My Family Traditions

A few weeks ago, one of my classmates did a wonderful presentation on Jewish Food and their holidays. After the presentation she asked my class to write a blog post about my religion and what food traditions we have. So I'm going to write about growing up Catholic.

Although my family weren't model Catholics, we still participated in very many traditions revolving around the church. One thing we did that I'll always remember was go to breakfast after Mass Sunday morning. Although not exactly a catholic thing, it was a time where my family would eat together and it happened to only happen after Mass. We would usually go to my favorite restaurant, Sero's, and I'd always get their chicken fingers, even though it was still "breakfast time". My family would complain and harass me about getting lunch for breakfast but I got it every time, despite their bereavement. And their harassing me also became tradition.

Another big tradition we had was eating dinners at Grandma's house. Typical Catholic families ate dinner as a family and a lot of the time, it was at their grandparents' house. It didn't matter what the occasion, dinner was always at their house. Throughout the school week we'd eat dinner at home due to time, but every Sunday and every holiday it was there. And everyone was invited. All the cousins, uncles, aunts, friends, friends of friends, new girlfriends or boyfriends, and everyone's pets. This went on for years as I was growing up. As I got older it didn't happen as much. My Aunts and Uncles started getting divorced, as did my parents, and everyone started drifting apart. It also didn't help that we were all starting to go to college as well. Nowadays we're lucky to even get a few relatives together. I miss the old days.

Shawarma House

Today I decided I'd pick a little something up from Shawarma House over on the corner of Howard and W. Michigan, behind Two Fellas Grill. Since I had no idea what Shawarma was, I decided I'd eat that. I ordered a chicken shawarma from the nice fellow at the restaurant. The man was very friendly and treated me like a friend he had not seen in years. He asked me how my day was, harassed me when I said I was tired by saying "You're too young to be saying that!", and was very cheery about his own day, saying it was "better than perfect". While we were talking he made my chicken shawarma which consisted of an assortment of condiments, pickles, cucumbers, and the shawarma itself. Shawarma is a preparation of the meat where they put it on a "spit" (Tall, vertical rotisserie) that slowly cooks the meat, in this case, chicken. It is of middle-eastern origin and leaves you with awful breath. I wish I could have talked to the main man in the kitchen more but he was quite busy with the customers they had. 10/10 would definitely go again.

Climate Change

I've been hearing about Climate Change ever since I was a little boy. Back then the only information I had on Climate Change was from the Al Gore episode of South Park, the same episode that featured ManBearPig. So obviously, my knowledge wasn't too vast. As I grew up more and more information became available to me and I learned about what has caused it, what can be done to "fix" it, and what will happen if we don't. But until we had our most recent lecture in English 1100, it never really struck me as a "top priority" kind of issue.

Dr. Karowe was invited to speak to our class this past Monday about Climate Change and how it is affecting not only the climate but our agriculture. Throughout my years of college I have been "molded" into a skeptic through the Psychology department, because skeptics make for good scientists. So obviously, I questioned everything Dr. Karowe had said (in my head, not out loud). However, his presentation was very well put together and answered just about every question. It also brought to my attention how big of an issue Climate Change really is. I never really thought a few degrees would make a huge difference. "Oh no, it's going to be a little hotter this summer! Better buy some stronger sunscreen or stay in my air conditioned apartment more!". But that's even close to the actual damage these few degrees could cause. Dr. Karowe mentioned that if the global climate were to raise five degrees (like it is predicted to in the next century), that agriculture would suffer tremendously. What really convinced me of these problems was the picture I've posted below in Figure A. This is a picture of the U.S if the climate were to drop five degrees. Can you find Michigan?

Figure A (The only figure) 

I don't know about you, but I'd rather not see what happens to Michigan, and the rest of the world, if the temps were to increase.

Edible Stories

Earlier this semester I decided, along with a few others, to read Edible Stories by Mark Kurlansky. Edible Stories is a "book in 16 bites", meaning there are 16 different stories that discuss people and how their lives are affected by food. I was supposed to write two other blog posts about this book but failed to do so, which I apologize for. But frankly, this book hasn't really motivated me to write anything more than a rant-filled post about how I dislike it.

