make, by paying low wages and unhealthy over production why cant a little more healthiness be implemented? Not just by putting calorie counts that are barely visible. How do fast food chains truly respond to the questions of an unhappy consumer and the healthy consumer? How did they respond to the book and the author’s efforts to break their success apart??

Food Diary

“Could you guys please pick something to eat, its 12:35 SH**" Luz says this every time we are released for lunch break everyday in school. Everyday we must rush to figure out what to eat because we don’t have much time, all we have is a measly 50 minutes to eat lunch. We find ourselves sometimes eating the same food or eating at the same place because of it. Right here is a picture of a slice of pepperoni, bacon and cheese pizza for 4 dollars. Price good, Ray pizza is near, so it’s convenient. From the looks of it and from what I know this isn’t healthy. The reason I ordered this because I was rushed with time, didn’t know what to choose to eat and I had a huge appetite because I didn’t eat in the morning. Not to forget I love pizza.

 

 After leaving the Nuyorican poets cafe late night I went to a restaurant I’ve been craving to go to for the past months. I knew going there I was going to order pasta, because I had gotten great reviews about it. This plate and order was pretty expensive but the food was amazing and filling. My meal included garlic bread which wasn’t really touched and water and tea. I was glad to eat a meal like this instead of going to a fast food place. This was by far one the best meals I’ve had. This meal made me wants to go home the next day and cook up some pasta of my own. 

Overall i feel okay about my food choices. i just hate the eating habits of monday through friday during lunch break.