Service Learning Refelction #3

For my service learning, I have worked in the ROOTS garden more. My jobs were to weed and replant some plants. My service learning has helped me to better understand the sheer amount of work it takes to grown your own food but the fulfillment one feels from eating food that they played a part in growing. The act of gardening and the sense of accomplishment you feel with it cannot be proven in research, it takes actual work to understand it. Personally, I have grown in that my green thumb has defiantly become better, but also I have a deep respect for people who garden and work with their hands everyday. Even after one shift at the garden I am exhausted, and it was only for like 3 hours. I hope that my civic duty has been fulfilled in that I now know and respect the people who do this. In the future, I hope to help in the garden more, though with my schedule next semester that looks like it will be difficult to do.

Reading and TED talk response

I'm going to start out by saying that Ron Finley's TED talk about growing food in his South Los Angeles is the most entertaining thing we have watched in class all semester. I really liked the way he approached his topic and the dialect he chose seemed perfect. His talk was about the need for more people to grown their own food and how more people should take advantage of the things that are available to them. His thoughts and ideas were inspiring and I actually believed that he cared about the community and the impact he had. I did not feel that way about the other 2 articles we read for class, "Will Organic Food Fail to Feed the World?" by David Biello and "Biotechnology Isn't The Key to Feeding the World" by Frances Moore Lapeé. Both of these articles did not strike me as people who actually went out and actively tried to change their communities. Both were more factual based and information oriented instead of experience based. What I liked about the articles,though, was how they both made it abundantly clear that food production is not the issue, instead it's more of a distribution issue. The issue involves the amount of food for everyone in the world, but there isn't enough food distributed to people who actually need it. They are calling on people to become more aware of the food they eat and how much energy it takes to feed a cow, for example, instead of growing food directly for human consumption. They made it clear to the audience that food distribution is a VITAL part of the food chain. I also really liked and agreed with the statement that when people grow their own food, they will eat it. Having easily accessible food grown from your own personal energy is a much more satisfying experience than going to the store and buying the same thing. It's also a cheaper option and it encourages healthier eating.

3 Way Reading Response

Pollan and Hurst are two men with very different views on the agricultural world. Michael Pollan is the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, a book that discusses the different paths people take to obtain their food. In his writing, he criticizes the industrial farming community and challenges them to take a different approach to it. On the other side is Blake Hurst, a farmer for over 30 years that grows corn (the crop that Pollan says is taking over the world). Hurst wrote an article defending the type of farming that he does from Pollan's remarks, and called Pollan out on not welcoming advances in technology. Both men have very different views are both are justifiably correct. So how is it that these two men, both of whom are experts in their respective fields of work/study, cannot agree on a type of farming that is sustainable AND yields profits? Another person in the mix is Eliot Coleman who wrote "Real Food, Real Farming". He argues that organic farming is the way to go, similarly to Pollan. Coleman is ALSO a farmer, like Hurst, and the fact that he has a different view on GMO's (genetically modified organisms) and the way cattle should be raised from a fellow farmer is interesting. His thoughts on what "real" food means is controversial, but claims that they are set from a scientific fact point. Coleman claims to get to know "Nature better" because of the biologically backed techniques he has adapted. What he doesn't seem to consider, however, is that some years a large crop yield just is not likely and that biologically there is nothing that can be done about it. Personally, I agree least with Hurst. While I agree that having GMO's are not hurting anyone and if they mean a bigger crop yield, I do not see why we cannot take advantage of that. I disagree with Hurst that cattle and other livestock could be raised in a way that fattens them but doesn't allow them to live the grazing lives they were supposed to, however. Hurst also claims to have his livestock grain-fed for their own protection, thought that doesn’t make a ton of sense to me. I personally know that weasels kill turkeys (as I have seen it in action), but there are ways to allow the turkeys to be free-range(ish) AND keep them safe. There are fences and devices to put in the ground to drive the weasels away and sprays and so many defensive tools. My first action would not be to simply put all the animals inside a giant tent, but I have not been farming for 30 years.

