How I decide to eat

Ultimately I decide what to eat based on what is available. Typically, the dinning halls here do not vary widely on their selection.  I also base my decisions on how I feel and what I will be doing in the future. For example, if I am going to have a huge race/event the next day, I will eat more pasta, pizza, meat and other foods good for working out.  If I'm not doing anything, then I will decide what to eat based on what I feel like having at that time. I also try to include foods that are well balanced, such as salads, fruits, meat and water, to ensure that I have a healthy diet.  I do not necessarily see me changing my eating habits very soon because I do not see the dinning halls serving anything different than in the past.  I eat fairly healthy so I do not see any reason to change my habits unless the food provided is altered drastically.    

Food Effects

                No matter where a person is living, has lived or will live, they will always have something in common with every human being on this planet.  That something is food.  Whole societies are based around food; it often dictates how one will pan their day.  Despite all the possible uses of food such as holidays, ceremonies, social events, one of its main uses in society is comfort.  Individuals turn to food in stressful situations, they have for years, it can soothe one’s emotions by escaping reality through comfort and trigger old memories.  Certain foods cause a person to recall wonderful memories they have experienced in the past, causing them to forget the tense situation they may be encountering.   Some people have also been known to revert to a type of food they consumed during a time of need long after they have been out of the situation, it allows them to remember what it was like to not have normal food and cherish their current condition.  Essentially, food has been known to get individuals through harsh times as well as cause them to recall when they endured the tough times and succeeded.

                One can personally attest to all of these conditions food provides.   As a young boy, we lived in a small town in the Deep South on the banks of the Mississippi River.  As one would expect in the Deep South, we consumed numerous deep-fried foods and Mexican cuisine.  However, towards the end of the fourth grade, my father joined the Foreign Service and we were stationed in Krakow, Poland.  At the time the U.S. was not favored around the world, especially Europe, and Poland more closely resembled a communist country rather than a western democracy that it was.  No one there spoke English, in fact when one would hear English spoken on the Rynek (the local square), you would rush over and begin speaking with them to see where they were from and cherish talking to another native speaker outside of your small English speaking community.  Naturally, we were all stressed and every member of the family faced hardships in their daily life, whether it was joining a Polish soccer/rugby team where no one knows your language, deciphering the language at the market or attempting to give Polish citizens visas to your home country.  As an outlet most expats turned to food, and despite Polish cuisine to be very tasty, they cannot cook American food at all, therefore we all strived to attain our native food through anyway necessary.  This was done by three paths, one was to go to Warsaw (the capital) and use the commissary at the embassy there that was about double the size of the c-store at Centennial Halls, go to the American military base in Germany or have a family member mail it to you from the U.S.  The food that we craved would seem very minor or odd to many Americans, but to those who have been in this position know exactly how it is.  We would stock up on Root Beer, Reese’s, Lucky Charms,  moon pies, tortilla chips, milk, and most of all; American beef.  As one can see, we were not concerned with the nutritional value of these foods, rather the effect it give us upon consumption.  It reminded us of the days growing up on the picturesque farm in rural Missouri and the cookouts we would have family and friends.  This is not a rare occasion at all, Mary O’Donnell explains in her article The Cultural Politics of Eating in Shenzhen that even peoples moving within their own country experience this affect: “Zhang Tao failed to understand that when his mother ordered cornbread, she was reminded of the meals she had forgone both in rural Shandong in the early 1970s and, a decade later, in Shenzhen…” (O’Donnell 7).  This is similar to how we as expats felt, native Europeans could not really grasp the idea since they had never left the continent, but it provided an escape for us from this strange environment that we had become submerged in.   It is no secret that without American food to help comfort us and give us an escape route, or time in Poland would have been miserable. 

                This created a profound effect on us towards American cuisine ever since.  Now that we now live in the United States, we relish every time we eat the food that we used to long for.  There is not a burger, a steak, nachos or a Reese’s that we eat that does not remind us of the times in Poland where all we would think about was having a real American steak.  In essence, being in Poland has given us the reverse effect than when we lived there.  While we lived in Krakow, we longed for American food and when we finally had it, it would remind us of being home in America.  Now, having the exact same food reminds of when we lived in Poland rather than reminding us of actually being home.  Consuming food sometimes causes people to reminisce about a time when they were in harsh times or had terrible food options and therefore allows the person to appreciate any food they receive, even if it is not particularly good. 

