EE2: A Foodie's Manifesto

            We all know we need food to survive, but what food exactly? Back in the Stone Age, people didn’t worry about what they ate, they just knew what to avoid. Now in days, we have everything from vitamins to amino acids that are put into our bodies. There are so many things that we are told to eat now that what to eat is still the question. About a thousand new diets telling each and every one of us what to eat come out every day for us to wander around, not knowing which to follow. It is about time that we break away from the tradition of not knowing our own food values and create our own way to eat and live. That is why I will try to combat this with my own ideas about what to eat. I aim to eat more local and organic food, as well as eat a healthy three meals a day without snacking very much or only eating a healthy snack when I do.

            One of the things I aim to do is eat more local and organic food in my diet. In an article by Walter Crinnion, he compares multiple studies done about organic foods versus non-organic foods and has a couple of noted findings between them. One of the things found was that when the studies compared an organic tomato to a conventional one, “only one [study] showed no significant differences between organic and conventional farms” (Crinnion). This means that there were more nutrients to be found in the organic tomato than in the conventional farming one. Also, another insight that was found by Crinnion is that the nutritional value in organic tomatoes is better than conventionally grown tomatoes because they have more “vitamin C, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium” in them (Crinnion). These nutrients are essential for your body in order for it to stay healthy and well. The organic option for foods is definitely more healthy for you than that of a tomato that is lacking in things like vitamin C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and riboflavin, which conventional farming offers (Crinnion). When choosing food, I think that choosing something that will be good for your body is something that should be chosen before the bag of potato chips on the shelf.

            One of the biggest ways that I will combat choosing the conventional food options is by attending more farmers markets. I went to a farmers market the is found along Pearl Street in Denver, Colorado and I found a lot of interesting things there that you normally do not find in a supermarket. What you find in a supermarket are usually tomatoes that can “[strike] the floor with [a] solid thud” with “no damage done” and are virtually indestructible, according to Barry Estabrook in his book Tomatoland (Estabrook 11). Nothing about an indestructible tomato sounds appealing to cook or to eat. It also is “perfectly tasteless” and picked before it is ripe, only to be ripened in a factor (Estabrook 10). All of these things sound completely different than what I found at the Pearl Street Farmers Market. There were more types of vegetables than I knew existed. Free samples were being handed out at every stand. Each and every farmer was willing to talk about how they grew their produce and the methods that they used to make it. The smells that were hanging around the market were amazing and made my mouth water like nothing else. The atmosphere is something that is very lacking at any supermarket that you go to. It is like Michael Pollan, a famous food journalist, says in his article “Unhappy Meals” which is that at a farmers market you will find “fresh whole foods picked at the peak of nutritional quality” (Pollan 16). I think that going to farmers markets may be out of the way, but it is definitely worth the time and effort.

            The second way to combat the conventional food choices is by making a garden full of food. Barry Estabrook said that the best way to have a flavorful tomato is to “grow your own” (Estabrook 11). A garden is something that can connect you to the food that you are about to eat. Also, what better way is there to know where your food comes from unless you grow it? Pollan, in his developed manifesto, also thinks that it is important to “plant a garden” since it “contributes to [our] health long before [we] sit down to eat” (Pollan 17). There are many ways that a garden helps to contribute to our wellbeing as well as our social health. In a study done by Kimberly Libman, she explores how children who participate in the growing of a vegetable garden will view food and change their eating habits. In this study, the children had to do multiple tasks like “planting, weeding, watering, mulching, harvesting, composting, and designing plots” so that they could appreciate the food making process (Libman 89). The results from this study found that there were more children that would “work with other kids” more often and didn’t have any trouble with it (Libman 92). Gardening is a good way to socially interact with others, on top of having it be nutritious when following a more organic farming style.

            Gardening with social groups even has links back to the time during World War II when the ideas of victory gardens became common places to get food. Because during the war there were many restrictions on what was sold to the public, many people that had the ability to garden would do just that. We can see how victory gardens are a part of a social life when we look at an experiment that a biology teacher, C. Clair Culver, did during the war. She tried to find the best way to grow different plants like “cauliflower, tomato, [and] pepper” in a home garden (Culver 217). By doing things like this, Culver was able to let the biology knowledge “function in the lives of the students as well as their parents” (Culver 219). This shows how things like a garden are a way to unite people and make you healthier, not only in a nutritious way, but also in a social way.

            There are ways that I have already begun to work towards this idea in my manifesto. I already have a garden with things like basil and tomatoes in it. The garden is seen as the family project where if we want to eat food from the garden then we need to work for it. It is nice because I work along side of my parents and we all sweat for the food that we are making. I feel healthier by simply working for my food. On top of that, the fresh tomatoes that come out of our garden are delicious and never disappoint. They might not be the most perfectly round tomatoes, but the amount of flavor that fits into even the smallest tomato is better than a pack of supermarket tomatoes. The benefits from a home garden are things that I have already seen. With this manifesto, I hope that I can expand the family garden to have tings like cucumbers and perhaps new vegetables that we have never had before.

            Now we know that there are plenty of good things that come from organic and locally grown vegetables, but eating copious amounts of food is still not a good thing for us to do. Moderation and a limitation of snacking is still something that I need to address in this manifesto. I am someone that eats four or five meals in a day, doesn’t eat breakfast, and snacks through out the day. It is a common perception that snacking is something that is not good for people to do, but in a study done by Drummond, Kirk, and de Looy, they found that there is no “significant difference in body weight between the frequent snackers and the infrequent snackers” (Drummond et. al.). They also found that people who snack often have “higher energy intakes” than people who have only three meals a day, which could help in things like physical activities to keep their body weight low (Drummond et. al.). For someone such as myself, snacking may not be such a bad thing when I keep active, but instead of the potato chips, I should have “healthy snacking options” instead (Drummond et. al.). Snacking should be seen as something that doesn’t have to be done when there is no physical exercise, but when there is, it doesn’t hurt to be healthy about it.