"Equality For Animals?" Reading Response

I just want to start off and say that I really enjoyed this piece. I have read several of Singer's other works in the past and I fully agree with him on most of his points. I agree that factory farming is an epidemic that gets swept under the rug. I agree that animals deserve to live their full lives out in a pasture and doing what they want. I agree that there are different ways of eating and that eating meat is only one of them. That being said, I am not a vegetarian. I eat as little meat as I can, but I almost always have some sort of animal product with my meal (usually it's cheese, but still). It's not really an option for me to become vegetarian or vegan, as Singer suggests, but I like to think that I do what I can to make as few lives taken for my sake as possible. Singer styles this piece in a way that helps the reader better understand the basics of his argument that animals should not be used as food. He quotes Benjamin Franklin in the later half of his piece discussing the reasons that people argue against vegetarianism, and this helps to put a famous name to validity his statements. Singer knows that people are appalled of the ways that animal are treated in slaughterhouses but are able to keep it out of their minds most of the time. He says that people should not be ignoring this unethical treatment and should take a stand, though he knows that it will be close to impossible to change the farming industry now. Singer is obviously very passionate about his research and position on animal equality. Titling his piece "Equality For Animals?" with the question mark is meant to draw potential readers into the piece and to learn more about the factory farming industry and vegetarianism/veganism, even though this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Service Learning Reflection #2

For my service learning, I went out to the ROOTS Garden. The first thing I did when on the property was take a tour from the leader, Lydia. The garden is very organic and much bigger than I expected. My job was to pick the cloves of garlic and plant each individual part of the clove so as to start several new cloves. This hands-on experience has helped to learn that even if the food seems bad and should be trhown out, the organic gardeners continue on with it because it can be used as a good fertilizer. The service learning has enhanced my personal growth in that I now know how garlic is grown and the different types of mushrooms. It has helped my civic learning by showing me how the people of Asheville grow their food and where quite a few local organizations get their donations from. In the future, I hope to be a part of a bigger project and help harvesst some food instead of replanting.

'Downsizing Supersize" and "Why Shame Won't Stop Obesity” Reading Response

Our required reading for this response were the pieces "Downsizing Supersize" by James Surowiecki and "Why Shame Won't Stop Obesity" by Dhruv Khullar. In "Downsizing Supersize", Surowiecki discusses the proposal of a ban on soft drinks over 16 oz. I find this proposition very interesting, and potentially a very good idea on how to lower the amount of obesity in the United States. I feel, personally, that there are not enough restrictions surrounding the fast food industry and the amount of control they have over people's lives. Of course, there are ways to get around the ban by buying two drinks, but the average person, as argued by Surowiecki, will not choose to do this. People are driven by a certain mindset that follows the norm, so if the norm is set higher, people will follow that (and if it is set lower, they will follow that, too). I agree with Surowiecki's argument that people will follow what is set as a "standard", and if the fast food industry complies with the proposed bans, America could get a lot thinner a lot faster. The second piece, "Why Shame Won't Stop Obesity", talks about how people need to stop fat-shaming people who are overweight because most of the time these people are not making their food choices just for fun. Khullar argues that people overlook the convenience and low price tag of a meal at McDonald’s over a more healthy option. It's not only about the price, however. Khullar also brings up the lack of actual healthy options in the lower income areas. It is much more likely to see a fast food joint than a fresh apple, and more convenient for the people who live there as well. The people who are making these purchases are doing so purely for the need of food, not the desire for fast food or the lack of interest n eating healthier. Overall, the two pieces talk about why some people are stuck in an obesity tunnel and why we as a country need to change our ways and habits to help the general public make healthier choices.

