Today we presented during the EFS symposium. While I didn't find the time to listeen to any toher presentations, it was interesting to look around at other booths to see what other classes had been up to during the month. I think that despite some slight technical difficulties, our prestntation went over very well. It was sweet, short, and enteratining.
Zmy group did the dorm food in Lander for our part. The research and little thing that we found out while preparding for the presentation was shocking! The fact that we weren't able to get any nutritional data from the dining halls or how it wasn't even posted in the first place! And seeing the other groups' information presented liek the convenience store and the UW farm, I learned things that, after a month, I had never seen, but should have been obvious to me.
OH! and by the way, the Lander 2con Convenince store now has a sign hanging up that says "Hey, check out our healthy and organic section!" I thought it was funny how this was put up right after the suymposium when we revealed the lack of healthy and organic food in the conveniece store. Coincidence, or did we make a difference??
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
punk food
I really enjoyed the article on punk food. I liked the idea and concepts these "hippies" are promoting and how they stand up for what they believe in. I also really like how they will organize and join together to fight for their cause. And while I personally don't think that I would have enough will power to do what they do (i lvoe all kinds of food too much!), I think that it's really admirable how strong they stay and how they stick together.
And speaking of punk food, the visit from David Giles was very interesting and amusing. I definetly agree with everything that he was saying and what he stood for. We waste so much perfectly good stuff everyday, and throw out things that can be useful to others. And to think of those so close by who have nothing and are starving. I think that the food not guns program is a brilliant idea to take what others have WASTED and to make something out of it. I grew up in a very uppper class privileged area, and have sen people throw out cans because they are slightly bent, or fruit because of one little bruise, or even material things liek a couch because there is a tiny little stain on it. It does seem ridiculous that we would bring it to a dump to waste instead of making soemthing out of it, or even better, pass it on to someone else who really does need it. I also really liked how food not guns will take what they have found and make a hot meal and distribute it every week. It cost them nothing but their time to do, and I'm sure that they have really saved nad made a ton of people very, very happy.
This is the first time that I have heard of this program, and was delighted to find that there is one in Berekely, close to where I live! and while I'm not too sure that I can work myself up to dumpster dive yet, helping out and volunteerinf for the organization is something that I'll definelty look in to!
And speaking of punk food, the visit from David Giles was very interesting and amusing. I definetly agree with everything that he was saying and what he stood for. We waste so much perfectly good stuff everyday, and throw out things that can be useful to others. And to think of those so close by who have nothing and are starving. I think that the food not guns program is a brilliant idea to take what others have WASTED and to make something out of it. I grew up in a very uppper class privileged area, and have sen people throw out cans because they are slightly bent, or fruit because of one little bruise, or even material things liek a couch because there is a tiny little stain on it. It does seem ridiculous that we would bring it to a dump to waste instead of making soemthing out of it, or even better, pass it on to someone else who really does need it. I also really liked how food not guns will take what they have found and make a hot meal and distribute it every week. It cost them nothing but their time to do, and I'm sure that they have really saved nad made a ton of people very, very happy.
This is the first time that I have heard of this program, and was delighted to find that there is one in Berekely, close to where I live! and while I'm not too sure that I can work myself up to dumpster dive yet, helping out and volunteerinf for the organization is something that I'll definelty look in to!
China Shrimping
When Yu came to talk to us, she made me realize that this problem with industrializing food is worldwide, and not just a problem in the United States. She talked about how China's shrimping industry has been quickly changing from small local farms to big industrialized procedures. And because of these procedures, China is having to pay the consequences. Big shrimping machines and closed in shrimping farms put the enviroment and other animals in danger. It is taking away small. local family business for unhealthy and bigger farms which can sell cheaper and make more of a profit.
This reminded me exactly of ruth Ozeki's book and what we talked about. It is directly parallel to the industrialized farming of potatoes and other vegetables. Injected chemicals to make the shrimp and vegetable look better or last longer, put the consumers in danger. We don't know what is in what we eat anymore that is not organic. Farmers these days will sacrifice anything to make a bigger profit and to dominate the market. Smaller family farms have seemed to diappear only to be replaced by these bigger industrialized ones that consolidate what they are raising into smaller areas so that while they are unhealthy, they can raise more of them.
This problem is worldwide. And it applies to almost everything--plants and animals. At this point in time, it seems to me that we have dug ourselves in to a hole that's too big to get out of. It's actually kind of scary to me thinkiong about how what we are eating is being prosuced, and if it's even worth it.
This reminded me exactly of ruth Ozeki's book and what we talked about. It is directly parallel to the industrialized farming of potatoes and other vegetables. Injected chemicals to make the shrimp and vegetable look better or last longer, put the consumers in danger. We don't know what is in what we eat anymore that is not organic. Farmers these days will sacrifice anything to make a bigger profit and to dominate the market. Smaller family farms have seemed to diappear only to be replaced by these bigger industrialized ones that consolidate what they are raising into smaller areas so that while they are unhealthy, they can raise more of them.
