Buzzfeed

Buzzfeed is a source of entertainment for most college students. It reliefs stress while providing a good laugh most of the time. After watching Mexican People Try Taco Bell For the First Time and Chinese People Try Panda Express For the First Time, one can note the huge difference between national cuisine and the Americanized versions of these foods. Many taste tasters were shocked with the degree of difference from these fast food meals to the original dishes from their country. Some were more willing to try them than others. Many were skeptical to try the food and confirmed their suspicions that it was not even the shadow of a home cooked meal in their country.

The use of various age groups made the video that much more appealing. The response of each person was unique, but most concurred with the opinion that it was inferior to the food they were accustomed to. Surprisingly in both videos, there were some people who enjoyed the food. In Mexican People Try Taco Bell For the First Time, it was interesting how much of the tasters found the Dorito taco shell delicious when it was the farthest thing from authentic Mexican food. On the Chinese People Try Panda Express it was odd that the individuals who like the food the most were the oldest. I would think a younger generation would be more accepting of this type of cuisine.

I can totally relate to the taste testers in both videos. Just last week some of my American friends surprised me with Cuban food. Their intentions were good, but the food was sub-par at the most. I am not Cuban, but both my parents are, so I am used to high-quality, authentic Cuban food. When making traditional homemade food commercialized, the integrity of the dishes is many times lost. The seasonings, ingredients, special touches, secret recipes, and time, required in making these typical foods is traded for making vast quantities that appeal to the taste buds of large masses. Many American fast food chains strip away the national integrity of many delicious dishes. This makes other countries categorized many Americans as insensitivity and ignorant to many global cultures. However, we cannot deny that sometimes a burrito locos taco or some orange chicken with lo mein are just what we are craving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWSOiZrs3oA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo59LlkTDe4

Ethnography post

After being so utterly done with the food at the DUC, I began my journey to the highly regarded Cox Hall to find any other food resource that wouldn’t be the classic grilled chicken, limited salads, and tempting cookies, cakes and ice cream. Most students speak of Cox Hall as the food haven at Emory. Due to the fact that they do not accept Meal Swipes, I had left it as one of my last food options. On Thursday, I decided to spend my Dooley dollars and make my much-anticipated visit to Cox for an early lunch.

As I enter through the transparent doors, I see various shapes and colors adorning the walls and ceiling. It immediately reminds me of a shopping mall food court.  I was surprised to find such a crowded space so early in the day. The atmosphere is considerably different and diverse from that of many of Emory’s dining options.  Here you encounter people like upperclassmen, professors, doctors, nurses, and medical students. The open structure and array of tables make the room look spacious even with its congested lines. After being hit with the wave of people, you are rapidly bombarded with a variety of options.

Something from every cuisine you can crave. Cox offers endless possibilities, from grilled burgers to fresh salads, creamy pasta,  flavorful Indian and Asian food, spicy tacos, and crepes. An aroma of diverse cultures and flavors surrounded me while I was trying to choose the station I wanted to eat. The smells reminded me of a home cooked meal made by any fancy or family restaurant. As I survey the stations, I opted for the sweet, spicy, and exotic smelling Indian Bhojanic. Anxiously waiting in line, I realized I only have twenty-five minutes before my next class. I decided to sacrifice my craving for Indian Bhojanic and go for the pre-packaged sushi. I passed the lengthy and slow line and struggled to find an empty seat. .

Thankfully I ran into one of my hall mates who was also having lunch, and I sat with her. I saw her plate of Asian fusion food bowl filled with spicy chicken, brown rice, scallions, and ginger infused soy sauce. I take a look at my pre-packed sushi with an unfulfilled look and take my first bite of my California roll. My friend urges me to try some of her bowl. The chicken was delicious, crunchy with a thick sweet sauce and fluffy brown rice. A big plus to this meal is that it comes in a to-go box, which makes it most convenient for any college student’s late night snack.

