When thinking about the food that we eat, Americans rarely think about where that food we came from. Like the saying goes, “ignorance is bliss”. To us Americans, not knowing the cruelty and mistreatment of animals behind the food we eat is bliss. We don’t like thinking about the fact that the food we eat is genetically produced, and the animals we eat are mistreated and stuffed with harmful chemicals that hurt their bodies and ours. But it is time to open our eyes to what corporate culture has in store for us when we are sitting down to enjoy a nice meal consisting of meat.
In our culture, we as Americans eat a lot of industrialized food. This food is mass-produced in factories that are harmful to the animals we eat. According to The Meatrix, companies have taken over small family farms that grow their food in a healthy organic environment. When surrounded by huge companies that can produce a lot more products than small farms can, these small farms cannot survive for much longer. They are forced to shut down, therefore giving way to the harmful factories. These harmful factories infect their animals with growth hormones and other chemicals that are suppose to make these animals grow big so they can produce a lot of meat when killed. According to http://www.chooseveg.com/animal-cruelty.asp, Chickens are fed harmful steroid-like chemicals that increase their growth at such a rapid pace that their poor chicken legs are not able to sustain the weight of their body, therefore killing them in the process. Cows and pigs are also fed harmful chemicals in the hopes of fattening them up before they are sent to the slaughterhouse. These chemicals that are in the animals bodies not only hurt them, but they are also hurting us in the process. Also according to The Meatrix, animals that are no longer healthy or dead are then used to feed other animals. For example, if a cow were not to survive, the workers would take the blood of that cow and feed it to a living cow, passing along many diseases and increasing the chance of mad cow disease in that cow. After humans eat these cows, they can also become infected. Corporate factories don’t care that they are harming their animals and the people who eat these animals, they just are thinking about making money. Corporate companies and factories keep this information from us Americans because they want us to buy into the whole fast food nation of ours. If we were to know how these companies treated their animals, people would surely stop eating it. By keeping this information a secret, the companies are protecting their name and also generating profit from it.
Personally, from knowing this information, I am very turned off, however this does not mean I will turn into a full-blown vegetarian. One of the things I could do without giving up meat is researching which major companies treat their animals cruelly. I know for a fact that KFC mistreats their animals and feeds them steroid like chemicals, which is a huge turn-off to me as a consumer. By knowing this fact, I know not to ever eat at a KFC (not that I have in a really long time anyway). Not all animals are mistreated however. When buying meat from a local-grown farm, you can be sure that they did not mistreat their animals in the way that major companies do. Although the meat might cost a little more, it is also healthier in the long run for our bodies. No one is saying that you must be a vegetarian and can no longer eat meat, but next time you are eating meat, be aware of where the meat came from. It is disgusting to think about, and people would rather not, but being healthy is important, and not buying into mass-produced animal cruelty is also important.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Comments
to Kate (on her recipe post)
good luck !
i hope you make the popcorn perfectly...then bring it in and share (: LOL
-Rachel
to Maxi (on her Pollan post)
maxi, i agree with you. i think you make a good point in saying that americans are easily sucked into the next new fad, and how we don't really have a solid food foundation. good point (:
-Rachel
to Gavin (may day assignment)
I like the point you made about how people use Labor Day as another excuse to go shopping, however i want to say that people go shopping on labor day because they dont understand the concept behind labor day. to every major day there is a huge sale in major department stores, and that is because America puts it off as another day to spend money. How would you say that Americans should celebrate labor day?
good luck !
i hope you make the popcorn perfectly...then bring it in and share (: LOL
-Rachel
to Maxi (on her Pollan post)
maxi, i agree with you. i think you make a good point in saying that americans are easily sucked into the next new fad, and how we don't really have a solid food foundation. good point (:
-Rachel
to Gavin (may day assignment)
I like the point you made about how people use Labor Day as another excuse to go shopping, however i want to say that people go shopping on labor day because they dont understand the concept behind labor day. to every major day there is a huge sale in major department stores, and that is because America puts it off as another day to spend money. How would you say that Americans should celebrate labor day?
