Response to Sicko

Sicko is about American healthcare and it's policies, and its message is thrown towards Americans with healthcare in order for them to understand what it really means to have health care in the United States. Many Americans believe that having health care means that they're set and they're covered for almost everything or it's easy to get as long as you're a working citizen, but Moore show's that it's not like that at all. There's many loops on having health care, health insurance companies tries to use all their policies and restriction in order to pay for less, and not have to cover their customers in order to save more money for themselves. Michael Moore does a good job transitioning the film to show that not all healthcare is the same, because after watching the movie for about half an hour you get a bit depressed when seeing how the American government allows insurance companies to scam their customers, and he transitions the film and shows that health insurance in countries that the united states is very fond of is very good, even though it could be seen as "socialist". But he showed that doctors in those countries still make good money, and that they get the same, and for the most part better service than here in the United States. In the UK one of the people said that the UK's healthcare and other "socialist" healthcare is not socialist it's "democratic" (a democracy).
Moore explains how our health care system works, the history of it, and the differences between our healthcare system and a few countries, which being is Canada, The UK and France. Watching this movie made me question our countries leaders even more, because judging from the evidence Moore showed it seems as if the American government does not care about the well being of it's citizens. In the end of the movie Moore never gave a specific answer on how our health system can get better, or the lives of the people he interviewed, and the end was a bit cliché, but all in all the film was good, because it opens up the viewers eyes, especially if they have health insurance.

Illness & Dying Book, Part 3

Mitch Albom, Tuesdays With Morrie, Random House, 1997

Every chapter is Mitch's next visit, and Morrie is getting more and more feeble, but his bond with Mitch grows from student, to mentor, to almost father figure. Tuesdays With Morrie is the perfect book at showing how friendship can be obtained no matter age differences. Every time i read Tuesdays With Morrie I get a new theme, or idea, lately i've been getting that people should enjoy there lives, and love their family members no matter what, because you never know. And be appreciative of what we have in our lives, because not too many people appreciate or think about a family member dying.

Illness & Dying Book, Part 2

Mitch Albom, Tuesdays With Morrie, Random House, 1997

Not much has changed since my last post in the book, besides the different events that occur every tuesday when Mitch goes to visit Morrie. The main idea i came up with last week about the story hasn't changed yet. I think that the main idea is, everyday is a new day, in one's life, and everyday one's life is coming to the end, but how one chooses to live their lives before and after becoming ill is entirely up to them. So far in the story Mitch has been visiting Morrie and every time it seems like Morrie is becoming more ill, but more vivacious about seeing people. In one chapter Morrie had a funeral for himself, while he was alive in order to hear his love ones thoughts of him. And during the funeral Morrie and his loved ones laughed and cried together, which brought me to a question. Did Morrie do all that in order to get more attention by his loved ones, to feel better, and did that time with his loved ones make him happier or more sad? I would assume in that case if someone is strong minded they'd be happier in order to have loved ones to care about them ti'll the end and have the opportunity to hear it. But on the flip-side, one can get more sad to die knowing that they have relatives that love them and not know what will happen next. Tuesday With Morries is pretty good read, it's pretty dead on about peoples experiences with illness and death. Maybe that's because it's an auto-biography but if you compare it to anyone you know's story or you're own experience you'll find many similarities, and can probably compare it to almost anything.

Illness & Dying Book Part 1

Mitch Albom, Tuesdays With Morrie, Random House, 1997

Tuesdays with Morrie, is a non-fictional story of an elderly college professor named Morrie Schwartz who's dying from Lou Gehrig's disease. The narrator of the story Mitch Albom was Morrie's former student, who sees Morrie as his mentor, and through out the book, Mitch and Morries relationship was from a teacher mentoring a younger person to becoming good friends with an age gap. In the beginning of the story Morrie asked many common questions when he found out that he had ALS “Why is this happening to me?” or when he left the doctors office and so people going on with their lives he asked “How come no one knows what’s going on with me?” and than right after he said “I guess it doesn’t mater if I die, either way life goes on” I found that significant, because I always wondered what I’d say if I were in that situation, an he basically said it, but I also was surprised how within that moment he found out he was dying, he came to the conclusion and obvious answer that life does go on, even if your life is coming to an end.

Tuesdays with Morrie is a perfect book for this unit because it covers everything we’ve been talking about in class, from young person learning and becoming friends with someone who’s older than them and sees them as a mentor to learn from. The emotional effects of illness and death, how others treat those who are ill or who are ill feel, and the thoughts they think of when they have an exact amount of time to live. This unit and book has given me some new ways to look at illness and dying, for instance everyone who is dying from an illness, they look at things a few ways, deal with it and go on with their lives or mope about it and wait. In Tuesdays with Morrie at first Morrie seemed like he was going to sit and wait, but tried to do things even though he was becoming more and more immobile.

