Efficiency of Eating

Today you can pick up a phone in Denver, dial a number, and in a few seconds be talking to your friend in London.  You can hop on a plane in Denver and be talking face to face with that same friend in a little over nine hours.  The internet allows instant access to the largest database ever created by mankind.  Capitalism is set up where the best and hardest workers will achieve the most.  How does this relate to meals?  The combination of the speed that everything gets done and the need to outdo competitors means that taking a break to eat a meal could mean that you will miss that promotion you’re looking for.  This causes everyone to be as efficient with their time as possible so that they aren’t left in the dust.   

What does it mean to be efficient?  To be efficient you need to get the most amount of work done with the least amount of time wasted.  The manner that meals are eaten is changing because of the quest to be efficient.  People are choosing to multitask while enjoying a meal instead of enjoying that meal with no distractions.  More and more people are choosing to take food to go to be able to eat when the timing is more appropriate.  Even the food industries themselves are being affected by this change.  Fast food is increasingly popular as well as food products that cater to people who are in a rush.  An area where this is clearly apparent is on college campuses around the country. 

While college doesn’t pit students against each other, there is still competition to get good grades.  After all, the person with the highest grades when they graduate has a better chance of getting the dream job.  A week or so ago I sat in a college cafeteria and made observations about anything that I could find.  The most apparent observation that I made directly supports this thesis.  This observation was that every table had people doing work while eating.  Most tables had a laptop or two open and others had open notes or books.  It used to be that lunch was a time to get away from work and obligations but now lunch has become a time for people to get some extra work out of the way.

Another interesting observation was that there were a large number of people who would get food to go.  This new sensation of food to go allows for people to go to their best location to get work done instead of eating only in the cafeteria.   The increase in popularity of food to go has drawn the attention of the cafeteria workers as well.  Proof of this is in the size of the portions.  The food is perfectly portioned to fit into a to go box.  The size of the portions helps the workers serve more people.  So in a sense, the cafeterias have become as efficient as possible to cater to the students who are trying to be just as efficient.  The quest for efficiency is changing how people choose to eat their meals as well as how the suppliers of the food choose to serve it.

Colleges are changing more than just the abundance of food to go.  College cafeterias are beginning to have longer hours so that students can choose to eat when they don’t have as much work to do.  For example , “at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, residential restaurants at Fox Hall and South Campus have changed to continuous dining, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.” (Rosenberg, Janice)  This change is allowing students to be as efficient as possible and still not skip meals.  Because food is available all day students no longer need to combine meals and work.  It is as simple as getting the work out of the way whenever you have time and then as long as it is between the hours of 7am and 8pm food is available. 

While this shift in food culture is apparent on college campuses everywhere, it is also apparent in different industries.   For example, why would anyone ever choose to eat a Twinkie?  Is it because they taste good? Probably not.  If flavor was the only deciding factor than a slice of cake from even a mediocre bakery would best a Twinkie.  The reason is the convenience.  For those who are trying to grab a quick treat the Twinkie would probably win them over simply because it is much easier to eat.  Hostess plays at the idea that the frosting for the cake is on the inside instead of the outside. (see image 1)  This makes it easy to eat with your hands and not get frosting everywhere.  People are more concerned with wasting time than eating better food.  Being efficient by not spending too much time eating allows you to get more work done.  Like I said earlier, the one who does the most work will probably get the promotion.  Most people will choose to sacrifice the better food to eat something quicker that will allow them to get work done while eating. 

Another industry that is being affected by this shift in priorities is the fast food industry.  The need to be as efficient as possible has caused fast food chains to be increasingly popular.  First just take a look at the name, “fast food.”  The companies are advertising to people who want to be able to get something to eat quickly so that they can get onto their other obligations.  When the average wait time is 193.2 seconds it makes sense that people would choose this option to save time. (Garber, Amy)

Next take a look at the food offered at fast food restaurants and compare it to food offered at sit down restaurants.  While food from fast food restaurants is edible, the food pales in comparison to restaurants where you sit down and order.  That begs the question, why would anyone choose to eat at a fast food restaurant?  It is because it doesn’t take that much time, “one of the primary advantages of eating at a fast-food restaurant is getting fast service.” (Koeppel, David)  The fast pace of service at these food establishments allow people to spend the least amount of time eating.  This allows for more time to be spent getting work done.

