The story of an individual’s food history ties in with a bigger picture of what is happening in a society and globally. Viewing the diet of a family from a sociological perspective shows the history of a culture and the social development of the world. The food consumed from wealthy first class people living in first world countries is drastically different from the food consumed by poor people living in developing countries. The story of my family’s history starts in a little farm in rural Taiwan. My grandmother grew up raising animals and growing crops with her family. They grew a wide variety of vegetables and rice in their fields and raised ducks, chicken, and geese. My grandmother only ate food that the farm provided, and sold …show more content…
In any first world country, processed foods are accessible and common, however, my family refrained from buying sugary snacks and instant meals. Snacks such as chips, candy, and crackers were not commonly bought as they were seen as a luxury. Dinners mainly consisted of rice and steamed vegetables with pork or beef. My elementary school lunches were usually peanut butter or jam sandwiches. The merging of the eating habits from Taiwanese foods to Canadian foods happened over the span of a decade, the merging of the cultures occurred since I had a desire to fit into the Canadian culture. My family brought in more “Canadian” foods to our household overtime to accommodate for my needs. Canada is proud of being a cultural mosaic unlike other countries where assimilation is the only option, however those who don’t assimilate will have a harder time fitting in with a social …show more content…
Seasonal fruits and vegetables are available all year because the supermarket has food imported from all parts of the world. I have stocked my pantry with quick meals like instant oatmeal, instant noodles, and canned soups. As I grown up my eating habits have changed too; the lifestyle busy university student doesn’t include healthy home cooked meals often, fast food and coffee are consumed frequently. I constantly eat at restaurants to spend time with friends; finding places to eat and trying out different foods is an activity my social circle enjoy. Nutrition is not a considerable factor in my daily eating habits, although I try my best to be healthy, connivence plays a bigger role at this point in my life. Although university is my roadblock to healthy eating, I have chosen to attend a post-secondary institution as individuals with a higher level of education have been shown to earn more money and live longer. The current unhealthy lifestyle is a small sacrifice for long term benefits, such as a low stress job and a high wage to be able to afford nutritious
Pollan states that food is not just a necessity to survive, it has a greater meaning to life. Pollan explains how food can cause us happiness and health by connecting us to our family and culture. Warren Belasco, in “Why Study Food”, supports Pollan’s idea that food is something social and cultural. In Belasco’s description of a positive social encounter food is included, whether it involves a coffee date with a colleague or a dinner date with a loved one. Belasco states that food forms our identity and brings our society together.
Having a healthy lifestyle requires plenty of motivation and determination because of the multiple sacrifices that may occur during this process and the breakdowns and overwhelming feelings that you are going to have to get over. Through the article “Unhappy Meals”, author Michael Pollan reveals many simple, yet equally important principles on healthy eating. Pollan provides nine rules on how we should change our eating habits and, as a result, become healthy individuals. As a part of his nine rules, he advises that we should eat food that know of and are familiar with, and to consume mostly plants and home cooked meals (Pollan). Pollan informs his audience that complying with these rules will provide them with a healthy lifestyle. I do comply
What we eat, the way we do it, and why we do it, will always be scrutinized and in this article the author does just that. She argues that eating healthy or not depends on witch social class we fit in; witch can be true in a way. However, eating healthy or not can also be a question of choice. Obviously having more money will always give you more choices and the option to go for expensive products with higher quality. The journalist goes back to the 19th century saying that white bread was a luxury that only rich people could afford but showed no evidence that, by eating white bread they were healthier than the poor who could not afford it.
In Michael Pollan’s “The End of Cooking” shares the message of what we are losing something important in this day and age because of all our pre-made and processed foods. This can be compared with Kothari’s “If You Are What You Eat, What Am I?” and her argument that food is part of one’s own identity. By using the examples from these two texts you can analyze the state of food and culture in the United States today. All of the processed and pre-made foods are causing people all across America to lose their sense of Culture. We no longer know what it’s like to make one of our cultures specialty dishes from scratch which can help people identify with their culture. This process helped newer generations see what it was like for those before them to cook on a daily basis and could help them identify your sense of culture.
Nutrition and health have become more popular in today 's society. Our generation is becoming more and more indebted to the idea of being healthy and eating nutritious meals. However, in “The American Paradox,” by Michael Pollan he argues that our unhealthy population is preoccupied with nutrition and the idea of eating healthy than their actual health. He also mentions the food industry, nutrition science and how culture affects the way we eat and make food choices. While Pollan is right about all these factor that affect our eating habits, there is more to it than that. Convenience, affordability and social influence also affects our food choices making them inadequate.