The thing about illness and death is that they don't discriminate, it affects everything and everyone, your pets, your loved ones, yourself, either way everyone has different experiences that are similar. Whether it's watching a love one dying in front of you, or not knowing someone who's died, people die all the time, and just like Morrie said "Life goes on". And who knows if death is good or bad, but without death, their wouldn't be any balance.

Expert #1

Insights & Experiences

1. Seeing a love one dying in front of you.
2. Seeing each state of them dying.
3. "Bittersweet", because her husband was diagnosed thanksgiving eve.
4. How both her sons had different effects during the time he was sick and after he died.
5. Not like the movies.

Beth coming in today and sharing her story was a bit of an emotional topic for me, even though I don't have much experience with death in my life. But hearing someone who saw their love ones basically parish in front of them, was tough to imagine, and made me keep constantly asking myself, "what if this happened to me?” and "wow they seem to handle it pretty well, by being able to share this with us". Because if I lost someone that close to me, I’d probably be depressed for years, and couldn't even have the courage to talk about it. One of the things she said today that I found interesting was when she said, "it was a bittersweet moment" when her husband was diagnosed thanksgiving eve. It showed me how much a holiday means to people, and how we've been taught to see thanksgiving as this holiday where it's all about family, which is where I can see why that was a bit bitter, because it's suppose to be a holiday that's about being around family, and to be told that you may lose a relative the day before a family holiday sounds, and in a way is heart wrenching. The other part that I found powerful was Beth's dedication in taking care of Eric, cleaning feeding, basically everything for him, instead of have him being taken cared of by "strangers", which is something that most of the times is common, and to want to have that relative in their home, and have them die their to me is much better than having them die somewhere where thousands of others died around strangers. Beth not having the fear and not minding having her husband die in front of her at her home was powerful, because it seems like she'd be constantly reminded of him from the beginning to the end.

Family Perspectives on Illness & Dying

In my family death isn't something to common, because I come from a small family. As a child I always asked questions about life and death, I had a weird fascination about why we die what happens when we die. At first I was scared because if I died I’d miss my family and "never see them again", but as I got older I questions if that's true or false, what if when we die we do go to some happy spiritual world, and can see our families again, but one thing I accepted was that we all will die someday. As I started to accept that fact I became less scared of death. My family never scared me about death or hid the topic of death, and they didn't give me their ideas of what they think happens, they tell me what happens from a living stand point. Such as how they're remembered, how they're bodies are buried or cremated, but they always say I’m not sure what happens when someone dies, but who knows we'll find out someday.
My mother and I don't talk about death as much as I did and sometimes do with my grandmother and grandaunts. My mother and I don't talk about it not because it scares us, but when we did it was basically an I’m not sure why" conversation, but she said everyone's life is different, we all have different experiences, so someone's death may not be the same as someone else even if the end result is death.
The other reason my mother does not think about death so much is because there’s only been two deaths in my family which was my great grandfather and great grandmother, my mom was more affected by my great grandmothers death because she was closer to her, but not my great grandfathers because they rarely saw each other. And I haven’t witnessed any yet, which I haven’t been affected by a death, and it’s been a while for my mother so we’re neutral.

Health & Illness & Feasting

Thanksgiving this year was the same as always, at my grandaunts house, with the same relatives, most who I don't see unless it's thanksgiving. The reason it was I’m not fond of thanksgiving is because I’m never thrilled to see relatives I haven't seen in a while, because I hate acting like I missed people I barely know that I call family, but when eating, laughing and talking to relatives, you enjoy being around your relatives until you go home. In a way family bonds on holidays such as thanksgiving is good, because it reconnects you to your family which affects your connection with them For example when the earthquake in Haiti killed 4 of my relatives, I wasn't too distraught, because I barely knew them. I'm not sure how I can connect "anti-body" and "body-centered" to thanksgiving, because those more connect to socializing with other people.

Food was a great aspect to my thanksgiving, because everyone brought a dish that they made, the benefit about doing that is that people would talk about what someone made, such as giving compliments, feed backs, etc. What I noticed is that every dish made, reflected on the family member, when I saw the veggie lasagna I knew my great grandaunt made that, because she's a vegetarian. Which brings back the food unit, and how it plays a role on social practices.

The whole night was all talking, everyone who was 13 and up had conversations, the only people who watched TV were the young ones, who watched cartoon network upstairs, but the only time they're allowed to do whatever is after dinner. Which is a bit funny when I look back on how much nothing changed, it's almost a tradition, children are bored when adults are talking, and once they can leave they go straight upstairs and play hide and go seek, watch TV, and make a lot of noise, like I used to do.

