Food Diary

"Why did you pick that food?"

Because I was hungry, and I craved that meal. Sometimes people eat certain things to make a trait about themselves better for example carrots are suppose to make your eyesight better. Or garlic makes you hair and finger nails grow, but I eat when I'm hungry or sometimes bored I dont focus on the calorie count of the affect it'll have on my hair or skin etc. I dont think many people would even pay attention to the calorie count if they were told to be conscious of they're body image. Since I didn't eat that much I dont really have any theories  on the physical aspect of food. But I do believe that their are certain ingredients they put into food (especially  fast food ) that's addicting or at least makes us crave it, because we've all heard about movies such as super size me that show us the long term affects of eating fast food all the time but yet many still eat t. For example when I was eating a hash brown for breakfast I noticed it was greasy, I could even see the grease on my fingertips but I continued to eat it because it tasted good. For the past 48 hours I didn't really eat because I've been feeling sick. Ive been drinking a lot of fluids, but the meals I did eat were 

•  La Yogurt (150 Calories )

• Mangu( 125 calories), fried salami(175calories), fried cheese(70 calories)
• Cup(s) of Orange Juice (150 calories per cup)
• Donut (180calories)
• Welchs Fruit snack (80 calories)  

The Amount of calories I'm suppose to intake daily is 2,393 throughout the 48 hours I had 1,080 I do know that were suppose to intake at least 2,000 a day

Dominant Discourse

Article Read: "Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders French Fries"

I noticed that the topics that are mostly discussed regarding food is the health hazards, what we should or shouldn't eat and the way the animals are treated. Anything else regarding food usually doesn't normally hit the headlines. While I was reading the article I noticed that they didn't have one sided quotes. Of course they included the predictable doctor quotes, but they also included quotes of regular people on the street who disagreed with their article but also gave them more ammo to use against us. For example they quoted a Manhattan resident who said that eating vegetables is "a pain" A nurse who didn't want to be named even said that "vegetables make her gag" ["The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 29 Sept. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/health/policy/25vegetables.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&emc=eta1>] It just shows that were lazy and even though we know were not doing the right thing we simply just don't care. They also pointed out that in the near future (they think) that organic cucumbers would replace conventionally grown one, and a bag of lettuce would replace a head. After I finished reading this article I felt as though some Americans either don't like vegetables, don't care or just know they should eat them but don't anyway. Regardless of what the article was trying to say I was left with a negative view on Americans which is common when discussing food, were kind of considered as the fat lazy kid that nobody really likes. I dont think this article was a "problem-result" article meaning they didnt point out the problem and then say how we should change it, I think they were just pointing out the issuse. Americans dont eat enough vegetables and here's why, this article was less one sided unlike the articles we usually read or hear about regarding food.

Your Families' Food ways

I think depending on your ethnic background, you prepare, produce or even eat differently. Food may be considered more sacred in one country then it is in another. In America (I think) food isn't really valued as it should be because many believe that it will always be there, there will always be a Mcdonalds and there will always be a Burger King etc. Since many of us don't have to grow and tend to the animals in the farm, many don't know the value and importance in food. I decided to ask strangers how and why do they eat and if their parents ate differently when they were younger.


      Jonathan who lived in downtown Brooklyn from a Puerto Rican decent said that his mother hates the way he eats and thinks that he lives off of fast food and whenever she can, she will come over and cook him dinner. I then asked him what were the normal proportion sizes and he said "Since I'm a guy the proportions are huge" 
Rebecca who's family is from India said that she doesn't really like the taste of fast food since she grew up on home cooking. She occasionally does order out because she simply doesn't feel like cooking. I also asked her what were the normal proportion sizes and she said " I don't really have a big appetite so I take a little of everything" When I asked my grandmother (she use to live down south) if she ate or prepared her food differently when she was a child she said she ate healthier and more often. They grew they're fruits and vegetables and raised the animals on the farm "we had duties around the house of what to do, one day my brother would kill and prepare the kitchen and I would take the corn off of the stalk and clean it"  She also added that I don't know what real food taste like because all the food we eat today has so many chemicals in it. 


I also believe that depending on economic class food is thought of with higher value. I think that people who are more wealthy waste food more then people who are of middle or low class. Instead of saving a meal that they didn't finish they would throw it away, but one who is of middle or low class would save the food for another meal. No this doesn't apply to all high class and middle class citizens but in my opinion it applies to most. 





Picture of my fridge

 


My mom works at a school, when there's left over milk they throw out but my mom takes it home so that it doesn't go to waste. We also don't go food shopping we just buy what we need when we need it, my mom and I think its better because things go to waste and spoil faster if you buy to many things at once

Food-Fast Food/Green Market

Differences and similarities between the two locations?

Mcdonald's was full of busy people, rushing trying to have a quick fast meal, many didn't look to happy and was just focused on getting their food and leaving. There was mostly minorities, casual. We asked a few people why they come some said its "cheap and fast" and others came because they had the munchies. Some seemed to cranky to even answer our questions, but for the most part it was a very busy atmosphere. The food market on the other hand was more calm and laid back, they're was more white people at the market then at Mcds. The owners of some of the stands said that they're food/wine was farmed locally with no chemicals. There were people around who were in a rush, but didn't seem cranky. There was a sign that said they accept EBT cards and the prices were cheaper then mcds.

Some reasons fast food is so successful.

Advertisment, I think since fast food is advertised so well causes it to become so secessful. Also they ingredients of the food, something that we all seem to like a lot. Somehow they manage to make something or put something in the food that a lot of people like. Also its cheaper and easy to get, all the healthier food that's available is more expensive  then lets say a cheese burger from Wendy. People don't have to prepare it, its already made ready for them to eat. 

How is fast food responding to the sort of health-consciousness that the Greenmarket represents, and what do you think about it?

They're trying to be more healthy or at least seem more healthy. For example mcds has the calories besides the food and so does subways.Most people dont even pay attention to it, some people are conscious about what they eat and some people arent. 

From our class discussion today (9/23/10) I learned that depending on your ethnic background you may eat differently. Yukki said that in Japan the proportions are smaller and even said that his mother mostly eats rice vegetables and soup with rice and vegetables in it. Also Jay said that in his family which is of a Irish background they mostly ate meat and potatoes. In America different ethnicity's are perceived differently then they actually are, some have a closed minded idea of what the cuisines are for certain backgrounds. For example if you ask someone in the street what they consider Mexican food they might say chipotle, taco bell or simply a burrito which isn't the case. I also think that America is basically ran by fast food its all most americans seem to eat

Food- Initial Thought

Is food sacred (and what does that mean)?


In my opinion yes it is but depending on a persons definition of "sacred" one would disagree. I think sacred means importance or something that has value. Food is a necessity its what our bodies need to survive, its valued and desired. Unlike money, I don't think money is sacred because it isn't a necessity it only has value because we give it value. I also think that food should be free since we need it to live, its essential but yet people die from starvation all the time. Since most people believe that money makes the world go round its ranked above food. Everyone is worried about getting a profit which is why many foundations towards ending world hunger are corrupt. 

What are your priorities in food and what do you think of those priorities? 


I don't really have priorities in food, I just eat when I'm hungry or sometimes bored. Some people do based they're choice in food on emotions, one person may feel sad one day a crave ice cream or chocolate. I think that food is just straight forward topic. We need it to live and it taste good.Even though its a necessity we have to pay for it.