Final Blog Post

The most interesting thing I learned in this class was about the food production industry. I learned depressing truths about how and where food is produced. It changed my view on food eating especially in regards to the meat industry. This matters because food is an essential part of life and knowing where it comes from and how it is produced is important. Now, with this knowledge I am more aware of my food choices in terms of buying products at the supermarket. The most useful thing I learned in this course was how to use the library.du.edu page to find research. This page has become my best friend in regards to research. It will most definitely help me to write papers throughout the rest of my college career, which is important. 

EE2 - Home Cooking

“In thirty years, the fast food market grew almost twenty times: from six billion dollars in 1970 to over 110 billion dollars in 2001. Now, one in four Americans visits a fast food restaurant every day” (Freeman 2224). Thankfully I am not one of them. Growing up we cooked dinner as a family every night. We would start cooking every night at 5:30pm like clockwork. My mom, my sister and I would all crowd around the island and gossip while we started cooking. My sister made the rice, I chopped the vegetables and my mom cooked the meat. Irrespective of what we were making we kept similar jobs: my sister making the side dishes, mom making the main dish, and me doing whatever job required chopping. We worked as a harmonious system and enjoyed every minute of it. Some of my fondest memories are of making dinner together. Even after my sister graduated high school and moved out, we kept the same system, only now my brother cooks the side dishes.

Growing up with such traditions created a strong bias in me, a bias for home cooking. With time my bias grew and developed its own backstory. I believed people who ate a lot of fast food were too lazy to cook or didn’t know how; even though a large percentage of the population chose to eat in this manner. “Food eaten away from home [at fast food restaurants] has increased from 33% of total food expenditures in 1970 to 47% by 2003” (Binkley 372). As you can see the fast food industry has grown substantially over the years. No longer does stay at home mom cook breakfast and dinner, instead the increasingly busy American relies on the multibillion fast food industry for their nutrition. As I grew into my teenage years and everyone became obsessed with their body image I began hearing how unhealthy and disgusting fast food was believed to be. People would say ‘ew, McDonald’s I never eat there. Their food is so gross’ and everyone around would agree, even though they actually did eat it, because no one wants to be that weird unhealthy kid who ate McDonald’s. With one in four Americans eating fast food every day (Freeman 2224) and obesity being the biggest dietary problem in America (Bogin 84), no body obsessed teenager would admit to eating fast food, least of all McDonald’s. Having grown up on home cooked meals and hearing scary things about fast food I began knowing that my bias of food cooked at home being healthier was substantiated. Now being almost 20 years old I still believe that home cooked meals are the way to go when considering nutrition.

A study done in the United Kingdom explored the relationship between fast food and obesity in teenagers aged 13-15. The study included 4,827 participants. They were asked how often they ate fast food, then classified as fast food eaters or not. Weight and height measurements were also taken in order to calculate their body mass index (BMI). Of the 2,342 participants who ate fast food 27% were classified as obese. Along with those results, it was found that “eating fast food was associated with an increase of 2% in body fat percentage or a 23% increased odds of being obese” (Fraser  e81).  A study conducted by Stender (biochemist), Dyerberg (biochemist) and Astrup (nutritionists), looked at the four different properties of fast food that cause it to be obesogenic. The first is portion size. The portion sizes of burgers, fries, and soft drinks, at fast food restaurants have increased 2-5 times over the last 50 years. This means that fast food goers are eating very much larger portion sizes than what is necessary. And the growing portion size means a greater intake of calories. The second factor is energy density of the food or the calorie content per weight of food. The energy density of a fast food menu is more than twice the energy density of a recommended healthy diet. The third factor explored is the industrially produced trans-fat in fast food. To test the effects of a high trans-fat diet monkeys were fed either a high trans-fat diet or a diet high in naturally occurring fat. After 6 years the monkeys with a high trans-fat diet had 30% more abdominal fat than the other monkeys. Similarly the trans-fat monkeys gained 7.2% in body weight compared to the 1.8% increase in the other monkeys. The fourth factor was the fat content in fast food menus. Although fast food restaurants are required to include nutritional labeling, few Americans take the time to understand the health consequences. Also the fat calorie content of fast food can vary by more than 40%. This means that the same product can vary considerably in its fulfillment with recommendations for healthy food without the consumer knowing (Stender, Dyerberg, Astrup). All of these are examples how unhealthy fast food is for a person when eaten on a regular basis. It shows that while the fast food industry has grown rapidly over the last thirty years, the food produced has been shown to be calorie-dense, high in fat and low in micronutrients (Fraser e77). All of these factors can be avoided when cooking at home. You can control the portion size and choose ingredients that are high in nutrients and low in fat, you can control what goes into your meals. Cooking at home puts the power back in your own hands.    

Every Thursday after school I would go to the library, run errands, or do anything to curb my enthusiasm until my mom got off work. You see every Thursday at 5:15pm I would meet my mom at a local grocery store for our weekly grocery shopping excursion aka my favorite activity of the week. We would go to different grocery stores depending on the mood of the trip. If my mom was feeling budget conscience we went to Food4Less. If it had been a long day and we needed to relax we went to Fred Meyers. If it was a warm summer day we went to the farmers market. Regardless of where we went, the process was always the same. We would walk up and down every single isle enticed by all the different options. All the different colors, names and styles of food gave me the best feeling. It was the sensation that anything was possible. There were millions of different meals, snacks and combinations that could be created using the ingredients found in the store. There were endless possibilities and the world was wide open. Organic or not? Whole grain or white? Semi-sweet or dark? Steak or ground? These were a few among hundreds of options available at the grocery store. One of the reasons that I love eating at home is the control over the ingredients that it gives me. I can choose exactly what goes in and what stays out, I have that power and I happily take full advantage of it.  

