Sandwich!

I think that the defining factor that decides whether or not something is a sandwich is simply whether it follows the definition of sandwich when it is used as a verb. That means that crepes, quesadillas, hotdogs, hamburgers and even a McGriddle can all be listed under the sandwich category because they are made of at least two different qualities in which one quality is placed in-between or surrounded by the other material. So, in my opinion anything that is placed between another material is a sandwich. This means the possibilities for sandwich creations are limitless! While my definition of a sandwich might be vague, I feel that its ambiguity is the only way to fully encompass the vast spectrum of sandwiches.

Sandwiches are so much more than just grilled cheese, peanut butter & jelly, or lunch meat. I have seen some pretty odd things being eaten as a sandwich. For example my best friend, Cheree eats a sandwich that has peanut butter, banana slices and honey placed between two pieces of cinnamon toast, which she then proceeds to cook in a frying pan in a grilled cheese like manner. My sister went through a phase where she ate sandwiches that only had tomato, mayo and mustard on it. And of course the infamous Breakfast club sandwich. The 1980’s classic, featured a sandwich made with pixie sticks, Cap’n Crunch cereal, and butter. The sandwich that gets consumed the most in my room is made of Nutella and peanut butter!  This shows that sandwiches can come in many shapes, sizes and ingredients! But, what goes inside of the sandwich is only one half of the equation, what you place it in-between is just as important!

Not only is there an immense amount of variation available as to what goes inside of the sandwich but also what you sandwich it between. A sandwich doesn’t necessarily have to be placed in between two places of bread, although white bread and wheat bread are the most common sandwiching materials. I have seen sandwiches made from cookies, pancakes, lettuce, pita, and even chicken (see: KFC Double Down)!  Even one of America’s classic desserts the Ice Cream sandwich contains no bread, or meat, which tears down the argument that sandwiches are just meat and/or cheese placed between bread!

The culinary definition for a sandwich is hard to explain. Do tacos count, or strombolis, calzones, wraps and burritos? I would say that they are all in fact a part of the sandwich family! But these things illustrate the gray area that is created while trying to define a sandwich. Therefore I rely on the vagueness of my definition of a sandwich being; -anything made of at least substances, where one substance is placed in-between the other- to solve such dilemmas. Most importantly, when defining sandwiches, one must realize that there really is no right or wrong, but it should at least have an edible material that is actually being sandwiched by a differnent edible entity!

Hunger In America

In class we often watched food-related media that concerned lavish foods, or can be seen as reflections of America’s “gluttonous” culture, i.e. Diners, Drive-ins & Dives, Supersize Me, and Barefoot Contessa. In class little has been discussed about a completely different sector of America’s food culture. Hunger in America, in my opinion is often a topic that is completely ignored. Not only do foreign countries fail to recognize that America has its own hunger issues to be concerned with, but America has pretty much ignored the growing number of those who suffer from hunger each night.

                According to the Feed America Campaign 1 in 6 Americans suffer from hunger. Meaning that one in six people do not have enough access to food, in order to maintain a healthy diet. There are also many misconceptions about hunger that have probably played a role in it “being swept under the rug”. For example, a common misconception about hunger is that it only affects the unemployed, homeless.  More often than the not, the people who suffer from hunger are children (around 14 million), and have at least one employed working adult in their homes, and a large portion of people affected by hunger attended a technical school or college! (Feeding America). Another hunger –related misconception is that hunger only effects minorities, which is false, hunger knows no race and people from all over America are affected. From the suburbs, to rural areas, to inner city area’s hunger is a disturbing problem that needs to be given more attention. Only recently did the Feeding America Campaign start making PSA’s about hunger, (less than three years ago)!  Yet, while our government fails to give enough attention to this growing issue, there has been work within our own community to combat hunger. Every Thursday the UCM (18 College St!) provides a hot meal to local community members whose incomes are not sufficient. With the help of student volunteers, and other community volunteers UCM is efficiently improving the lives of community members, and proving that hunger is an issue we definitely should not be dealing with in America (or anywhere for that matter) in 2011.

The UCM Free Supper Thursdays and similar programs nationwide,  will hopefully gain the attention of the government, and serve as the catalyst  that end hunger in America.

Myers Reading

I did not like the Myers Article.

 In my opinion the tone was very rude, and "over-the top". His harsh criticism of the way in which some people choose to approach food, was very single-minded. He went solely off of stereotypes, and his outrage at this group is baseless.  He examines only the extremes of the “foodies” and doesn’t take in to fact this this community (if it even exist) would be made of a spectrum of people, and not all of them would be the pretentious snobs that he describes. When an author chooses only to focus in on way small group of people while examining a larger group of people, they send out the wrong which would be a misrepresentation of the larger group.