     You're probably wondering, "Why didn't you like this book? It sounds pretty neat!", and it sure does sound pretty neat. I decided to become a psychology major because I love people and relationships between people, so obviously, this book caught my eye right away. Unfortunately, these edible stories weren't all that intriguing and kind of felt forced. Although there is no central character, the "main story" focuses on a man named Robert Eggles, who has lost his memory, sense of smell and taste, and shortly thereafter, his wife and job. It tells a story of how this man loses his wife due to him not being able to appreciate her gift of food, which highly offends her. Unlike most people in the world, he neglects telling her what had happened to him, which I feel would have solved a lot of his problems and wouldn't have made this a book worth reading. Anyway, the stories go on to talk about a politician who is being held hostage by a little Mexican woman who won't let him leave until he tries her slow cooking Menudo, a fitness freak that's obsessed with low-fat muffins, and a combative dinner scene that turns out quite comical.

    Despite my opinion of this book, I do very much enjoy the idea behind it. Food has a mysterious way of bringing people together or tearing them apart. Wars have been fought over it, relationships created over it, and lives ended by the lack of it. I think this is highly due to the fact that it's the one thing we can all, mostly, agree on. Food is necessary for our survival and there's not a lot of people who dislike eating (save for those who have mental disorders). It's a universal agreement that can ultimately bring people together in peace. It can also decide our future in the most obscure ways. Think about how it affects your first date with someone you're interested in. If you're the one in charge of setting up the date then you probably thought very carefully about where you're going to eat, considering his/her likes and dislikes or food allergies, and trying to find the perfect place to make a good first impression. While you're on the date, the both of you probably consider what you're going to order more carefully than you would if you were out with friends, as to not seem odd to your potential suitor. Their food choice or pickiness may even factor into your consideration of the potential of future dates. Obviously, this isn't something that would make or break the relationship, but it may help sway you one way or another if you're on the fence. Overall, food has a uniquely powerful control over our lives and even our relationships and that intrigues me.

The Hunger Games (Chapters 19-27)

This blog post is dedicated to the final chapters of The Hunger Games. Last time we left off at the death of Rue and a surprising rule change. The Capitol has decided that if two tributes from the same district stay alive until the end of the Games, they will both be crowned victors. Obviously, as soon as Katniss hears of this she rushes to find Peeta. Knowing he needs water to survive she follows the stream until she finds him caked in camouflage mud, a skill he gained from cake decorating. Peeta is badly injured so Katniss takes him to a cave for safety so she may take care of him until he is better. During this time his infection starts to get worse and Katniss figures out that the more romantic they become, the more help they will receive from Haymitch and their sponsors. Katniss starts to act romantic with Peeta and even kisses him. After a few days and a few care packages from Haymitch (all without medicine) it is announced that there will be a feast at the Cornucopia. Knowing this may be her only chance to get medicine for Peeta, she knocks him out with some sleep syrup she received from Haymitch and goes to retrieve the medicine. Doing so puts her life at risk as she is cut on her forehead by a knife from the other tributes. She obtains the medicine, brings it back to Peeta, and proceeds to pass out. After waking, Katniss finds Peeta healed, for the most part, and that he has taken care of her. They stay a little longer in the cave and Katniss starts to actually develop feelings for this young man. What were once fake feelings for the audience are now somewhat genuine. They are then lead out to the Cornucopia where they're met by Cato and some mutated Tributes. Cato ends up dying, making Katniss and Peeta Champions and you know how the rest goes.

Sorry for the brief summary, I just wanted to clarify what we all read.