“The Pleasures of Eating” and Food Justice Reading Response:

In Wendell Berry's piece on "The Pleasures of Eating", he lists 7 ways to eat more responsibly. For this blog post, I am going to go through all 7 of them individually and express my opinion, because I want to and no one can stop me. 1. In Wendell's first point, he suggests that the reader plant their own food (regardless of the amount of room one has land-wise). I agree that the average consumer needs to be more aware and just in general think more about what the food they are eating has gone through to get to them. For some people, this never crosses their mind. I personally am guilty of not thinking as well, and I even worked on a farm for a long time. I rarely think about where the bananas in my lunch came from as I was sitting in the middle of a giant garden full of produce. I want to be more aware and I really want to grow my own food, but as a college student, I don't have the space AT ALL for even the smallest of gardens. 2. Berry's second point simply says "Prepare your own food". A home cooked meal is so necessary for some to be able to unwind after a long day, and it brings a greater respect to the ingredients used. Home cooked meals are one of my favorite things on planet earth, but again, as a college student (who is also on a meal plan), I haven't had access to a lot of food that was cooked with love in a while. The last home cooked meal I had was from my friend Max, who made me a lasagna for my birthday and I cried. The problem with time and access are also limiting factors for other people, so ideally everyone would be able to prepare their own food, but it just isn't plausible. 3. The third point is about finding the origins of one's foods and buying as local as possible. This is again ideal in a perfect world, but the lack of access to this information and resources to obtain "local" food is putting this idea on the back burner for a lot of people. I personally agree that if it were possible, people should buy from their local farmers. Supporting the local economy is vital to the growth of a community. While not all of my food (when I live at home) is produced local, because I worked on a farm, quite a bit more than what I imagine the average person has is local for me. 4. The fourth point says to deal with a local farmer, gardener, or orchadist whenever possible. This is directly related with the above point in the way that it supports the local economy and the overall community. I think it is so important for people to get to know their local farmers. It not only will benefit a lot of people, it also cuts out the several middle men involved with getting food to your plate. As for me personally doing this, of course I do! Local farmers are great people with a lot of knowledge and usually are more than willing to talk to people about fresh produce. 5. Berry's fifth point is a little different than the previous four, stating "Learn, in self defense, as much as you can of the economy and technology of industrial food production" (Bauer, 69). I agree with Berry that people need to know what is being done to modify their food before they blindly eat it. I say this knowing I am being hypocritical though, because I have never ever educated myself on the food I eat. If someone puts it in front of me and tells me what it is, I'm not going to doubt them. Saying this out loud (or rather seeing it typed), I know I really need to start paying more attention. At the same time, I've been eating blind for this long and I'm overall alright, so it must not be that bad, right? 6. Berry's sixth point is arguably his most important. In short, he says that people need to be involved and learn the best gardening and farming. This is so important to me, because I'm thinking about it through a livestock view. There is a famous saying that says "If slaughterhouses has glass walls, everybody would be a vegetarian". There are so many people who have genuinely no idea how their meat got in front of them. Or maybe they can separate the living breathing FEELING animals from the slab of meat in front of them. Either way, the public should be more willing to learn about the origins of ALL their food, not just the food that's the easiest to swallow (pun intended). While I don't know the specific slaughterhouses my meat comes from. I know the techniques and practices used to turn in from a cow to a prime rib. 7. The seventh and last point in Berry's piece says people should learn of the "life histories" of the food species. I don't agree that this a very important part of eating responsibly. It just doesn't seem like a very crucial part, especially after the one above. I don't think I'll adopt this, though it is interesting every once and a while. It seems VERY tedious for every single thing you eat. Now consider the excerpt from Food Justice. Do Gottlieb and Joshi illuminate anything that Berry takes for granted? In what ways are their arguments similar? In what ways are they different? In contrast to Berry’s piece is Food Justice (Gottlieb and Joshi). Their argument is that the supermarket is still a very necessary and vital part of food relationships. The two articles are arguing the two sides of an argument that has been going on for years. On one hand, the movement to eat local and grow your own food is on the rise and the benefits are obvious. On the other hand, the convenience and ease of a supermarket cannot be compared. Berry seems to not care or completely ignore the people who are unable to grow their own food, or may be hungry NOW, not in the time it takes for a potato to grow. However, eating only from a supermarket supports the disrespect of food and can hurt the economy and the environment with all the shipping involved. Either way, someone is unhappy.