The restaurant business is not the only business to see that people prefer efficient meals.  There are many things that average consumers can find at stores that cater directly to limiting the amount of time wasted by eating.  For example, “none leave behind the pot, stove, bowl, spoon, or table more fully than Campbell’s Soup at Hand.” (Horwitz, Jamie)  Campbell has designed a new product that is soup in a microwaveable container.  To make it even better for those in a hurry, the container fits into most car cup holders.  Preparation is as simple as putting the cup in the microwave and turning it on for the correct time.  With this it’s very easy to quickly prepare a meal and maximize the amount of time working.

  Thinking about efficiency for people who need to drive, this soup cup is perfect.  All you need to do is drive and drink the soup.  You don’t need to spend time eating before or after the commute and there is no cleanup time at all.  Campbell understands the need for efficiency and designed their cup to fit into cup holders in cars.  This plays directly into everyone’s need to optimize their time by doing as much as possible. 

Another example of this is TV dinners.  While the name was originally designed to make them seem advanced and cool,(Horwitz, Jamie) they also are able to be advertised as an efficient way to eat a meal.  When all it takes is to open it, put it in the oven or microwave, and enjoy, it’s a very efficient meal.  If you usually watch television then this is an opportunity to get two things done at once.  Eat a meal and watch some television.  The low preparation time lets you work until very close to when you want to watch television.  The easiness and convenience of the tray lets you eat and watch the show at the same time.  And there is practically no cleanup.   This product is found in almost every decent sized grocery store because people like the convenience that it offers. 

The American society is a society where the hardest worker will achieve the most and speedy technology makes time extremely valuable.   This has caused people to change their usual meal routines.  Almost everyone is spending less time eating and more time getting things done.  This shift has caused a major change in how food is presented to us.  Fast food is increasingly popular across all ages.  Commonly bought products in grocery stores have had their taste perfected leaving the presentation the main focus.  This presentation is playing into eating quickly and spending the least amount of time actually preparing the meal.  Today meals are viewed as either something that must be done quickly to not waste any time or as a time when work can be done along with eating.  It is all about efficiency. 

Images

#1

 

Works Cited

Rosenberg, Janice. "A Revolution in College Dining." The Boston Globe. 6 Nov. 2005. Web. <http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/11/06/a_revolution_in_college_dining/?page=full>.

Koeppel, David. "Drive-Thru Wait Times Getting Longer." Slashfood. 27 Nov. 2009. Web. <http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/27/drive-thru-wait-times-getting-longer/>.

Horwitz, Jamie. "Eating at the Edge." Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Summer 2009). June-July 2009. Web. <http://blackboard.du.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/2009.201230/Eating%20at%20the%20Edge%20-%20Horwitz.pdf>.

EE #1 Rough Draft

Efficiency.  Everyone tries to do as much as they can in the least amount of time.  One of the effects of this is that meals are changing.  People are choosing to multitask while enjoying a meal instead of enjoying that meal with no distractions.  More and more people are choosing to take food to go to be able to eat it when the timing is more appropriate.  Even the food industries themselves are being affected by this change.  Fast food is increasingly popular as well as food products that cater to people who are in a rush.  The cause of this is a combination of advancement in technology and capitalism.

Today you could pick up a phone in Denver, dial a number, and in a few seconds be talking to your friend in London.  You can hop on a plane in Denver and be talking face to face with your same friend in London in a little over nine hours.  The internet allows instant access to the largest database ever created by mankind.  Capitalism is set up where the best and hardest workers will achieve the most.  How does this relate to meals?  The combination of the speed that everything gets done and the need to outdo competitors means that taking a break to eat a meal could mean that you will miss that promotion you’re looking for.  