Although there are many underlying themes and ideas throughout these last few chapters, the topic that struck me the most was Katniss' and Peeta's relationship. Due to some unfortunate events in my own personal life a week or so prior to reading this, it has definitely hit me harder than any other theme or idea. Peeta, being the stereotypical nice guy that he is, is deeply in love with a girl who wants almost nothing to do with him. This is probably the most common love story in the history of love stories, and for good reason. People, man and woman alike, are plagued by this problem throughout their wishful lives. Most everyone wants their Prince or Princesses Charming but have been hopelessly crushed in their pursuit. This theme keeps getting used again and again because it will almost always be relevant to society. Watching Katniss and Peeta grow and develop their relationship probably makes you think about your own life and your own relationships. How they started, how they grew, and sometimes, how they ended. It pulls at your heart-strings because it's something you can so easily relate. Of course, this story typically ends with a happy ending but in the case of The Hunger Games, it's not so cheery. This is how it should be though, in my opinion. It shows us that even love that's forged in the fire can have its bounds. Nothing is impervious to the shadows of despair. But, in the end, love will be obtained once more, and hopefully, until we're no more.

The Hunger Games (Chapters 6-18)

Hey everybody, I hope your Spring Breaks went well! As you all know, we had to read The Hunger Games Chapters 6-18 over break. Last time we left off, Katniss and Peeta were still with Haymitch and were preparing to train for a few days.

We pick up with the start of that training. The tributes get three days of training and one chance to show the Gamemakers what they can do. During this time, Katniss and Peeta decide to not show the other tributes their strengths and instead, learn practical skills like how to to tie knots and camouflage. After the few days of training it's Katniss' turn to show the Gamemakers what she can do. As she's showing off her skills with the bow and arrow she notices no one is paying any attention, so she shoots an arrow at the Gamemakers, piercing the apple in the mouth of the roasted pig that was just brought to their table. She then storms out and begins to panic, thinking she just ruined her chances at a good sponsorship. Turns out she didn't and receives a score of 11 out of 12, meaning she was very impressive. After their interview with the Gamemakers Katniss and Peeta rest up for the next day, which is the start of the 74th annual Hunger Games.

For the next few chapters we follow Katniss around the arena. Tributes are dying left and right, including a friend she makes name Rue. And Katniss is finally forced to kill somebody. Throughout these chapters I slowly started to realize that these were kids fighting and dying. These kids are younger than me and have to put their lives on the line for the sake of a game. At one point they describe a girl begging for her life when a group called the "Career Tributes" find her. That scene really got to me. At first I pictured this as just another video game that I play. People are put in an arena and you kill each other for points. There's no harm in the video game and you don't feel bad because, aside from the fact that they're fictional, they're also warriors. They were made for this. In The Hunger Games, they're kids that were chosen at random. Just think about what is going through their heads. Especially the girl that was begging for her life. Imagine how afraid she must be, knowing full-well that her life is about to end and not in a very peaceful way. Now imagine what it must be like for those kids who must kill to survive. Some may welcome this feeling, being that they were trained for these games, but others probably fear it just as much as they fear death. Taking the life of another human-being. This book is really making me hope that I am never put in this type of situation.

The Hunger Games (Chapters 1-5)

This week's reading was the first five chapters of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. For those of you who don't know, The Hunger Games is a book about a girl named Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is a 16 year old girl who lives in a place called District 12. North America has collapsed and in its place rose Panem, a new country consisting of 13 districts of impoverished people. Each district is sectioned off and guarded by tall gates. The people in these districts (especially 12) are filled with poor people who can barely feed their families. 

As an act of power, the Capitol (the main power of Panem) puts on an event every year called The Hunger Games. These games ask for two "tributes" from each district. Tributes are kids from age 12-18 and are picked at random. The tributes are sent away to the Capitol and forced to participate in a "fight to the death". The last tribute standing wins his/her life and fame across the districts. 

After reading these first few chapters, and having watched the movies, I couldn't imagine a world like this. They're pitting children against each other for their entertainment. It doesn't matter if they just turned twelve and can barely hold their own, they still have to fight for their survival. This reminds me a lot of third world countries in our world currently. Even though no one is forcing the kids to fight, most of them have to learn to survive on what they have. Poverty is high and kids starve everyday due to a lack of resources. Even some countries are forcing their kids to fight. A few years ago we had the "Kony 2012" ordeal where a ravenous leader was making the children become soldiers. Some places don't seem too far off from the idea of this book, and that frightens me. 

