Food Inc. is such a compelling movie. I have watched it a couple times before and each time I walk away disgusted. It isn't simply the treatment of the animals but the treatment of the people. America -- in the international community -- presents itself as this country where those that want to can make something of themselves. Think of the American dream; someone who starts out with nothing, works hard and pulls themselves up by their boot-straps. Does that really happen anymore? Can the American dream be achieved with employment opportunities presented in Food Inc? Wikipedia says, "The average chicken farmer employed by multinational corporation such as Tyson makes about $18,000 a year. However in order to make company standards they have on average invested $300,000 per chicken house with continuing mandatory upgrades." If one of those chicken house were closed, a company could pay 7.5 employees $40,000 a year. Not to say that $40,000 is a truly livable wage but it would be an upgrade. In the Human Services program we talk about shopping your morals. In our culture money drives much of what we do, so where we shop truly can effect change. I personally refuse to shop at Walmart because of the way they choose to treat their employees. There are days were I know it would be easier go pick up some really cheap items there but I am willing to pay a little more to shop at a company that treats their employees properly. We've discussed before the idea of having connection to our food; this for me is another point where I can connect. I would much rather purchase something knowing that those people who have made it possible for me to buy are being compensated properly.
United States. Rule and Regulations and Statements of Procedure. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2002. Print.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Food Inc.
It is always difficult to watch documentaries like these because ignorance is bliss. Documentaries like Bowling for Columbine, Super size Me and The Cove . I am thankful for the light that is shed on the issues that they cover, but it is disheartening at the same time. I feel like I should do something to change my behaviors in an effort to correct the problem, but I know I will likely be going back to McD's or eating the next Tyson chicken in the next few months. Psychologically, it is difficult for humans to change behavior when the environment doesn't change. Humans can't make the change by themselves, the companies do. I would recommend watching The Cove. It takes place in Japan and it is about dolphins that are hunted for their meat and are sold to markets as whale meat. Not only are people getting ripped off because whale meat is worth more than dolphin meat, but the dolphin meat has high levels of Mercury. The general population is obviously unaware of this, the government is able to cover it up. The same thing may possibly be happening in the US since when it comes to fish regulations, there are next to none.
As for Food Inc, I think that it illustrates perfectly that food that we should be eating is more expensive and it's not just an excuse. The family where the husband had diabetes and the family could only afford his meds or healthier food. I mean, there are probably some ways that they could have changed their diet that would still make it healthier than fast food, but it is difficult and takes some research to really do that, especially for working families with children. Things like the food libel laws are complete BS like when they were trying to sue Oprah for saying she won't eat hamburgers when there's no way they can prove that is what caused burger sales to drop. It's totally backwards, we should be protected from them, not the other way around.
As I mentioned earlier, I am glad to have some knowledge of what is happening after watching documentaries such as Food Inc, at the same time it is disheartening and stressful because it is difficult to fathom a solution.
Maryland. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Food and Drug Administration. Genetic Engineering: Fast Forwarding to Future Foods. Rockville: MD, 1996. Web. 7 May 2010.
As for Food Inc, I think that it illustrates perfectly that food that we should be eating is more expensive and it's not just an excuse. The family where the husband had diabetes and the family could only afford his meds or healthier food. I mean, there are probably some ways that they could have changed their diet that would still make it healthier than fast food, but it is difficult and takes some research to really do that, especially for working families with children. Things like the food libel laws are complete BS like when they were trying to sue Oprah for saying she won't eat hamburgers when there's no way they can prove that is what caused burger sales to drop. It's totally backwards, we should be protected from them, not the other way around.
As I mentioned earlier, I am glad to have some knowledge of what is happening after watching documentaries such as Food Inc, at the same time it is disheartening and stressful because it is difficult to fathom a solution.
Maryland. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Food and Drug Administration. Genetic Engineering: Fast Forwarding to Future Foods. Rockville: MD, 1996. Web. 7 May 2010.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Farmer's market?
Yeah that thing that... 10-3 o'clock on a Saturday?...
[ ] Kitchen
[ ] Eating Utensils
[ ] Bowls or plates
[x] Means of transportation
[ ] Any form of spices
[x] Friends with kitchen
[ ] Friends with kitchen that isn't trashed and full of dirty dishes
[ ] Oh right, and money.
Kramer, Kyle T. "The Magic of the Market." America 201.10 (2009): 9. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 5 May 2010.
[ ] Kitchen
[ ] Eating Utensils
[ ] Bowls or plates
[x] Means of transportation
[ ] Any form of spices
[x] Friends with kitchen
[ ] Friends with kitchen that isn't trashed and full of dirty dishes
[ ] Oh right, and money.