I would consider a “foodie” anyone who is passionate about food. Whether that is creating new meals in their apartment kitchen, or taking their private jet to try the latest Parisian cheese.  How is their passion so much more disturbing than some football fanatic dishing out hundreds of dollars for a plane ticket and admission ticket to attend the super bowl? It’s not; people are willing to spend money on the things they like so I find Myers’s argument (even though I really wouldn’t consider this an argument, its just 7 pages of him bashing “foodies”) complete garbage.

If Myers had instead, focused on how extensive spending was a waste in the schemes of things his argument might have been more valid.  If he wrote about how this money could have been used to support hunger-ending campaigns or things of that nature,  I would have been more likely to understand why he was writing what he wrote. In his last sentence Myers writes that “foodies” are  “certainly single-minded…& single-mindedness…is always a littleness of soul.”

In his last sentence Myers writes that “foodies” are “certainly single-minded…& single-mindedness…is always a littleness of soul.” So if this statement was true then that would mean because of the biasedness and single-mindedness presence in his article, Myers has less of a soul then the average person.

secret recipes

I asked my roommate why she thought secret recipes were important, she answered “because they’re secret”, and in my opinion this sums up why we love secret recipes pretty well. Our society has a strong craving to know the things we don’t; our curiosity is endless, and this reflected in many aspects of our culture, even food!  Secret recipes serve as the targets for our inquisitiveness within the food culture. Secret recipes hold importance to those who know it and those who wish to know it for many different reasons.  For the recipe-holder secret-recipes are important because the possessors now have something that others covet. And having others desire your recipe to a particular dish is a compliment to your culinary talents and an ego booster! If you just gave away your recipe, you access to culinary importance would be shared by all, and therefore no longer significant. When you have a highly craved recipe you have leverage (even if minute) over others. For those who don’t know the recipe, secret recipes are important because they present a challenge. Either you try and find a way to gain access to the recipe or you have to make you own recipe that surpasses the undisclosed recipe. Our culture’s love of food and our limitless curiosity is combined and mirrored r through our embrace of secret recipes.

For corporations like Coke and KFC secret recipes serve as a way for them to distinguish themselves from competitors. It has also proved to be a strategic marketing plan. Coke isn’t like Pepsi because it has a secret recipe that can’t be duplicated;  KFC isn’t like Popeye’s because KFC uses 11 herbs and spices that distinguish it from all other fried chicken, and in their point of view makes it better. The use  of a secret recipe by large food franchises lets consumers know that they won’t be able to find a product similar to theirs anywhere else; thus drawing them in, and in some cases  even spend more money. Having a product  that has become  very successful over the years, then keeping the process and ingredients involved  in its creation stumps competitors and excites customers!

food injustice.

During Food Inc. I found the images, of animal cruelty the most compelling. I don’t eat meat, so seeing the suffering and torture that the animals endured was very persuasive. I have no issues with other people eating meat, or even selling meat for profits; I have actually sold animals (lambs, pigs & cows!) at my local county fair so I know that there are methods, that warrant quality meet products and ensure  that the animals are treated amicably, and are well-taken care of.  Vegetarians & meat- eaters a- like should have been able to look at the images and see the corruption that runs rampant in these companies. Not only did these images show the immorality of these enterprises, but who really wants to  an animal that has been standing in  its own feces for its whole life?

I also thought that Barbara Kowalcyk’s story was also very compelling. Mrs. Kowalcyk participated in an activity (eating fast food) that millions of other Americans do on a daily basis, yet it caused the death of her child. Not only did she lose her child to the carelessness of these food manufacturing  monopolies, but little change has been made since that day, so her work, while importantt, has yielded little change forcing her to watch while others endure similar experiences, all of which could be avoided.  Her story I think is enough to make any audience member think twice before eating something, and not really knowing where it comes from, or what’s in it. Her story should also prompt change in the way the government oversees food production companies.

Joel Salatin's perspective was also compelling, because he seemed knowledgeable about his topic, and his production techniques, while basic were the safest, cleanliest, and  most humane. He also seemed like a nice guy so it was easy to listen to him talk, and see where he was coming from. 

Overall I think Food Inc. contained a lot of compelling elements that could persuade any open-minded audience member, or at least get them to think about where their food comes from, and if they were okay with knowing the facts of their food's origins. 

Week 5- open topic.