            Another thing that I have decided is that it is important to have breakfast and focus on getting three meals a day, instead of the irregular mealtimes that I have currently. In a study about whether or not having breakfast is a benefit, it was found that breakfast is a key ingredient in anyone’s day. When people skip breakfast in the morning, they often have “lower-than-normal energy intakes” during the day (Gibson 85). This is something that can lower performance and makes you not as fit as you could be. Of course, in the same study, it was found that “higher energy intakes” were found when “consuming cereal breakfasts” (Gibson 85). Because I tend to be athletic and outdoors all the time, it is good to remember that things like breakfast are still important meals during the day. Keeping this information from the study in mind, taking a step towards breakfast in the day will help me to lead the healthy life that I want to lead.

            Choosing to eat things like organic/ local food, or eating three times a day with healthy snacking is something that I came up with in order to strive towards. I have experience with local foods, which makes it important to me that I would include that in my diet. I know that my eating habits are sporadic and that by eating three meals a day, I can keep structure, eat healthier, and keep my schedule around my meals. This paper is something that I have created in order to show that eating smart is something that is completely possible. It holds a meaning to me because I know it is attainable without changing the fundamentals of who I am. This is by no means a paper telling people what to do, but instead a way that people can think about food and food culture. What I laid out is a simple guideline that we can all follow while enjoying the food that we eat.

Works Cited

Culver, C. Clair. "Growing Plants for Victory Gardens." The American Biology Teacher 4.7 (Apr., 1942): 217-19. Print.

Crinnion, Walter J. "Organic foods contain higher levels of certain nutrients, lower levels of pesticides, and may provide health benefits for the consumer." Alternative Medicine Review Apr. 2010: 4+. Academic OneFile. Web. 31 May 2012. http://0-go.galegroup.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA225739685&v=2.1&u=udenver&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Drummond, Sandra, Terry Kirk, and Anne De Looy. "Snacking: Implications in Body Composition and Energy Balance." British Food Journal 97.5 (1995): 12-15. Print.

Estabrook, Barry. Tomatoland. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel, 2011. Print.

Gibson, S. A., and P. Gunn. "What's For Breakfast? Nutritional Implications of Breakfast Habits: Insights From the NDNS Dietary Records." Nutrition Bulletin 36.1 (2011): 78-86. Wiley. 16 Feb. 2011. Web. 31 May 2011.

Libman, Kimberly. "Growing Youth Growing Food: How Vegetable Gardening Influences Young People's Food Consciousness and Eating Habits." Applied Environmental Education & Communication 6.1 (2007): 87-95. Print.

Pollan, Michael. "Unhappy Meals." The New York Times Magazine 28 Jan. 2007. Print.

Reflections

     I think that one of the most interesting things that I learned in this class was different aspect in the way that food can affect a persons life. The readings that we read were informative and were always interesting- even if they were long. Through writing the essays in this class, it helped to identify research tools that can be used in order to better support and fill an essay.
     I think all of this is important because it will help to be able to make persuasive topics later in my life. The food aspect makes me realize the multidimensional idea about what food is and has become. It should help me be more knowledgeable about things in life that can help me.
     In life I usually always do look out for the healthiest option that I can get at a market. This course has made me realize that things like farmers markets can help with that as well. Also, there are many things that I can do to make me live a healthier life and feel good while doing it, that is what this class has taught me.

Ways to Live a Healthy Life

            Probably one of the most influential documentary movie in my life was “Supersize Me” done by Morgan Spurlock. He made a challenge to eat nothing but McDonald’s as his only meal for thirty days. There were many disturbing things in this movie, especially the results that Spurlock found. At the end of the thirty days, Spurlock had gained a significant amount of weight, and had a lot of health concerns to go with it. We in America recognize that fast food chains are not healthy for us, yet we continue to eat meals like that anyway. Both Pollan and Dupuis try to give a reason for this happening and a cure for how to handle it.

            In the article by Dupuis, he talks about the food dietary value in America and how they have changed throughout the ages. One of the first faux dietary pioneers was John Smith who was the same person that wrote the book of Mormon. Smith gave “recommendations for a healthy living” which included not having “tea, coffee, and alcohol.” These things were later changed into new dietary restrictions. People like Benjamin Rush and Sylvester Graham introduced new ideas that were trying to allow people to have a healthy life. Dupuis talks about how people earlier in history are claiming that there was divine right involved in the dietary restrictions, but there was no physical proof. Now in days, there are doctors that tell us about things that also cannot be seen like nutrients and vitamins. Dupuis argues that there is still a false science in food and we really cannot know what to eat. Dupuis tells us that it is better to just eat what we want and not think about it because there is no real solution.

            Pollan has a bit more suggestions about what to do in the face of this dietary problem. Polland explains that there are a couple things to keep in mind when buying food to eat. One thing is to “eat food” that is not the “industrial foods” that we all think of. By doing this, we can make sure to know what we are eating and wont be eating more than “five” ingredients in total. Also, taking the time to cook our meals ourselves as well as check where each ingredient comes from will help to limit the bad ingredients from being eaten. Another thing Pollan suggests is that we should “eat less.” People in France live a healthy lifestyle and it is mainly about the portion size there. They do not go back for seconds and limit how much they eat at a time. This will help to give moderate portions and lead us back onto a healthy style of living.

Interesting Food Facts

In Katie's blog, she talks about how about 12% of people skip breakfast every morning. There has recently been a push for breakfast to be eaten so that people can have energy to get through the day. This really is interesting because it is close to what I do since I dont usually eat breakfast in the morning. Dani's blog is interesting because it talks about yogurt and the healthy choice in a snack option. This is different than soda as an option because it give the body nutrients and doesnt block them.

Soda the Healthy Choice?

            When moving through our everyday lives, we always think about the food choices that we make before a meal, but do we think about what we drink as well? One of the things I noticed out of all our class logs is that the choice of a soda was made quite often. We all have heard many health concerns about soda and its relation to obesity and diabetes, yet we continue to choose soda as a drink option. I recently cut soda out of my diet in order to get away from all of the artificial flavors that are found in soda products, but I know people that have it multiple times a day. Soda is something that can be had on occasion but should be avoided if it can.