The Jungle (Chapters 14-20)

This weeks blog post is dedicated to Chapters 14-20 of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Due to the fact that I had to miss class this week and wasn't there to be assigned to a group, I just chose one at random, I hope this is alright. Anyway, during these chapters the phrase "It couldn't possibly get worse than this" really gets proven wrong over and over again. To sum up these chapters, Jurgis fights alcoholism, is sent to jail for attacking his wife's rapist, misses Christmas because he's in jail, gets evicted, loses his unborn child, loses his wife Ona, is unable to find a job due to his wife's rapist and finally loses his son. One thing after another, Jurgis fights for the survival of his family and keeps losing. Fortunately, he is able to land a job working a little further from home and is able to start a comfortable routine. Obviously, this good fortune is ended quickly when his son drowns in the muddy water of the streets. Reading these chapters kept me very sad the entire time. When there was hope it was dashed away as fast as it was presented.

Something I found interesting was in the beginning of these chapters. Jurgis explained the conditions of the food company he worked for and how the most spoiled meat was used for sausage. This relates to our discussions on the food industry and how quality is not something most places seem to care about. Makes me wonder how our food is prepared and handled.

New, Personal Blog

Hi Everyone! I just thought I'd let you all know that I've decided to make a new, personal blog that I will be using to post my late night thoughts and questions that typically keep me up at night. It's kind of like a personal journal, except on the internet and open for everyone to see. I've really enjoyed blogging for this class and I feel like this will really help me think more outside the box with all the different perspectives people may contribute. So feel free to visit my new blog at overusedpun.blogspot.com and give me your opinion.

Cheers!

The Jungle

This week's reading was The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. This is yet another reading to make me feel so grateful for the time and place in which I live. This story is about an immigrant worker, Jurgis, from Lithuania who is seeking to make it in the big city of Chicago with is teenage wife and her family. Jurgis is a strapping young man who is fit for any work thrown at him. There isn't a task that can't be done by this man. Even so, Jurgis finds working in Chicago harder than he could have imagined. The working conditions are poor, people are out to con them and his family is getting sick.

Like I said before, I am so grateful for the time and place in which I live. Never have I had to struggle to survive like this man and his family have. I have a roof over my head, enough money to survive and a bed, more than this family usually had. These first few chapters really gave me some insight into what life was like back then and how hard it was for immigrants to live. Not only do they have barely anything to begin with but people are so ready to pounce on the ignorant to use them for everything they're worth. It's sickening. I'm excited to read more about what this young man and his family go through.

I Shall Persevere

This weeks readings were And the Earth Did not Devour Him and Cajas De Carton. These two readings made me feel a slew of things, among them, gratefulness and sorrow. As I read And the Earth Did not Devour Him I couldn't help but try to relate this to my life. Every day I complain about money, driving in Kalamazoo traffic, not having enough free time and having to eat sandwiches for lunch every day, while this kid doesn't start complaining or getting angry about the back-breaking work he has to do every day for twelve hours a day until his family starts to get sick and die. It makes me supremely grateful to have the life I have. I get to better myself and receive a fantastic education while only having to endure very minimal hardships. 

As for Cajas De Carton, I thought it was really interesting how this sixth grade boy was already working in the fields with his family and how he had to hide from the school bus in order to not get in trouble for not going to school. At the end, the little boy had started school and had made friends with his teacher Mr. Lema, who was teaching him English. Mr. Lema decided he would teach the boy to play the trumpet and the boy was beyond excited as he rushed home to tell his family the great news. This news was quickly diminished as he saw the same cardboard boxes that he had seen earlier in his life, signalling that he was moving yet again. This really crushed me, emotionally, because I have been in the situation where moving may be your only option, leaving everything behind and starting anew. Thankfully, I didn't have to endure the pain that this young boy did. Overall, these readings left me grateful and ready to take on this week, because my week isn't nearly as bad as theirs was. 

A Modest Proposal

In this world we're faced with many problems. For us college students in the States those problems could include finding a job, working part-time and barely making money, doing your homework and worst of all, walking to class in this nasty weather. Luckily for us college students, those are our biggest problems. The United States isn't exactly a third world country but we do have our issues. A large portion of our population is in poverty or hungry, wages are being cut and the food industry controls what we eat. If they aren't already supplying us with genetically mutated foods then they're trying to "persuade" the government to pass bills to help them do so. So for us college students, trying to eat healthy or even eat something that isn't terrible for us is a struggle. In order to combat the tyranny of the food company, I propose this modest proposal; we host a Hunger Games.