Food In Asheville

I chose this image to represent food in Asheville because the food in this picture was all grown and prepared in Asheville. The image is a bowl of creamy vegetable medley with butter lettuce and a fresh baked roll. The soup had potato, carrot, okra, and several other freshly picked vegetables. I felt it embodied what I feel the people of Asheville try to show: it was all local, it was delicious, and it was prepared by people trying to better themselves and find better opportunities. It was also the first course in a meal provided (for free) by Green Opportunities. Green Opportunities is a non-profit organization that helps people living in poverty obtain and maintain jobs that not only help the community, but also the environment. I perceive Asheville as a very open and environmental place, and this picture just screamed local and fresh to me. Food in Asheville is healthy and fresh and wonderful, and this picture literally depicts that. The people who prepared it were very knowledgeable and nice people who really truly cared about the quality of the ingredients they were using. I am from Chapel Hill, and while the neighboring town of Carrboro is very similar in it's ideas of food, Chapel Hill is not so much. It's very refreshing to have a place actually care about where their food comes from and how it got there. The picture I chose embodies how food in Asheville (and really everywhere) should be, in that it means so much more than just a first course of some dinner. It means a positive future for the people who made it, it means a local movement to get more green, and it means that there will always a place for hungry people to not only survive, but thrive in this community.

Service Learning Reflection

Due to the amount of work and lack of ability to contact the site contact, I have not been able to help out in the ROOTS garden at all these past few weeks. I hope to be able to help with the actual direct work with the plants (like weeding and watering and such) but I do not know what is needed until I am able to get there and talk to the people who run the garden. Through I haven't worked in the garden yet, I know that through service learning, it will provide a greater appreciation to the production of food, since we are working with it from the start. I also know it will make the problem of food waste more apparent by showing the work involved with harvesting the fruits and vegetables. Academically speaking, the service being done will be helping me to learn more about how GMO's affect the Earth, as well as the repercussions of using harsh chemicals. While these concepts may be learned in a traditional classroom setting, it is worth noting that learning through hands-on work help to foster the relationship between what is being done and what is being learned. I imagine that through working in the ROOTS garden, one would be able to see the community in a different light. The food grown there and the people who work there are great advocates to the way that the community is run, and it makes the volunteers feel more a part of that. When joining a new community, it may be nerve-wracking, but through working, it is easier to see the connections the community has and where you personally may fit in. It also just feels good to help the community, regardless if you're a "true"part of it or not. In the future, I hope to actually work in the garden (obviously), but I also hope to learn better gardening practices and be able to improve the community as best as I can. The picture seen is the front of a different garden, because after 3 different attempts, I cannot find the ROOTS garden at all. I have emailed the supervisor, but the garden is very hard to find. I used this garden instead of a different one because this garden is the one I keep finding directions to get to and have ended up being here for the last 2 times I have searched for the real garden.

Food and Traditions

In both "Reclaiming True Grits” by Bryant Terry and "Eating the Hyphen” by Lily Wong, readers are given a small taste of how food affects a person and their culture. In both pieces, the authors focus on a "traditional" food from their different cultures (grits and dumplings, respectively) and discuss the different ways these foods are perceived. Both authors challenge a part of their different cultures by questioning the "traditional" ways. In Terry's piece, it's obvious that the author grew up with grits done a certain way. He, however, has a problem with how the grits are seen more than the grits themselves. He believes that people see the food of his culture as "soul food", but in reality it's just what they ate. The idea of what soul food should be has shaped it into a fatter, greasier, less organic version. Terry is complaining that people do not know what the food really signifies, and shouldn't go around using the term "soul food" lightly. While Terry is challenging the ideas of his culture in words, Wong is using her actions to defy cultural norms. Wong describes how she eats a dumpling in her story, the process of which is 100% not traditional (using a fork/knife and ketchup). It makes one wonder why the authors became a symbol against the traditions they grew up with. It makes one wonder how traditions are formed in the first place. What makes something a tradition, and not just the way things are? Why does it need to have a label as "expected" or "right"? It is easy to notice that the authors each have a different relationship with food, too. Terry has a professional relationship, in which there is mutual respect and trust. Wong, however, seems to think of food as a source of entertainment, or a way to feel good. While neither is necessarily right or wrong, they are very different and for a reason. This reason, though, is hard to read. What is important to take away from these pieces is not only the different authors tones and thoughts, but also the idea that things need to be a certain way. Question everything.