            Many doctors and health professionals have found that there are multiple factors that soda has that negatively affect the body. In a study that forms opinions by looking at other works, there were four effects that were looked at. The first is energy consumption. It was found that energy consumption “was greater than what could be explained by consumption of the beverages alone” showing that soda is increasing the energy consumption, which makes appetite and hunger go up (Vartanian et. al 667). By having this increased amount of energy, it makes people hungrier and want to eat more, helping to contribute to the obesity problem. The second thing studied was body weight. Body weight factors were hard to study because there were many different definitions of body weight in the different studies drawn upon. When that body weights were averaged, there was still found to be an increase in body weight across the studies but many “outcomes varied” with the changing body weight (Vartanian et. al 669). The third outcome studied was the intake of milk and calcium. What was found is that there are “lower intakes of milk and dairy products” (Vartanian et. al 670). Drinking soda is causing less of an intake of milk, which results in less calcium intake that should be making our bones healthier. Soda is causing weaker bones in people, which should really be healthy. The fourth thing that was studied was the absorption of other nutrients and the relation to soda consumption. In the study, it was found that there was sufficient lack in things like protein, fruit, and riboflavin, to name a few (Vartanian et. al 671). The soda that we consume is blocking vital foods that are needed for our bodies. This study shows that we shouldn’t be making the choice to drink soda at meal times because it is not the healthy choice for our bodies.

            When we analyze the results from this study, we find that soda is really not the healthy choice for us to make when we sit down to eat. While having a soda on occasion would not hurt you as much, it should not be an everyday occurrence. In our eating habits, we should be making not only the healthy salad, but also the good choice in our drinks as well. Things like water and tea are not bad for you and can help us live an even healthier lifestyle. By cutting out soda, our bodies will be able to process milk and other foods better, making the correct nutrients work the first time. Part of the blocking of nutrients makes us need to eat more to get the same amount; a reduction in soda will get us to that point.

Bibliography

Lenny R. Vartanian, Marlene B. Schwartz, and Kelly D. Brownell.  Effects of Soft Drink Consumption on Nutrition and Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Public Health: April 2007, Vol. 97, No. 4, pp. 667-675.

Food Blog Ideas

A lot of the meals that I have found are things from the dinning halls. Also, the difference between drinking water and drinking some type of soda is really pronounced. Also, there are a lot of people that snack during the day and don’t wait for proper meal times.

Menu for Three

THURSDAY
11- Water, Chicken Cordon Bleu
6- Chicken Ceaser Burrito, Lemonade

FRIDAY
12- Beef/Mushroom Saute, Lemonade, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
2:30- Jalapeno Chips
6- Chicken falarma (rice, chicken, falafel, humus, pickles, Tahini sauce, cilantro sauce), pomegranate Lemonade

SATURDAY
11- Pretzel, Water
2-Pizza w/ Sausage, Lemonade
5:30- Pasta w/ Marinara, Meatballs, Garlic Bread

Chocolate and its Making

            Nothing can beat the sweet taste of Cadbury milk chocolate as you take a bite and it slowly melts in your mouth. Savoring the sweet flavor, we feel like all chocolate was made to be this way. Of course what we don’t realize is that chocolate did not just come prepared this way. A football shaped pod from the Theobroma cacao tree, also known as the cacao tree, is where this story to the chocolate bar begins.

            First we should learn about the climate for the cacao tree. The Theobroma cacao tree originated in the Mesoamerican growing region, which spans from Latin America down to the northern part of South America. While the exact origins of the cacao tree are unknown, it has been discovered that the Olmec people, “who lived along the Gulf of Mexico as early as 1500 B.C.” were the first people to cultivate the cacao tree and grow it in small gardens of their own (Lopez 14). The only place suitable for the cacao tree is in the hot, humid environment of the tropical rainforest. The rainforest has a unique ecosystem that remains hot and humid year round and continually has an average temperature of eighty degrees Fahrenheit (Lopez). The rainforest also has about “eighty to four hundred inches of rainfall annually” (Lopez 9). These growing conditions are very specific to the rainforest and are hard to reproduce in other areas of the world. One of the benefits of the rainforest is that they have trees of varying heights, which help to shade the cacao trees from some of the sunrays, as well as help to keep it a humid environment. The trees also keep most of the sun blocked off of the ground, which creates a rich environment for “decaying vegetation” like dead trees and fallen leaves where insects, fungi, and other creatures thrive (Lopez 10). This environment enriches the soil, which helps the cacao tree grow.

We never think about chocolate ever becoming a rare commodity, but at the rate of deforestation, this could become a very real possibility. We know that it is hard for the cacao tree to be grown anywhere else but the rainforest, because of the difficult environment to reproduce, so by destroying the rainforest, we risk the loss of chocolate and a whole host of other food items in the process. It is predicted that at the current rate of deforestation, the rainforest will be gone within forty years (Lopez). While this may have nothing to do with chocolate directly, the importance of the rainforest in chocolate production is key to giving it optimal conditions to grow. Knowing this is eye opening to what is going on with our food production. We can sit by and let the rainforest be destroyed, but in doing so, we let our common commodity in every house become not so common. Things like advocating for the stopping of cutting down the rainforest can help to keep our beloved chocolate stay ours.

            Some of the most interesting things that I found, besides where cacao trees are grown and the threatening extinction of chocolate, is the way that cacao beans are transformed into the chocolate bar we think of today. The first step is to harvest the cacao pods from the trees and bring them back to where they will be processed. This process is very labor intensive and there are no machines that can do it, unless they might rupture the pod. The pods are then split in two and the pulp and seeds are put into water, in order to allow for the fermentation process to go underway (Lopez). After the fermentation process, the seeds are left out to dry (Lopez). From the drying stage, the beans are then roasted, which helps to determine the different flavors of chocolate and the different types of chocolate (Lopez). The husks on the outer part of the cacao bean are removed after roasting, which are then discarded, and the cacao nibs are then ground up into a paste (Lopez). This paste is made into chunks, which can then be shipped to countries around the world and processed (Lopez). From here, the big brand name companies like Lindt, Cadbury, and Hershey’s all essentially add sugar to the paste to make it creamy and sugary like we know it. This makes the smooth chocolate bar that melts in our mouths as we take a bite.