            Like me there are those who enjoy the power of being able to pick what ingredients go into their food. When you purchase your meal from a fast food restaurant you have little to no control over where the ingredients they use came from. However, when you cook your own meals all the power is in your hands, all the creativity is yours. Having the ability to choose where your ingredients come from means that you can choose ingredients with more nutrients and less harmful chemicals, specifically in fruit and vegetables. An article published in the Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development, addressed the topic of consumers’ changing preferences when it comes to fruit. This article asked people if they preferred organic or conventional means of fruit production and why. In 2006, 30% of people said that they preferred to buy organic fruit, 38% preferred conventional, and 33% did not care. When asked why they preferred organic fruit 75% said the organic fruit contained no harmful chemicals, 68% it was “tastier,” and 58% believed it was more nutritious (Czernyszewicz). I admit that I am one of those who prefer the tastiness and more nutritious aspects of organic fruit. This survey showed that people who choose to and have the ability to buy organic fruit do so because they believe it to be healthier all around, and they are correct. Virginia Worthington, a dietician/nutritionist who studied at Johns Hopkins University, wrote an article that compiled 41 studies that addressed the question of whether organic fruit really was more nutritious than fruit grown using conventional methods (crops produced with chemical fertilizers and pesticides). Her conclusion was that “Organic crops contained significantly more vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus and significantly less nitrates than conventional crops.” (Worthington 161). More specifically organic crops contained 29% more Magnesium, 27% more Vitamin C, 21% more Iron, 14% more phosphorous, and 15% less nitrates than conventional crops (Worthington). When making meals at home I love knowing that the organic fruit and vegetables are adding all of these things to my meals. At a fast food restaurant I have no idea where their lettuce came from or what was used to grow it. However when I buy it organically I know what was used to grow it, and when I buy from the farmers market I know where it was grown.

Barry Estabrook, author and contributor of several food related books and journals, wrote a book called Tomatoland which paints an picture that makes me extremely relieved that I buy tomatoes at the farmers market. The introduction to his book details the life of a commercially grown tomato. The tomato is grown in Florida then “picked when still firm and green (the merest trace of pink is taboo), and artificially gassed with ethylene in warehouses until they acquire the rosyred skin tones of a ripe tomato.” These tomatoes also “According to analyses conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 100 grams of fresh tomato today has 30 percent less vitamin C , 30 percent less thiamin, 19 percent less niacin, and 62 percent less calcium than it did in the 1 960s” (Estabrook x). The introduction of Estabrook’s book paints a startling picture of what commercial farming has done to our fruits and vegetables. These tomatoes are being grown in Florida, a notoriously humid region, when every farmer knows tomatoes grow best in very dry climates. Now in order “To get a successful crop, they [commercial farmers] pump the soil full of chemical fertilizers and can blast the plants with more than one hundred different herbicides and pesticides, including some of the most toxic in agribusiness's arsenal” (Estabrook xii). It is no wonder 75% of organic fruit purchasers believe organic fruit contains less or no harmful chemicals. When looking at commercially grown fruits, specifically tomatoes, one would think anything has to be better than this. This indeed is why I love to buy from local farmers markets and not only support the local economy but know that my tomatoes were grown with respect.                

Looking at these aspects of fast food, from obesity to control over ingredients, gives me confidence that my bias for home cooked food was well substantiated. Fast food has large ties to obesity of its consumers through its large portion sizes and high fat content. Similarly the ingredients in fast food are a bit of mystery. Yet home cooked meals give the consumer control over the ingredients included because the consumer is also the producer. Cooking meals at home has been a large part of not only my eating rituals but also my family traditions. While life may seem to be moving faster and every second counts, I believe that taking the time to cook a well-balanced and nutritious meal is important. Once I am again living in a place with a kitchen I will be undoubtedly take the time to cook my meals instead of relying on the ever growing and controlling fast food industry for my daily sustenance.         

Works Cited 

Binkley, J. K. "The Effect of Demographic, Economic, and Nutrition Factors on the Frequency of Food Away from Home." Journal of Consumer Affiars 40 (2006): 372-91. Web. 15 May 2013.

Bogin, B. "From Caveman Cuisine to Fast Food: The Evolution of Human Nutrition." Growth Hormonw & IGF Research 8.2 (1998): 79-86. Web. 15 May 2013.

Czernyszewicz, Eugenia. "Changeability of Consumer Preferences concerning the Methods of Fruit Production." Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development 1.11 (2009): n. pag. Web. 16 May 2013.

Estabrook, Barry. "ON THE TOMATO TRAIL." Introduction. TOMATOLAND. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel, LLC, n.d. N. pag. Print.

Fraser, Lorna K., Graham P. Clarke, Janet E. Cade, and Kimberly L. Edwards. "Fast Food and Obesity: A Spatial Analysis in a Large United Kingdom Population of Children Aged 13–15." American Journal of Preventive Medicine 42.5 (2012): E77-85. Web. 15 May 2013.

Freeman, Andrea. "Fast Food: Oppression through Poor Nutrition." California Law Review 95.6 (2007): 2221-259. Web. 15 May 2013.

Stender, S., J. Dyerberg, and A. Astrup. "Fast Food: Unfriendly and Unhealthy." International journal of obesity 31.6 (2007): 887-90. ProQuest. 15 May 2013 .

Worthington V. Nutritional Quality of Organic Versus Conventional Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains. Journal Of Alternative & Complementary Medicine [serial online]. April 2001;7(2):161-173. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed May 19, 2013.

P9 - What to Eat

The articles by Pollan and Dupuis discuss the ever changing ways that people choose what to eat and what not to eat. Dupuis gives a brief history of the subject from angles in the early colonies to civil war era calories, up to World War I vitamins. Her article shows how people have always been interested in knowing what they should eat and rely invisible authors to tell them. Everyone is so obsessed with what they need and what foods will give it to them that they jump on the food yo-yo going up and down with the latest trends, making it impossible to get a steady routine down. Pollan’s article parallels Dupuis’ in that it shows how views on food health have changed, new ideas have emerged and the things people are concerned about have changed. In the end he boils it down to nine ideas on how to escape the nutritionism and just be able to eat.

I think these articles show how crazy people are when it comes to eating. Everybody gets swept up in the latest fad, becoming obsessed with finding the new right thing to eat. I agree with the article’s idea of stopping asking invisible authors what to eat but instead using our own instinctual guide to help us discover what is best, along with a few rules of thumb. I Myself get so frustrated with the ever changing ideas on what is healthy or not and instead have adopted a few methodologies that are very similar to what Pollan lists.      

In Class Post - Eating Decisions

How do I decide what to eat? Lately what I decide to eat is based on what is available in the dining hall. Sections are limited and there is not a lot of variety thus my decisions on what to eat usually are about how can I get some variability in my meal? I aim for a protein, a fruit, and some veggies. I try to get as much color as possible. I have this idea in my head that the more colorful my plate is, the healthier it is. I’m not sure where this idea came from but it has really made an impact. For example, one day my plate was covered in yellow and white: chicken, mashed potatoes and pineapple. Looking at my plate and the lack of color, I was almost ashamed of my choice. I’m not sure where this idea came from but as you can see it is a powerful one.  