                Putting up with “bad” food can be easily achieved if one goes through a time when they did not have access to much or good food.  Before junior year in high school, I went attended a three week Outward Bound mountaineering course in the Colorado Rockies south west of Vail.  Nine boys started the trip, while only seven of finished the course.  Through the course, we had two supervisors that taught us land navigation and how to live with the supplies that we had. By the last week or so of the trip, we only saw the instructors once a day, when they told us where we had to camp the next night, so throughout the whole day, we were the ones who laid out the route we would take and what and when we would eat.  Being the wilderness for weeks, our food was obviously limited with what we could bring.  We were limited primarily to bagels and oatmeal and powdered milk for breakfast and various other foods.  Most of the food that we could bring, especially the breakfast food, I extremely disliked, I learned eventually to simply eat what was provided.  Living like this did to things for us, we learned how to savor every scrap of food that we had, we could pour water in our bowls after our meal and drank it so that we ate every crumb, and to become resourceful with what we had.  People have been known to do these in these situations, such as those in the California jail system in Sandra Cate’s article. “The inmates concoct variations that approximate their favorite foods on the outside, often those with distinctive flavorings and textures.” (Cate 1).  Upon reading this article, I could relate to a large degree after going through Outward Bound, where we had limited food that was not so great. The inmates she discusses create something called “Spread” which is a concoction of random foods and ramen noodles; this becomes something they cherish because it is better than the bland prison food.  We would do something similar, we would essentially look at what we had left to eat for the day, and would simply mix it all together, and some of us would continue some of the combinations we discovered for quite a while after we returned from the trip, much like the inmates after they got out of jail.  

                After Outward Bound, we all talked about how we would eat anything and everything we could, knowing what it was like to not have much, we all appreciated that we now could eat as much as possible.  When we arrived at the airport to go home, we immediately went to the food court and split up, going to our favorite restaurants and bringing back more than we could eat.  We all shared each other’s meals and finished everything.  People who endured events such as World War Two also did this, Geoff Nicholson explained that one possible reason why his mother only ate white food was because during the War she did not have the liberty to eat what she wanted when she wanted. “Perhaps it was because she’d been through World War II, a time when milk and cream were among the many foods rationed in England, a time when there were bigger things to worry about than cholesterol.” (Nicholson 2).  Here he says that one reason his mother loved eating foods like milk and cream was because she could not get them very often during the war, so afterwards she would eat as much as she could.  After one has been confined to eating little amounts of un-flavorful food, one begins to relish anything remotely flavorful for a long time to come.

                Food is a powerful tool; it may be used by an individual to endure through difficult phases in life, giving them an escape from the reality that they face.  It can also trigger memories of when they were in hard times, by remembering this it allows the person to be grateful for what meals they have and lets them eat virtually anything.   Food helps us in times of need and reminds us of obstacles we have overcome in the past, which in turn gives us hope for the future.

Works Cited:

Cate, Sandra. "“Breaking Bread with a Spread” in a San Francisco County Jail." Gastronomica 8.3 (2008): 17-24. Print.

Nicholson, Geoff. "Eating White." Gastronomica 10.1 (2010): 21-23. Print.

O'donnell, Mary Ann. "The Cultural Politics of Eating in Shenzhen." Gastronomica 10.2   (2010): 31-39. Print.

               

SE 3

Modern Segregation

It is no secret that food and food culture is an extremely large part of human civilization, it has been for centuries.  Through observing certain habits related to food and its consumption, one can determine numerous aspects about the culture one is in.  In addition to having a specific culture between different societies, there are also sub cultures within a society, this could be something as broad as a certain state or province within a country or as specific as a school’s cafeteria.  This was very evident in an observation of the Centennial Halls’ dining room at the University of Denver.  Multiple aspects of the school’s sub culture was revealed but perhaps the most surprising was how  much racial segregation was prevalent in a supposedly very diverse and integrated liberal university. 

The University of Denver has three main dining halls across campus, Nagel Hall, Nelson Hall and Centennial Hall, the latter hall was the dining halls utilized in the observation.  Centennial Halls, colloquially known as “Halls”, mainly caters to underclassmen, especially freshmen.  The observation was carried out on a Sunday evening from 6:50 p.m. to 7:35 p.m., Halls officially closes at 7:30 p.m.  The staff was serving the same dreary food that was served the previous day with the exception of roasted chicken.  An average day at Halls contains pizza, burgers, grilled cheese, “fresh” salad, soup, various deserts, rice and a main course that is usually not filling, tasty, nutritious or quite frankly very edible.  Despite all of this, it is food extremely close to home therefore many people venture here to eat, so it was relatively full of students in the beginning, but dwindled down as it came close to closing. 

The customers of Halls were a very select few, yet very broad, select in regards that everyone was a college student from 17-24.  Within this demographic however, the subjects had various clothing from nice polo’s to pajamas and ranged from more book-oriented students to only sports focused students.  All of this was expected in a college cafeteria, people are here on scholarships, their parents’ money and from working their way through school, naturally there will be people from all areas of society.  What was interesting to see was how these social and racial groups sat with in the cafeteria.