            We really do not realize how fortunate we are to have a thousand different types of chocolate. One of the longest lasting arguments that I have heard in relation to chocolate is whether or not European or American chocolate is better. Many American’s think that the American chocolate is better, and many Europeans think their chocolate is better. While doing research about chocolate, I found a man named David Lebovitz who posted about this argument. He is an author of cookbooks about baking and chocolate and comments that it is not the “industrial chocolates” that interest him but in fact the “chocolatiers” that are doing “quality work” (Lebovitz). Lebovitz has an interesting position about the argument because it is more about the specialized chocolate than the industry chocolate we think of. I know now that there can be many places to look for things like chocolate (unless the rate of deforestation destroys it all). We need to be more open about our food choices and more willing to try new things.

Works Cited

 

Lebovitz, David. "Chocolatiers and Chocolate-Makers." David Lebovitz: Living the Sweet Life in Paris. 14 Jan. 2007. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/01/chocolatiers-an-1/>.

Lopez, Ruth. Chocolate the Nature of Indulgence. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2002. Print.

What is Food?

            In our country, we are very far removed from our food. We do not see every little thing that comes to us in nice, neat packages; we do not see the chicken that was grown in darkness all of its life; we do not see its life ended and made through a processing plant. We as consumers are ignorant to the making of what we call food today.

            There has been a rise in people wanting to know the origin of where their food comes from. Many famous critics like Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan have come out and informed the public about what they are really eating. A man named Christopher Cook tells about how there are plant workers with “upper-body disorders” that are not treated because the companies do not extend the benefits they should. The productions of things like chicken is not a clean business in the slightest. Also, things like tomatoes are picked when green and have gas used to make them ripe, meaning that they become tasteless to the public.

            We as a public cannot let things like the production of our food become what it is today. There are too many things that we do not know in our food production that we should fight to change that. These companies keep these secrets from us because what we want is cheap food, nothing else. If we can stand having slightly more expensive food for something of better quality, then we can improve our standard of living ever so slightly. I think that we as a public should take action for the process for the food that we eat.

The Real American Diet (or Not)

“The American way of dietary life undergoes yet another change.” Pollan makes an interesting point that we do not have a set cultural value in Amercia that makes our dietary values stable. Any “lone crackpot with a medical degree can alter this nations diet overnight,” according to Pollan. We can really see through Pollan’s argument that America is as whimsical as a child. One day we eat our vegetables, the next day we don’t and eat something else. The dietary values in our country are not as stable as a country such as France. Pollan explains a study about how people in France are more likely to associate pleasure to food where American’s will not. In France, when asked about chocolate cake, they think “celebration” where as American’s think “guilt.” This shows the cultural identity of America and how we shun everything that is thought of as being bad for us.

            I really like the tone of Pollan’s essay. He is highly satirical and very sarcastic about the values of American culture. The tone is really communicated through the word choice like gorging, quackish, and crackpot. These all are very detailed negative words that are used to show just how bad the American dietary values are. I also really like the point that he makes because it is somewhat similar to my essay that I just wrote. I talked about the value of needing a healthy choice while really just indulging in the same chocolate cake that is always in the house.

            When I was reading this I found a lot of things to ring true. There are times that meals are eaten on the go and not really enjoyed, but I also think there are people that enjoy food. Many of my friends have called me a foodie, and I would say I fit that description well. My family takes the time to prepare each meal before it is made and then enjoy it around the dinner table. We enjoy the food that we make because it has some value since we just spent the time making it. I would say that I like to enjoy food because it can be a good social bonding experience. Not every person is simply jumping into the fat-free diet because its said to be good, but of course, not everyone is staying away from it. In our culture, we have an interesting mix of people that do all different types of things, not just what Pollan says we do.

EE1 Final Draft

            When walking around downtown Denver, anyone is privy to the overabundance of fast food options available. In the first nation to introduce fast food, it is completely normal that fast food joints would be found along every corner, but does that make it a good thing? Fast food chains like McDonald's and Burger King are simply suppliers of cheap food, but no one said that it has to be healthy. These multibillion-dollar fast food chains invest millions of dollars in advertisements to keep the public hooked on the idea that they can find a lot of healthy options in their restaurant. While in reality, the majority of their options are high calorie options. Also, eating at a fast food restaurant require no movement to get a meal, while instead people can go through the drive through. But can laziness and unhealthy habits all be blamed on massive fast food companies? We as American’s have kept this convenience because, even though we know that healthy is better, we have some attachment to this style of eating. All of these different ideas about nutrition affect our cultural beliefs and the ways we act. These encompass much of what we have been taught to do since we were young and started to eat our vegetables. In America, we champion the idea of healthy food, yet we continue to surround ourselves and choose for ourselves these unhealthy food choices when eating.

            One of the biggest ways we can see that America wants to promote healthy choices is by looking at the advertising of companies. In the first Naked ad, on the left side of the picture below, we see a lot of this health conscious advertising come into play. The first add procures its health conscious advertising in its design and rhetorical strategies. The main focus in the ad is the runner, running behind the bottle of Naked juice located on the bottom right of the ad. This focus conveys to the viewers that people who drink Naked juice are able to receive the energy they need in order to run and maintain their energy. This sells the idea that, with Naked juice, people can keep a healthy lifestyle and be motivated to workout. The tagline on this ad also illustrates how advertising companies are playing to the healthy ideals in the American mentality. “Our machines don’t run on added sugar or preservatives and neither will you,” conveys to the viewer that by choosing Naked juice to drink, instead of something like soda, they will be healthier already (Naked Juice Co). By buying Naked juice, the viewer does not put preservatives in their body, making the healthy choice. There is also the tagline “That’s our Naked truth” at the end of the ad (Naked Juice Co). This expresses to the viewer that everything communicated on the advertisement is the complete truth from the company’s mouth. Telling the viewer that the ad is completely true makes the viewer trust the ad more and makes them feel at ease with their choice. The advertising companies are a good example of showing how the public views health because they do many studies to show what is popular in public opinion. Healthy choices are what people want so food-advertising companies conform to that demand. Viewing an ad like the Naked ad, we see that, in America, we hold the idea of health high in our minds.