SE5 - Breakfast

Are you feeling sluggish today? Are you stressed, frustrated and depressed? Do your children refuse to eat breakfast? The answer to all your problems may be answered with one simple question: did you eat breakfast this morning. Since we were children our parents, teachers and oatmeal commercials stressed the importance of eating a balanced breakfast every day. If you are like me, you never listened to your parents and breakfast was simply that meal that you skipped on a daily basis. You skip it because you don’t have time or desire to wake up early enough to make something. However, if you knew all the areas that eating breakfast impacted you would never skip breakfast again. You see breakfast isn't simply a conspiracy theory created by oatmeal companies designed to capture a greater profit but a very important meal that not only affects you but those around you in three very specific ways.

Emotional and Mental Health

A study of 126 participants conducted by The University of Bristol found that those who ate breakfast were happier throughout the day. They were less stressed and less depressed than those who chose to skip breakfast. For example people who have irregular breakfasts – meaning it’s not consumed everyday – have a depression level of 10 while those who eat breakfast every day reach only a 6. This study shows strong relationships between choosing to eat breakfast and stable mental health. Do your emotions a favor and eat breakfast every day.

Physical Health

A second study explored how skipping breakfast is related to health compromising behaviors. This study looked at 3065 families and their breakfast eating habits. People who skip breakfast are found to be more tired, exercise less and have a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) than those who eat breakfast. When you skip breakfast you have less energy to do things such as working out. Also skipping breakfast leads to larger, unbalanced meals later in the day causing your BMI to rise. All these things are directly related to the poor emotional and mental health listed above. It’s a vicious cycle: you don’t eat breakfast causing a sluggish feeling and a desire to do nothing which creates depression. So break the cycle and eat breakfast.      

Family Values

Using the same study as above it was found that parental breakfast eating is the most significant factor associated with adolescent breakfast eating. In the families where the parents ate breakfast every day, their children ate breakfast 82% of the time. However children whose parents skipped breakfast only ate breakfast 46% of the time. This shows how important it is to eat breakfast not just for yourself but for your family. The two points above show how not eating breakfast leads to mental distress as well as health problems. If you can save your children from all of those issues simply by letting them watch you eat breakfast and hoping they follow in your footsteps, wouldn't you do it. It is true parents really do impact their children and shape them into adults. You never know when they are or aren't watching and how your actions will impact them. So do them a favor and eat breakfast.

I hope this has shown you all the importance that lies in eating breakfast. It is not just another meal in the day but a meal that sets a tone for your emotional well-being of the day, your physical state, as well as the future of those who look up to you. The two studies are inexplicably linked and demonstrate the various ways in which breakfast is a great meal. Do me a favor and try eating breakfast every day this week and see what it can do for you.  

Works Cited

Keski-Rahkonen, A., et al. "Breakfast Skipping and Health-Compromising Behaviors in Adolescents and Adults." European journal of clinical nutrition 57.7 (2003): 842-53. ProQuest. 13 May 2013.

Smith, Andrew P. "Breakfast and Mental Health." International journal of food sciences and nutrition 49.5 (1998): 397-402.ProQuest. 13 May 2013.

SE5 Link

The following link explores how meal times specifically dinner can affect sleeping habits.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3428308/?tool=pmcentrez&rendertype=abstract

Food Blog Observations

People have weird and very different eating habits. There are those who only eat two meals a day, those who eat small snacks all day long and others who have three solid meals. It is strange to see such differences in each persons eating habits as well as the time between each meal.

P8 - Food Diary

Wednesday

9:30am

Quaker Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal

½ Apple

11:15am

Salad – romaine, spinach, cheese, olives, ranch

BBQ chicken pizza

Broccoli

Water

2pm

Red Machine Naked Juice

6pm

Mashed potatoes

Green beans

Flank Steak

Water

Thursday

9:30am

Multigrain Cheerios

½ Banana

2% milk

12pm

Peanut butter sandwich

Apple

Water

4pm

½ banana

Nutella

5:30pm

Spaghetti

Grilled Chicken

Water

9pm

Cherry coke

Movie popcorn

Friday

9:30am

Honey Nut Cheerios

Banana

2% milk

12pm

Turkey sandwich on Oatnut bread

Banana

String cheese

Water

4pm

Apple

7pm

Beef brisket sliders

Strawberries

Cheese & Crackers

Chocolate mousse cup

Water

Pink Lemonade

Saturday

8:30am

Turkey lunch meat

String cheese

12:30pm

Grilled chicken

Quinoa

Salad greens

Blueberry muffin

Blackberries & raspberries

4pm

Moive popcorn

Cherry coke

SE4 - Stevia

After a nine am arrival in Denver International Airport my friend, aka ride back to school, and I stopped by the local IHOP for our morning nourishment. With no wait we were seated right away, once at our table our server asked what we would like to drink. I ordered a glass of water because I usually find myself severely dehydrated after a flight; and my friend ordered a cup of coffee. A few minutes passed and the waiter returned with not only a cup of coffee but also a dish filled with every imaginable kind of sweetener. There was regular sugar, SWEET’N LOW, Splenda and Equal. Most restaurants that serve coffee have the dish full of these sweeteners and I have always wondered what the difference is and why on earth you would need so many different options. About two hours later, full on pancakes, I was back in my dorm, watching TV while getting ready for class. During one of the commercial breaks there was an advertisement for Truvia, a natural no calorie stevia-based sugar substitute. I thought to myself, seriously another type of sugar substitute, why do we need so many? What is it about Truvia that makes the company sure it can break into what is in my opinion an already crowded sugar substitute market? 

                A few days later in my writing and research class, the professor informed us of our next short essay assignment. The assignment was to research a particular food ingredient that was of interest to us. I thought what a perfect time to discover what is it about Truvia that makes it want to become the next great sugar substitute. First, I went to the Truvia website and discovered that the main ingredient in Truvia is a plant called Stevia. I decided that Stevia would be the main focus of my research paper. The following explores where Stevia originated, what it is, how it grows and why it is so special.

                “Stevia is a sweet herb of Paraguay” (Ramesh 138) however it can also be found in Central and South American as well as in the United States. It was first discovered by the Europeans in the 1800s but it wasn't widely used until World War II when it was planted in England and used as a part of their sugar rationing. Before it was brought to England it was used for centuries by the indigenous people of Paraguay as a sweetener for their bitter drinks. The Japanese are also involved in the cultivation of Stevia. In the 1970s they brought Stevia from Brazil back to Japan and started to grow it themselves. Today they are a major producer of the plant. As you can see the Stevia plant is grown all around the world including 15 countries and is of interest as a sweetener to many different cultural groups (Ramesh).