While college doesn’t pit students against each other to get the best grade, there is still competition to get good grades.  A week or so ago I sat in a college cafeteria and made observations about anything that I could find.  The most interesting observation that I found was that every table had people doing work while eating.  Most tables had a laptop or two open and others had open notes or books.  It used to be that lunch was a time to get away from work and obligations but now lunch has become a time for people to get some extra work out of the way. 

Another interesting observation was that there were a large number of people who would get food to go.  Even the food was portioned properly to fit into a to go box.  These people would get the food to go presumably because they have prioritized work over food and they don’t have time to eat at that moment.   There are some people who would go so far as to skip a meal so that they get more work done. 

Colleges have begun to adapt to this shift in priorities.  Cafeterias are beginning to have longer hours so that students can eat when they don’t have as much work to do.  For example , “at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, residential restaurants at Fox Hall and South Campus have changed to continuous dining, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.” (Rosenberg, Janice. The Boston Globe)  This change is allowing students to be as efficient as possible and still not skip meals.  Because food is available all day students no longer need to combine meals and work.  It is as simple as getting the work out of the way whenever you have time and then as long as it is between the hours of 7am and 8pm food is available. 

This shift in priorities is also affecting different industries.   For example, why would anyone ever choose to eat a Twinkie?  Is it because they taste good? Probably not.  If flavor was the deciding factor than a slice of cake from even a mediocre bakery would best a Twinkie.  The reason is the convenience.  For those who are trying to grab a quick treat the Twinkie would probably win them over simply because it is much easier to eat.  Hostess plays at the idea that the frosting for the cake is on the inside instead of the outs ide.  This makes it easy to eat with your hands and not get frosting everywhere.  People are more concerned with wasting time than eating better food.  Being efficient by not spending too much time eating allows you to get more work done.  Like I said earlier, the one who does the most work will probably get the promotion.  Most people will choose to sacrifice the better food to eat something quicker that will allow them to get work done while eating. 

 The quest to be as efficient as possible has caused fast food chains to be increasingly popular.  First take a look at the name, “fast food.”  The companies are advertising to people who want to be able to get something to eat quickly so that they can get onto their other obligations. 

Take a look at the food offered at fast food restaurants and compare it to food offered at sit down restaurants.  While food from fast food restaurants is edible, the food pales in comparison to restaurants where you sit down and order.  Then why is it that anyone would ever choose to eat at a fast food restaurant?  It is because it doesn’t take that much time, “One of the primary advantages of eating at a fast-food restaurant is getting fast service.” (Koeppel, David. Drive thru Wait Times Getting Longer)  The fast pace of service at these food establishments allow people to spend the least amount of time eating.  This allows for more time to be spent getting work done. 

The restaurant business is not the only business to see that people prefer efficiency when eating.  There are many things that average consumers can find at stores that cater directly to limiting the amount of time wasted by eating.  For example, “none leave behind the pot, stove, bowl, spoon, or table more fully than Campbell’s Soup at Hand.”  Campbell has designed a new product that is soup in a microwaveable container that fits into most car cup holders.  Preparation is as simple as putting the cup in the microwave and turning it on for the correct time.  Thinking about efficiency, while driving it is not too difficult to eat, but it is very difficult to do work.  This means that it is prime time to eat a meal.  Campbell understands this and designed their cup to fit into cup holders in cars.  This plays directly into everyone’s need to optimize their time by doing as much as possible. 

Another example of this is TV dinners.  While they were originally called this to make them seem advanced and cool, they also are able to be advertised as an efficient way to eat a meal.  When all it takes is to open it, put it in the oven or microwave, and enjoy, it’s a very efficient meal.  If you are planning on watching your favorite television show at the same time that you are going to eat then you are killing two birds with one stone.  You can work up until your show is about to start, eat while you watch your show, then go right back to work.  Because you were planning on doing no work while watching television anyway you are not losing any work time, and because you can fit a meal into the time that you are watching television you are maximizing the time you can work. 

