Dominant Discourses Regarding Contemporary Foodways in the U.S.

Does it seem to you that the people writing (and quoted) think we are living in a time in which significant reform of U.S. foodways might occur or has occurred?

What topics seem most frequently discussed? Who gets included and quoted in the conversation? What problems require what solutions? What preoccupations or frameworks seem to contextualize debate? Please use quotes and paraphrases (accurately cited or at least hyperlinked) from your web-research to evidence your description

The moment you have something fresh you have to schedule your life around using it,” Mr. Balzer said.

Before we want health, we want taste, we want convenience and we want low cost,” Mr. Balzer said.

When the article about Salmonella at Egg Farm spoke about the conditions in the farms, the companies that provides to Congress, however, “did not show whether Wright County Egg took appropriate steps to protect the public after receiving the positive test results”(New york Times) In the article  what seems to discussed is that the environment were the farmers were producing their eggs the state food safety  explained  that the salmonella was coming from the eggs and how they were being cared .  The farmers clamed  they did ask for the results but the food safety reported the salmonella is not coming from the eggs. “We have requested and continue to ask for information from F.D.A. about how our testing results relate to the current outbreak strain being investigated,” the company said. “We are critically interested in how this situation occurred and continue to consider that feed ingredient contamination may be a root cause of this problem.”(Wright company egg)  Figuring out the problem was the main idea to know the root of the real problem.

“Unfortunately, behavior changes won’t work on their own without seismic societal shifts, health experts say, because eating too much and exercising too little are merely symptoms of a much larger malady” (forester fat) Food is caused by the environment if the society is being shown fast foods for cheap than buying a burger than a salad will be the option.  It makes it harder for people to eat healthier.  Obesity is a problem because people buy what they can afford.   People get comfortable with the way things are. If healthier options were available for the people and it just won’t be for the wealth or middle class, there’s a chance people won’t be as comfortable. “If you change the culture and the environment first, then you can go back into a healthy environment and, when you get change, it sticks.”(Dr. Edington) if things were being enforced there will be more structure to less food problems and people with health situations.

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a comprehensive nationwide behavioral study of fruit and vegetable consumption. Only 26 percent of the nation’s adults eat vegetables three or more times a day, it concluded. (And no, that does not include French fries.) The C.F.C.P was in most articles talking about they didn’t expect people health in N.YC to be in such a low rank “The amount of vegetables Americans eat is less than half of what public health officials had hoped. Worse, it has barely budged since 2000.

Your Families' Foodways

My family enjoys cooking even if it’s for a 1000 people we will come together and cook a storm. The people that I lived with went through many stages of food. It went from eat “whatever you please” to stop it because you allergic to it, the whole concept of cooking change. My mother would cook the things that I and my sister would be able to eat. My mother is a diabetic, so this change of eating was a habit that we all grew together. In the Dominican Republic, we have our dinner around 3:00pm and light meal around 8:00pm and that’s how it always been. When my family members would have to live in my house they would bring that routine.  I could be hanging out and I come home there will be dinner waiting on the table. But this wasn’t the routine all the time in my house; this was when I was younger. As I got older my mom showed me how to cook and after a while I was making meals for myself because my mother will be working. When a family member came I wouldn't have to cook, there will be someone in the house to cook.

I would say the generation in my family feeds on starch rice, bread, sweet potatoes and plantains we are also meat eaters except for my sister.  Every dinner that I have, there is rice and meat, most of the time corn. If there’s no rice then somebody will be upset, and rice will be cooked (It’s just rice all day) and then one day we might get tired and cook tacos or pasta. My grandmother favorite foods were a sweet potato, that’s all she would talk about and that’s all she ate. If you were sick she makes you a sweet potatoes soup.  She will ask me if I got sweet potato in my plate and if I didn’t she would go make me get a piece at least. Instead of have mashed regular potatoes my mother would smash sweet potatoes.  This is probably why I don’t like regular potatoes as much.