   Our class is focused on food cultures, so I think it’s important to highlight one of food cultures’ most popular subdivisions…DIETS! I consider diets to be a subgroup of the food culture because it deals directly with food & food intake, so it just made sense to me. However all diets definitely do not make sense for instance the “Beer and Ice-cream diet”; people believed that ingesting the two cold products would require your body to work harder to heat the food up in order to digest it (thus burning more calories). Then there was the cookie diet (designed by a doctor) which had its clients eat 6 specially prepared cookies a day, & then one small meal, but people who participated consumed less than 1000 calories a day, so it was highly restrictive. Not only do diets come in a wide arrange of methods and approaches (some credible, & others most definitely not), but the diet industry is an extremely advertised and seemingly profitable trade.

   Print ads, commercials, and billboards pushing the latest diet pill, diet book, or weight loss lost secret are pretty much everywhere. These companies spend a lot of money on celebrity endorsements as well; whether it’s Jersey Shore cast member, Ronnie trying to sell you Xenadrine, or Kirstie Alley in a bikini on Oprah after losing 50 lbs. via, Jenny Craig. These companies use “stars” to attempt to appeal to potential buyer’s ethos, but in reality just because you use the same product that Kim Kardashian “uses” does not mean that your body will look like hers. Especially in today’s society, where a lot of attention is paid to how a person looks, (see: Hollywood, high school) not being overweight is vital, which is ironic because over 30% of Americans are overweight. Shows like the Biggest Loser, I Used to Be Fat and Heavy, have all picked up on America’s growing interest in shedding pounds.

   The diet industry and the food culture share an undeniable connection in my opinion. High food intake (& little exercise) leads people to gain weight, which more often than not results in dieting. American diet trends are discussed on a daily basis, & millions visit fast food restaurants on a daily basis, coincidence? I think not! So it seems to me that America, the food loving we country that we are, do not share that passion for food moderation (our portions sizes are gluttonous compared to a lot other countries) or for exercise. Of course this is speaking in very general terms, there are people who love healthy food, and working out, still I think that it is safe to say that way most Americans consume food has catalyzed a diet-product revolution of sorts, which shows no signs of lessening, just like our obesity rates!

Fast Food Nation

I have seen my share of information concerning the negative attributes of the fast food industry. I know about the expansive amounts of grease, preservatives, and other less than appetizing elements that can be found within their products. However I still find myself craving McDonalds’s french fries, and strawberry milkshakes, Burger King’s onion rings, and Frostys from Wendy’s, on a semi-regular basis (meaning mostly weekends at three or so in the morning, [when they are closed in Athens?!?!] ). To me fast food, presents the opportunity to indulge, and reach my daily caloric intake levels within a single meal, all without spending a lot of money. Fast food provides a break from the monotony of dining hall food, without having to go far, or spend more time and energy than I want. I like many Americans enjoy fast food because of its convenience.

Fast food almost seems essential in some American lives. Yet in other countries these food chains do not bear as much importance. Italy for example puts a lot of time and effort in to the production of their meals. And according to my Italian teacher who is from Italy, European countries normally have better quality ingredients than American food does, and there is also a greater importance to eat as a family and spending a lot of time at the dinner table with one another is also significant in traditional Italian families. For these types of countries (who do in fact have and utilize fast food restaurants) homemade meals have a greater appeal, and the want for fast food is not as great because of it. In developing countries money is the main discrepancy between their fast food utilization and American fast food use. They do not have as much expendable cash, and often rely on their own means for food, which is cheaper.  Still fast food chains do make large enough profits from their overseas chains. This means that the allure of fast food is great not just to Americans but to pretty much everyone.  I’m sure there are hundreds of different reasons for this, but for Americans I believe that there is one central reason why we have made it such a large part of our culture; its convenience.

Fast food, more than anything is convenient. It’s fast, cheap, and has the ability to quiet the hunger pangs that arise in the most undesirable times.  America can easily and rightfully be titled as the fast food capital of the world, not only did it originate here, but we without a doubt consume the most of it.  Fast food is American because from a very early young age we are introduced to it. We have grown up with it, and consequently have a greater appreciation for it.  I know that my four year old little brothers would prefer a happy meal over just about anything.  Fast food is not only introduced to us at a very young age, but it is always reasserting itself into our daily lives. Commercials, billboards, and print ads of these fast food chains are present everywhere, causing us to crave the high calorie meals.  Still, its convenience is what gave these companies their success and allowed them to transform into the ginormous corporations that they have become.  And as long as they continue to serve food at low prices, with high accessibility, they will continue to remain a large part of American culture.