            While still having high fitness and health values, we continue to be a culture that values fast food, making the unhealthy choices instead of the healthy ones. Fast food companies “saturate the airwaves, newspapers, and magazines” according to Bridget Murray’s article “Fast food culture serves up super-size American’s” (Murray). While the Naked advertisement is an example of something that could be considered healthy, fast food is something that is not. According to Murray, the food is “high-fat [and] high-sugar” in its content (Murray). The advertisements from these companies may seem like they sell healthy choices in their chains, but the real fact is that the food is not healthy in the slightest. All of the chain fast food restaurants have led to an unhealthy America. In a report about obesity in 2011, the results found that “twelve states now have obesity rates over thirty percent” where “four years ago, only one state was above thirty percent” (Trust for America’s Health). This exponential increase in obesity across America is due to the ease and accessibility from the fast food chains that can now be found all across the world. The fact that there is a food chain at almost every street corner shows that it is not usually the healthy food choices that we go for, but instead the convenient choice.

            Not only do food companies assail us with ads, but they also take convenience to a new level. According to Murray, most American’s are getting “less exercise than ever” and are “walking less and driving more” (Murray). This idea of convenience is contradicting what Americans hold as a need in society. As the Naked ad shows, the need for a petite figure is very important in society, yet walking less and making unhealthy choices will not help to achieve that ideal. By indulging in the fatty foods of the food industry, it does nothing to help the wanted image of American’s. Kelly Brownell, a Yale University psychology professor, shows convenience and how America has become lazier as a country. Brownell explains that when pumping gas you can “punch in the Fritos, the Twinkie, and the Coke, and somebody brings it to your car” (qtd. Murray). This decline in physical activities and the increase in high calorie food are creating an obese America. Our food choices as a country are ones that are unhealthy, while we continue to understand that we should choose better to look better.

            One of the easiest settings to see the choices people make about food is in a food court. Let us take the food court in Park Meadows for instance. In Park Meadows, there are many fast food chains like Panda Express, Taco Bell, Sbarro, Chick-fil-a, and Dairy Queen. Being located so conveniently in the middle of a shopping mall, it can provide any shopper with any choice of fast food that they could want, along with the carbohydrates to keep them fueled to shop. The style in the food court is to order whatever food item is on one of the multiple menus, then wait for it to be prepared, pay, then get the prepared food and find a table. It is similar to a cafeteria line, where food is put on paper plates, and then we have to find a table wherever we can. While part of the process requires some physical exertion, the theme of an unhealthy diet continues to remain the same in this sub-setting of society. Almost every item on these menus has at least one healthy choice in it, but the majority of food on people’s plates is the same greasy, high calorie food that can be served anywhere else. Shopping can be seen as a way to burn off some of the calories, but there is not enough physical exertion to counteract the amount of calories that are consumed. Furthermore, even when we face the choice of having healthy food, we are more prone to select the unhealthy item, because we know it from the bombardment of TV ads that we see every time we turn on a TV.

            If an American was told to name one thing that would be the food of American’s they would come up with an interesting list of things like apple pie, hamburgers, hot dogs, and maybe even macaroni and cheese. Almost all of the symbolic food items of American culture can be summed up into heavily processed, high calorie food. For many American’s, it is the item that strikes the fondest of memories in each persons heart. Geoff Nicholson in his article “Eating White” talks about eating a “cheese sandwich” that consists of “white Cheshire cheese on white bread” with a “glass of cold milk” (Nicholson 21). This meal is something that invokes a memory of Nicholson’s mother and her need for white in every meal she ate. The sensation that Nicholson has is similar to the American people and their memories of hamburgers, hot dogs, and macaroni and cheese. This fondness is one of the strongest reasons as to why Americans continue with their high fat diets. An example of contradictory views can be found in children. They always complain about not wanting to eat their vegetables, yet they want to grow up to be strong. This contradiction is much like the American mindset where we would like to be skinny without any of the work. The yearning for health is powerful, but American culture shows that we are more likely to stick with our high sugar, iconic foods then the broccoli on the plate.

            In a culture full of double standards, America continues to want a healthy living without any of the work. We are a nation that chooses the Big Mac over the salad. We are a nation that makes us think that we need to be healthy, while personifying the complete opposite. This may sound like it is a bleak picture for the future, but we cannot count out America just yet. In the past few years, there has been a rise of organic food on the market and a call for healthier choices to be made readily available. The need for bigger portions has gone down, and there is no more “Super-Size” option at McDonald’s to reflect this change. While we may still be a society of double standards and of higher expectations than are possible to achieve, when we want we can be prompted into action. We can, as a people, continue to ask about our food and how healthy it is. We can step away from the artificial food the fast food companies continue to feed us. A healthier America is in sight if we stay active, get healthy, and make the right choices with our food.

Works Cited

"F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011." Trust for America's Health. July 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://www.healthyamericans.org/report/88/>.

Murray, Bridget. "Fast-Food Culture Serves Up Super-Size Americans." American Psychological Association (APA). Dec. 2001. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec01/fastfood.aspx>.

Nicholson, Geoff. “Eating White.” Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture 10.1 (2010): 21-23. Print

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=naked+juice+ads&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=673&tbm=isch&tbnid=-oKAARlzM2JRkM:&imgrefurl=http://www.chasejarvis.com/photo/campaigns/naked-juice-26_2_1069.html&docid=kOQgW0nQeaKBzM&imgurl=http://www.chasejarvis.com/data/photos/1069_1naked_2.jpg&w=1600&h=1200&ei=KN2BT9ioGuiK2gWutIzhBg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=822&vpy=160&dur=422&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=141&ty=113&sig=117166996732077206498&page=1&tbnh=156&tbnw=226&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0,i:79

Rough Draft to EE1

            When walking around downtown Denver, anyone is privy to their choice of fast food meals of their picking. In the nation of origin for fast food, it is completely normal that fast food joints would be found along every corner, but does that make it a good thing? Fast food chains like McDonalds and Burger King are simply suppliers of food that is cheap, but no one said that it has to be healthy. Of course, it doesn’t help that these multibillion-dollar fast food chains invest millions of dollars in advertisements to keep the public hooked to the fake ideals of a healthy meal in their restaurant. It also doesn’t help that fast food restaurants have made food something that you do not need to move for, but instead go through the drive through. But can this all be blamed on massive fast food companies? Or are they just the enablers? Could it be that American’s have kept this convenience because, even though we know that healthy is better, we have some attachment to this food? These ideas affect our cultural beliefs. These are things that we have been taught to do since we were young and starting to eat our vegetables. In America, we champion the idea of healthy food, yet we continue to surround ourselves and choose for ourselves these unhealthy food choices when eating.