                But the question remains: why all these different people are interested in Stevia? First and foremost Stevia is a no calorie sweetener. The leaves of the Stevia plant are what produce the sweetness. The leaves contain sweet crystalline glycosides called steviosides. These steviosides do not contain calories and are 300 times as sweet as cane sugar (Todd). As we have learned throughout this quarter and our own experience, people are obsessed with no or low calorie food items. No calorie food items mean we don’t get fat, and it seems to be that dieting in order to not get fat is one of America’s favorite pastimes. So for these companies to have found a plant that’s leaves can be dried and pulverized or soaked in water (Ramesh 140) in order to produce a no calorie sweetener that is 300 times as strong as cane sugar is a great advantage.

                Stevia grows best in sub-tropical, semi-humid regions with temperatures between 21-109°F. However it is an extremely versatile plant that can be grown in a variety of places. For example, it can act as a perennial meaning it comes back every year, or an annual plant meaning it needs to be replanted each year depending on surrounding conditions. In the beginning months Stevia has a slow growth. However, after the first few months their growth speeds up. Four months after planting is the ideal time to harvest the leaves. After harvest the leaves can then be used as is, dried and pulverized or soaked in water to retrieve the sweetener from them (Ramesh). The Truvia website has a section that shows how they grow and harvest their Stevia crop. Seeing as Truvia is the reason for my interest in Stevia I thought it should be shared. First Stevia begins as a root in a greenhouse. Once it is three to four inches tall it is moved into a field. When white flowers bloom it is time to harvest the leaves. After harvest the leaves are dried and steeped in water. After steeping the sweet extract is purified to concentrate. Finally the stevia extract is combined with natural flavors to create Truvia.

                As you can see Stevia is an interesting plant. It is 300 times sweeter than can sugar, contains no calories, and can adapt to it changing surroundings. All these things considered I now understand why Truvia is so proud of its latest addition to the sugar substitute world.            

  

Works Cited

"About Truvia® | Truvia® Natural Sweetener - Natural Sweetness From the Stevia Leaf." Truvia. 02 May 2013 <http://truvia.com/about>.

Ramesh, K. "Cultivation of Stevia [Stevia rebaudiana (Bert.) Bertoni]: A comprehensive review." Advances in agronomy 89 (2006): 137-77. Branson Library. 3 May 2013.

Todd, Jim. "The Cultivation of Stevia, "Nature's Sweetener"" The Cultivation of Stevia, "Nature's Sweetener" May 1997. 02 May 2013

P7 - Food Production

             Fowl Trouble by Christopher Cook traces the horrifying production of chicken meat through the eyes of the employees. It lists the different jobs needed to get the chickens from pen to supermarket in a timely manner. The jobs include deboner, offal room attendants, evisc, catchers and hangers. All these positions come with the very real possibility of severe injuries such as carpal tunnel, eye infections, respiratory ailments and the loss of the use of their hands. This article shows the terrifying reality for employees when getting chicken meat to the ever demanding American population.  

            Tomatoland by Barry Eastbrook, paints a similar picture to the one found in Cook’s infographic. It tells of the eye and respiratory ailments, exposure to know carcinogens and horrendous living conditions that the workers are exposed to. In some cases workers are slaves to the tomato fields, held against their will and forced to work or be beaten. Unlike the infographic it also describes the lack of nutritional value that tomatoes have due to commercial farming. “fresh tomato today has 30 percent less vitamin C , 30 percent less thiamin, 1 9 percent less niacin, and 62 percent less calcium than it did in the 1 960s. But the modern tomato does shame its 1960s counterpart in one area: It contains fourteen times as much sodium.” (Eastbrook X) This shows the toll that industrial commercial farming is having on the nutritional value of the tomato. Consumers so desire to have their winter tomatoes that they are lowering their standards. This article parallels the unfair working conditions of the workers with the lack of nutritional value and taste of a tomato to show how badly commercial faming is to the tomato industry.

            An Animal’s Place by Michael Pollan discusses the ethics behind eating animals. It asks us to consider whether the rights of animals are being violated during their confinement and slaughtering. It explores the ethics behind denying animals basic rights solely on the fact that they are not humans. Do animals not feel pain and suffering, shouldn’t they be treated with the same respect as humans?

            An underlying subtly in all of these articles is the capitalistic view that creates these problems. Animals are denied basic right of animals in nature because it is cheaper, easier and space maximizing to keep them in tiny cages. Workers are paid less than minimum wage and forced to endure horrendous working conditions so the companies can turn a larger profit. All of these food and agribusinesses are doing everything they can to turn a larger profit. They cut back on things they don’t have to do, like supplying protective clothing to chicken factory workers, so they can save money and turn a larger profit. These articles all explored the controversial aspects of growing food in slightly different ways and all showed the toll that capitalism is taking on the food industry and all made me lose my appetite.      

SE4 - Food source

For short essay 4 I am thinking about researching the history and production of scallops. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website has good background and basic information on all types of seafood including scallops. It lists all the different types of scallops and where they come from. Its a great starting point. 

P6 - National Eating Disorder

In his article, Pollan talks about America’s national eating disorder. He mentions the fear of carbs as an example of our eating disorder. Pollan says “America’s food industry, more happy to get behinds any new diet.” I think this shows how much we focus on looks and shape. So many people in the US are obsessed with how they look and are convinced that eating more of this or less of that will change their appearance. I think the desire to have the perfect body drives our national eating disorder. Another cause Pollan cites is the makeup of our nation. The US is mainly made up of immigrants that came from all over the globe. This has caused America no have no real traditional eating habits. He tells a story of asking his mother what she ate as a child and she lists all the traditional Jewish food they ate. When Pollan asked why she didn't serve them to him she replies that they never would have eaten those foods. This shows how the immigrant culture in America has changed eating habits and made it okay to shy away from traditional foods. In a country full of immigrants, who knows what your tradition is anyways?

            The symptoms of all these new food rules coming out is that people no longer trust their senses to pick out healthy foods for themselves but rely on labels and science to tell them what to eat. For hundreds of years people used their senses to pick their food but no with all this “scientific” research coming out about the badness of this and the evil ingredients in that people can’t trust their senses because their senses can detect all “micronutrients science has taught us to worry about.”    