First Thoughts on the Illness & Dying Unit

When i hear Illness i think of sickness from disease, or old age. Adding "old age" may seem morbid, but everyone as they get older are getting ill, it's not like someone who's 80 can run better than they did when they were 20. Dying is when someone has absolutely no home of staying alive much longer, it's basically saying that someone is dead while they're alive. Many times most would say illness and dying are the same, because when you're ill you're dying. The problem with that mind set is that being ill can be having something simple as the cold, which can cause someone to die, but we use ill to negatively. From personal experience i so far haven't had a relative who's died or is ill, besides my great grand aunt who has arthritis and has been saying she's going to die for the past 10 years. Sometimes when one is ill they tend to care more about life, but they can choose to live their lives a few different ways, they either or cherish every moment they're around, or they dwell on how great their lives was than and feel completely miserable with the situation they're in.

Final Food Project 2 - Outline

Thesis: Dominant social practices have successfully taken over wiping out original social practices and have become modern atrocities.

Supporting Claim: Our food industry has been linked to many of our countries health problems, which is affecting the price of healthcare, which also affects the countries economy.

Evidence: In the past 30 years the country has had a significant growth in obesity, and that number is still on the rise. This food industry is responsible for most of this rise.

Every year, hundreds of billions of dollars is spent treating obesity, and type 2 diabetes, and other weight disorder illnesses. Every person with healthcare that is being treated for theses diseases cost about a million dollars, 30% of the United States population is obese is on the rise. If more Americans keep getting sick from over eating, than the United States will lose even more money because of bad eating habits, due to bad commercialized food.

Final Food Project 1

I’ve always had a good diet, because my mother normally makes something that would be considered “healthy”. The only times I eat junk food is when I’m hanging out with friends, but I normally try to get something that’s more “healthy” like fries. There are days where I crave junk foods, such as ice cream. While on this diet I ate nothing except for fruits, vegetables and grains, which wasn’t hard to do because I eat those things regularly, only difference is I couldn’t eat things that I craved. While on this diet I did have the urge to eat something I gave up, but I asked myself questions when I did. “Why do people crave things that aren’t good for them?” “Do past food experiences cause these urges?

The hard part about this diet was at school, the problem about is that around SOF there aren’t a lot of good options of places to eat, I’d normally would go to a deli near by and get a turkey sandwich, but because I gave up fish and poultry I couldn’t buy deli sandwiches. What I ended up doing was bringing things from home fruits, pita bread, hummus, and carrots, which wasn’t too bad but normally those things are snacks I eat at home. At home when my mom made dinner it was the same thing only difference no fish or poultry so I still enjoyed eating rice with vegetables. The second hardest part was late at night on the weekend, because when my friends bought sandwiches I ended up getting a granola bar which didn’t “hit the spot” while my friends got sandwiches. I was a bit jealous of the, and because they knew I was on a diet it was fun for them to watch me eat my little granola bar while they savored they’re sandwiches.

So how come we like things that is bad for us? Now a days we blame the cooperation’s that make these bad foods for being so addictive, because most things such as ice cream, aren’t made with simple ingredients like cream, milk, sugar but instead “high fructose corn syrup, gum sugar, etc. But that’s not the real cause of why people get addicted to food, and might become overweight, but because food is an essential factor to survival it’s not just the food that’s addictive it’s our natural instincts that causes us to eat things we need to survive. The problem with it is that today because people can eat on a regular basis that natural addiction to food causes people to over eat.
The reason people may also tend to crave foods that aren’t best for us is the fact that human beings are omnivores. Like Michael Pollan stated in his book “Omnivores Dilemma”, human being able to eat virtually anything have developed food preferences. The way people gain preferences is because of experience, if someone eats something new and likes it than that builds up their food preferences. When someone eats something that is considered good or bad, it’s because of his or her preferences.

Before this diet I’ve always been annoyed with the fact that’s easier to find something to eat that after you’re done eating you regret, such as fast food. In the movie Food Inc. at the end it said people should try to vouch for local markets, but does give a clear way how. I personally think that It’ll be a long time when food dishes can taste good and be made the regular long way, especially when people demand a lot, fast.

Food, Inc. Response

1. Please summarize the main ideas of the film in a single paragraph succinct precis.

In Food, Inc. the director uses both authors of Omnivores Dilemma, Michael Pollen and Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser to tackle the main issues about how food in the united states is given to consumers, and not being told from what and how they're made and processed. The movie was pretty on point with the book Omnivore’s Dilemma, but missed a few key elements, there were some parts of the book that weren’t supposed to be seen as happy and nice, but instead nightmarish and scary, but in the movie it was happy. For example when the movie was on the topic of organic foods.

