Bringing it All Together

These two final readings really did an effective job of wrapping up the main ideas learned throughout this course. Both "Food: The Key Concepts" by Warren Belasco and "One Thing to Do About Food: A Forum" evaluated the future of food, and the measures that must be taken to ensure the security of future generations.

These readings looked at all of the factors that contribute to the crisis surrounding food. The food system must be repaired, and to do this, we must recover the deeper relationship we have with food beyond exploiting crops for profit or relying so heavily on factory farming. These methods are not sustainable by any means, and force us to rely on monocultures like corn, soya, and canola, which are destroying biodiversity. This not only affects the environment, but also our own health because diverse diets provide better taste and more nutrition. After all, everything is connected. Additionally, the food industry must work towards making the public aware of what goes on behind the scenes. By knowing where and how the food is made, and what it contains, the consumer would be more motivated to make smarter choices about what they eat. Controls on marketing should be used to solve serious nutrition problems among the United States population, including obesity and type II diabetes.

The truth of the matter, though, is that people rarely listen to these health messages, and change will not by any means occur overnight. That's why we need to seriously devote ourselves to the fixing of this system. The future is created by what happens in the present, and we need to be able to anticipate disasters in this industry in order to prevent them. It is true that convenience defines human identity and demand, but the means that bring about this end are not sustainable. I know that for me, learning about the conditions behind the scenes of the food I eat has really changed the way I think about food. I applaud Cornell for making the change to using local cows. I myself have started making changes in my diet, or at least I've started thinking about it. Now the real question is, how do we get the message out to the American public that the benefit of changing our ways is worth the price of the convenience of our current lifestyle?

Food as a Human Right

Over one billion people now inhabit planet Earth, and a higher proportion of them are facing hunger than ever before. The issue is not merely that there isn't enough food to feed this individuals, but that the available food is not affordable or accessible. This prevalent issue is described by Stephen Scanlan, Craig Jenkins, and Lindsey Peterson in "The Scarcity Fallacy." Although we are now producing more food than ever before, barriers such as inequality, and political and economic instability prevent people from gratifying the most basic need of satisfying their hunger.

The availability of food has outpaced even the most rapid expansion of human population that our world has ever seen, but yet, people still are not receiving the food they require. In order to provide access to this food, it must be distributed more equitably. 96 percent of people who are hungry live in developing countries, providing a clear link between poverty and hunger. Gender,ethnicity, and race are other inequalities that have considerably contributed to the amount of hunger in the world. In order to solve the issue of hunger, we need to focus our attention on the underlying issues that surround hunger rather than the amount of food that is available. Food must be viewed as a human right, and should therefore be distributed to everyone, no matter their background.

Although increasing food yields and new technologies that allow food to be shipped more efficiently are now available, more food for more people is not necessarily guaranteed. This seems to fit in with all of the contradictions surrounding food in society. We have a greater proportion of obese individuals, but also a growing number of people with anorexia and other eating disorders. We have better technology and more food, but more people are hungry. How do we find a balance in society that will provide for food security and eliminate all of these contradictions? It's easy to say food is a human right, but how can we really create a more equitable society where food is ensured for everyone?

Hunger in the United States

Hunger is no longer a distant concept as it is a harsh reality - in fact, today, one in eight Americans require food assistance at some point in their lives. In the New York Times articles, "Food Stamp Use Soars, and Stigma Fades," Matthew Ericson and Janet Roberts describe this phenomenon.Food stamps are now at a record high, and the number of people who use these is climbing each month. Unfortunately, only about two thirds of the people who are eligible actually receive help to curb hunger through food stamps. As a result, our country is full of hungry people, more hungry than they've been at any other time other than the Great Depression.

Janet Poppendieck further describes the hunger epidemic plaguing our nation in "Sweet Charity." The individuals most at risk are women, children, members of racial and ethnic minorities, and the elderly. Further, single parent household are also more at risk than homes with both parents. Individuals at the poverty line do not possess the adequate resources to bear the costs to eat, and are then officially poor by definition. It is suggested that the typical American family should spend a third of their income on food, and if they can't, they join the ranks of the 39 million Americans below the poverty line. However, the poverty line only reflects the cost, not the standard, of living, and it is therefore much harder to qualify. As a result, even if people are hungry, they cannot always get the help that they need.

These articles really hit home for me - during high school, I became really active volunteering for a local homeless shelter called Operation Hope. I served meals every week, and also helped to raise money to support the program. The mission of Operation Hope is to provide the homeless with the food and support they need to find jobs, and ultimately get back on their feet. Unfortunately, with the struggling economy and insecure job market, this is easier said than done. It doesn't seem right that the people who go to work every day, or even those who don't, need to receive food handouts from the pantry. I guess that's just how social constructionism works though - homelessness is a product of countless human choices. Sometimes it's the choices of others that influence this fate - being fired or unable to find a job, the economy - and sometimes, it's due to personal choices - drugs, gambling, or inability to provide for oneself. Even if someone makes bad choices in their life, should they be denied a meal? At what point should people be cut off and forced to fend for themselves? How can the hungry and the homeless reach stability in their lives?

Passover Update

Keeping kosher for Passover at Cornell this week is quite a challenge! I have been confronted with several obstacles that have made me consider breaking Passover dietary rules to this point. First, my roommate celebrated her nineteenth birthday this past Wednesday with a peanut butter cup Insomnia Cookie cake. It was fresh too, so our whole room was filled with the sweet aroma of freshly made cookies. Further, on Thursday, when it was beautiful outside, my Wellness and Fitness teacher thought it would be the perfect day for a hike - which it was. The ending destination, though, was the Dairy Bar, and she was treating. Saying no to Cornell's fresh ice cream was on the verge of painful. Last night, I also found myself surrounded by my group of friends, eating fresh subs from Louie's Hot Truck. Although we sat outside while they ate them, the smell consumed me, and I found it very difficult to sit there and watch them as they enjoyed their food.