     The idea is simple, really. We divide the food companies up into a certain "districts" (Kellog, Tyson, etc.), randomly select a "volunteer" from their executive boards and put on our own "Hunger Games". We place this volunteers into one of our poorer areas of the States and make them live how they live. No help, no shelter, no guidance, just them against the "environment". If they complete a task of some sort they may win a "care package" filled with foods from their respective companies. The last person still alive by the end of this may decide how the food industry is run from here on out. Hopefully, with this experience under their belt, they have a better idea of what we're being fed.

Random Video About Happy Cows

Hey everybody, this is just a random video I found on the internet today. In the video it shows cows being released into an open field after being cooped up all winter for milking. I thought it was a cute video. Enjoy!

Guatemalan Passage Post

I, Rigoberta Menchu and La United Fruit Company, are two passages that discuss, through personal experience, the life of a Guatemalan. The first passage, I, Rigoberta Menchu, is written by the young, Quiche, Indian girl Rigoberta Menchu, whose first hand experience of life in Guatemala is a testimony of how poorly the indigenous Guatemalan people were treated during the Guatemalan Civil War (1960-1996).

Reading these texts, I found it very difficult to fully grasp the idea of how these people lived during this time. Coming from a nice, suburban home, the biggest problem I had to deal with was not wanting to walk two blocks to school. My ability to empathize with these people is severely hindered by this fact. After really thinking about the issues they faced, and are still facing, on a daily basis, I've really started to appreciate what I have. I may have to walk for twenty minutes to my classes now that my car has died on me, but that is nothing compared to the walk into town Rigoberta had to endure. It really changes your perspective.

In La United Fruit Company, the last paragraph really sums up, in good detail, the point of this poem;





Meanwhile the Indians fall 
into the sugared chasms 

of the harbors, wrapped 

for burial in the mist of the dawn: 

a body rolls, a thing 

that has no name, a fallen cipher, 
a cluster of dead fruit 

thrown down on the dump.  

A Not-So-Modest Proposal

Going in, I didn't know what to expect from reading Jonathon Swift's "A Modest Proposal". But after reading just the first few lines, combined with the knowledge of what our class is focusing on, I knew exactly what I was getting in to. 

The idea of eating your young does not sound like the most ideal or delicious plan of action. They're human, they have rights and they're just so adorable (well, most of them). But look at the time this was written and the situation they were in. The poor are littering the streets, their numbers growing, people are sick and spreading disease and the overall welfare of the state is diminishing.. The fact that Swift is even mentioning this "modest proposal" shows the state of mind people of this nation were in. The mere act of conceiving this idea reeks of desperation. Like the old saying goes, "Nothing great comes without great sacrifice"

Although the thought of eating a child, specifically my own offspring, makes me physically sick to my stomach, but imagine that you're poor, homeless, starving with no idea how you'll feed your family, let alone yourself, and prone to sickness and death. A man offers you a handsome sum of money for your child that you may have not even wanted in the first place. Do you decline or do you accept, knowing full well what will happen to that child and what that money can bring to you and the rest of your family? I honestly couldn't tell you what I would do given this situation. Decisions like these make me glad that I live in this day and time and have a roof over my head. 

Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes

Before I read over Kalamazoo's Loaves & Fishes' website, I only knew that they owned a giant warehouse that they kept food that was donated to them. That's about it. I've been to their warehouse once to drop off food donations from Western Michigan University's Bronco Marching Band in years prior but I've never investigated further. After reading over their website I'm excited to find out that not only are they helping " keep a hunger-free community since 1982" but they're also trying to educate the community on hunger issues in our community and in the world. 

    On their website they have information about hunger in the community, local events that are taking place involving food donations and legislation pertaining to hunger related issues being passed or talked about. They are probably the most involved organization I've seen in quite some time. It was also astonishing seeing that they distribute two million pounds of food every year, with 25% of that food being donated by community members. 