This problem is worldwide. And it applies to almost everything--plants and animals. At this point in time, it seems to me that we have dug ourselves in to a hole that's too big to get out of. It's actually kind of scary to me thinkiong about how what we are eating is being prosuced, and if it's even worth it.
Monday, September 10, 2007
soup for the soul
Surprisingly, I actually have never had lentil soup before, so cooking and eating it was a completely new experience to me! After the final preperation, i was pleasantly surprised by my first bite! The soup was tasty and flavorful, and i was shocked because it tasted like there was chicken broth and meat in it! Professor Anagnost said that it takes something good to make water taste good, and i think that we really succeeded. I liked how all the ingredients were fresh, and how natural and whole it all was. Everything included was grown naturally fromt he ground
aniamls
Watching the Meatrix really brought a new light into what I am eating.
I am a huuuge animal lover; i always have been. I was always the little girl who cried when animals were hurt in movies, and who would refuse to kill even bugs that were in the house. A funny, witty, flash animation movie that made a serious issue more of a reality to me. I can't even think of horrible conditions that some of the animals live in in the farms, all for people who are only looking to make a profit! They are sqeezed into small pens, underfed, genetically and wrongfully altered, and made to live in diseased and dirty conditions. The movie made me furious about the treatment of these animals!! It really made me think about what I was putting in my body, and if it was even worth it.
On another, but similar note, the other day when I was watchin Hogan Knows Best on VH1, they were talking about being kosher. Before I had never really thought into what keeping or eating kosher was other than that I had some jewish friends at school who did it. But through a not-so-educational tv show, I learned the basics of keeping kosher and what it is to eat kosher food. Kosher has to do with the way that the food is prepared, and how the animals are treated. They have to be kept in good conditions and killed with no pain in order to be considered kosher. Everything is fresh and clean. I loved the idea and concept of keeping kosher, especially after watching the meatrix, and seeing how horrible some animals are treated. It's humane and fresh and healthy, which really appealed to me.
I am a huuuge animal lover; i always have been. I was always the little girl who cried when animals were hurt in movies, and who would refuse to kill even bugs that were in the house. A funny, witty, flash animation movie that made a serious issue more of a reality to me. I can't even think of horrible conditions that some of the animals live in in the farms, all for people who are only looking to make a profit! They are sqeezed into small pens, underfed, genetically and wrongfully altered, and made to live in diseased and dirty conditions. The movie made me furious about the treatment of these animals!! It really made me think about what I was putting in my body, and if it was even worth it.
On another, but similar note, the other day when I was watchin Hogan Knows Best on VH1, they were talking about being kosher. Before I had never really thought into what keeping or eating kosher was other than that I had some jewish friends at school who did it. But through a not-so-educational tv show, I learned the basics of keeping kosher and what it is to eat kosher food. Kosher has to do with the way that the food is prepared, and how the animals are treated. They have to be kept in good conditions and killed with no pain in order to be considered kosher. Everything is fresh and clean. I loved the idea and concept of keeping kosher, especially after watching the meatrix, and seeing how horrible some animals are treated. It's humane and fresh and healthy, which really appealed to me.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Pollan
Reading just the introduction of Michael Pollan's book, Omnivore's Dilemma, brought a lot of good points to my mind. Like, how the Atkin's diet fad changed the way everybody ate, and what was sold in the stores. Grain sales dropped as meat rose. And how 100 calories packs and low carb snack bars popped out of nowhere. And I like how he brings attention to the way that we Americans, known to be overweight, are the ones most obssessed with eating healthy and counting calories. We don't look to enjoy our food, but rather to what sounds the healthiest. Yet, we are still the most unhealthy and overweight. We are obssessed with nutrition, that we overthink it too much and overlook actual value of what we are eating. I have never heard of the "French Paradox", but I understand and witness it in almost every other country I visit. Americans are known to be fat, other countries eat what they want and enjoy, but are more fit than us. I think that a lot of it has to do with our lack of exersice and the amount that we eat. We are sooo used to eating huge portions of food where "bigger is always better" and because we are such a capitalist country, we always want to get the most out of our money. We, as Americans, are willing to sacrifice nutrition and health for what is cheap and fast. I also really like how Pollan sort of makes fun of us because we really don't know waht goes into most of the foods that we do eat. How, recently, people are becoming infatuated with buying organic with booms at stores like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, but, still, for most of what we eat, we need a nutritionist to tell us what is in it.
P-Patch
On the last day of class, we were taken to the Seattle P-patches. We saw two of them, on opposite sides of the campus. The main difference between the 2 was the lay-out and what was being grown. When more food over flowers and plants are being grown, it's probably because people needed the food to eat. The lay-out just had to do with the community and personal prefrences. Just the concept that they presented really impressed me. The idea of them were ingenious! Not only do they provide a chance for healthy, homegrown food, but they also promote a sense of community and meals for low income people. It was like a haven in the middle of the big city; a garden growing right out of the cement. They are versatile, useful, and good for the people and city. I love the idea of P-patches, and would really push for more of these to pop up not only in Seattle, but also in other cities.
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