Kramer, Kyle T. "The Magic of the Market." America 201.10 (2009): 9. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 5 May 2010.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Finding a connection to my food...
Unfortunately, I missed class last week due to a work issue and therefore missed knowing exactly what they assignment was. However, I did go to the Farmer's Market because it is my Saturday morning ritual this time of year. The fruit stands are my favorite. I use them as my snack for the week -- I often get fresh veggies as well. By the end of the week, whatever is left over I make a fruit salad or I'll sugar and use for a desert topping.
I enjoy going not just for the food and other good sold but the sense of community it brings. We've been talking about being connected to our food and how hunting could bring about this feeling. I have to say talking to the vendors helps me make a connection with the food I eat. Hunting would cause me to disconnect because I would feel horrible about eating something with a face. The opposite happens with my fruits and veggies; when talking to those that have had experience with it. As I buy my produce I take pride in knowing that this is from my community. I get to share in the joy of harvest.
Farmer's Market
Going to the grocery store with four kids is hectic, however trying to bring them all to an open market with lots of people and LOTS of places to hide, is down right nerve wracking. I can honestly say that I have never been to a Farmers market before, so it was a new experience for me. My two youngest children had a blast, it was fun for them to see all the people, stands and tents. When Nikyla and Kiana get excited it includes a whole lot of running around and screaming! As we attempted to walk through the Market, I noticed that the prices were more than I had expected them to be. Although, while I was looking at prices my kids were tasting things from various stands and picking out all the things they wanted to buy.
Since my kids all love fruit I figured I would buy some and make fruit salad for a Saturday afternoon snack. My older kids helped me pick out the fruit they wanted picking strawberries, grapes and raspberries. By this time my two older kids, Dominic, Mia and I were tired of chasing the girls around.Thus, we decided that our adventure at the Farmer's market was over. Needless to say, I was not able to conduct any type of conversation with stand owners.
After we left the Farmers Market, we stopped at the grocery store to get the rest of the ingredients for our fruit salad. Cool whip is an essential for fruit salad when it comes to my kids.We went home and the kids helped me put the fruit salad together, which was fun. The entire family sat down and enjoyed the fruit salad. This assignment made for an interesting and fun day for my kids and I.
Tiemann,Thomas K., "Grower-only Farmers' Markets:Public Spaces and Third Places" Journal of Popular Culture: Vol 41 Issue 3. p467-487: June 2008
Since my kids all love fruit I figured I would buy some and make fruit salad for a Saturday afternoon snack. My older kids helped me pick out the fruit they wanted picking strawberries, grapes and raspberries. By this time my two older kids, Dominic, Mia and I were tired of chasing the girls around.Thus, we decided that our adventure at the Farmer's market was over. Needless to say, I was not able to conduct any type of conversation with stand owners.
After we left the Farmers Market, we stopped at the grocery store to get the rest of the ingredients for our fruit salad. Cool whip is an essential for fruit salad when it comes to my kids.We went home and the kids helped me put the fruit salad together, which was fun. The entire family sat down and enjoyed the fruit salad. This assignment made for an interesting and fun day for my kids and I.
Tiemann,Thomas K., "Grower-only Farmers' Markets:Public Spaces and Third Places" Journal of Popular Culture: Vol 41 Issue 3. p467-487: June 2008
Farmer's Market
Lindsey Crawford
Library 201
2 May 2010
5th Blog
Farmers Market
I love going to the farmer’s market. When I lived in Truckee, CA, going to the farmer’s market every Thursday at the Truckee Regional Park was one of the highlights of my week. It is how I met the owner of the Sierra Valley Organic Farm and ended up volunteering there last spring. That said, the farmer’s market here in Bellingham is also fun; however, the one over at the Public Market does not have as great of a selection as the one in Truckee. It doesn’t have as much choice and the produce is a bit pricey. I like the atmosphere, the kids running around, the chatter, but it is not the same. I feel like it almost has an elitist vibe to it. Talking to a couple of the sellers gave me that impression. Like when I asked one stand--who shall remain nameless to protect their identity--about their produce operations, I got an offended reaction, like I was the health inspector or something. Luckily, other people I talked to were much more accommodating. I got talking to one seller about lettuce for a while. He was telling me how another customer was cracking down on him because his greens were unwashed. I thought that was ridiculous. Greens last longer if they are not washed. And since they are all organic, the seller is not supposed to wash them. He seemed to take great pride in his farm practices, and that customer had really set him off. We had a good rant about it all though, about how corporate farms spray their greens with all kinds of chemicals and his are all natural, yet he gets complaints. We had a good gripe session.