            One of the biggest ways we can see that America wants to promote healthy choices is by looking at the advertising of companies. In the first Naked ad, on the left side of the picture, we see a lot of this health conscious advertising come into play. The first add talks about many things in its design and rhetorical strategies. The main focus in the ad is the runner, running behind the bottle of Naked juice located on the bottom right of the ad. This focus conveys to the viewers that people who drink Naked juice are able to receive the energy they need in order to run and maintain their energy. This sells the idea that, with Naked juice, people can keep a healthy lifestyle and be motivated to workout. The tagline on this ad also illustrates how advertising companies are playing to the healthy ideals in the American mentality. “Our machines don’t run on added sugar or preservatives and neither will you,” conveys to the viewer that by choosing Naked juice to drink, instead of something like soda, they will be healthier already (Naked Juice Co). By buying Naked juice, the viewer does not put preservatives in their body, making a healthy choice. There is also the tagline “That’s our Naked truth” at the end of the ad (Naked Juice Co). This tells the viewer that everything communicated on the advertisement is the complete truth from the company’s mouth. Telling the viewer that the ad is completely true makes the viewer trust the ad more and makes them feel at ease with their choice. The advertising companies are a good example of showing how the public views health because they do many studies to show what is popular in public opinion. Healthy choices are what people want so food-advertising companies conform to that demand. Viewing an ad like the Naked ad, we see that, in America, we hold the idea of health high in our minds.

            While still having high fitness values, we continue to be a culture that values fast food. Fast food companies “saturate the airwaves, newspapers, and magazines” according to Bridget Murray’s article “Fast food culture serves up super-size American’s” (Murray). While the Naked advertisement is an example of something that could be considered healthy, fast food is something that is not. According to Murray, the food is “high-fat [and] high-sugar” in its content (Murray). The advertisements from these companies may seem like they sell healthy choices in their chains, but the real fact is that the food is not healthy in the slightest. All of the chain fast food restaurants have led to an unhealthy America. In a report about obesity in 2011, the results found that “twelve states now have obesity rates over thirty percent” where “four years ago, only one state was above thirty percent” (Trust for America’s Health). This exponential increase in obesity across America is due to the ease and accessibility from the fast food chains that can now be found all across the world. The fact that there is a food chain at almost every street corner shows that it is not usually the healthy food choices that we go for, but instead the convenient choice.

            Not only do food companies assail us with ads, but they also take convenience to a new level. According to Murray, most American’s are getting “less exercise than ever” and are “walking less and driving more” (Murray). This idea of convenience is contradicting what Americans hold as a need in society. As the Naked ad shows, the need for a petite figure is very important in society, yet walking less and being lazier will not help to achieve that need. By indulging in the fatty foods of the food industry, it does nothing to help the wanted image of American’s. Kelly Brownell, a Yale University psychology professor, shows convenience and how America has become lazier as a country. Brownell explains that when pumping gas you can “punch in the Fritos, the Twinkie, and the Coke, and somebody brings in to your car” (Murray). This decline in physical activities and the increase in high calorie food are helping to create an obese America. Our food choices as a country are ones that are unhealthy, while continually understanding that we should choose better.

            One of the easiest settings to see the choices people make about food is in a food court. Lets take the food court in Park Meadows for instance. In Park Meadows, there are many fast food chains like Panda Express, Taco Bell, Sbarro, Chick-fil-a, and Dairy Queen. Being located so conveniently in the middle of a shopping mall, it can provide any shopper with any choice of fast food that they could want. The style in the food court is to order what you would like, then wait for it to be prepared and handed to you. It is similar to a cafeteria line, where you get your food on paper plates and then find a table. While part of the process requires some physical exertion, the theme of an unhealthy diet continues to remain the same in this sub-setting of society. Almost every item on these menus has at least one healthy choice in it, but the majority of food on people’s plates is the same greasy, high calorie food that can be served anywhere else. Even when we face the choice of having healthy food, we are more prone to select the unhealthy item because we know it from the bombardment of TV ads that we see every time we turn on a TV.

            If an American was told to name one thing that would be the food of American’s they would come up with an interesting list of things like apple pie, hamburgers, hot dogs, and maybe even macaroni and cheese. Almost all of the symbolic food items of American culture can be summed up into heavily processed, high calorie food. For many American’s, it is the item that strikes the fondest of memories in each persons heart. Geoff Nicholson in his article “Eating White” talks about eating a “cheese sandwich” that consists of “white Cheshire cheese on white bread” with a “glass of cold milk” (Nicholson 21). This meal is something that invokes a memory of Nicholson’s mother and her need for white in every meal she ate. The sensation that Nicholson has is similar to the American people and their memories of hamburgers, hot dogs, and macaroni and cheese. This fondness is one of the strongest reasons as to why Americans continue with their high fat diets. An example of contradictory views can be found in children and how they do not want to eat their vegetables, yet they want to grow up to be strong. The yearning for health is powerful, but American culture shows that we are more likely to stick with our high sugar, memory related foods then the broccoli on the plate.

            In a culture full of double standards for both children and adults, America continues to want health without any of the work. This sounds like a bleak picture, but we cannot count out America just yet. In the past few years, there has been a rise of organic food on the market and the call for humanely treated animals to become part of the market. The need for bigger portions has gone down and one of the biggest things is that the “super-size” at McDonalds has been taken off of the menu. We may still be a society of double standards and of higher expectations then possible, but when we want, we can be prompted into action. We can, as a people, continue to ask about our food and not use anymore of the pink slime that the fast food companies continue to feed us because it is cheap. A healthier America is still in sight if we continue to stay active, get healthy, and make the right choices with our food.

Works Cited

"F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011." Trust for America's Health. July 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://www.healthyamericans.org/report/88/>.

Murray, Bridget. "Fast-Food Culture Serves Up Super-Size Americans." American Psychological Association (APA). Dec. 2001. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec01/fastfood.aspx>.