     I'm very excited to visit Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes with all our lovely classmates tomorrow. If you need a ride I'll be at Miller Circle at 9:30a.m! 

Satyricon

Satyricon is a Latin work of fiction in a mixture of prose and poetry. It is written about, primarily, Trimalchio, an extremely wealthy freedman who puts on "feast" for himself and his fellow freemen and other various guests. During the chapters of 26-78, Encolpius, the narrator of this story, tells us of Trimalchio's feast and the kinds of grotesque acts that go on during it. For the most part, I found Satyricon very hard to follow and understand due to a lot of foreign words and phrase that I am not that familiar with. What I did gather, however, was that this feast was nothing to feel envious about. Yes, they were waited on hand and foot (literally), but Trimalchio and his other wealthy freedmen treated the slaves and other guests like worthless dogs. Their acts made me feel as if it kind of relates to how society can be in this day and age. No, we don't have slaves (at least in the U.S) and we don't engage in these sort of feasts. More so, I'm referring to the act of gluttony. Taking for granted what we have and wasting what we don't want. This whole story ties into what we've been reading and watching these last few weeks as in our country will throw away pound after pound of food just because we don't want it anymore or because we can easily attain more. This behavior is sickening makes a lot of us no better than Trimalchio. At least in that aspect.

How Beer Saved the World

The title of this post seems a little outrageous, doesn't it? You're probably thinking, "How could beer save the world? It's just beer!". Well, my friend, beer isn't just beer. Beer was probably one of the most key components in building the world as we know it. Let me explain.

     
It all started around the time that we were still living in caves. Humans were still very much nomadic and relied heavily on hunting and gathering for their food. As time went on they finally stumbled upon a little plant called barley. Barley, for the uninitiated, is a wheat like plant that was, and still is, used as a base for many beer products. When this plant was discovered, the no-longer-nomadic humans decided to gather it for its' nutrients. Some believe that the original purpose for gathering the barley was for making bread and other food like substances, but evidence shows that it was actually used to brew the first ever beer. Obviously these humans didn't have the knowledge or know-how to make this beer, so how did they stumble upon this fantastic ale? By pure accident. Unbeknownst to the early humans, if you are to leave barley in a container filled with rain water for a certain amount of time, a wonderful chemical reaction occurs creating alcohol and carbonation. This happy accident created what we now know is beer and started an "agricultural revolution" that would forever change the course of history.

Now that you have the back-story you're probably still wondering how this discovery "changed the course of history". Don't worry baby birds, I'll feed ya. Beer was a very well liked commodity, much like it is today. The only difference between now and then is availability. In this day and age we produce around 35 billion gallons of beer a year, leaving us with as much beer as we can possibly consume. When beer was new and still blossoming it wasn't anywhere near those numbers in production. This made beer a very highly sought-after commodity. With this high demand, beer was an excellent commodity to use as payment for other goods and services. It was a such a good bartering tool that it was used to pay the workers who built the pyramids! With daily wage of one gallon of beer per day, it is assumed that it took 231.414,717 gallons of beer to help fuel building the pyramids.

       Although there are a ton of other facts I can throw out here about beer, there's only one more that I would like to share. There's probably one more question that is really baffling your mind. That question, I'm assuming, is, "Why was beer so loved?". Besides the obvious reason that alcoholic beverages make you feel good, people back in those times knew that drinking beer was essential to their survival. "But Josh, beer can't be good for you. Shouldn't they just drink water to keep themselves hydrated and healthy?" No, they shouldn't drink water. Water was actually one of the leading killers for the longest time. Before they had the technology to purify water, water was very contaminated with pollutants and e coli. Beer, on the other hand, contained alcohol and was sometimes boiled, killing off any trace of e coli or other pollutants. That, combined with the nutrients from the barley, made beer a very nutritious and healthy choice in a typical person's life. Scientists today conducted an experiment where they took duck pond water, filled with e coli and duck poop and used it as the water for a beer they brewed. When comparing the beer and the pollutant filled water, beer had virtually no traces of e coli or any other harmful pollutants, unlike the plain water.