Chocolate Cake Recipe
recipe taken from http://www.cacaoweb.net/easy-chocolate-cake.html
Easy Chocolate Cake
(Scandinavian, medium dark)
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients
1+¼ cup (140 g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (dutched/dark)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 pinches salt
1 cup (220 g) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
½ cup (1.2 dl) milk or water
½ cup (1.2 dl) vegetable oil (flavorless)
2 eggs
Ingredients for frosting
2/3 cup (1.6 dl) heavy cream or whipping cream
9 oz (260 g) semisweet chocolate (40-50% cocoa)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C)
2. Grease a 9 inch (23 cm) cake tin.
3. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl.
4. Add milk/water, vegetable oil and eggs.
5. Mix everything together until smooth, either by hand or by using an electric mixer at slow speed. If the batter is too runny you may add slightly more flour.
6. Transfer to bake tin and bake at 350 degrees until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 35 to 45 minutes.
7. After the cake has cooled, slice the cake through the middle to make two layers (easier if the cake has been in the fridge).
Frosting
1. Heat 2/3 cup (1.6 dl) of heavy cream or whipping cream in a sauce pan.
2. Remove from heat, add 9 oz (260 g) of finely chopped dark semisweet chocolate, stir until smooth, and let it cool until in thickens, if needed in the fridge.
3. Use one 1/3 of the frosting between the two layers, 1/3 on top, and the rest around the cake. Put the cake into the fridge for one hour or more to harden the frosting.
4. This cake should have room temperature when served.
Variations
1. You may substitute 1-2 tablespoons of cream with rum for the frosting.
2. You may cut the top of the cake to make a flat surface before adding the frosting.
3. If you are making it for someone's birthday I would suggest doubling the recipe because this recipe makes for a short, thin cake (suggested by Cyrus, August 2008)
4. If you prefer a slightly sweeter frosting you may add a couple of teaspoons of honey to the frosting (suggested by Debbie Evans, August 2008)
5. Instead of vanilla extract, you may use an equivalent amount of freeze dried coffee (Suggested by Carol, October 2008)
6. You may use ½ cup of freshly brewed coffee instead of milk or water to get mocca flavor (Suggested by Noreen, January 2009)
Easy Chocolate Cake
(Scandinavian, medium dark)
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients
1+¼ cup (140 g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (dutched/dark)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 pinches salt
1 cup (220 g) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
½ cup (1.2 dl) milk or water
½ cup (1.2 dl) vegetable oil (flavorless)
2 eggs
Ingredients for frosting
2/3 cup (1.6 dl) heavy cream or whipping cream
9 oz (260 g) semisweet chocolate (40-50% cocoa)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C)
2. Grease a 9 inch (23 cm) cake tin.
3. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl.
4. Add milk/water, vegetable oil and eggs.
5. Mix everything together until smooth, either by hand or by using an electric mixer at slow speed. If the batter is too runny you may add slightly more flour.
6. Transfer to bake tin and bake at 350 degrees until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 35 to 45 minutes.
7. After the cake has cooled, slice the cake through the middle to make two layers (easier if the cake has been in the fridge).
Frosting
1. Heat 2/3 cup (1.6 dl) of heavy cream or whipping cream in a sauce pan.
2. Remove from heat, add 9 oz (260 g) of finely chopped dark semisweet chocolate, stir until smooth, and let it cool until in thickens, if needed in the fridge.
3. Use one 1/3 of the frosting between the two layers, 1/3 on top, and the rest around the cake. Put the cake into the fridge for one hour or more to harden the frosting.
4. This cake should have room temperature when served.
Variations
1. You may substitute 1-2 tablespoons of cream with rum for the frosting.
2. You may cut the top of the cake to make a flat surface before adding the frosting.
3. If you are making it for someone's birthday I would suggest doubling the recipe because this recipe makes for a short, thin cake (suggested by Cyrus, August 2008)
4. If you prefer a slightly sweeter frosting you may add a couple of teaspoons of honey to the frosting (suggested by Debbie Evans, August 2008)
5. Instead of vanilla extract, you may use an equivalent amount of freeze dried coffee (Suggested by Carol, October 2008)
6. You may use ½ cup of freshly brewed coffee instead of milk or water to get mocca flavor (Suggested by Noreen, January 2009)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Omnivores Dilemma
In Michael Pollan's Omnivores Dilemma, Pollan is trying to say that Americans do not have a food culture. He is trying to say that Americans follow whatever the next fad is, such as the fad of the Atkins diet. Whenever a new diet comes out, Americans will flock to it like it is the Holy Grail. We eat what Corporate Media tells us to eat, because we value thei opinions to such an extenet that they control not only our lives, but our eating habits also. If corporate media was to tell us that eating only carbs were healthy for us, Americans would do just that. Our diets are also based on what grocery stores tell us. Grocery stores market their food so that the most interesting products (and sometimes highly unhealthy) products are what we first see when we walk in, so we pick those stuff up right away. Pollan is also trying to say that unlike other cultures, like the Italian and French cultures, we are always trying to listen to what experts say is best for us. The Italians and French eat what they want, because they know what is good for them. They don’t rely on someone else to tell them what to eat.