            The most interesting part of the article was when Pollan references the Koala and how shrinking its diet may have actually shrunk its brain. I like the idea that our brains are so large in order to help us decide what to eat. Also the idea that a koala’s brain may have shrunk from eating a less variety filled diet is an interesting fact.

            I would say that I am much more like the French in this article. There is no much changing information on what is healthy and what is not, that I am not able to keep up with it all, nor do I want to. Like the French I indulge in it all, in small portions. Instead of cutting out carbs and eating only grapes, I enjoy it all in moderation. As long as the food looks, and smells good and there is a variety of color on my plate I am happy and feel healthy. Besides trying to keep up with all those food fads can drive a person crazy. 

Deciding What to Eat

Being in college and having a meal plan, what I decide to eat depends on what is being served in the dining hall. Once I have looked around and ruled out things that look disgusting or contain ingredients that I don’t like, my options are severely limited. I guess that statement answers two ways on how I decide what to eat: what is available and what looks good. On top of those two qualifications I also look to see what is healthy. What has chicken in it? What is the fish dish? I try to eat a variety of colors and types of food every day. Other factors include: how long will it take to make, is it healthy, and does it add some nutritional value to my meal. One thing that gets me at least once a week are the fries. I can smell them from anywhere in the dining hall and they just smell so good. I often wish that I could say no to the fries.        

EE1 Food as Memories

Have you ever been walking down the sidewalk, smelt a neighbor’s BBQ and been instantly filled with nostalgia from memories of your own BBQ? Maybe you’re sitting in a restaurant and the family next to you orders mac n’ cheese, right there and then you remember your second grade babysitter and the mac n’ cheese she used to make you. Food is a powerful thing that can stimulate memories and feelings of the past as well as allow a person to recreate those times. I plan to address how food is used as a connector between people, places and times through personal experiences, experiences of others and through scholarly research.

It’s 7am and the sun has just emerged over the horizon as I unzip my tent and am greeted by the scent of a smoldering fire. Atop the fire sits a grate and a five gallon pot that will soon produce breakfast. As Beau stirs the contents of the pot, I find my stool around the fire and adjust to the fact that I am now awake. After a short while the pot is transferred from the fire and onto the metal table. As he calls out “breakfast is served!” the rest of the team emerges from their tents and makes their way into the breakfast line.

First up there is of course the bowls, followed by the main dish of Jungle Oats which is an African brand of oatmeal. Then there is an assortment of add-ins: apples, peaches, peanut butter and sugar, but not just any sugar, the sea salt of the sugar world. Once my oatmeal creation is done I find my way back to my stool, sitting in the sand. Now it is time to begin the delicious dive into my oatmeal. As I stir the apples into the oatmeal, steam surges out of the bowl. The cool crunch of the apples combined with the hot gush of the oatmeal is the ideal combination. Not too soupy but not too thick, my oatmeal is the perfect consistency and tastes as good as it looks.

The scene I described above comes from time spent in Africa. A group of twelve of us from my church partook in this mission’s trip last summer, spending fifteen days in Zambia and that was the scene we witnessed and the meal we experienced every morning. As the trip drew to a close, many people were sick of the oatmeal, hoping to never see another oat again; after all we had been eating oatmeal every day for the past fifteen days, but some, like me, didn’t want to leave the Jungle Oats behind. Dwight even went as far as to buy five boxes of Jungle Oats to shove into his suitcase and bring back to the states.

            Today when I eat oatmeal it brings me back to a time of wonderful memories. But why, what is it about oatmeal that transcends time and location to bring me back to Africa? Sutton, an associate professor of sociocultural anthropology, argues that it’s synesthesia that allows food to have such power in regards to memory. Sutton describes synesthesia as a “crossing of experiences from different sensory registers (i.e., taste, smell, hearing).” Agreeably, Holtzman argues, “the sensuality of eating transmits powerful mnemonic clues, principally through smells and tastes” (372). When eating food you can taste it, smell it, and hear what it sounds like when you bite into it. You can also feel, touch, and see it. Eating activates all of your senses at one time. It is not just one sense that is working while you’re eating, but all of them and that is a powerful combination. When you are eating all of your senses are working together to create an experience and a memory. Then when you see, eat, or smell that particular food again all of your senses remember what they were doing at that time and catapult you back into those memories.

            Holtzman, associate professor of anthropology, also argues, “The experience of food evokes recollection, which is not simply cognitive but also emotional and physical” (365). Looking back on Africa it was time full of once in a life time experiences: petting a zebra, going on safari and peeing on bats; but more than that it was a time of bonding, of feeling terrified and comfortable at the same time, of feeling guided, of having purpose, of being free. I was blissful in Africa, it was a great time in my life and I ate oatmeal every single of one the days that I felt that way. I felt all those things in tandem with eating oatmeal. To this day I still associate oatmeal with those feelings and am filled with nostalgia when I eat it even though almost a year has gone by.

            Food can also create hope of being able to go back to a time of great memories. I chose to leave Africa and the oatmeal reminds me of the wonderful times. However, there are those who had no choice but to leave. Prisoners are an example of this. They had no choice but to leave the place where they created marvelous memories. Now they are inmates at a county facility. An article for Gastronomica entitled, “Breaking Bread with Spread” researches the creation of spreads in a San Francisco County Jail. Spreads are made by inmates from items they bought in the jail’s store. They start with a base item such as ramen noodles then add different chips, jellies and jerky to create a midnight snack. Each inmate creates a different version of the spread specific to their tastes and preferences. After a long day in jail, with unsatisfying food, the inmates create spreads to ease their hunger before going to sleep (Cate).

            One inmate Max Hackett describes the process of creating spreads as “‘bring myself as much out of jail as possible’” (Cate, 24). Creating the spreads is a way to escape from jail and spend some time dreaming in the outside world. Inmates can create spreads that resemble dishes from their favorite restaurants or home. For example, Max Hackett creates spreads that resemble his favorite Vietnamese restaurant (Cate, 24). While in jail inmates are told what to do, how to do it, and where to be every minute of every day. On top of that they are told what to eat and when to eat it. So much of their lives is out of their control. However, when making their spreads they can create anything they can imagine, any way they want. They are reminded of what it is like on the outside, what it means to have control of things. Similarly, they can create food that reminds them of their home, it isn’t one size fits all food but something unique to them. For example, a Chinese inmate “has perfected his own Asian-style spread making technique. It involves steaming rather than boiling the ramen noodles” (Cate, 19). Creating spreads not only gives the inmates something to do but it reminds them of the freedom and creativity they were allowed to have on the outside and gives them hope that one day the will be able to return to those times.