In a society where the hardest worker will achieve the most and with technology that makes the difference of minutes matter eating meals has taken a subservient position to working.  Students and people with jobs alike are spending less time eating and more time getting things done.  This shift has caused a major change in how food is presented to us.  Fast food is increasingly popular across all ages.  Commonly bought products in grocery stores have had their taste and consistency perfected leaving the presentation the main focus.  This presentation is playing into eating quickly and spending the least amount of time actually preparing the meal.  Today meals are viewed as either something that must be done quickly to not waste any time or as a time when work can be done along with eating. 

 

P5 Eating on the Edge

Horwitz begins her argument by talking about how the times are changing.  Things are speeding up with the invention of almost instantaneous communication and quick travel methods.  This change is effecting how we choose to eat our meals.  She uses soup as one of her first examples.  It used to be that someone would prepare the soup and clean all the dishes.  Today soup has evolved into single serving prepackaged containers that require no extra dishes and no preparation.  This is all playing into how our society is becoming more efficient with our time. 

                Horwitz then explains what possibly started this trend of efficiency while eating.  The TV dinner is what most likely caused this shift.  It caught on quickly because it was “cool and modern.”  Even the author fell for this type of advertising, she says, "Like many other baby boomers, I recall being dazzled by the tv dinner on a tray table." (Horwitz, Jamie. Eating at the Edge page 44) The simple consistent meal that it contained broke down a major component of dining.  While before the most important person at the table would have the best meal, now with the uniform meal trays there is no variation in quality.  This throws off the normal table hierarchy and causes a shift in what was once normality at the table.  

                I am able to relate to this shift as a college student.  Like what I wrote in the most recent short essay, our lives are all about budgeting time well.  If a meal can be eaten while getting other work done at the same time, that’s an ideal situation.  With soup cups, TV dinners, and other convenient prepared foods that only require heating and next to no dishes it makes life easier to get work done and eat. 

I do enjoy going back home and having a long sit-down dinner with my family.  The break from obligations to get things done is great.   But the reality of it is that at college there is too much going on to spend over an hour just eating food and enjoying the company of your friends three times a day every day.  

Gotta Love that Cafeteria Food

Being efficient with your time is one of the most important things that college students can learn.  One part of the day where most people don’t waste any time is lunch.  From my observations in the Nagel dining hall I can conclude that everyone tries to maximize their productivity while eating.

Generally the Nagel dining hall is full of a bunch of students that are grabbing some food and doing some homework between classes.  Almost everyone in the dining hall is a student and most tables have at least one school related object along with the food that people are eating.  In addition to the books and notes, almost every table has at least one person one their laptop.  Some faculty or school employees stopped by and got something to eat, but none of them sat down and ate their meal in the dining hall.  This is probably because most of the faculty have their own offices where they can eat while getting work done.  This means that not only are the students trying to get work done while eating but almost everyone is.

Across the country dining halls are changing their methods to help students be efficient with their time.  They are doing this by increasing their hours of operation.  In Massachusetts at UMass-Lowell the dining halls, ”stay open later and longer, often from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with continuous service between meals.”  This allows students to prioritize their work over meals because they know that at almost any time they are going to be able to get food.  Even if it is not during regular operating hours food is available. 

Most of the students that eat at Nagel are sophomores and some freshmen.  This is probably because Nagel is a sophomore dorm and it is located adjacent to Nelson which is another sophomore dorm.  This closest freshman dorm is J-Mac but the majority of freshmen live in Halls.  Halls has its own cafeteria so most freshmen choose to eat there.  As for the seniors and juniors, most of them don’t live on campus.  The majority of them have an apartment or house where they can cook their own meals.  This makes it so that they do no need to go to the cafeterias to get food.  Another reason they avoid the cafeterias is because most of them don’t have meal plans.  This presents them with a fork in the road where both paths require them to spend money to get food.  One path is buying cafeteria food and the other is restaurant quality food or groceries.  Most people that I know would choose the ladder of the two. 

Another reason that juniors and seniors would choose to avoid the cafeterias is that it is also a loss in efficiency of their time.  During lunch you can assume that they would head back to their apartments or houses so that they can drop off materials for past classes and grab whatever they need for later.  And to grab something to eat if there is enough time.  If they are done with classes then the best place for them to start doing work would be at home.  After all, there are a lot of distractions in the cafeterias that makes doing quality work difficult.  If I was in that position I would choose to head home and cook myself a good meal and eat that while doing work.   