Overall Cox offers something different for any Emory first year student that looks for any change in their meal diets or if they are just simply tired of microwaving mac and cheese or eating at the DUC. It offers variety, good flavor, and new faces. As said by a current first-year student Carla Rodriguez: “ it is a nice alternative to the monotonous DUC food, plus the taste and quality are a hundred times better”. The only complain of most students is the price (approximately $8-12). Sara Laher said she would go to Cox Hall almost every day if they accepted meal swipes. Cox Hall proves to be one of the best culinary choices for Emory students, with its only downsides being price and crowdedness.

French Dinner Party 

Main course: Coq au vin with white rice 

Salad: Parmesan Lemon Arugula 

Dessert: Vanilla Madeline with caramel infused ice cream  

Grocery list

Food
•    Chicken Thighs  $ .00
•    Garlic $2.50
•    Scallions $3.00
•    Salt $3.00
•    Pepper $2.00
•    Butter $5.00
•    Pancetta $10.00
•    Bay leaves $2.00
•    Tarragon $2.00
•    Cooking wine $3.00
•    Chicken broth $2.00
•    Carrots $5.00
•    Potatoes $5.00
•    White Rice $3.00
•    Olive oil $15.00
•    Lemon $3.00
•    Parmesan Cheese $12.00
•    Arugula $6.00
•    Store bought vanilla madeleines $12.00
•    Sugar $3.00
•    Almonds $5.00
•    Vanilla Ice cream $10.00
Tupperware
•    Plates $5.00
•    Utensils $6.00
•    Napkins from the DUC
•    Glasses $12.00
•    Flowers $6.00

Methods

I will go to Earth Fare to get all my ingredients; this would probably take me two hours. After, I would return to my dorm to marinate the chicken in a salt, pepper, lemon, garlic, tarragon and olive oil. While the chicken is marinating, I would dice the carrots, potatoes, onions and pancetta. After letting the chicken marinate for a couple of hours, I would begin the process of cooking. First I would sautee the pancetta, onions, garlic, and carrots using a mix of olive oil. Then I would remove these and add the chicken. I would sear it until it is nice and crispy. Then combine the ingredients you had sautéed to the chicken, also include the potatoes. Add chicken broth and wine and simmer for four hours. While it simmers, go ahead and make the white rice. After your main dish is done, assemble the salad which will be lightly dressed in olive oil and lemon and topped with parmesan cheese.

If I would have had more time to write; I would have focused on the completion of the meal including the dessert, the plating and the decor of the room. I would also detail the planning it would involve and the location of the dinner.

Sustainability

Farm fresh, organic, natural, locally grown… All the words we wish to find in our food, except if you are in Puerto Rico. As you enter any well-known supermarket, you see stacks of produce, shelves filled with snacks, and packaged meats, most of them labeled with one of these elusive words. Most customers would be drawn by these words and grab any of these products carelessly, but if you examine closely you realize that locally grown is apparently in Washington, USA.

Finding fresh local food is a laborious task for most Puerto Ricans. Around seventy percent of our foods come from the continental United States. This proves detrimental to both our health and budgets. Our food is, of course, not fresh and many times packed with preservatives that can affect our well-being. Also, shipping all of these products from such faraway places increases their cost by a significant amount.  It seems ironic how a place so fertile as Puerto Rico would not be one of the top agricultural producing countries in the world. Mother nature has given us all the tools necessary to be sustainable, but we rely solemnly on another country.

Millennials are trying to change that. Thanks to the arduous quest of finding the perfect avocado, my friends and I came across a family that owns a small farm in the mountains. They sell anything from tomatoes and cilantro to mango and pineapple. In an effort to bring their produce to the hungry market of the metropolitan area of Puerto Rico, aka the capital, they have designed a food bus. You text them your grocery list, and they will deliver it to your doorstep every week. This initiative portrays what sustainability is all about; this is our “criollo” version of a contemporary farmer's market.

Compare and contrast evidence.

        In India's War On Biryani Mixes Caste, Religion, Cow-Avenging Vigilantes, Sandip Roy employs the use of both primary and secondary sources to support his argument. He uses direct quotes to cite various authoritative figures in this topic such as social scientist, professor, journalist, restaurant owners, the chair of commission of the Indian Times, and even, the prime minister. While in Purity Through Food: How Religious Ideas Sell Diets, James Hamblin uses primary sources to support his argument, specifically an interview with religion scholar Alan Levinovitz. He also includes other sources and accounts such as Levinovitz incident with the food vendor to substantiate his claim as well as other books from academics and a quote from a very influential figure, Pope Francis. Both Sandip Roy and James Hamblin build their arguments through their evidence, but by comparing both articles readers can distinguish how different types of evidence help substantiate various claims and convince diverse audiences of particular perspectives.