2. What does the movie offer that the book didn't? What does the book offer that the movie didn't?

The movie gave viewers a more positive feeling about the secrets of our food, while in Omnivores Dilemma, it was hard to want to eat something, even though Pollen repeats many times in the book that he's not trying to change peoples eating habits, but it's somewhat hard not to do.

3. What insights or questions or thoughts remain with you after watching this movie? What feelings dominate your response? What thoughts?

The movie left me with very few questions, but did leave me thinking about a few things for instance, why didn't the movie change some of the authors views, and didn't go by what the book fully said, why didn't the authors cover that when they spoke in the movie?

ODYR Reading Response Chapter 13, 14, 15, 16

Chapter 13 was about the difference of grass, and it’s effects on the environment. The differences of grass is that not all grass is the same, and how to a cow that can be important, because the same way human beings are omnivores and have a taste of variety cows are herbivores and have a taste in variety of grass, which is why having a field and variety of grass is important to growing healthy cows. The effects grass has on the environment is that it cleans the air, the same way trees remove carbon dioxide, but better. Which I found interesting because I didn’t know something as simple as grass can be so significant to cleaning up the environment. Chapter 14 showed the amount of labor a farm like Polyface has to put in to maintain a healthy sustainable farm, from early in the morning to late at night the farm family starts work from feeding, cleaning and maintain the land, unlike regular farms almost everything is done by human being cept for the part when they use a tractor. Which I found significant because like the saying you are what you eat, it’s almost as your food as what you put in it, so the amount of work and dedication you put into your food is what you’ll get when you eat it, it’s a cycle. Chapter 15 explained how Polyface slaughters the animals, but compared to regular slaughterhouses that slaughter thousands of animals a day, Polyface’s slaughter house is not that bad. When a farm like Polyface slaughters it’s chickens it uses it’s leftover body parts to mix with old woodchips to make fertilizer for it’s crops, and grass, to make natural nitrogen for it’s plants, which is much better than using bomb chemicals for nitrogen. Chapter 16 explained the difference of regular market food, organic food, and local farm market food travel. Regular food is travelled hundreds of miles into supermarkets ready to be bought and sold, and goes through huge processes to be packed and delivered to the consumer, and the same thing for organic food only difference is that it’s sold in a nicer market, and has a little logo and a story about the dedication the company puts to bringing its customers organic food, and locally grown farm food is shipped a couple of miles to a city, or local area, and is sold in a farmers market that takes place every few days or so, and is shipped by the actual farmers, and if that local farm is pretty well known with dedicated customers, the customers would travel to the farm and pick up their provisions. Chapter 16, also explained how in other places in the world such as in Europe that the food has regulations to say how, when and where it was grown.

Question/Response

How come in the United States our food isn’t regulated to give information as to how our food is cultivated and where it’s from?

The difference of the United States and Europe is that in Europe their food is taken cared of a little better than here, by better more sanitary. And if the united states kept on cultivating the it’s food the way it normally still does than having information on how it’s grown and where it’s grown wouldn’t be that appealing.

Freakonomics Response

2. How do the Freakonomics authors address the "correlation versus causation" issue? Do they pretend correlation IS causation? Do they prove that some correlation is causation, and if so, how? Or do they explicitly acknowledge the lack of proof of causation?

The authors of Freakonomics addressed correlation as it causes causation, because in the movie they we’re showing how something’s actions can affect the future and have a connection for example the crime rates in the 90’s, one of the authors believed that row v. wade in the 70’s had a lot to do with crime going down. And in a way they did pretent that correlation was causation because, they were trying to explain how they both rely on each other. Because with every action connects has a connection to the outcome.

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

Most people when they try to show evidence of things they use statistics to prove their point, but in Freakonomics they used history and it's connection to the present. For example they sued examples on how majority of people are given an image of things in life, and if that image is showed doing something that we’re not used to seeing than it’s hard to believe it’s true. Like the example of sumo wrestling in japan, when cheating was suspected many Japanese did not believe the accusations made because sumo wrestling is seen as an honorable sport, and that was later connected to how here in the United States Americans find it hard when well known successful people or leaders do dishonest things.

I think Freakonomics does a good job at showing the “hidden-in-plain-sight”, but it didn’t do a good job at showing what exactly it was explaining, or the different arguments someone was saying. Like if someone’s name affects their lives, or what we should do to make society better. It just left us thinking that people are becoming more honest and that we’re getting better.

ODYR Reading Response Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Chapter 12 was about a local farm called Polyface farm where crops, and livestock are cultivated naturally, meaning the crops aren’t gown all year around, they’re grown during their season, and all locally in a farm, and the cows are fed what cows would typically eat such as grass. Farms such as these take more care of the environment than a typical mass produce farm, because they use regular compose, and pesticides to get rid of bugs, rather than toxic fumes that get in the soil that affects the crops and the biodiversity around the farm.

