For my Food Project, I decided to choose an experiment to write about. After watching Food Inc. and reading Fast Food Nation, the confines of where meat was coming from changed the way I looked at food in general. The fast food stores or the corner store Chinese restaurants, etc. had meat which at this point was all questionable. For my experiment I fasted for 24hours with the only exception of having water.
First Hour: I'm pretty much solid as of now, whatever I ate last has still gotten me pretty full but I'm not sure if I'm going to last for the next 23 hours just sitting around drinking water.
Eighth Hour: I'm okay. My mom cooked pasta with marinara sauce on top of beef tonight and I have to only drink water as of now before I go to sleep which is going to be rough.
Fourteenth Hour: I woke up in the middle of the night with my stomach raging in hunger. Compelled to eat oreo's with milk, I toughed it out with a glass of water and stayed up the remainder of the night listening to music and doing homework.
Twenty-First Hour: I couldn't do it, I actually believed I was gonna die if I did not eat anything. I didn't eat meat though, I had a nice bowl of cereal which I felt almost still satisfied my goal of fasting, but I don't know if I could of gone another 4 hours without eating or drinking anything that didn't taste good.
Twenty-Fourth Hour: The end. What have I endured during this 24 hour long experiment. Breaking a trend/process that I have been doing all my life, eating meat, is pretty much harder than what I thought it would be. The constant thought of gnawing down on a Chipotle burrito consumed my thoughts of what my next meal should be. The over-bearing amount of pressure it is on someone who eats meat has to break a trend that is basically second hand to their nature of eating is difficult. I think if I were to continue this experiment once more, it would further heighten my tolerance for meat, but breaking a trend would be something I would miss. I think the only reason why I enjoyed remembering eating meat during my 24 hour fast was because of the sight and the pleasure the type of food I ate gave to me. The food is presented as this tasteful delight that can be easily accessed but unfortunately is rather unhealthy.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Hw - 10 Food Inc. Response
Food Inc. is a documentary by Robert Kenner who presents a main focus of how large food industries are corrupt. In the documentary which discusses industrialization of food products that affect our daily lives and especially our health, the theories about the rise in obesity, diabetes, salmonella and E Coli are linked back to what is being manufactured in our large food company plants and then being sold off to large fast food companies that we as customers consume. The processed food consist of animals being injected with hormones and chemicals to increase the growth and moderate size to create mass production. Some of the animals, especially cows are fed not grass but genetically engineered corn and grains to increase their size making them fatter later on to be slaughtered and processed as genetically engineered meat. Even though many health violations are shown in this film, a lot of the government turned their heads at this point proving themselves powerless to make a change in how the workers were being treated and how the food was being made. The only thing the government did for these large food corporations were keeping the public eye in the dark about what was actually going on. In the film they showed how agribusiness interest lobbied the CA state to keep labels off meat that came from cloned animals and they're excuse for doing that was "it would create unnecessary fright."
Eric Schlooser's, Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's, The Omnivore's Dilemma presents a certain detail without image that is more descriptive than what the film surfaces. In Fast Food Nation, Schlosser explained more about how illegal and female workers in plants were treated unfairly by the managers and that if you were injured in the plant, going to the hospital would result in you loosing your job. The film briefly describes how illegal workers made up a lot of what was being done in the plants but was more focused on the animals were treated.
From the film, one of the more powerful emotional scenes that stuck with me was the mother of the child who got E Coli and later died in result of what Food processing plants had to be blamed for. Even after the huge recall in nations history for E Coli in the meat, the complaint the mother had made was finally answered after 25 millions pounds of meat was consumed after 35 million pounds of ground beef had been recalled. This made me wonder how much our government or the large food corporations actually cared about american citizens and the thought that money weighed more in the decision of recalling meat that was infected with E Coli. Another quote from the film that stuck with me was that "Food has changed more in the past 50 years then in the last 10,000 years." Why hasn't there been a movement to change again? If we could alter the way we eat so drastically in the past 50 years, we should be able to make it possible to drastically change it again?
Eric Schlooser's, Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's, The Omnivore's Dilemma presents a certain detail without image that is more descriptive than what the film surfaces. In Fast Food Nation, Schlosser explained more about how illegal and female workers in plants were treated unfairly by the managers and that if you were injured in the plant, going to the hospital would result in you loosing your job. The film briefly describes how illegal workers made up a lot of what was being done in the plants but was more focused on the animals were treated.