At the market I bought some yummy tomatoes and basil. Then I went to the co-op and got some fresh mozzarella and made a delicious fresh salad with it all. OK, so I also added bacon to it, but everything tastes better with bacon. For dessert I had some kettle corn...mmm...kettle corn. All in all my trip to the farmer’s market was fun, informative and tasty, although I miss the one back in CA--I think I miss the people there more than anything.
Vora, Shivani, “A Virtual Farmer’s Market,” Inc. Apr 2010 Vol 32 Issue 3. Ecohost. Web. 2 May 2010 (107)
Farmer's Market
I live in Seattle, so I visited the farmer’s market in U district yesterday. I’ve never been, so I didn’t know what to expect. Before I went, I looked up a recipe to make. I checked out epicurious.com and I decided to make a mango bread pudding listed right on the main page since I was in a dessert mood. When I got to the market, I thought that it was pretty much how I had pictured it to be, just more crowded than I expected. I started looking at the vendors and going in some tents to search the produce and comparing prices. I found some things to be less expensive compared to how much they’d cost at the grocery store, but I think that for the most part it was more expensive. Also, it was probably a mistake to have looked up a recipe beforehand because I did not find one thing that I needed (besides eggs which I already had at home). I ended up buying some produce as well as a cinnamon roll to go. Afterwards, I went to the Safeway across the street to buy the ingredients for my mango bread pudding.
Going to the farmer’s market was a learning experience and I definitely had a few realizations. First, I remember when we visited the archive building and read the old documents. While reading through menus and cookbooks I wondered why certain recipes were delegated to certain seasons… because recipes were made when ingredients were in season! I enjoy being able to go to the grocery store to buy produce that may not in season or locally grown. Sometimes I may be craving something and I don’t feel like waiting until summer to eat it. Secondly, I realized that I consider grocery shopping to be an autonomous matter. I like to be able to be able to easily navigate a store, find what I need, and checkout (preferably u-scan). I like to go shopping with as little assistance as possible. I noticed at the farmer’s market that this was impossible. I probably sound really antisocial right now but I usually go shopping early in the morning or later at night, soon after I have woken up or before I go to sleep, I usually just feel scrubby and not in a very social mood. The market was also pretty packed which made me feel a little claustrophobic. Something else that I realized is that not only does growing your own produce or hunting your own meat make you become more connected to it, but shopping at places like the farmers market makes you become more connected to your food and also on a social level. Many vendors were friendly, offering samples and explaining how items were grown or processed. It was also a social experience with many groups of people walking around just talking. I believe that there are many other benefits that the farmer’s market has to offer that I didn’t mention such as purchasing local products and buying healthier choices.
After visiting the farmers market I realized some pros/cons of both the market and grocery store that I was unaware of before. Although I would go back to the farmer’s market in the future, I prefer the grocery store.
Eller, Daryn. “Farmer’s Markets a Trip to Bountiful.” Vegetarian Times 297 (2002): 34-40. Print.
Going to the farmer’s market was a learning experience and I definitely had a few realizations. First, I remember when we visited the archive building and read the old documents. While reading through menus and cookbooks I wondered why certain recipes were delegated to certain seasons… because recipes were made when ingredients were in season! I enjoy being able to go to the grocery store to buy produce that may not in season or locally grown. Sometimes I may be craving something and I don’t feel like waiting until summer to eat it. Secondly, I realized that I consider grocery shopping to be an autonomous matter. I like to be able to be able to easily navigate a store, find what I need, and checkout (preferably u-scan). I like to go shopping with as little assistance as possible. I noticed at the farmer’s market that this was impossible. I probably sound really antisocial right now but I usually go shopping early in the morning or later at night, soon after I have woken up or before I go to sleep, I usually just feel scrubby and not in a very social mood. The market was also pretty packed which made me feel a little claustrophobic. Something else that I realized is that not only does growing your own produce or hunting your own meat make you become more connected to it, but shopping at places like the farmers market makes you become more connected to your food and also on a social level. Many vendors were friendly, offering samples and explaining how items were grown or processed. It was also a social experience with many groups of people walking around just talking. I believe that there are many other benefits that the farmer’s market has to offer that I didn’t mention such as purchasing local products and buying healthier choices.
After visiting the farmers market I realized some pros/cons of both the market and grocery store that I was unaware of before. Although I would go back to the farmer’s market in the future, I prefer the grocery store.
Eller, Daryn. “Farmer’s Markets a Trip to Bountiful.” Vegetarian Times 297 (2002): 34-40. Print.
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