For years, I have been eating what I want. Food choices are a significant factor that affects our health. What we like or crave, often, is the determining variable in what we eat. Finding the right balance of food choices is the key factor in improving our health benefits. Choosing nutrient-dense foods will provide more nutritional value than foods that are found to be low in nutrient density. Making the right choices in foods, however, is extremely difficult. Often, I find myself enthralled in the latest fad, not considering the subtext of the foods I am eating, such as nutrients, vitamins, healthy fats and unhealthy fats, cholesterol and minerals. The diet project underlined a three-day food entry intake that provided a dietary analysis report
Rachel Lauden’s essay In Praise of Fast Food presents a fresh point of view by taking a look at the way the poor fed themselves throughout history and comparing it with the reality of today’s fast food industry. The current thinking about fast food is that it is unhealthy and leads to diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, when it is eaten without moderation. The argument Ms. Lauden proposes is that, due to the difficulties in procuring and preparing healthy, sanitary food for the lower classes, fast food is a positive development. She pointed out that as recently as the 1930s, poor children were cooking for themselves in outdoor shanties in extremely unsanitary conditions, and she emphasized the idea that upper classes invented ethnic dishes.
Proper nutrition is important in maintaining a long and healthy life. Most Americans are rushed due to their busy work schedules, and do not take the time to plan their diets properly. Like me, most Americans are unaware of the importance of eating a healthy diet and consume too many foods without the proper nutrients. Throughout my life I have been fortunate. I have not had any major health problems, and have been able to consume most foods without having to worry about gaining weight. These last two years, however, I started to gain weight and have become concerned with my diet. Changing my poor eating habits has been difficult for me, however, having this assignment has taught me that it is not as difficult as I previously imagined.
Moreover, the controversy over cafeteria food is whether or not it is healthy for all students from elementary schools to colleges. Numerous factors lead to unhealthy eating in schools and on campuses. Sometimes options with better nutrition are offered, but when there are, they tend to be less appealing than the unhealthy foods which turns to obesity. Many schools are undergoing budget cuts and changes, and healthy food tends to take a back burner when deciding where the limited amounts of money should go (Gupta). Unfortunately, when schools do have healthy ingredients, the food is usually prep...
The food I have consumed recently is my attempts to each healthy on campus, which is surprisingly difficult.
Sociology is the study of society and people. Food and food ways are often elements associated with particular societies and therefore, studying such a topic can offer valuable insight into the ways of that society and the people who live in it. Although eating is a vital part of survival, with whom, how and where we eat are not. Studying such ways can illustrate and represent the identity of a person or group. The nature of people and their beliefs can be indicated when analysing their food habits. Who individuals eat with is a particularly revealing factor into gaining an understanding of their identity, culture and society (Scholliers P 2001). For this reason commensality is a term frequently used in sociological research concerning food and food ways.
American culture is changing dramatically. In some areas it’s a good thing, but in other areas, like our food culture, it can have negative affects. It is almost as if our eating habits are devolving, from a moral and traditional point of view. The great America, the land of the free and brave. The land of great things and being successful, “living the good life.” These attributes highlight some irony, especially in our food culture. Is the American food culture successful? Does it coincide with “good living”? What about fast and processed foods? These industries are flourishing today, making record sales all over the globe. People keep going back for more, time after time. Why? The answer is interestingly simple. Time, or in other words, efficiency. As people are so caught up in their jobs, schooling, sports, or whatever it may be, the fast/processed food industries are rapidly taking over the American food culture, giving people the choice of hot
A typical first-year college student, as described in research at OSU, often skips meals and lacks the recommended amount of fruit and vegetable intake ("News and Research Communications," 2011). Often students are too busy with their schoolwork to sit down and have a proper meal, causing them to lean towards the “easy foods”, which are often ramen. Either college students go for the easy option, which is often ramen, or they are constantly eating the wrong type of food. However, not only are college students doing this, but so are many other people, thus creating our horrible culture of eating industrialized foods.
Being a nurse, mother, and a Pre-med student has impacted my health to a degree that falls on the negative side of wellness. A personal goal that needs to bring about change in my personal daily routine is the adding of fruits and vegetables to my snacks every day. This new food plan will included two double size portions of vegetables and on double size portion of fruit. The required need for this change in daily food routine has come about due to the noticeable change in lack of energy, concentration, and overall health.
- Food: The History of Taste, Paul Freedman, Chapter Six: New Worlds, New Tastes, (pgs. 197-232), and Chapter Seven: The Birth of the Modern Consumer Age, (pgs. 263-300), and Chapter Nine: Dining Out (pgs. 301-332)