            Immigrants and refugees are another example of people using food to stay connected to memories and places. They either choose to leave their home or are forced out, having to leave everything behind and flee to another country. In this case they have no way to go back to where they came from. The only connection they have is through what they can make. Immigrants and refugees then use cooking as a way to be connected to and remember the good times. They shop at stores that carry their native foods and create food from their homeland in order to remember. This foods they make connect them to the memories they made and emotions felt while in their homeland.

            The article “Gastropoetics of South Indian Diaspora” discusses the South Indian refugees who attend ethnic markets to not only get groceries but to engage with the representations of their homeland. The smells and sounds at the ethnic markets resemble those from the refugees’ home nations. The food being sold and cooked stimulates the all their senses and sends these refugees back to times when they were home and the memories associated with being there (Holtzman, 367).  

            Similar to inmates and immigrants, people who have lost a loved one use food as a way to remember. In his article “Eating White” Geoff Nicholson tells of a meal he eats on occasion. The meal consists of a cheese sandwich on white bread with a cold glass of milk (21). There is nothing special in this meal nor is it the latest food trend. However it was a meal that he and his mother shared on a regular basis. His mother loved white food and only ate food of a similar color scheme. Now, his mother being gone, Geoff partakes in this meal in order to remember his mother. The types of food and its color catapults Geoff back to a time of sharing love with his mother. 

            In conclusion, food offers a combination of smell and taste that stimulates memories and can send a person back in time to those memories. Whether it’s a stateside traveler remembering her African mornings, an inmate creating snacks to remember the freedom associated with being on the outside, or a refugee making diners reminiscent of their homeland, everybody uses food to remember the good times. People use food as an escape, and food has a powerful enough sensuality to it in order to make that possible.

Works Cited

Cate, Sandra. "Breaking Bread with a Spread." Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture 8.3 (2008): 17-24. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.

Holtzman, Jon D. "Food and Memory." Annual Review of Anthropology (2006): 361-78. Annual Reviews. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.

Nicholson, Geoff. "Eating White." Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture 10 (2010): 21-23. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.

Sutton, David. "David Sutton - Rembrance of Repasts - Introduction." David Sutton - Rembrance of Repasts - Introduction. Berg, 2001. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.

P5 - Eating on the Edge

               Horwitz starts by sharing an example of a student eating during one of his lectures. This leads into the topic of how eating habits have changed over time. People are no longer constrained to normal meal times set around a table but can “graze” throughout the day. Horwitz continues by sharing scholarly research that supports this idea of grazing throughout the day and not at normal meal times. To give real world examples of this idea of eating on the go Horwitz tells about Swanson’s TV Dinners and Campbell’s Soup at Hand. Both of these companies have created new products to cash in on the idea of eating on the edge - "occasions when food is an additive to a situation, such as a cigarette would be, rather than being definitive." (Horwitz 42) Campbell’s Soup at Hand allows you to still enjoy soup without all the hassle of needing a bowl, spoon and a table, now all you need is a hand. Swanson’s developed TV Dinners, so now all you have to do is reach in the microwave grab a container, throw it in the microwave and presto you have dinner. Horwitz then tells of international travelers and how they have no choice but to eat at unconventional times and how airlines and restaurants have changed their policies accordingly. Horwitz does a great job of using research articles, examples of changing food sellers and restaurants to develop his point and show us how food eating patterns have changed making food no longer the main attraction.     

            I would have to say that my own life very much complicates his article and throws a wrench in the works. Towards the end of his article he shares a bit about college students and their strange eating habits. However, I eat at very regular meal times. I have breakfast every day at 9am, lunch between 11:45-12pm, dinner at 6pm and a snack around 3pm. This follows a very regular and normal eating pattern. While I would agree that most people of this day and age do not follow regular eating times there are some who still do and I must admit, I am very proud to be one of them.    

SE3 - The Garlic Knot

           Last Friday evening, after a half day of work and a trip to the museum, two friends and I decided to stop for a bite to eat. I had heard about The Garlic Knot earlier in the week so we decided to stop in and check it out. Located in University Hills on Colorado Boulevard, The Garlic Knot serves New York style pizza, pasta and of course garlic knots. The brick walled restaurant had eight booths, seven tables and two small TVs in the corners that played golf. Once seated, we looked around to notice that we were not the majority but stuck out like a sore thumb. The majority of the customers were families: parents in their thirties or early forties and their young children. It was quite a scene, families enjoying each other’s company and listening to what each other had to say. It was a nice setting to be a part of after having spent the past months in a college town around noisy coeds.    

We sat and ate humongous pieces of pizza for a little over an hour. During that time we observed who came in and what they ordered. Most of the families ordered a pizza to share and some kind of drink. This is where an interesting discovery was made. Of the sixteen families in the restaurant, thirteen of the men ordered a beer while eleven of the women ordered a glass of wine. The remaining customers ordered water or some kind of soft drink. This wasn’t surprising as it followed the stereotype that men drink beer and women drink wine. However it brings up the question why it is a stereotype and where it came from?

Throughout history drinking has been socially unacceptable for women. It has been reserved for men. “Industrialization led to changes in gender roles and norms for drinking behavior. Drinking became defined as male and masculine behavior” (Gomberg, 1982). However, times have changed, norms have been rethought and it is now more socially acceptable for women to drink. While it may be more acceptable for women to drink it doesn’t mean that the stereotypes associated with drinking have changed.

A study conducted by California State University asked 116 men and women to place gender stereotypes on various characteristics and actions. The characteristics that were most commonly affiliated with men were: aggressive, takes risks, and is dominant. The ones affiliated with women were: helpful, sensitive and compassionate. When asked to place a gender stereotype on the action of drinking beer 51 people identified it as a masculine or men’s trait while only 9 identified it as a women’s trait. Similarly when asked to gender stereotype drinking wine 43 people associated it with women while 16 associated it with men or masculinity.

            A study published in Contemporary Drug Problems discusses the differences in the “trouble per liter” associated with beer and wine. This study was performed in 19 different societies by asking male and female participants a series of questions. Some sample questions the participants were asked are as follows. Have you been unable to remember what happened the night before due to drinking? Have you failed to do what was normally expected of you due to drinking? Has drinking harmfully affected your relationships? Have you gotten into fights while drinking? There were a total of 16 questions asked. Participants answered with a 1 if they had experienced what was asked in the question within the last 12 months or a 0 if they had not, the responses were then split according to the type of alcohol consumed. People whose alcohol consumption was 2/3 beer gave a score of 13,565. Whereas people whose alcohol consumption is 2/3 wine gave a score of 12,548. This shows that people who drink beer experience slightly more social or personal consequences when drinking.