Question/Response

Why aren’t most farms like Polyface farm?

There are many reasons as to why that is, one of the main reasons is because of demand, if people want a certain fruit or crop during a time of year it doesn’t grow than that company makes less money because there’s certain limit to how much it can produce, and it takes too long, and as the saying goes time is money.

ODYR Reading Response Chapter 11

Chapter 11 explained how organic meats are cultivated, and is even more surprising. Many of the organic meats and vegetables with USDA logos on them, are technically organic, but aren’t fictional farm happy farm organic. One of the examples give in the book is about cage free and free range chickens, the chickens are “cage free” and “free range”, but not exactly legally the chickens are suppose to have 15 feet of outside space, but the reason they don’t is because they’re over 20,000 chickens in a huge shed, rather a cage, cramped together so no chickens choose to go outside since they spent most of their lives in, and 20,000 chickens can’t fit in 15 feet of outside space, but because the chickens are given that 15 feet of space, they’re free range.

Question/Response

Is organic food, regular food with regulations that is manipulated?

I personally would say yes that organic food is regular food with regulations being manipulated, because they’re twisting words and making consumers believe that their food is as happy and fairy tale like people we’re raised thinking and even after “regular” food was exposed organic food is told to be the happy fairy tale people think it is.

ODYR Reading Response Chapter 10

Chapter 10 to me was the most surprising chapter, because I actually learned something that was a bit surprising and interesting about organic food. One of the things that were shown was how organic food is very much the same as non-organic food. A lot of the organic food companies are owned by big corporations that own non-organic food and use corn for almost everything. What made this chapter significant is that organic food became more successful after Americans started to care about what to eat, so organic food because a way for big companies to clear their tracks by coming out with “organic food” which is food with growing regulations, like natural pesticides.

Question/Response

Do corporations make more money by selling organic products?

Yes, for two reasons it cost companies more money to produce organic foods, and because it cost more to produce them they can sell it for more money to make more profit. Also people would rather pay more money to live longer, and be healthier.

Growing Our Own Food

When I found out that we we’re going to grow our own sprouts I didn’t really know what to expect at first when I heard bird seeds I didn’t even think they could grow into sprouts with ¼ of jar of water, and filter it out right after they soak up a bit, so I would think why not eat them as seeds. But after the first two days when we started sprouting I became somewhat attached into taking care of my sprouts not knowing what to expect. What made it more meaningful to me was when I started to notice that it was starting to grow some leaves or sprouts, and at that point I wanted to make sure it’d keep sprouting. On the weekend when we had to take the sprouts home with us, I was even more protective of my sprouts watered it in the morning and before I left home to hang out or whatever. Than after we we’re done with our sprouts when we could either eat it or throw it out or whatever someone choose to do with them, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to maintain them, and see what would, but at the same time I was curious to how they’d taste, so I ate them. At firs I was a bit nervous about eating them but than, I rinsed them and ate them with a tuna sandwich. It was good it had a bit of a spicy taste, and I wanted to grow some more. This small project was a bit interesting because I wasn’t really thinking about the sprouts as food or as something I’m growing I was more surprised on how something as simple as birdseeds can easily grow with water and didn’t take much energy to grow, and thought about how life is not as complicating as it seems.

ODYR Reading Response Chapter 6, 7, 8 , 9

Chapter 6 mainly explained the different things corn is used for, such as high fructose corn syrup, which is used in almost every sugary thing in the United States from a Twinkie to soda. The amount of money spent to make processed foods, and where all of it goes. And the different products made from corn to make processed foods that make more money for the company than feed/serve the consumers. Chapter 7 mostly explained the United States obesity rate, and the many causes to why that is. The reason is big things, bigger drinks, and meaning cheaper and easier ways to make products, which aren’t healthy for you. Chapter 8 mainly explained what an omnivore is and how human beings (who are omnivores) are different from other animals, because we have a wide selection of foods to eat, and shows why it’s easy for human beings to eat stuff that aren’t really good for us. Chapter 9 basically was chapter 6, 7 & 8 but in depth, it showed how fast food has grown within the years, and how it’s been so successful and the different techniques used to make “fast food”, and what fast food actually is, which is mainly corn.

Question/Response

Why do farmers make very little money, and if almost everything in fast food is made of corn why is fast food unhealthy?

The reason farms make less money than people actually think is because too many things is being supplied than demanded and if farms don’t over supply than they won’t make money at all, the second reason is because of the amount of money it cost to grow the food, pack the food, and ship the food. The reason fast food and many products that is seen as unhealthy is unhealthy is because it’s not pure corn; they’re made of other things that are processed from corn, basically corn substitutes.

