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

A Very Curious Potato Chip

            In America we seem to have this elusive idea of meritocracy and that anyone and everyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and become something in this world. This always seems to become more of an ideal stance because we will never be able to break away from our social class system. As Jurafsky and Freedman have pointed out, we have already developed different identities in the classes.

            Some of the research that Jurafsky and Freedman have found is that different brands of potato chips are already class specific in their identities. The lower socioeconomic classes are more focused on their identity of tradition and history, while the higher socioeconomic class is focused on things that are natural and have been processed correctly. Also, educational status is shown on the bags because higher, more complicated words are placed on the more expensive bags, while the inexpensive bags have less complicated words.

            The findings by these two researchers are very interesting because they have used their findings in order to classify food to different classes. The more expensive food will always be found with the wealthy and the inexpensive with the lower class. These findings can be spread to language that is spoken and how everything is annunciated in upper classes, and are shortened in lower classes. It can be used with social aspects and how different people act with each other with people in their class. It can also be used when people interact with people from different classes.

            I think that this study is really interesting. I have always been someone that prides myself on being a foodie and can appreciate good food. This also means that I have had more of the upper class upbringing because, while I will eat almost anything, I am very conscious of what I eat. I think a study like this could be used to try and expose people from each of the classes to a different class then their own and try new things. It can help to make people food conscious and be able to identify with who they are.

Food and Its Significance

            Everyone has had those meals that they remember. For some people, it is the worst meal they have ever had. For others, the best meal that they have ever had will come to their mind. People might remember the context of their meal, who they were with, what and why they were there, but that always seems to be lost in our vast memories. Food has many meanings to many people. For myself, I have always been called a foodie. Food in my life I hope will always be delicious, yet it is not only food that I like. Every meal I have I like to have with someone else. I want to connect to people through food and because of food. Food only means something to me when it is shared between family and friends.

            While we all know that Easter is coming up, many times other religious holidays are forgotten in our culture. The Jewish holiday of Passover is coming up just before Easter, and this holiday is an important holiday for every Jew across the world. While I was brought up as a Christian, I have always celebrated Passover because my stepmother is Jewish along with her family. One would think that participating in the religious ceremony would be awkward for me, but participating in Passover did something for me that no other holiday had done for me before. There was a connectedness that I felt to the culture and to the people around the table that I think religious holidays are about. Also, the meal is amazing.

            Passover is a very ritualistic holiday that commemorates the freedom of the slaves from Egypt. The ceremony during dinner is followed carefully and does show many of the cultural significance of the event. Of course, I could explain the ritual and every step, but I would much rather tell about the different types of foods that are eaten at the table.

            The token food item in Passover is called matzo. Matzo is a bread product that has no leavening agent in it. It is symbolic to the flight from Egypt that the Jews had and how they could not wait for their bread to rise so they made unleavened bread. To be honest, this stuff tastes like cardboard unless you lather it with butter and salt. Also, matzo is eaten for eight days after the Seder because Jews go through a fasting period which they cannot eat anything leavened. I often participate in this fast because I think that it is a good test of character and a way to find what my limits are.

            Another food item at Passover is matzo balls. These beautiful creations are one of the best items on the menu during Passover. They are cooked by boiling them in chicken broth and it is served in a bowl with the broth it is cooked in. The smell from the matzo ball is something that can always be remembered and stays in your mind even after you eat it. My family always cannot wait to get their hands on the matzo balls during dinner and we often will have two or three, in full knowledge that there is plenty more food to come.

            Now I realize that I have listed two foods that can be really good, but dinner would not be complete if there was not at least one item that is nasty. In my opinion, there is only one item that is nasty on the menu and that would be Gefilte fish. Gefilte fish are fish patties that are made from ground, boneless fish. When you see the container that it comes in, it looks like some science experiment gone wrong. The liquid is a greenish pale color along with the fish. When it is served, my stepmother often puts it on lettuce to make the color look more appealing, but it honestly doesn’t help. Then there is the taste. It tastes like fish gone stale and has a weird consistency that fish should not ever have.

            After you get through with the Gefilte fish, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The main meal that my family usually makes is brisket, often with potatoes and some type of green vegetable. The brisket is marinated in a mixture of onions and other vegetables. This mixture is then cooked with the brisket and is turned into thick gravy that will coat the brisket. It doesn’t take long for all of my family to have their mouths watering from simply looking at it on the table. To be honest, the whole night is made because of this one dish. It is especially wonderful when there are leftovers and it lasts my family through the week.

            Of course, all of these meals are wonderful, but it would not be the same without the company that comes with it. It wouldn’t be complete without my grandfather cracking jokes to me, my brother, and my two cousins, who are only a year older than I am. It wouldn’t be the same if my grandmother weren’t talking about the aches and pains she has. It wouldn’t be the same without my aunt telling funny stories about her job and what crazy things happen in it. It wouldn’t be the same without my dog circling around the table hoping for some small food scrap to be dropped on the ground. If none of that were there then it would not be a Passover. Food is a time to unite people in their different walks in life and bring them together. That is what is significant to me.