How College Food Affects Me

Unpopular opinion: I really enjoy school food. I have ever since I was in elementary school. From the square pizzas to the healthier options provided by Michelle Obama, I have eaten it all with open arms. College food has been no exception. I love all the choices, and the availability, and it ALL tastes good. I have, however, had a rough relationship with food. I LOVE food, don't get me wrong, but a lot of foods don't like me back. I am lactose intolerant, which means that any food with lactose in it makes me feel very nauseous. This is a huge problem for me, being that my favorite foods are almost exclusively cheese or cream based. I have had to be careful of what I eat for a while now, and making that same type of transition to college food hasn't been as difficult as for me as some of my peers. Personally, the biggest problem I forsee is NOT eating enough. In the past, when I was too busy to eat or didnt plan a time out, I would just go without eating. I didn't think anything of that until someone I work with commented on how fast I was losing weight. This shocked me. I see myself everyday and I couldn't see the change in my body. I feel I have done a good job at combating this bad habit, but I know I still have to actually plan to eat for it to get done. As well as being lactose intolerant, I have had a life-long discomfort with eating meat. Don't get me wrong, I eat meat everyday. I have just always wished that I was not as reliant on it as I am. I know how the animals are raised before they are slaughtered, because I worked on a farm since I was 9. Similar to Barbara Kingsolver in her piece "You Can’t Run Away on Harvest Day", I have a problem with not knowing where my eat is coming from or how its life was lived. I wish that all animals were treated like a small farm owner can treat them, but that is simply not the case. I also felt connected to her daughter Camille's piece "Taking Local on the Road" in that I see the impact of food on the people around me, and wish it could be more meaningful for them. I am not worried about the freshman fifteen, because I know myself and the limits I can take. While gaining that fifteen would not really be a big deal, I know I can do better in my choices to prevent it.

How Food Can Affect People

Food affects every part of a person's life. Whether it is the literal act of preparing/eating food, or the way we percieve ourselves in the mirror, food will always play a role. For some, these constant reminders of food play a much bigger role than the average person. When talking about an eating disorder, most people picture a white girl who sees an overweight person in the mirror when she is almost dying of starvation. Unfortunately, this is a real and true picture painted by today's society. But it is important to remember that not everyone who has an eating disorder is a female, white, skinny, or even unhappy with their body. As said in Susan Bordo's Not Just "a White Girl's Thing", "...many young college women , of all races and ethnicities, who looked just fine, but were privately throwing up and abusing laxatives..." (266). Though the stigma is around white girls, that is quickly becoming untrue. It is easy to notice the personal effect food stigma has on Bordo as she discusses what her young daughter says and notices. What takes a little bit more thought, however, is the personal guilt Bordo feels. It is impossible to 100% avoid the insecurites that big companies play with (unless you can avoid TV, radio, magazines, and billboards). Bordo seems to feel guilty that her daughter has already felt the impact that the "ideal" body has on people. It's interesting and makes one think about whether it really is the fault of parents, or the big businesses that prey on young girls and innocence. It also makes one wonder whether, based off of the rhetoric, Bordo herself has ever had a life threatening eating disorder that she feels guilty about. Bordo touches on the topic of compulsive eating, and while this is definetly an eating disorder, its not looked at as a serious problem. As Jill McKorkle says in Her Chee-To Heart, "I need oral participation, oral gratification". People who have compulsive eating are suffering with an eating disorder in that any and all available food will be eaten. In fact, I will admit that I am a compulsive eater. I eat when I'm bored, or if there is good food in front of me but I already ate. Compulsive eaters need constant stimulation, and when the stimulation dies down, food is there to pick it back up. The rhetoric of McCorkle's piece makes me wonder whether or not they have ever had a life threatening eating disorder ever as well. While the tones of the two pieces are very different, they both seem uncomfortable in their eating habits. These pieces are prime examples of what being proud of yourself looks like VS being insecure in your eating habits, a trait that is unfortunately too prevalent in the world.