ODYR Reading Response Chapter 5

Because the United States is a large country that has a lot of demands, almost everything is mass-produced including the livestock. Which is why we mass-produce crops mainly corn. Animals like cows are fed a lot to gain a lot of weight to produce more meat but are fed mainly corn, mixed with other things that have antibiotics in them. The problem with feeding cows corn all the time is that their body was not made to eat corn, unlike human beings a cows stomach doesn’t have the ability to eat a variety of different foods, which is why many of their meals are mixed with other things.

Question/Response

Why do farms put antibiotics in cow’s food?

Cows need antibiotics in their food for many reasons, one of the main reason is because of the environment the cows are in, because cows are in cramp areas with thousands of other crows the ground is mainly filled with animal waste which is full of germs. The other reason is because the food that the cows eat is not just corn bur other things as well, those things being chicken waste, some grass, probably other cows, cow waste, and cow parts from the slaughter house.

ODYR Reading Response Chapter 4

In the Midwest where most of the United States crops is mas produced lays hundreds of thousands of corn fields where, they’re processed packed and ships all over the country. In the past corn was grown not too far from a city, and was sent to a mill in a Manhattan, but now corn is grown and milled in the same place, to make the process faster. So much corn is produced daily that there’s no room to process all of them, but because corn is processed for almost everything spoiled corn is used to make other stuff.

Question/Response

Why do farmers mass-produce something they know they know they have to much of?

Farmer’s mass produce corn because the more corn they grow the more money they get from the American government.

ODYR Reading Response Chapter 3

The Omnivores Dilemma By Michael Pollan

Chapter 3:

Corn in the United States is mass-produced to the point that we have to find ways to use every part of it; farmers use more energy growing food than we do when we use it. A lot of times so much corn is grown that they’re idled and wait to be used or wasted, in countries such as Mexico is seen as sacred, and wasting corn is seen as almost sinful. Not all corn is grown equally, when corn is produced they’re put in category or “types” where if they’re left on fields for weeks they’re processed and “cleaned” to be consumed or used for other things.

Questions/ Responses

Is it normal to grow so much food and let them almost rot, when there are millions and billions of people who can consume it?

Can corn being valued in Mexico, and respected to the point when dropping on the ground is disrespectful be considered as sacred, and what does that mean about countries that don’t see corn the way Mexicans would?

ODYR Reading Response Monday

The Omnivores Dilemma By Michael Pollan

Chapter 1:
Corn today produces almost everything we see everyday, mainly because it can be used for almost anything and is easy to produce, especially if you have a lot of fields to grow it. One of the key reasons corn is so popular and dominant, is because of number of kettle it can produce, the other reason is because we only cultivate the bigger breed of corn. Because of people corn has been able to be distributed all around the world and is grown everywhere.

Response/Question:
Does the rest of the world use corn in almost everything like the United States, and if not how come?

Chapter 2:
In the last 80 or so years, corn has now become the most grown crop in the United States. They’re has also been new ways of growing corn, with the help of science. Because of science farmers are able to genetically modify corn (GMO) to grow double the amount of kernels it normally would, and be able to grow close to each other. Besides the variety of crops being gown declining the number of farmers have declined as well, in the past majority of Americans were farmers today only 2,000,000 out of 300,000,000 Americans are farmers, that's 0.66% of the population.

Response/Question:
If the average farmer can feed 140 people, but is now able to genetically modify they're corn and have double the amount, how are they still able to feed a lot of Americans?

Food Diary

This week I’ve been sick and have been on a homemade chicken broth soup diet to get better, luckily my moms cooking is pretty good, so I don't mind it. But I basically had to eat soup for lunch and dinner, and I rarely eat breakfast in the morning. My body doesn't like eating early in the morning, when I do I feel really bloated as if I stuffed my self purposely. And I personally don't like to feel like that especially when I’m still tired. But when I do ear breakfast it's like a banana or a yogurt, but this week I had neither because I didn't have any bananas and I can't eat pudding or yogurt or anything dairy, because that'll give me more phlegm at least that’s what my mom says. In the past 48 hours I’ve eaten a lot of food sadly, when I was out of my house I couldn't take a picture of it because I do not have a camera phone and my camera is a film, and I had finished my last roll three days ago. But I have a few home pictures of soup, bread, orange juice, and fever food basically. When my cold/fever was a bit more active every time I ate soup I felt the spiciness and heat of the soup in my throat, which had a little sting to it, but the spiciness neutralized the sore throat a bit. I felt a little better because I was a bit hungry, from not wanting to eat all I wanted to do was sleep, in order to make myself feel like I got better each time I woke up. When I ate soup at school I’d buy little saltine cracker boxes to eat with the soup, I like a little crunch when I eat sup, it makes my food taste more satisfying. When I ate soup at home I ate bread with it, pita bread, or a bagget. And after 7:30 8 o’clock I don’t eat after because after I eat a big dinner I don’t normally get hungry unless I stay up really late, and eat a little snack, like make myself a sandwich or something, but because it’s been a school night and I’ve been sick I haven’t done that. Today (Friday, October 1, 2010) because I felt a lot better I did the usual things, I got a small green tea no sugar at this bagel shop on 23rd between 5th and 6th on my way to school, at lunch I went to bravos and ate a spinach roll, which comes with 3 garlic knots, and a fountain drink mine was seltzer, and afterschool when I stopped home I had a bowl of cheerios, nothing is better than breakfast for dinner, and some tamarinds.. And that is basically my 48-hour food experience, here’s a more detailed list that I had written down.