This follows the stereotype that men will drink beer. If we go back to the California State University survey, we find that the words associated with men and masculinity are aggressive, takes risk, and is dominant. If men are doing the majority of the beer drinking, it makes sense that drinking beer has a higher degree of trouble associated with it. Men on their own have a tendency to create more trouble but then when that is multiplied by the inhibitions of alcohol it is not surprising that they experience more social and personal consequences. Likewise the California State University survey associates being passive, soft spoken and gentle with femininity and women in general. This gives a backstory to the findings that wine drinkers experience less consequences from drinking.    

           Beer has often been associated with males because it was more acceptable for men to drink. As men continued to drink and women were suggested not to, the men took beer and gave it male characteristics. Men got drunk, got in fights and made drinking beer seem masculine because it was their gender that was seen as acceptable to be drinking it. Now, as it has become socially acceptable for women to drink they try to stay away from the stereotypical masculinity of beer and found wine, an acceptable alternative to beer, thus giving wine feminine characteristics. This is not to say that women don’t drink beer, because many of them do, but in such a familial setting as The Garlic Knot what is acceptable favored. In bars, being adventurous and breaking norms is more acceptable; however in such a familial setting we tend to follow the norms. Because it’s a familial setting could explain why we are seeing such an adherence to the cultural norms and stereotypes of women drinking wine and men drinking beer.

Works Cited

Landrine, H. Gender expectations for alcohol use: a study of the significance of the masculine role. Sex roles 19.dec 88 01 Dec 1988: 703-712. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, etc. 16 Apr 2013.

Room, Robin, et al. "Differences in Trouble Per Liter of Different Alcoholic Beverages-A Global Comparison with the GENACIS Dataset." Contemporary Drug Problems 38.4 (2011): 493,516,488. ProQuest. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

SE3 Sources

The site food and beverage people did a study that researched how often american are eating out and what that says about the economy. Really interesting site with lots of graphs and information. foodandbeveragepeople.com

This second source also talks about if americans are eating out more often and if so how the choose which restaurant to go to. http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/article/194589/Study-American-dining-out-habits-changing

P4 - Food in Communities

In the San Francisco County Jail that Cate studied food provides a type of escape for the inmates. They create to these “spreads” to enhance their eating experience, to take some control of their lives and to show their status. Cate notes all the inmates’ food comes from a “largely invisible source” it is people behind closed doors. However when the inmates make their spreads they get to choose what goes it in, how it’s made and they know where it came from. By doing this they are also showing off their creativity and personality. The spreads that the Asians make are different from those of the Hispanics and from the white people. Then there are the masters of a specific spread such as the cake baker. Through doing all of this their status is revealed. The inmates who make spreads every night undoubtedly have more money than those who make them once or twice a week. In general these spreads provide an escape from the mundane prison food and lifestyle while offering a time of socialization for those partaking in the creation of the spreads.   

            O’Donnell shows how food can define two different groups inside a community. She starts off by describing the difference between people of the south and people of the north. The people of the north were more honest because the government provided for them and the cattle that they raised. By contrast the people of the south were scrappy, dishonest and a bit corrupt because they had to fish for their food and no one was looking after them. O’Donnell goes on to show how food separates the old generations from the new. She also talks about how food can give insights into how effective the government is by seeing how well they provide food for their citizens. O’Donnell shows us that food can tell us things about the government, where we can from and use those things to separate us from our community.  

            Cate and O’Donnell are very different in the way they relate food to communities. Cate shows how food can bring a community together and strengthen them. While O’Donnell writes about the way food is used to separate and tell the difference between two groups within a community. Cate gives us examples of inmates spending evenings together creating spreads. Sometimes they combine their ingredients to make and share one spread and some even share with those who didn’t or can’t contribute. On the other hand we have O’Donnell who uses food to separate groups within a community. She shows how morals and ethics can change overtime and how food relates to that.

            I found Cate’s study most interesting. The topic and community she chose to research was unique. It was something I never knew existed and is quite intriguing. The things that these inmates can concoct out of left overs is amazing. Here at school we often complain about Sodexo but if these inmates can make something so interesting I’m sure we can survive as well. One thing from Cate’s article that really stood out to me was when she shares that the anonymous Chinese inmate shares his spreads with people that don’t have the money to make their own. I don’t think of inmates as being that kind and selfless so to see an example was really awesome to me.     

SE2 - Soft Drink Advertisements

        Coke or Pepsi? That is the question on everyone’s mind. It can be asked in order to determine what is more popular in a specific region, among friends to see if you’re one of “them” or at a restaurant. Regardless of where or why the question is being asked, an answer is always given because most people have a very strong opinion of which is better. This question of Coke or Pepsi is also often asked in my house. For nine years Pepsi was all that could be found in my house, and a lot of it, approximately 48 can per week. However, over the last three years or so, my brother Ralph, decided that Pepsi was no longer good enough for him, he wanted Coke. So our accommodating mother decided that we would now buy 36 cans of Pepsi and 20 cans of Coke, because Coke now comes in packs of 20, not 12. This was astonishing to me. After six years of drinking Pepsi what made Ralph decide that Coke was what he wanted, why the change? He attributes the change to the “stronger” taste of Coke saying “You drink it [coke] and it’s like pow, ya know.” But I wonder what if it was something in the advertising or can designs themselves that drew him to the dark side of soda drinking. With that in mind I have chosen two print advertisements, one for Coke and one for Pepsi, to analyze and see if there is some difference within these ads, what those differences mean, and what that might say about my family or our culture in general.

Pepsi Ad - Google Images

                                               

              

Coke Ad - Google Images

                       
             

Above are the two advertisements for Coke (right) and Pepsi (left). Each ad has a specific design that appeals to different groups. For example, the Pepsi ad evokes a strong emotion. It shows pictures of teens or college age students enjoying life. The lively images show what is possible with Pepsi. Similarly their slogan ‘Live for Now’ grabs their attention. This generation is very much focused on the here and now, of living in the moment, let’s all remember YOLO (you only live once). Viewing this ad creates a desire to be like these people and a belief that Pepsi can create these moments. This ad relies heavily on pathos to motivate young people to buy Pepsi.