We would think that segregation was a thing of the past, at least for most places in modern America and other first-world countries, however is present all over the world, simply not in the same degree as it was thirty to forty years ago.  It was interesting to see how this took place in the Halls cafeteria.  It was observed that certain nationalities would stick together while they ate rather than integrate with the rest of the dining hall.  Unlike years ago, this is not fed by racism; instead it is fueled by the desire to remain in a comfort zone those that make you feel at home.  As stated by Clack in his study of a university cafeteria, “segregation… arises because of pre-existing patterns of friendship and acquaintance.” (14). What he is saying is that this segregation was formed in the beginning of school when students were nervous, therefore they naturally gravitated towards familiarity of their own race, these bonds grew stronger, sometimes isolating them from other social groups.  As stated above, this is not due to racial prejudice; it is simply a product of an attempt to feel safe in a time of need.

What was found in Halls, as well as in Clack’s study, was that the two main ethnic groups in the cafeteria were Asians and Caucasians.  Other groups were so underrepresented that they were forced to integrate with the local population.  Essentially, the Asians sat primarily with other Asians towards the back of the cafeteria, while Caucasians and other ethnic groups ate together throughout the rest of the cafeteria, with minor pockets of ethnic minorities such as Saudi Arabians.   This helps prove Clack’s conclusion that racial segregation in modern cafeterias are primarily not due to racial disputes but rather ethnic groups gravitating towards each other from the beginning of school to create a home away from home.  It is understandable, most foreign students here never visited the U.S. prior to arriving for college and do not know the language enough to have an easy, fluid conversation; there’s no surprise that they would want to be with each other so they can speak in their own tongue and retain some aspect of their homeland thousands of miles away from their real homes.

Observing a community consuming their food in a communal space allows one to identify certain aspects about that society previously unknown to most people.  While observing the dining area at Centennial Halls at the University of Denver, it was obvious that a degree of segregation was evident within the student population.  However, it was determined through this observation and other studies that this was not a factor of racism but of prior friendship.   

 

Bibliography:

Clack, Beverley, John Dixon, and Colin Tredoux. "Eating Together Apart: Patterns of Segregation in a        Multi-ethnic Cafeteria." Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 15.1 (2005): 10-16. Print.

Eating together apart: patterns of segregation in a multi-ethnic cafeteria

http://0-onlinelibrary.wiley.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/doi/10.1002/casp.787/abstract

The article is about the cultural aspect of the cafeteria, it discusses the cultural segregation that is evident in university and high school  cafeterias.  Unlike a few years ago when it was a social norm, now it is merely a some kind of habit rather than forced segregation. This is true in nearly all cafeterias across the nation, if you look closely, you can even see it here at DU.

Cate and O'Donnell

P4: Read Cate and O’Donnell. What roles does food play in the communities that they studied? Compare how Cate and O’Donnell relate food to communities. What part of their studies did you find most interesting and why?

Cate and O’Donnell write about two very different communities Cate writes about way certain food has made its way in to the California jail system as a new food culture, while O’Donnell discusses the different kinds of food related to the various generations of the Chinese city of Shenzhen.  Both talk about how these different foods correlate to a certain people, even if they live in the same city or region. 

Cate related how food means to the inmates of the San Francisco County Jail #5.  They have created a meal called a “spread” that involves Top Ramen Noodles and pretty much anything they can get their hands on.  She highlights how this spread helps the inmates cope with their bland lives and provides them with an outlet to show their emotions and creativity. 

O’Donnell related food to two different generations of people living in Shenzhen, the Old Shenzheners and the New Shenzheners.  The Old Shenzheners were described as more humble and truthful, they came there to help the city progress for the community (communistic-based) while the New Shenzheners came later and were described as being more sly, manipulative and only there to progress themselves (capitalist-based).   The Old Shenzheners ate more traditional and hearty foods, while the New Shenzheners liked eating at Megachains and more Western places.

The difference is Cate focused on how a people used food as an outlet of emotion and finding oneself, while O’Donnell focused on how food was an obvious notion of separation between two peoples in one city.

I found Cate’s study of how the inmates used the spread as a way of escaping the jail life and keeping then busy very interesting.  It shows how people cope in adverse situations and develop new life skills, like how some of them explained they still made spread out side of jail. It was interesting in O’Donnell’s research about how the food showed a clear distinction between the two generations.  He explained how even the characteristics of the generations could be explained through food, like the Northern and Southern parable used in the beginning of the article.