Nicholson, Geoff. “Eating White.” Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture 10.1 (2010): 21-23. Print

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=naked+juice+ads&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=673&tbm=isch&tbnid=-oKAARlzM2JRkM:&imgrefurl=http://www.chasejarvis.com/photo/campaigns/naked-juice-26_2_1069.html&docid=kOQgW0nQeaKBzM&imgurl=http://www.chasejarvis.com/data/photos/1069_1naked_2.jpg&w=1600&h=1200&ei=KN2BT9ioGuiK2gWutIzhBg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=822&vpy=160&dur=422&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=141&ty=113&sig=117166996732077206498&page=1&tbnh=156&tbnw=226&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0,i:79

What it means to "eat on the edge"

            In Horwitz’s article, she talks about the idea of “eating on the edge” and how society has transformed into a society that is always on the go and moving. Horwitz talks about in her article, a student that is eating a sandwich in one of his lectures. This action made him think about this transformation in society from a culture where we value sitting around the table, to a culture where we prefer our meals on the go. Originally, in our culture, we valued sitting together at a table, which can be seen in Horwitz’s article about how the astronaut tables were designed so that all of the crew can sit together at one table (Horwitz 44). The tables were made to be a "three-sided table" so that there would be no sense of dominance at the table (Horwitz 44). Of course, our culture has changed because in the astronaut example, some of them asked for meals in their own quarters. Horwitz explains that "the only feature the astronauts rejected, over time, was the face-to-face dining" (Horwitz 44). This shows that there is that new idea of "eating on the edge" which does not appreciate the family values as much. The American culture is very much a culture where we prefer things to be on the go and by ourselves.

            I know that in my family we definitely have some of the cultural “eating on the edge” that Horwitz talks about, but I would also say that we have kept our meals to sitting around the table. In my family, food is one of the most important things we make and prepare. Each and every meal we make is usually prepared by us at home. The process takes a long time to make, and when we are done making it, we have two options in front of us, eat at the table, or sit in front of the TV. I would say we usually split the difference between the two. When one of our favorite shows is on, we usually sit in front of the TV and eat. When nothing good is on, we will eat around the table and talk about our day and how we are. This whole idea of “eating on the edge” is true, from what I can tell, but I like to think that my family has not completely formed to that cultural identity.

Food Court Values

            In America, we claim to be a “melting pot.” This describes our conglomeration of cultures and how many different types of food can be found here in America. One of the biggest places that you can find a lot of different types of food in one place is the food court. Food courts are places that are often in malls and outlet stores and have a variety of fast food chains that are popular to people across America. The ability for people to shop and eat in one place is convenient because it is quick, easy, and a way to shop all day without getting tired. In America, we are people that value the ability to eat food quickly and while still wanting as many choices as possible.

            Out of all the food courts in America, Park Meadows food court would be the closest one to the average college student at DU. Not even a twenty minute light rail ride from the campus, this food court can offer shoppers a variety of fast food from Sbarro to Panda Express to Taco Bell. Walking into the food court at two o’clock in the afternoon on a Sunday was quite the experience though. Shoppers of all ages were at the mall, from families to teenagers to the simple single shopper getting a present for someone they know, they all seemed to be eating at the same time. The food court had lines in pretty much every food shop there was. The primary people there though were families and groups of friends. The food court seemed to be acting as an intermediary for the casual conversation and sharing of a meal that all of these people had. The food seemed to be of little importance and it was instead a reason for people to sit and talk, which they couldn’t do if they are walking around and shopping. Food needs to be quick in a food court so that conversation can follow.

            The food in the food court is a college student’s paradise. Coming from Sodexo food to a place that you can order almost anything is great. The style in the food court is to order what you would like, then wait for it to be prepared and handed to you. The food court in Park Meadows is a style that is similar to a cafeteria line, where you get your food on paper plates and then find a table. The communal tables in Park Meadows were pretty much packed, since so many people were getting lunch at the same time, but this did make it easy to observe people. The setting of the food court was a wood furnish on the pillars and ceiling. This gave it an almost outdoors feel and helped to lighten the atmosphere and mood in the area. This casual mood shows just how important conversation is in the food court.

            One of the biggest things that help to lighten the mood in the food court is the wait staff and the casual attire of the customers. Most of the servers at each of the food stores are teens that are in college. They are not looking for a long-term job serving food, but instead use this job as a way to make money for something like college. These teenagers wear their uniform that is mandated by the company and help customers to get their food as quickly as possible. The wait staff is often nice and polite to customers in order to try and draw them back later. Another aspect of the food court is the casual attire that the customers have. It would be too uncomfortable to have business attire on when in the mall. Most customers have a casual attire and approach things in a casual manner. These clothing choices make a difference in how the atmosphere is in the food court.

            Even after talking about the food court and all of its different dynamics that can be found, the food has not even come into play. The wide variety is something that we as Americans value. Of course, wide varieties are not only valued by Americans, but by people all around. In Singapore, there is a new food court that was redesigned where people “flocked to it” because there was “so much to choose from.” Wide varieties in a food court allow people to try new things as well as stick to what they know if they want too. You can see in Park Meadows that things like Squeeze, which sells smoothies, Panda Express, which sells Chinese food, and Sbarro, which serves pizza, all bring a different food to the table. Panda Express and Taco Bell represent different food cultures put into one area. Also, the food is of relatively decent quality for a good price. The food court in Singapore has a dish that has “20 different herbs and spices” in it for a delectable meal. Nothing in Park Meadows is that fancy, but the food tastes good and is quick.

            The food court in Singapore tells us something about what we value in America. The food there is meant to be complex and delicious, while in America it is focused more on quick and easy, with conversation being there to follow up. Never the less, food courts are important social areas because they allow for the break between shopping and socializing. Also, the food courts allow for the mesh of cultures to be brought to the forefront in that tiny space. As American’s, we value culture and socialization in our society.

“Food Court reinvents food court dining at Orchard Road”

http://www.cnngo.com/singapore/none/food-republics-food-court-313somerset-108033

Links for the Paper

http://www.cnngo.com/singapore/none/food-republics-food-court-313somerset-108033

This link talks about a Food Court in Singapore that has updated it technology. I would use this more as a source that I could compare food court cultures.

http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec01/fastfood.aspx

This article talks about the increasing waistline of America and its relation to fast food and its culture. This would perhaps be a comparison type thing and could show a different side of what a food court really is symbolizing in our culture.