When I was little, vegetables weren’t a problem I liked eating broth from the beans, broccoli, corn and eggplant. My mother would smash the beans so I wouldn’t know they were in the rice after a while I got use to it and became a bean lover. Eating different foods became natural to me my mother never told don’t eat something because she thought it didn’t taste good, it would be left to my dissention .There is always a saying that most people in my family say “Don’t mention anything that would upset the person while eating”. It’s important for the person to be connected with their food, so if have situation happened wait until later to talk about it. When this was told, I thought ‘Food is important and what’s eaten effects how I feel’.

Fast Food Insights and Green Market Realizations

Fast Food Insights and Green Market Realizations

McDonalds’ is addictive. The Green Market is addictive in a good way; it brings a healthy vibe to you. When I step into McDonalds I felt the grease of the fries into my heart. When I worked in my McDonalds I would eat McDonalds every day and noticed I would break out and I probably gained more weight (that’s the beauty of McDonald’s) I wanted to not work there so badly. So I went out and looked for another job and now I work at Starbucks. The vibe in McDonalds or any other fast food place is fast and get the costumer. They make the costumer try to buy basically the whole menu. When I walked into the greenmarket people are friendly and it’s a fresher area its outside and the people don’t mind talking about their product. When someone ask me about the ingredients in the McDonalds food it was unconformable because 1. Myself and the person both knew it’ unhealthy 2. I don’t know the true ingredients in the frozen food they provide. 3. Do you really think McDonalds is a place to eat?  Well when that happened I just rumbled an answer hopefully they understood. If not I would say ‘would you like to talk to the manger’ then the costumer will roll their eyes and just order food. All I know if the oil is black don’t even think about getting any food, seriously.

I believe fast foods are successful because of the names they come up with. The taste you get from taking that first bite and the smell that’s seems Appling. But really what they are providing is food that’s frozen and it only takes about five minutes to cook (it’s not fully cooked). When working in McDonalds we have our regulars (people who eat the same shit every day), the people who come once in a while but are consider regulars, than there people who don’t come at all and ask about hundred questions. When I asked an older man in the green market about McDonalds he said “I stopped eating there because what they do to the meat” but then I asked do you still buy it he replied “Only when I’m in a rush and I’m starving”. Therefore, just the fact McDonalds is able to provide food that is fast people will consider buying it. I visit the green market more than McDonalds, when I step into a McDonalds it secretly makes me want the food but not because I want the food, but it stimulates my taste buds so I think I want it.

Food - Initial Thoughts

What are your priorities in food and what do you think of those priorities?In what ways does your typical meal fail to meet the desires of an ideal meal, and what do you think of that? Is food sacred (and what does that mean)?

When I think of food, my tasted buds get prepare for meaningful food. I love home cooked meals, I enjoy those the most. I can tell the difference between home cooked meals or a meal that a person rushed to cook and it doesn't taste the way you pictured it. Those meals I get angry and want to throw it in the person’s face. If the food is not colorful and it looks like you might die from taking a bite, don’t ask me to eat it.  I think every food should be made with care and thought because what you eat effects how you feel. If you’re in a Chinese restaurant and the Asian person that is cooking your food doesn’t look happy or saying curse words then I suggest not eating there.  

Food can be scary; when I do eat meat (Which is basically every day) I think about what if these animals were to be alive? Would it matter? What if we were all vegetarian’s?  Would the processes be the same for all the sea animals? They would probably make a new sea creature and say it’s really good for our body.  My sister would force me to watch documents about meat factories. Which I thought were helpful but it didn’t change my mind about eating meat. My mind is forced to eat meat. When she visited there will be vegan dishes sitting on the table after school. I did noticed a difference when I just ate vegetables or when my plate was filled with more greens than meat I felt more active. But my food habits started changing when I took an allergy test so, NO NUTS, MILK, EGGS for myself. I started liking vegetables and it expanded my taste buds. We humans can't survive without food. We need food! If we’re hungry we got to eat!  It’s true I become very moody when I’m hungry and if the food is not ready.  It’s funny how I think this, but there’s people out in the world where every day its survival for them. Some people don’t get to eat every day or have full meals for themselves. The truth is we humans will come to do anything for food. This is probably why they try to make diet food, natural juice, natural foods but is it really natural? It’s labeled on the product but we don’t really know. We don’t live on farms or go hunting in the woods (most people in the city don’t).  I don’t wake up and tell my mom lets go find a deer tonight for dinner.