September 29th
Breakfast:
Hibiscus & Green Tea Mixed and orange juice
Brunch:
Some sour patches in Andy’s class
Lunch: Home made chicken broth soup with bagget and water
Dinner: Home made chicken broth soup with pita bread and orange juice

September 30th
Breakfast:
Nothing, but water
Lunch:
Turkey Hero Sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, and Swiss cheese and water
Dinner: Home made chicken broth soup with bagget, tamarinds, and orange juice

October 1st
Breakfast:
Small Green tea and water
Lunch:
Spinach roll with garlic knots and seltzer water
Dinner:
Bowl of cheerios, and orange juice, water, half a turkey sandwich, and tamarinds.

Dominant Discourses Regarding Contemporary Foodways in the U.S.

I think that the journalist who write these stories do think we live in a time where food reform is significant, because in almost every article I read based on food, it was as if the writers wanted people to reconsider some thoughts, from vending machines serving healthy food, local farmers growing “fresh foods” and coming to cities, Doctors who’ve been doing studies for years and think that many Americans should change their eating habits for a better lifestyle, and the social impacts food has on people, such as children with allergies being bullied more. What all these articles had in common was that they want Americans to be healthier in the past five years you can see a trend of healthier eating habits. One has to wonder, is it because Americans have always been oblivious about how food is actually cultivated, and always thought it was a happy wonderland process and just want to live the way they’ve bold told food was processed? The other question is “Why now?” I personally think the that the united states is almost the same way it was 10 years ago, but I was 7 than so what do I honestly remember and know well about the world in 2000, but I don’t remember food being a topic in the mass media, is obesity an diabetes that bad in the U.S.?
I think that a person who lives their lives by what the mass media tells them has gone through almost every food stage, from eating fast food to drinking grass, but today I feel like their probably vegan and exercise everyday, and have some sort of schedule or routine, that’s if they’re that dedicated. But I don’t blame them because the media does a good job scaring people with death, obesity, and looks, and I’m not saying that eating unhealthy food doesn’t do that to you, but I feel like many people get brainwashed and scared and are dedicate themselves to live well and long, because people are scared of death. Also this person lives in a city they’d be the type to order food from a farm, yesterday I was at a greenmarket in city hall and the woman in front of me was very interested about where the food is from, the farm, and how the food was grown, and the farmer gave her a brochure with all the information and a map of the farm, and days she can go up there to get food. I thought it was interesting to see someone do that in the United States, because I only saw people get farm ordered from farms in other countries, my grandmother does that, and lives in Haiti. The only thing is that the woman had a Spanish accent, so I think your background makes a difference as well.


Sources: file:///Users/qrion9325/Desktop/Andy/Doctor’s%20Orders%20-%20Eat%20Well%20to%20Be%20Well%20-%20NYTimes.com.webarchive

file:///Users/qrion9325/Desktop/Andy/Food%20allergies%20make%20kids%20a%20target%20of%20bullies%20-%20CNN.com.webarchive

file:///Users/qrion9325/Desktop/Andy/Our%20Towns%20-%20At%20a%20Roosevelt%20Market,%20Produce%20Replaces%20Fast%20Food%20-%20NYTimes.com.webarchive

file:///Users/qrion9325/Desktop/Andy/Told%20to%20Eat%20Its%20Vegetables,%20America%20Orders%20Fries%20-%20NYTimes.com.webarchive

My Families' Foodways

I'm sick so today i'm having home made chicken broth soup.