Shenzhen and the County Jail

            Food has always been one of the biggest cultural identities that a people can have. In America we often think about burgers and fast food as the big symbol of our diet, while in Japan, for instance, the have a majority of fish in their diet. Reading both Cate and O’Donnell shows that even in a city or a jail, each miniature culture has its own food identity.

            When reading O’Donnell, I noticed that in the city of Shenzhen there are primarily two types of cultures that have emerged in the area. One cultural group that emerged in Shenzhen is the Old Shenzheners, which keep the identity of the old socialist party and the idea of working for the food that you get. They like the old, homestyle restaurants that can be found in Shenzhen. Another group is the New Shenzheners. This group represents more of the capitalist society where people get to make their own choices and decisions. They are happy going to fast food chains and eating in the well-kept, clean environment. This reading was really interesting because O’Donnell talks about how it is that the community may have two very different ideas about what the government should be doing, but it does not take away from the fact that sharing a meal is important to both cultures. Also, this article brings up an interesting point about how food and what it means to people shows their feelings about government and their political background.

            The other reading by Cate was a very different setting than O’Donnell’s article. In Cate’s article, it talks about the food item “spread” and how inmates in the San Francisco County Jail use it in order to get better food than what is served in the jail system. In the jail system, the food that is served to the inmates is complained about because it is not very filling. In order to compensated for that, inmates have found a way around that using the simple Ramen noodles that everyone knows. Spreading is something that uses ingredients like Cheetos and other bags of chips along with Ramen and other odd ingredients that can be found on the lunch trays at the dinner table. There are also different variations of spreads that are found in the jail community. These different kinds of spreads are often telling of which community you fit into in the jail. Spreads are a community thing and also act as a type of crowd pleaser if you need help with something or want to make peace with a community boss. This reading was very interesting because it shows the ingenious inventions that the inmates have made in order to fill themselves up. It is also really interesting to see how spread can influence different sub communities in the jail. Food is used as an item to gain favor like it always has and always will.

Sports and Health Ads

Dani's Gatorade vs. Crystal Light

     One of the things I noticed in Dani's blog is that she makes many points that reoccur in my analysis of the Naked ads. Dani talks about how the Gatorade ad is pointed towards athletes and that need to be replenishing with a drink. The first Naked ad I found speaks a lot to this idea and shows how the drink advertisement is trying to promote healthy drinks to replenish. Dani also talks about how in the Crystal Light ad, there is a focus on the healthy benefit of drinking that drink. This idea is something that supports that same idea in the Naked ads I analyzed. There are a lot of products out there that focus on the health benefits and the healthy choices in America. We are a culture of health conscious individuals and it is in te ads that we can definitely see that idea.

Naked and Food Advertisements

            The two food advertisements that are shown are both Naked company ads. The first add talks about many things in its design and rhetorical strategies. The main focus on the page is the runner, running behind the bottle of Naked juice in the front. This is showing that the people who drink Naked juice will be able to have the energy needed in order to run and keep their energy. This is selling the idea that it is with Naked juice that people can constantly maintain energy throughout their day. The ad line on this ad is also important. “Our machines don’t run on added sugar or preservatives and neither will you,” is important in this ad because it is telling the viewer that Naked juice is a health conscious choice. By buying Naked juice, the viewer is not putting preservatives in their body and can be healthier. Also, in this ad, there is a large amount of pumped up reds and green. This is showing that everything will be more beautiful if you enjoy Naked. The sunlight behind the runner also acts as a way to persuade the viewer that it will be enjoyable to run after drinking Naked, and you will feel good. There is also the tagline “That’s our Naked truth” at the end. This is telling the viewer that everything that was said on the advertisement is the complete truth. Telling the viewer that the ad is completely true makes the viewer trust the ad more and makes it more real. Both of the two advertisements have the same tagline in them.

            In the second advertisement, there is not as much of the running, feel good idea as there was in the first one. In the second ad, the bottle of Naked juice is at the center of the ad and it has the slogan “we believe bare fruit can’t be improved, but it can be bottled.” Focusing the Naked bottle surrounded by fruit in the center of the picture is showing the viewer that Naked is a really good product that has a lot of natural ingredients in it. These natural ingredients are things that would be good for a health conscious individual that wants to eat healthier. Also in the picture, there is sunlight in the background that promotes the idea that the ingredients are natural, and that the product makes you feel good. Sunlight is one of the things that people associate with summer and good feelings. The last thing found in this ad is the use of the natural setting. Putting the Naked bottle in the middle of wild plants is a design tactic. What is being communicated in the picture is that the Naked juice is just as natural as those ingredients behind it. Naked juice is so natural that it could be found out in the wilderness with all of those plants.

            When comparing these two adds, they are very similar but also are different in some aspects. Both of these ads are trying to communicate to the health conscious viewers or to those that value natural ingredients in a drink. The first ad, though, is trying to appeal more to the active and fit community, while the second ad is trying to simply appeal to health conscious individuals. We see this difference when the first add includes a runner and its slogan is aimed at the active individuals. The second add doesn’t have the runner but says that fruit can be bottled instead. In both advertisements, the ads are trying to communicate the naturalness of the ingredients and that Naked juice is actually a healthy option for people who want to stay healthy. Also, both advertisements have their same tagline at the bottom of the picture. This is acting as that concluding thought and is what the company wants you to have stuck in your head for the rest of the time you think of Naked fruit juice.

            These two ads tell a lot about the food culture in America and what values are considered to be important in advertisements. Recently we can see that the increase in advertisements have been about the health conscious “green” individual that can protect the environment. People do not want preservatives in their food and do not want to have lots of sugars in their drink. Naked ads are fueling this idea in America by saying that there are no preservatives or sugars added to the drink. It is playing off the idea that people want to stay healthy. The values in America are of those that can stay healthy and fit consistently. If you do not fall into those stereotypes, then you are not going to fit into society. Naked juice is showing that we live in a food culture that makes us need to be healthy and weight conscious. It is more important in our society to be fit than to have a good personality. Being part of this culture, we are swayed by advertisements like this because it is important to be seen in a good light by others around us. Naked does a good job with persuading people to get its products and stay in shape