I am facing my toughest challenge today, though. Because it is Easter, my room is now stocked with some of my favorite candies - marshmallow peeps, chocolate bunnies, and Robin's eggs malted milk balls. All of these have corn syrup as their first or second ingredient though, so I must resist. My sweet tooth is not thanking me for denying it all of these goodies. I've made it this far though, so I might as well go all the way. On Tuesday night, I will certainly feel an extra appreciation for the grains I've had to give up. Also, because I will have gone eight days without many of my favorite foods, they are sure to taste even better. Going a week without corn syrup is hard - it's in everything! I guess this week, I've first-handedly witnessed just how dependent our culture is on corn. Looking through lists upon lists of ingredients, it's been difficult to find anything without corn syrup, starch, or just plain corn. How can we limit our dependence on corn when it's in essentially everything?

"The McDonalization of Society"

Speed, convenience, and efficiency have certainly come to the forefront of American minds in our modern fast-paced society. The "McDonaldization of Society," as described by George Ritzer, explains this exact phenomenon. In the fast food industry, food is created with an emphasis on quantity and predictability of quality from one location to another. Additionally, these institutions are run with elements of routine and structure - leading to control of not only the uniformity of the food, but also of the employees who work there. With this, the autonomy and creativity in fast food industries, as well as in other aspects of our society, is diminishing immensely.

In chapter one of "Across Space and Through Time: Tomatl Meets the Corporate Tomato," the McDonalization of Society becomes further evident. By tracing the journey of the tomato, from way back the the day of the Aztecs to current times, it is clear just how much its production has changed. The standardization and homogenization of tomatoes today is far different from the unpredictability of methods of the Aztec farmers. Back then, tomatoes had character: now, they all have approximately the same shape, color, and taste. If the tomatoes in the supermarket deviate at all from this view we expect, we simply don't buy them. We want to know what to expect when we buy food, and therefore support the processes by which it's made. The tomato is therefore not merely a food, but a representation of our society's values.

The McDonalization of Society has applications in our world far beyond the food industry. It's true, people are eating out more and quickly grabbing meals on the go on a consistent basis, but our focus on efficiency doesn't stop just here. Modern science focuses around achieving efficiency: on the internet, any information is only a click away and contacting all of your friends is a quick text message away. Impatience runs rampant when super efficiency, and therefore, instant gratification takes over. What happens when the desire to achieve productivity goes too far? Will humans be useless in work when a robot can do the job without flaw? Are the majority of Americans even worried about this potential dehumanization, or are we moving too fast to even know what's happening?

Super Seder

Ah, Passover. It is once again that time of year where I basically have to cut all of my favorite foods from my diet. I woke up this morning, incredibly hungry, and realized that there was nothing in my room I could have except for a box of matzoh. Overly dry cracker bread really is not appetizing at 9:30 in the morning.

Enough complaints though, this really is an important holiday with a lot of really awesome traditions - the first being, the seder, or the service preceding the Passover meal on the first two nights. True, they can seem to last forever, especially when you're hungry, but seders are a really distinct and cool part of this holiday. My family knows how to do seders - my dad typically steers away from the prayer book to incorporate some more interesting, current issues and my mom makes a feast. Leftovers for a week back at home make the sacrifices of Passover easy.

After eighteen years of that, I wasn't really sure how Cornell's super seder would compare, but I am really pleasantly surprised. I'm talking about the food. Like at home, there was a massive amount of the usual Passover foods, and it was actually really good! The charoset, or ground up apples with cinnamon, nuts, and wine was sweet and excellent on a piece of matzoh. There was matzoh ball soup, beef brisket, stuffed cabbage, and three different types of kougle. Passover desserts are never good, but the ones offered at the super seder at least measured up to the quality of desserts I have back home. This dinner lasted for about 2.5 hours - seders are quite long - and it was an awesome experience. Even some of my christian friends came along for the ride, just to see what it was like. They were all pleased too. Maybe this seder wasn't like home, but it was a nice substitute for now. Now if only there were leftovers...

A Society of Extremes

What is going on in our society?! I just read the articles due March 30th, which spoke about the obesity epidemic that is plaguing our nation. "Never Too Rich... Or Too Thin: The Role of Stigma in the Social Construction of Anorexia Nervosa" by Karen Way demonstrates the far opposite end of the spectrum. Eating disorders have become another prevalent issue in today's society, to the point where the lines between what is "normal" and what is "anorexia" have become vastly blurred. True, it is normal for women to worry about their weights and their appearances, but it seems as though this level of vigilance has exceeded what is healthy. This fact makes sense too - Miss America Pageant contestants and Playboy models have both gotten smaller, while the average woman has gotten heavier. In fact, even Marilyn Monroe would be considered heavy today! When a woman compares herself to the women in a magazine, it is no wonder that she feels insecure, unworthy.

Additionally, women are concerned with fitting in with what is socially acceptable in regard to their appearances. They feel compelled to meet social norms, and fear rejection if they can't do this. Women who are overweight are often connected with negative stigmas - of being lazy, incapable, and less intelligent. Also, they have lower life chances and a smaller chance of getting married. Who wants this fate that comes along with being overweight? This is where anorexia and bulimia stem from - the idea that being thin is superior in every aspect of life.

In a society where approximately one in five individuals is obese, and up to twenty percent of people have eating disorders, how is it even possible to define what is normal? How is it possible that we can be both more overweight than ever, and also more food conscious and more prone to eating disorders than ever? How do we fix this society of extremes that we've created?