When it comes to my family, I don’t think we follow what experts say. Nobody in my family has ever tried out a fad diet, and we eat what we want. My mother cooks what she wants to, but she always makes sure she incorporates healthy food also. One thing I noticed about my family though this unit is that we rarely ever eat fast food. It is frowned upon by my mother, as it is unhealthy and disgusting. The only diet one of my family members (my aunt) is on is not exactly a diet, but a way of life. My aunt is a vegan, and has been for over 20 years. Instead of succumbing to what experts say, my aunt sticks to her vegan regime. Although my mom does like to attempt to make some of the food we see on the food channel, she tries to also add special ingredients to make it her own.
When it comes to my family, I don’t think we follow what experts say. Nobody in my family has ever tried out a fad diet, and we eat what we want. My mother cooks what she wants to, but she always makes sure she incorporates healthy food also. One thing I noticed about my family though this unit is that we rarely ever eat fast food. It is frowned upon by my mother, as it is unhealthy and disgusting. The only diet one of my family members (my aunt) is on is not exactly a diet, but a way of life. My aunt is a vegan, and has been for over 20 years. Instead of succumbing to what experts say, my aunt sticks to her vegan regime. Although my mom does like to attempt to make some of the food we see on the food channel, she tries to also add special ingredients to make it her own.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Grocery Food and Habitual Food
In class, i realized that i do not eat a lot of fruits. In total, i eat one, and that is an apple. My mother eats several kinds of fruit, and my sister eats bananas, but i take after my father, and don't eat a lot of different kind of fruits. However, i do eat several vegetables including potatoes, lettuce (in my salad), garlic (my mom puts it in our dinner as a spice), and onion (also included as a spice in our dinners). I eat several roots, grains, and nuts also, including wheat, potatoes, garlic, and onion. I realized that my family does not eat a lot of these types of foods, instead we eat a lot of meat. Practically every meal my family has for dinner includes meat as an entree. Occasionally we have vegetables as an an entree, but it doesn't occur very often. When going to grocery stores, my mother tends to buy a lot of vegetables that she can put into our food. For example, when we are eating Stew, she buys a lot of squash, carrots, and potatoes. We only go to the grocery store when we need something, but for major stuff that my Mom likes to buy ahead of time, like meat, she buys in supermarkets. Usually my sister or I go out to the grocery store to buy the food we need.
While at the grocery store, we noticed a lot of things. We chose to observe a shelf that contained all Nabisco cookies, including Oreo, Chips Ahoy, and Ritz crackers. While looking at the cookies, we noticed that all the healthy cookies were on the top shelves, far from children’s reach. These cookies consisted of Wheat Thins and multigrain crackers. Right in the middle shelves was the colorful products, and the sweetest. These were the Chips Ahoy and the Oreo cookies. There were at perfect eye distance for a child to see it, and grab it. The packages were also brightly colored, with variations of pink, green, and blue on them. This made us come to the conclusion that the manufactures were catering to children’s eyes, and by using bright colors, it will draw the child in. The healthy crackers were on the top shelves because instead of trying to push these products, the store wanted to push the unhealthy, more expensive, cookies. In the left-hand corner of the cookie shelf were rice cakes. They were in their own secluded section, as if they didn’t matter very much. Since rice cakes are healthy, one might think that a store would want to advertise them more. In this case, it wasn’t true. One thing I noticed about the way the grocery store displayed their products was they always put the brand name in front, and the nutrition facts were hidden in the back, as if to hide these facts from the public eye. The brands and images of the products were most likely to draw a person in, rather than nutrition facts, which might be a big turnoff. The prices were also hidden pretty well, in a little section underneath the product. This was because the store didn’t want people to care about how much an item costs, rather how nice that item looks or how good that item tastes. This trip was an interesting experience, because when I go to the grocery store I hardly think about the way they display their products. I tend to know what I want, and go straight for that item. I don’t count the number of brand a certain product has, which in the case of the Oreo and Chip Ahoy cookies, there were several different kinds.