From the film, one of the more powerful emotional scenes that stuck with me was the mother of the child who got E Coli and later died in result of what Food processing plants had to be blamed for. Even after the huge recall in nations history for E Coli in the meat, the complaint the mother had made was finally answered after 25 millions pounds of meat was consumed after 35 million pounds of ground beef had been recalled. This made me wonder how much our government or the large food corporations actually cared about american citizens and the thought that money weighed more in the decision of recalling meat that was infected with E Coli. Another quote from the film that stuck with me was that "Food has changed more in the past 50 years then in the last 10,000 years." Why hasn't there been a movement to change again? If we could alter the way we eat so drastically in the past 50 years, we should be able to make it possible to drastically change it again?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Hw - 7d Reading Response
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Chapter Nine: In 1997, around 35 million pounds of ground beef was recalled due to the fact that E Coli was apparent made by Hudson Foods. This was one of the largest recall in America's history and even before they recalled, 25 million pounds had already been eaten. Companies desire to make a profit felt that the safety of their customers came after business had been finished. Large food companies somewhat escape the clutches of the law and even our American government do not have the power to recall or even shut down the plants for health violations.
Quotes:"The safety of the food seemed determined more by the personality of the manager on duty than by the written policies of the chain. Many workers would not eat anything at their restaurant unless they'd made it themselves." (p.222).
Questions/Responses:
1. How is it possible that our government cannot take control of large food companies, when in reality it seems like the government already controls most of the country?
2. Large food companies have committed a crime, why are they getting away with health violations that are damaging American society.
3. What does this say say about the government if they knew they couldn't shut down the plants before to warn the public about the food epidemic?
Chapter Ten: The history of Plauen, Germany began in 1923 when it was the first place outside Bavaria to subscribe to Nazism, in 1990 it had become the first town in east Germany to host a McDonald's restaurant. McDonald's plan to move company overseas is welcome in some countries but not all. Protest have been apparent in some countries such as China, India and Holland with the thought that McDonald's destroys other restaurants and the culture that exist there. In every right, do these countries have the right to believe this because its factual evidence that McDonald's has contributed to putting out neighboring restaurants and re-arranging the culture that was previously there.
Quotes: "In 1996, Indian farmers ransacked a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Bangalore, convinced that the chain threatened their traditional agriculture practices. In 1997 a McDonald's in the Colombian city of Cali was destroyed by a bomb." (p.244).
Questions/Responses:
1. Does McDonald's resemble a tactical military scheme of command and conquer since it's move to overseas?
2. From what I realized in this book and trying to shorten it as much as possible is; A business is a business, to be successful in your business you gain and take control of the opportunity to become more powerful but it all starts with how you sell it to the people. McDonald's exceeds in these demands.
3. What is more powerful then the food that is being marketed towards us?
Chapter Nine: In 1997, around 35 million pounds of ground beef was recalled due to the fact that E Coli was apparent made by Hudson Foods. This was one of the largest recall in America's history and even before they recalled, 25 million pounds had already been eaten. Companies desire to make a profit felt that the safety of their customers came after business had been finished. Large food companies somewhat escape the clutches of the law and even our American government do not have the power to recall or even shut down the plants for health violations.
Quotes:"The safety of the food seemed determined more by the personality of the manager on duty than by the written policies of the chain. Many workers would not eat anything at their restaurant unless they'd made it themselves." (p.222).
Questions/Responses:
1. How is it possible that our government cannot take control of large food companies, when in reality it seems like the government already controls most of the country?
2. Large food companies have committed a crime, why are they getting away with health violations that are damaging American society.
3. What does this say say about the government if they knew they couldn't shut down the plants before to warn the public about the food epidemic?
Chapter Ten: The history of Plauen, Germany began in 1923 when it was the first place outside Bavaria to subscribe to Nazism, in 1990 it had become the first town in east Germany to host a McDonald's restaurant. McDonald's plan to move company overseas is welcome in some countries but not all. Protest have been apparent in some countries such as China, India and Holland with the thought that McDonald's destroys other restaurants and the culture that exist there. In every right, do these countries have the right to believe this because its factual evidence that McDonald's has contributed to putting out neighboring restaurants and re-arranging the culture that was previously there.
Quotes: "In 1996, Indian farmers ransacked a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Bangalore, convinced that the chain threatened their traditional agriculture practices. In 1997 a McDonald's in the Colombian city of Cali was destroyed by a bomb." (p.244).
Questions/Responses:
1. Does McDonald's resemble a tactical military scheme of command and conquer since it's move to overseas?
2. From what I realized in this book and trying to shorten it as much as possible is; A business is a business, to be successful in your business you gain and take control of the opportunity to become more powerful but it all starts with how you sell it to the people. McDonald's exceeds in these demands.
