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.

Food and Culture

The first piece I read by Geoff Nicholson was an interesting piece that introduced an interesting way to view food. Nicholson, throughout his piece, talks about his deceased mother and how he found himself eating a meal that reminded him of her memory. The meal was a white cheese sandwich on white bread with milk, something that was very telling of how his mother felt about the color white. Every time Nicholson thinks about his mother, he remembers that she loved white foods and everything she made she tried to make it white or put something that could be white on the plate. The association for him is that white food makes him remember his mother.

         The second piece that I read talked about a man Roy Ahn who found more about his cultural heritage through the influence of food that his mother made for him. He was a first generation Asian American and it was hard for him to figure out who he was between an American and a Korean. One thing he noticed is that he continues to use the Asian cooking in his cooking today, and he wants to be able to help his son figure out who he is between an American and a Korean.

         These two readings remind me of some of the cultural Jewish traditions that I take part in during major Jewish holidays. Passover is coming up and that is always a time where the best of the food is brought to the table. Food is a good way to tell a culture of a person.

The Welcome Back Lunch

Welcome back to dorm food is pretty much what this meal was to me. I had a wrap with ham, lettuce, tomato, pickle, mayo, and honey mustard. That also came with chips and fries. This was in the dorms in Nelson's dinning hall. It is pretty common for me to eat there with friends, or snatch something to go while I am rushing to class. Often times I will sit down and eat with friends. This meal wasn't any different than others and I ate with some of my friends that weren't engineering majors. I'd say that this meal was fairly nutritious for what I could have as an alternative for lunch at Nelson. I usually have this meal because it is an easy thing to get and I really like to see Anthony, the man who makes the sandwiches everyday. Wraps are usually my default thing to get during lunch but I may very well change it up at some point in this quarter. Most of the things I liked about lunch was that I got to see some of my friends that I don't share classes with and catch up with them about their spring breaks to see how they have been. Lunch can be a really important meal to have and share with friends.