Roy, Sandip. “India's War On Biryani Mixes Caste, Religion, Cow-Avenging Vigilantes.” NPR, NPR, 12 Sept. 2016. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2 016/09/12/493645849/india-s-war-on-biryani-mixes-caste-religion-cow-avenging-vigilantes.

Hamblin, James. “Purity Through Food: How Religious Ideas Sell Diets.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 1 May 2015, http://www.theatlantic.com/health/ archive/2015/05/the-puritanical-approach-to-food/392030/.

How does food relate to your experience of gender and or religion?

Since an early age, I remember my grandmother working arduously in the kitchen to have everything ready for the arrival of my grandfather. My grandmother would spend countless hours slaving away over a hot stove cooking all the food, making sure it was made freshly with quality ingredients and delicate techniques. Her food was by far the best I have ever had; my grandmother had mastered Spanish cuisine to a whole other level after so many years of cooking. These skills were the result of generations of instruction from mother to daughter to sometimes, even granddaughter. 

I recall her teaching me how to make “torrejas”, which are equivalent to American French toast. This famous dessert is made using a special bread, dipped in an egg, cinnamon, and sugar mixture, then fried until the perfect crunchiness and soaked overnight in a thick sugary syrup. We would even make the dough from scratch. She always stressed the importance of cooking, primarily when finding a husband, as the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach she would remind me.

I love cooking, but thinking that I would do it for the purpose of serving some else disgusted me. My grandmother's goal in life for me was to get married and have kids. I, on the other hand, have always wanted to be a doctor. Science has always sparked my curiosity, but I also have a passion for cooking. Learning the art of food from her was such a privilege, even though our views toward food were entirely different. For her, it was an obligation, a job, for me; it was a hobby, a learning experience.

Our view of food is an analogy for our distinct experiences and generations. She grew up in a society in which women’s role was to be a homemaker, where their rights were limited, and their central goal was to breed children; while I have grown up in a society where woman have almost equal rights to men and are completely self-sufficient. The comparison of our perspectives toward food mirrors that clash of our generations and gives so much meaning to the evolution of women’s role in society.  Who would have thought that plate of “torrejas” could convey such history and be seen from such different perspectives?

Summary

Food is a bridge between all the crucial aspects of human development.  From life to death, to politics and society, our eating habits, food preferences, and preparations, provide more insight into our human existence and evolution than any other artifact. In “Introduction: Feeding an Identity-Gender, Food, and Survival.",  Norma Baumel Joseph presents these basic ideas about food and its importance. She accomplishes an efficient argument by discussing the role of food in Judaism as her primary example, while also studying and comparing its impact on women’s role in society.

Many scholars have investigated the role of food in social, political, and religious interactions. In many of the written historical content regarding gastronomy, most is directed toward the way people ate, and what they ate, but not so much on the community formed around these meals, and the hands that prepared them.

In Judaism, food plays a central role in their rituals and Holidays. Their religious text specifies laws and instructions regarding the preparation of these special meals, and their ceremonies, but never in the silent protagonists of all these dishes: the women. By studying the Jewish tradition, scholars can create a pretty accurate picture of a woman’s role in this community.

Women’s domestic role has always been a very controversial topic and was neither mentioned by the general public nor the feminist crowd in the past. However, the most recent studies in this field are focused on showing all aspects of woman’s lives. Food is so much more than a simple means for driving our bodies; it is part of our most sophisticated interactions, as Norma Baumel Joseph said "we meet food as the vehicle of memory, of commonality and difference, and of women central contributions.”, it is an essential part of who we are as a society.

Works Cited

Joseph, Norma Baumel. "Introduction: Feeding an Identity-Gender, Food, and Survival." Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues 5 (2002): 7-13. Web.

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