My mother was born in Haiti, but was raised in the United States, when she hears food she thinks of Haitian food, specifically djon djon (Haitian black mushroom rice), and dinner at her grandmother's house. She believes she has the same eating habits and food values as my great-grandmother, such as everyone eating at the table and spending time together. The typical dinner's my mom used to have was basically a 3 course meal, appetizers, salad, a main meal (rice, chicken, beef, pasta it varied), and than supper which was always something light. When I lived in Haiti that was the same way I ate everyday as well, until I moved back here. When my mom moved to the United States, everything was the same as it was in Haiti. Things only changed when my mother was a teenager and would go straight home instead of my great grandmothers house afterschool. By than my mom knew hot to cook, so her and my aunt (her sister) would make dinner and go watch TV in there rooms or go outside and hang out. My mom thinks my generation eats more junction food and, eat out more and eat less home cooked meals. She believes it's mainly in the United States that people have less family table habits. She also said an interesting comment about how in the united stated states the time to eat is short, unlike other countries where eating is more sacred and eat for longer periods so instead of an hour lunch its maybe 2 hours, so they have a resting period. My mom thinks food is sacred, but doesn’t think in the united state food is seen as being sacred, but people who are less fortunate probably do because they work hard to eat. My mom thinks that I have some of my families table values, because I grew up with those values, because when we have to eat at the table I do. It’s only when I’m home I don't eat at the table wait for people, because it’s my mom and I, but if I’m ever at my grandmothers, or grandaunts, or granduncles house, I always do because there’s more people in their house. My mom thinks the reason many people who become Americanized probably lose their eating habits is because the united states is very diverse people of different cultures start to adapt with the other persons culture, and start using less of their habits.

Fast Food Insights and Green Market Realizations

Looking at the differences of a fast food restaurant such as Mc Donald’s vs. the greenmarket was somewhat entertaining. I pass by both basically everyday, and every now and than get a fruit to eat in the morning from the greenmarket, only because I choose not to eat fast food. But I can see why fast food has become so successful, going inside Mc Donald’s at 9:30am in the morning is a bit weird, because I forgot they served breakfast, and to see people in a fast food restaurant something about it seems a bit sickening, like not a good way to start your day. On the same note I got to see why someone would want to eat pancakes, orange juice, and hash brown for breakfast rather than an apple, especially in a city such as New York. Because I’m used to being satisfied with eating a golden apple, and getting all my morning energy for that it's easy for me to say it satisfied me, but most Americans don't eat lightly in fact, the united states is known for not having simple meals, we always have "extra" things that aren't necessary. So if someone is used to having extra, than that's why they would rather go to Mc Donald’s rather to a greenmarket.

The difference between Mc Donald’s, and the greenmarket is that Mc Donald’s consist of mainly young and middle age people while the green market was more middle age and senior citizens, who happen to be more health-consciousness than a younger person. The other personal difference between the two is that the people who went to Mc Donald’s seem to be the average working class person, a construction worker, a security guard, a nurse, or even retired, while the green market had many people who seemed retired, but probably made more money when they worked. The other difference is that to some degree the green market is more expensive than Mc Donald’s, and seems to give less. But to my opinion I think you get more from the greenmarket, because you're actually getting the natural vitamins you need, and won't feel bloated and disgusted after eating from there. The surprising thing at Mc Donald’s was that there was a bit of a sacred vibe in their, because people sat down and enjoyed their breakfast, read their news paper, and started their day off relaxed, and it wasn't packed in their. While the flea market was packed, and people we're already jumpy, maybe it's because they're actually energized with natural food, and are outside in the sunlight rather than inside in florescent lighting. I personally like to go to the greenmarket, because there seems to have a wider selection of food than Mc Donald’s, and I think it tastes better. Also I get noxious after eating fast food, but what's weird about it 3 years ago before I started to eat healthier again, I used to be able to chow down fast food, and feel fine, in away it's as if my body is weaker, because it can't tolerate fast food, even though I’m getting the "natural nutrients" I need.

Food

When I hear the word "food", many things run in my mind depending on my mood, and whether or not I’m hungry. For instance right now, thinking of food makes me want to throw up, because it's late at night, and I ate dinner 2 hours ago, but 6 hours ago if I heard food, I’d be thinking about dinner, probably my topical and ideal meal, rice with gravy, grilled chicken, and salad with a glass of water, basically any home cooked meal. Food to me is a pretty huge subject because it affects every single living thing, because they all eat and understand what food is. My friend Paris has a dog named Rita who every time see's me she barks in happiness, because whenever I have a snack or something I spoil her, by giving her a bite so to her I play a role to her when it comes to food, same thing for my cats when I open a can of tuna. One question in particular I was stuck on earlier today in class was "is food sacred?" and while on the train I saw a man with a Whole Foods bag, I had an idea to how to respond. The answer to that question is "yes", but not entirely, because we live our lives based on food, the average person who eats everyday, won’t notice. The reason being is that people who eat regularly doesn’t notice because we spoil ourselves. In fact even something, as grocery shopping is a luxury people, because we have a huge variety of things we can buy.

But there is something wrong with not noticing how spoiled we are when it comes to food, even though I do it and whoever is reading this does this as well. Because we’re used to living like this, if something bad we're to happen like you or I suddenly became homeless, it'd be tough because you're whole food cycle is messed up, in fact you're whole cycle is messed up, because we all live our lives, in a constant routine.