There are three types of food offered at Nagel.  You can pick Mexican food, Barbecue, or pizza.  Most people choose to eat either the Mexican food or barbeque.  This is probably because all of the other cafeterias offer pizza and most people I have talked to are sick of pizza from eating so much of it.  The way that the food is served to people who get it to go plays into being efficient with time.  The portions fit perfectly into to-go boxes.  This allows anyone who is running late or is short on time to stop by, grab a meal to go, and eat it when more time is available. 

The quality and quantity versus cost of the food is very reasonable.  The food is arguably the best on campus and most people pay with a meal swipe.  The food that is offered is always the same but the chefs know how to cook what they make and it is always consistent.  Sometimes the food at other cafeterias tastes bland but at Nagel the food is consistently tasty.  Because the portions are enough to fill you up without overfilling you and you pay as much as any other cafeteria I argue that it is the best place to eat on campus. 

The décor of Nagel is a modern cafeteria.  There are a couple large booths and there are tables scattered in the rest of the open space.  Two TVs are located in the eating area to entertain the patrons of the cafeteria while they eat.  To get your food you go to the counter that offers what you want; barbeque, pizza, or Mexican.  Then the chef puts what you want on your plate and gives you your meal.  To pay for the meal it is as simple as walking to the register paying with whatever method works best for you. 

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/11/06/a_revolution_in_college_dining/?page=full

College Dining Hall Source

This blog talks about how cafeterias are adapting to the average college student.  My main point from my observations is that most students are efficient when they go to eat.  This is because they are usually doing homework or socializing while eating.  The blog talks about how more and more dining halls are changing their hours so that students can eat at times when it is most appropriate for them.  This allows students to be more efficient with their time and not forgo eating so that they can get work done. 

The link to this website is:

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/11/06/a_revolution_in_college_dining/?page=full 

A look into China and a San Francisco Jail

Both authors offer very different looks about the importance of meals.  O’donnell offers a look into the foods that eaten in China.  In the north beef is much more prominent while in the south seafood is more common.  Cate shows a look into how people in a San Francisco county jail eat when it is not during a meal time. 

                Cate talks about how inmates make “spreads” as a way to make life better while in jail.  Starting with a Ramen noodle base the inmates create meals from items that are available when other is not being served.  These spreads act as a way for prisoners to spice up the monotony of prison food and as a way to socialize.  While most people choose to share spreads so that they aren’t eating alone, spreads separate prisoners into different classes.  The class that is able to afford the ingredients and those who cant. 

                O’donnell starts out by explaining the differences between northern China and southern China.  She says that in the north beef is a major part of most meals.  She then relates the northern beef eating people to being socialist and not as quick witted as people from the south.  People in the south are more associated with being quick witted and capitalistic.  This can be attributed to the difficulty of catching the food.  It is easy to farm cattle because they aren’t that agile and the government supports the cattle farmers.  Fishing is different.  The fishermen would need to rely on outsmarting the fish and catching enough to eat.  The government isn’t able to supply the fisherman with extra fish if they aren’t successful.  This creates a capitalistic situation where the best fisherman catches the most fish and makes the most money and the worst fisherman makes the least.  

second essay comparison

I chose to read the blog post Gatorade vs. Crystal Light.  The link to the blog is, http://foodiesnotwelcome.blogspot.com/2012/04/gatorade-vs-crystal-light.html.  This blog was very different when compared to my blog.  There are two major differences that I have found.  The first difference is that I chose to compare and contrast specific aspects that the ad would play into while the Gatorade vs. Crystal Light blog analyzed each one individually.  For example I compared the easiness to eat the product on the go as a reason why one product would be picked over the other.  Another difference is that I talked more about why one would choose one product over the other because of price and convenience and Dani chose to talk more about the emotional connections that the ads tried to make. 