        Beer not only got us away from a nomadic way of life but it helped build the pyramids and saved millions of lives, changing the course of history. Here is an infographic of facts and the history of beer for those of you who are interested in finding out more about how beer saved the world. Also, if you get a chance, check out How Beer Saved the World! Cheers!

Ads R' Us

In the world of the food industry, as I've said before, everything comes back to money. Every product and advertising decision ever made was made in the name of money. That’s why you shouldn't

be surprised when companies aim their advertisements towards their biggest demographic or the demographic that brings in the most money. In the world of the food industry, however, this demographic happens to be children.

                As the years go on children are starting to become one of the biggest targets for companies to advertise to. Whether it is the way the boxes are designed, the toys the company offers with their products or the cartoon characters that capture their attention, advertisers are targeting the children in one way or another. The reason being is that children as a general population have become a powerhouse in consumer spending.  Studies show that the children population’s spending of their own money has increased from $6 billion in the 1980’s to $136 billion in 2001. In a mere 20-something years children spending has increased by more than 20 times. Over more than half of this money was spent on sweets, soft drinks and fast food.

                With this much profit, it’s no wonder why the food industry has targeted young children in their advertising. But does that make it right? Absolutely not. Children are susceptible to a range of influences and can be manipulated into liking whatever someone wants them to like. This is why parents need to start getting their children familiar with healthy life choices and healthy brands at a very young age. If the parents don’t take control, the food industry will.  

Money Makes the World Go 'Round

After reading the a good amount of the book, "Food Politics : How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health", I've come to realize that the food industry, including nutritionists, are just like every other profitable company; all they care about, is money. 

       In the world of advertising, companies must do what they can to reel in the most amount of consumers. Now, they can't just lie about what they're selling or what rates they offer, but they can definitely manipulate the truth. The food industry is very heavily involved in Congress and the Government in general (hence the book name, Food Politics). What the big companies do is fund the whatever research is being done on food and become very heavily involved in how those results can be released. If studies show that too much sugar or meat is bad for your body, the companies have the results released as "You should eat a moderate amount of sugar" or "You should eat a moderate amount of meat". If a study is released stating that too much sugar or meat is bad for you, the companies that provide those commodities may start to see a drop in sales. This angers the companies and causes a huge ruckus with Congress and within the food industry. 

       As it was stated in the book, the food industry has become the advertising equivalent of tobacco companies. The only difference is, smoking isn't needed for survival. Telling someone to stop smoking is as simple as that; "Stop smoking". But to tell consumers to not eat as much or eat less of this food or that food, it becomes a lot more complex issue. The fact that the food industry is even being compared to the tobacco industry is rather appalling. 

The Rollercoaster that is Weight Gain. (Food and You blog post)

Throughout my life I have had a pretty interesting relationship with food. Growing up as a tall, skinny kid with a fast metabolism I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. That is, until I left for college.          

          When I first came to Western I was a whopping 160lbs. This, combined with being six feet tall, I looked as if I had just been starved for the past month.  You could see my ribs from a mile away and my face could have been mistaken for one that belonged to Jack Skellington. And that didn’t change right away. My first semester here I was in the Bronco Marching Band, which seemed to help keep the weight off me, but only for a little while. The next semester Bronco Band was done and all I had to do was walk to class, eat and sleep (I guess studied sometimes as well). This is when the weight started to pile on. Within my first two semesters I had lost five pounds and then turned that around and gained 20 pounds during the spring. This was a little unsettling but nothing I couldn’t handle. I dropped most of that weight during my first college summer and was back down to 170lbs by the start of Fall 2011.

                Over the course of the next year I had gained another 20lbs but, again, lost half of that over the summer. If you’re keeping score at home, this put me at 180lbs at the start of Fall 2012. Now, this next year is a little better, that is, until summer hits. Over the year I only gain 10lbs which, for me, is a nice change in pace. Then I leave for the U.K and in the two weeks I’m there I gain another 10lbs. That’s right, 10lbs, in two weeks. This final push puts me at a total of 40lbs in my three years here. Welcome to College.