While at the grocery store, we noticed a lot of things. We chose to observe a shelf that contained all Nabisco cookies, including Oreo, Chips Ahoy, and Ritz crackers. While looking at the cookies, we noticed that all the healthy cookies were on the top shelves, far from children’s reach. These cookies consisted of Wheat Thins and multigrain crackers. Right in the middle shelves was the colorful products, and the sweetest. These were the Chips Ahoy and the Oreo cookies. There were at perfect eye distance for a child to see it, and grab it. The packages were also brightly colored, with variations of pink, green, and blue on them. This made us come to the conclusion that the manufactures were catering to children’s eyes, and by using bright colors, it will draw the child in. The healthy crackers were on the top shelves because instead of trying to push these products, the store wanted to push the unhealthy, more expensive, cookies. In the left-hand corner of the cookie shelf were rice cakes. They were in their own secluded section, as if they didn’t matter very much. Since rice cakes are healthy, one might think that a store would want to advertise them more. In this case, it wasn’t true. One thing I noticed about the way the grocery store displayed their products was they always put the brand name in front, and the nutrition facts were hidden in the back, as if to hide these facts from the public eye. The brands and images of the products were most likely to draw a person in, rather than nutrition facts, which might be a big turnoff. The prices were also hidden pretty well, in a little section underneath the product. This was because the store didn’t want people to care about how much an item costs, rather how nice that item looks or how good that item tastes. This trip was an interesting experience, because when I go to the grocery store I hardly think about the way they display their products. I tend to know what I want, and go straight for that item. I don’t count the number of brand a certain product has, which in the case of the Oreo and Chip Ahoy cookies, there were several different kinds.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
International Workers' Day (May Day)
International Workers’ Day, also known to many as May Day, is the day of celebration. This day marks the day in history when people first started to strike against their employers. They demanded shorter days, going from twelve-hour work days to eight-hour work days. All around the world, people decided to go on strike, and all around the world riots occurred. After a while, May Day became an official holiday, and several countries around the world host parades to celebrate this movement. May Day is an official holiday in lots of countries, some of but not limited to Albania, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, North Korea, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Venezuela, and Vietnam. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers_Day#History) In the United States however, May Day is not celebrated, instead we celebrate Labor Day, which happens in September. The reason the United States doesn’t celebrate May Day is because in 1887 President Cleveland feared that if May Day was celebrated on May 1, riots would commerce. Taking the safe way out, President Cleveland moved May Day to September. This is why we celebrate May Day in Labor day, and why many Americans don’t even know that a holiday such as May Day exists.
In order to live a good and meaningful life, people need to have a sense of history and the past struggles that previous Americans have suffered. Americans fought in the American Revolution, The Civil War, and other wars just to get to where we are now. By being unaware of our countries history we are disgracing past Americans who fought for our way of life. As the quote states, “history repeats itself”, but if we were unaware of history, we wouldn’t be able to survive like the past civilians had. By understanding history, we can get ourselves out of future problems that might occur. By understanding how wars were fought back then, and understanding how a winner was declared, we can understand how to protect ourselves (even though our methods might be more advanced). One thing to also understand is that even though we did not live through history, it affects everyone. America is the way it is because of the generations before us, and in the future America will be the way it is because of our generation. Although history might be a boring subject to some, it is also an important factor in our lives. We can’t rewrite our past history, but we can create our future history.
*information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers_Day#History
In order to live a good and meaningful life, people need to have a sense of history and the past struggles that previous Americans have suffered. Americans fought in the American Revolution, The Civil War, and other wars just to get to where we are now. By being unaware of our countries history we are disgracing past Americans who fought for our way of life. As the quote states, “history repeats itself”, but if we were unaware of history, we wouldn’t be able to survive like the past civilians had. By understanding history, we can get ourselves out of future problems that might occur. By understanding how wars were fought back then, and understanding how a winner was declared, we can understand how to protect ourselves (even though our methods might be more advanced). One thing to also understand is that even though we did not live through history, it affects everyone. America is the way it is because of the generations before us, and in the future America will be the way it is because of our generation. Although history might be a boring subject to some, it is also an important factor in our lives. We can’t rewrite our past history, but we can create our future history.
*information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers_Day#History
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