                I feel like both approaches, while different, are effective.  They both bring up major aspects of the ads and then evaluate how that ad attempts to make people buy the product.  Also, the two blog posts are different because I used two pictures and Dani used two videos.  In videos there is motion and sound which is better suited to spark emotional responses while a picture only appeals to your eyes.   

Cake Battle

I have chosen to compare the ads for a hostess Twinkie and an ad for various cakes at a local restaurant where I live called Rosine’s.  Both of these are directed at people who have a sweet tooth and want to eat dessert.  The most obvious difference between the two adds is that the Twinkie is much cheaper and more readily available and a Rosine’s cake is only available back in Monterey California.  

            The ad for the Twinkie is more geared toward people who are looking for a sweet snack, while the ad for a piece of Rosine’s cake is geared for someone who is planning on eating a meal followed by the cake as dessert.  Both ads lack price tags but it is easy to tell that one Twinkie will cost less than one slice of cake.  Especially because the box contains 10 Twinkies.  Therefore if one decides to buy a Twinkie there is no need to buy and prepare a good meal that can be followed by absurdly delicious slice of cake.  If you do buy a slice of cake from Rosine’s it is much better suited to be eaten as a dessert after a meal so that the meal as a whole can be as good as it can be. 

An advantage that the ad for a Rosine’s cake has is that it uses kiros, or timing.  In the caption of the Facebook add it says, “Desserts for today.”  Then one would look at the picture, 

and the first thought that comes to mind is that after today these cakes won’t be available.  The ad for the Twinkie doesn’t play into a limited timing at all.  Hostess has intentionally or not done the exact opposite.  While it doesn’t say it on the box, it is almost common knowledge that if a massive natural disaster happens, you can count on finding edible Twinkies to nourish yourself.  So for the person who is deciding what to buy, only taking into account availability, most people would choose the gourmet cake because of somewhat limited availability.

            Believe it or not, Hostess has an advantage over the gourmet cakes.  This advantage is that Twinkies are easier to eat.  A caption on the box says, “golden sponge cake with creamy filling.”  For those who are trying to eat a quick lunch or perhaps are eating a snack on the go this would probably win them over simply because it is much easier to eat.  Hostess plays at the idea that the frosting for the cake is on the inside instead of the outside.  This makes it easy to eat with your hands and not get frosting everywhere.  Looking back at the Rosine’s ad there is only one item that can be eaten with your hands and not get frosting everywhere.  That item is the partial image of the cookies at the bottom of the picture.  As a local and a friend of the owner I would pass up eating a slice of cake for a cookie because I know how good they are and that I can go back another time and get cake.  But for someone who isn’t certain, the images of cakes are overwhelming when compared to the image of a few cookies. On the go eating is played down by Rosine’s and Hostess plays directly at being able to eat it as a snack on the go.   

            The two ads also play at the difference between home cooked versus factory made.  The hostess Twinkies come is a box of ten.  Rosine’s cakes are made daily by hand and the selection is always different.  This is another difference that can tip the scales.  If a person wants to buy something that you can enjoy ten different times and have the same taste and texture then Twinkies will win.  But if a person wants to enjoy a slice of cake that is more or less unique but will probably last only one meal then a slice of Rosine’s cake will win. 

            Back at the central coast of California, where Rosine’s is located, there is always talk about preservatives in food and packaged goods and the benefits of eating organically.  Most people agree that when presented with the choice of processed food versus non-processed food the better one is the non-processed one.  This gives the Rosine’s ad an advantage.  There is no packaging other than the plates that the cake sits on.  The Twinkies come in a box.  

Without reading the ingredients list and seeing what is actually in the food, the cakes look like they contain much less preservatives and other chemicals the some people don’t care for. 

            Personally, I don’t think I have ever eaten a Twinkie.  Something that can never go bad isn’t all that appetizing for me.  When presented with the choice between a slice of cake or a Twinkie the cake trumps any and all appeal for the Hostess snack.  

Complexity of Potato Chips

Ever since I was very young I have wondered why some types of food had simple language on the bag and some had complex language.  I had guessed that the potato chips with the complex writing were better tasting chips.  I have eaten both the “expensive” chips and the “cheaper” chips and other than slight differences I have never been able to figure out why one would cost more than the other.