                In contrast to the Pepsi ad, the coke ad appeals to families or people more settled in their lives. There is, what I assume to be, a mom and dad polar bear sitting on their couch drinking Coke and a penguin staring at the coke bottles. There are several things about this ad that stand out. First it is a family in the ad and they look comfortable and settled. Secondly, they use their iconic polar bears in the ad; seeing the polar bears instantly links this ad to a Coke product and all that it has been. It almost gives it some credibility; for example when I see a Coke Polar Bear I expect and know that I’m getting something of value. Alongside this they feature the glass bottles in the ad, not cans. This too shows the history of the product. The coke brand has a long history that they feature and choose to remember. And as we learned from Freedman and Jurafsky consumers greatly value a product that has a history to it. The main selling point of this ad is that first there are polar bears featured and who doesn’t love polar bears but also that it is Coke and you know that it will be worth buying.        

                But there is more to these drinks than just the advertisements; we should also consider the cans themselves. After all the cans are what we see in the ads, they are what we hold in our hands as well as what sits on our tables. The designs of the can are as much a form of advertising as the actual advertisements we discussed above.

                First let’s consider the Pepsi can. As you can see the majority of the Pepsi can is blue with a red, white and blue circle featured prominently on the can. I would assume that the red, white and blue circle on the can is representative of the American flag. Having the flag, or at least a representation of the flag, on the can gives the feeling of it being an American product; letting people know this is what Americans drink. It’s a form of national pride. The blue on the can is interesting. First, according to ColorWheelPro.com, “Blue is often associated with stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom and confidence.” Under this description we can conjecture that this can appeals to people because the color allows them to trust the brand, it gives the brand credibility. Similarly they are confident in their decision to buy this brand. There is another part of the description that I find very interesting to think about. ColorWheelPro.com says: “Avoid using blue when promoting food and cooking, because blue suppresses appetite.” Given this description it seems strange that Pepsi would choose to use blue when it can suppress appetite. Then again color meaning isn’t an exact science and thirst isn't the same as hunger. I just thought this little snippet of information was interesting because Pepsi sells fairly well yet it uses a color that can suppress appetite. In general the Pepsi can is sleek, clean cut and has a crisp design to it while using colors that signify trust and confidence.

                Now let us examine the Coke can. Noticeably the can is red with white accents. The color red “is associated with energy, power, determination as well as passion, and desire” according to ColorWheelPro.com. These are all strong emotions that get results. For example ColorWheelPro.com says red “stimulates people to make quick decisions; it is a perfect color for ‘Buy Now’ signs.” If this is true and the color red can influence people to make quick decisions and is also associated with power and desire then impulse buying of this product can be expected. With such strong associations it is now wonder why so many people buy this product, it has a catchy color scheme. The word ‘classic’ is written on the can just under the brand name. I believe this to have significance because going back Freedman and Jurafsky: people prefer a product that has authenticity to it. To me the word classic implies that it is authentic, it has a history and people have enjoyed this product from the beginning of time. This kind of assumption and association with the words on the can alongside the strong color scheme are undoubtedly related to the popularity of this soft drink.      

                The advertisements these brands chose to use and the way they design their cans says a lot about American food culture. Both of the ads show how Americans use food to reach a certain emotion or create atmosphere. The Pepsi ad demonstrates how Americans value having a good time and living in the moment and enjoy food and drinks that lead to that type of atmosphere. The Coke ad shows how Americans use food to relaxation and enjoy themselves. For Americans food is very much based on the emotions they are feeling or hope to reach and these ads very much represent that idea.

                After looking into their different advertising methods, it’s time to see how that has affected Ralph and his change to Coke. Both cans use strong colors that symbolize good feelings. Both use advertisements that emphasis relaxing and having fun via pictures. The only real difference is the commitment to history that Coke holds. When you drink Coke you feel the connection to its past and the changes it as undergone as times have changed. Even Ralph acknowledges the “heritage” that coke holds. In conclusion, while advertising does have some effect on which brand is bought I think it ultimately comes down to taste and Ralph simply prefers the taste of Coke. 

P3 - Potato Chips, Who Knew?

Freedman and Jurafsky use a study of potato chips to make connections between food, language and culture. The first connection they make is between language on potato chip bags, specifically the type of words chosen, and who buys those bags. For example bags with more complex sentences that contain uncommon words are bought buy the upper class; whereas bags with simple less complex sentences are bought by the working class. This gives way to the idea that the working class usually has less education than the high class. The second connection made is health. When viewing the type of health comments listed on the bags Freedman and Jurafsky found that “expensive chips talk about health six times as much as inexpensive chips.” (49) This type of health talk includes statements such as zero grams of trans fat and no MSG. The third connection is all about distinction. Upper class people buying potato chips want to know that their chips are better than other chips they could be eating. “Distinction is used five times more frequently in expensive chips.” (49) The more distinct that the chips are, the more confident the upper class is that they are separating themselves from the working class. The final connection the authors make is authenticity. Although, unlike the other connections made authenticity is not clearly working or upper class. Both of the classes want to know that their food has a history, it has a past and that there is some tradition behind the food that they are eating. In general this article shows that the food advertisements very much represent the differences in the socioeconomic statuses. The upper class likes things that are complex, healthy, and are natural; while the working class likes things that are simple, traditional and aren't as concerned with health.           
              The thing I find most interesting about this article and its analysis of potato chips is that first of all they chose to use potato chips. I don’t exactly see the upper class chomping down on potato chips every night. Then again when I think of potato chips I visualize Lay’s and not Kettle Chips. That thought I just shared really proves what this article is trying to convey. Popchips, Kettle Brand and Boulder aren't really what I would consider potato chips. They seem too complex, healthy and upscale to be considered potato chips. These chips are the more expensive chips associated with the upper class and I have always been very working class. Until just now I had never really thought about potato chips and their associations with different class but now it makes a lot of sense. I guess I find it interesting that potato chips can shed so much light into the different socioeconomic statuses.

            When considering Freedman and Jurafsky’s study I would like to see it applied to toothpaste. I've always spent way too much time standing in the toothpaste isle trying to determine which kind I would buy. After reading this analysis of potato chips I would love to see what I could tell me about toothpaste and maybe explain why I buy what I buy and what that implies about me. I’m not sure what the study would find but I can image it would be similar to potato chips. For example the toothpaste with more complex wording would be sold to the upper class and toothpaste with a rich history would be sold to the working class. I think it would be interesting to see.