What The World Eats Reflection

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats is a photo collection taken by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio that highlights the most core thing about families from around the world: what they decide to eat. The collection not only shows what the average family eats, but how certain societal norms shape those choices. The first and most obvious thing that can be seen in the pictures are the differences in amounts of food each family has. It is obvious which families eat for survivial and which families eat for entertainment. It is also worth noting that the families with the highest amount food are not necessarily the ones with the most mouths to feed. In fact, in picture 11 (of the Ahmed family), there are twelve people pictured, but there an average amount of food compared to the other pictures. These people do not look "hungry", nor do they have the physical apperance of needing more nutrition. But how can this be possible, one may wonder. How can a family of twelve eat the same aount as a family of four and not be hungry? That answer lays, once again, in the sociatal norms around food. A family in the USA has, in genenral, more pressure to eat more than a family from Cairo and vise versa. It's hard to think that there is pressure to eat MORE, but picture this. An American family prepares a modest meal for Thanksgiving. At work the next day at work, coworkers are talking about how much they ate. People share stories of how full they were, or how intense their food comas were, or how much was left over. When it comes time for the modest parent to share, their stories are vastly different than their coworkers. Now, this isn't a huge problem. People aren't regularly bullied into eating more food. The main problem with this practice is the assumption that everyone has the same means and thoughts when it comes to food. I challenge people who have access to food to not take that for granted. There are so many people out there who have to fight everyday to get food, while we don't think twice about throwing out milk a day past the expiration. As can be seen from Hungry Planet, food is a precious commodity for some people, and taking your privledge for granted is a disservice to the world. Link to Hungry Planet: http://time.com/8515/hungry-planet-what-the-world-eats/

Should/does food matter?

For all people, food is a necessary tool of survival. This tool, however, is not viewed the same way by everyone. The relationships people have with food depend on their location, their traditions, their economic status, even their gender. No two people have the same thoughts when it comes to food. Some people are able to eat whatever and whenever they want. Food is more of a source of entertainemnt for them than a life source. There are some people whose relationship with food is the exact opposite. No amount of food is taken for granted, because they so rarely get it. This blog will explore the complex role that food serves in our society, why is serves so many different roles for people, and begin to differenceiate the need for food and the NEED for food. Western society has a odd facination with separating non-gendered items or things into feminine and masculine groups. Some are more obvious, such as clothes or colors, but it seems that everything is touched by these classifications in some way. One thing that may be less obvious is food. When a heterosexual couple goes into a restaurant, it is assumed that the woman will order a salald and the man will order something with meat. Where did these classifications come from? When did a salad become the assumed dish for a woman, and meat for a man? How do these align with societies views? It can be assumed that men started to be associated with meat due to the amount of protein in it, and protien coaxes muscle development if used with exercise. But is a salad not also, if not more so, a more healthy post-workout meal? These gender oriented foods say more about society as a whole than the food itself does. Assigning something as arbitrary as genders to food shows the metal state of Western society. Many people have noticed these roles are attepmt to break them, but the thought of a female salad and a male hot dog, lets say, is so engrained in the minds of people that it seems it will be a while before they are in any way shaken. This matters because not only is gendered objects/notions ridiculous, but it shapes how people in society act. Perhaps there is a woman who prefers to not always get a salad, but is made to feel bad about he choices by the people around her. Or, perhaps, there is a vegetarian man who is looked down upon by society for not being the man he is supposed to be. Regardless of the situation, gendered food is alive and well and, unfortunately, an integral part of society.