The most interesting thing about the article for me is that the reason we pay more for the complex labeled chips is because they are marketed towards people who have more money to spend on chips.  And that you would pay less for other chips just because they are marketed to people who have less spending money for snacks.   It is not directly because the more expensive chips are that much better than the cheap ones.  At least I’ve never heard anyone complain that their potato chips aren’t high enough quality.  From what I understand it is more about people paying more so that they can eat potato chips that represent their socioeconomic status. 

I’ve seen this around a lot when it comes to Costco brand or Safeway brand foods.  Those brands are always cheapest if you are buying them in their respective stores and it seems like not too many people buy them.  After reading this it makes sense.  People buy these brands when their budget only allows them to spend that much money.  And the people that do spend the extra money are trying to buy the appropriate consumables that are directed at their social class. 

The power of food

Joe Woolpert

The Power of Food

            We need food.  Without it we would die.  This necessity for nourishment has driven cultures to create dishes that are unique to certain regions.  These unique cultural dishes could be attributed to religious ideals or available resources.  It makes sense that beef and chicken are major parts of the American diet because that resource is very abundant in the United States.

Today food is no longer difficult for us to obtain.  Combined with efficient travel methods people have been able to spread different cultural dishes away from their origins.  For me, whenever I am able to eat a unique dish from another culture I am able to associate memories with the meal. 

            Being from a primarily British family I am used to eating traditional British foods.  My favorite dish that sparks most memories for me is shepherd’s pie.  Ground beef mixed with peas and other vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and cheese in a casserole dish and baked in the oven.  When I was much younger my grandmother would make it for me when I would visit her.  Not only did the meal supply me with the nutrients that I need but it also would make me think of family and my heritage.  Whenever I eat shepherd’s pie I think of my grandmothers cooking and my family.  

            Food doesn’t only spark thoughts of who usually cooked that dish.  It also provides us with a way to observe different cultures.  I have traveled a lot in my life and one way that you can get an unadulterated look into a society is to go to the local market and see what is for sale.  For example if the local market mainly sells fish then you know that the culture depends on fish and that you are probably close to a large body of water.  If the market only offers beef then you know that the culture depends on cattle and that most likely there isn’t a nearby body of water. This is significant to me because I am always interested in different cultures and how people live their lives.

            Before leaving my home to go to college food has been one of the main rallying points for my family to set down and talk about what is going on in life.  Eating dinner with my sister and my parents was one of the few times in the day where we were all together and not busy.  This gave me the opportunity to talk about what I have been able to accomplish and to listen to what my family has been accomplishing.  Even if I didn’t like what we were eating I still would be happy that its dinner time because I was with my family. 

            Having a daily family dinner where my entire family can sit down and eat and enjoy each other’s company is something that I always liked.  Now that I am at college and away from all of my family, dinner is still something that I look forward too.  This is regardless if I am able to meet up with friends or if I am trying to eat a quick dinner alone.  While eating dinner alone is definitely not as much fun as eating with friends, I still enjoy it occasionally.  Eating alone helps me to remember all of the dinners I ate with my family and all the things we talked about.  It is a way to reminisce of the days before I had almost complete independence. 

When I am eating with my friends those memories usually stay in the background.  With friends we all talk and share our stories just like I used to do with my family.  I will not be surprised if later in life when I eat dinner I will be reminiscing to the times when I ate cafeteria food with friends.  My point is that eating with friends is great because it is where memories can be made and shared with each other. 

 There has always been one meal that was the most meaningful to me.  That is thanksgiving dinner.  It is when tradition is able to blend with spending time with close and distant family.  I view thanksgiving is a dinner where the company is above average and the food is delicious.  I will always be able to remember the thanksgiving meals that I had with my family. 

Food can be wolfed down and treated as something that is only meant to sustain you until the next meal.  It can also be treated as a way to socialize with friends and catch up with family.  I choose the ladder of the two because for me food is a conduit that we can use to create memories and remember past experiences.