SE 2

 Advertising Culture

                Modern culture and society revolves around some sort of sustenance.  Nearly everything we do corresponds to when and how we are going to have our next meal, work and schools for instance have designated times one can eat throughout the day, as well as facilities to buy and make the food.  Events such as football, baseball, and fairs all revolve around food and entertainment for the spectator.  Therefore it is only natural for the supplies of food, restaurants and processing companies, to advertise their products and present them in a manner that is irresistible to the consumer.  They do this through every form of media, TV, internet, billboards, etc...  If one examines the advertisements of restaurants such as Chili’s and Sonic, one can see the techniques put to use by the companies to lure in the consumer to purchase their product over the other, as well as identify the culture and value our society puts on food today.

                The first advertisement is from the famous Sonic drive-through restaurant. It is a very simple design, yet fairly affective billboard.  It has a double cheeseburger in the center of the image that takes up the majority of the poster, with two sentences on top of it, a fine-print paragraph and the Sonic logo below.  The background is a variant of orange that fades to become white as it reaches the burger.  In the visual aspect the ad is supposed to make the cheese burger very appealing, almost holy.  The color-fading technique does a great majority of this. The way that it fades from being orange on the outside to white around the burger, or vise-versa, it gives the impression that the burger is glowing to a minor extent.   It is not overwhelming so that it takes the attention away from the words, but just enough to give off the impression.  Then the sentences at the top of the burger add more character to the advertisement. They’re both two short, three-word, sentences.  This allows no room for argument, that what they say is true and non-negotiable. These two aspects tend to the pathos (emotional appeal) and logos (logical appeal), the color fading appeals to pathos while the sentences appeal to logos.  The target audience for the ad is essentially those who enjoy fast-food burgers with a lot of layers of condiments.  This typically appeals from the higher-upper class downwards.  Most Americans, even the upper class enjoy burgers.  We simply find the mixture of texture of the bread, meat, and various condiments very appealing.  Sonic appeals to their audience through simplicity, without any redundant remarks, as well as conforming to the general public via the diction used in the two sentences.

                Based upon the appeals of the advertisement, it is safe to assume that Sonic is appealing to what they feel their target audience cares about.  Firstly, simplicity is seen all through the photo, the background, the limited sentences and words and the one burger.  One can infer that the target audience wants something simple to read that attracts their attention. “Layers are in. All winter long.” Demonstrates that Sonic is tending to this appeal by saying the double-cheeseburger is popular and that it will be there all winter long.  There aren’t any other photos to distract the viewer, just the burger and two grabbing sentences.  It is also safe to assume that the target audience wants to be popular and be like everyone else. This is seen through the use of the first sentence, saying “Layers are in.”  It is telling the audience that this is what is popular, this is what everyone is eating, so why aren’t you?

                The next ad is from a slightly higher chain of restaurant, Chili’s, which is not a drive-through but a sit-down restaurant with a bar.  The selected advertisement is very colorful, with a lot going on. Within the advertisement, there are multiple pictures depicting scenes of great food, happy customers and inviting staff.  It has a few more words than the Sonic ad, with a big Chili’s logo at the top left and some writing beneath, while the pictures surround it in various sizes and orientations.  Like Sonic, it has very short sentences, directly below the logo are actually three words proceeded by a period: “Fresh. Fun. Flavorful.”  These brief words also demonstrate that Chili’s is serious that the restaurant is all of these things and that anyone who goes there will experience all three. The various pictures and the multiple colors make the restaurant look extremely fun and active; it even includes some fluorescent lighting.  The colors appeal to pathos, while the words appeal to logos.  The target audience is very clear here, they are going after younger adults from the upper end of the lower classes to lower half of the upper classes.  They do this by appealing to fun, vibrant, multiple colors and exciting photos.

In contrast to Sonic, Chili’s is very vibrant with lots of images.  Their target audience is geared towards a younger more active generation, which explains all the activity on the advertisement.  Chili’s appeals of fun, vibrant and multiple colors and exciting photos illustrate that the food culture of their audience is more than just simple burgers like Sonic, but a very social and active environment to eat in.  Their audience obviously likes to eat with others, socialize and have a great time while Sonic’s seems to like to eat alone in their car with just their food, according the first ad. 

Food has become a central aspect in our society, food companies compete repeatedly to have the best advertisement in an attempt to entice more consumers to eat their food.  Sonic and Chili’s demonstrate this perfectly through their techniques to appeal to slightly different target audiences.  Without this steep competition between these giant companies it is difficult to tell where our society would be today in regards to food, they are the reason why there are so many food advertisements and competing partners.  In essence, food companies have created the food-centered society we know due to their competition with one another.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Sonic-Drive-In-Winter-Campaign/4711655

http://rosfarizalroslan.blogspot.com/2011/03/chilis-ads.html