3. What is more powerful then the food that is being marketed towards us?
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Hw - 9 Freakanomics
Correlations are the concepts of mutual relation between two or more things. Causation is the concept of anything that produces, what it produces has an effect; the cause. Together, correlation versus causation emphasizes that between two variables, one may not imply the exact cause(s) of the other even though it may indicate possible causes or areas for further investigation. In the movie, Freakanomics study a group of children giving them the opportunity to earn $50 if they were to have good grades. In the movie they focused on two kids in the same grade and how this incentive would either prove positive or negative. In the end, the only one kid took advantage of this opportunity and the other failed at it. This example in this part of the movie represented that not all correlations and causation's are connected. The kid that failed at keeping his grades up choose to not fall through with the $50 reward that was offered and the other kid choose to have the $50 reward. I think the authors chose to address this problem because they wanted to show that the relationship between two things (correlation) does have an effective outcome (causation). The authors also touched base on how this experiment worked and did not work based upon how the child reacted to the reward. Each child's character, their motives were all different, and the reward that was offered was only apparent to those who found relevance what was offered. This would explain why a lot of the other children had failed because the reward was not relevant to them and if they were to try this experiment again, they would have to find many different rewards that all the kids would have found relevant to find a positive answer.
The most used source of evidence in the film would be statistics. The organized system of grouping tons of information and then putting it in numbers that represents one or multiple specific meanings based upon what type statistic evidence were being studied. Statistics can show patterns in the data collected as well as predict future outcomes due to the amount of evidence they collected that would result in the possible outcome. For this type of evidence, they chose to study the cheating aspect of the wrestling sport of Japan, Sumo wrestling and the crime rate in the U.S. Statistically the data recorded proved one thing, but apparent variables provoked different thoughts about what the data "actually" showed. In the U.S the years when the crime rate had shot down, there were many different ideas of what actually caused it to go down, and one of them was the law to have the right to an abortion, and during the years that this law was passed the crime rate went down. Other variables that also affected the crime rate that were also beneficial were the gun control and police presence which indeed effected the crime rate. Were these variables significant to the crime rate of the U.S. or were they all coincidences? What if the Sumo wrestlers did cheat, what are the other variables that may effected how Sumo wrestling was judged? All missing information that really can or cannot prove the exact reason as to why these things played out this way.
Freakonomics serves as an inspiration and good example to our attempt to explore the "hidden-in-plain-sight" weirdness of dominant social practices. I would be contradicting myself if I were to disagree with this quote because it indeed showed an examples into our attempt to understand the unknown in our dominant social practices, but did it serve as an inspiration and a good example? I would have to disagree. In the film they explained a lot of both sides of the fence not really giving us a complete one sided answer that would define the dominant social practices that exist. But maybe this true for our social practices, it is meant to be complex, but in the film they barely make that reference. For example, the study of what names were beneficial to your child argued two sides of the story, but if you weren't carefully listening it would of seemed that both sides argued the same thing. But maybe that is just what life is, not really noticing and understanding what the two issues are and just acknowledging the fact that the problem is there, is all we have to know.
The most used source of evidence in the film would be statistics. The organized system of grouping tons of information and then putting it in numbers that represents one or multiple specific meanings based upon what type statistic evidence were being studied. Statistics can show patterns in the data collected as well as predict future outcomes due to the amount of evidence they collected that would result in the possible outcome. For this type of evidence, they chose to study the cheating aspect of the wrestling sport of Japan, Sumo wrestling and the crime rate in the U.S. Statistically the data recorded proved one thing, but apparent variables provoked different thoughts about what the data "actually" showed. In the U.S the years when the crime rate had shot down, there were many different ideas of what actually caused it to go down, and one of them was the law to have the right to an abortion, and during the years that this law was passed the crime rate went down. Other variables that also affected the crime rate that were also beneficial were the gun control and police presence which indeed effected the crime rate. Were these variables significant to the crime rate of the U.S. or were they all coincidences? What if the Sumo wrestlers did cheat, what are the other variables that may effected how Sumo wrestling was judged? All missing information that really can or cannot prove the exact reason as to why these things played out this way.
Freakonomics serves as an inspiration and good example to our attempt to explore the "hidden-in-plain-sight" weirdness of dominant social practices. I would be contradicting myself if I were to disagree with this quote because it indeed showed an examples into our attempt to understand the unknown in our dominant social practices, but did it serve as an inspiration and a good example? I would have to disagree. In the film they explained a lot of both sides of the fence not really giving us a complete one sided answer that would define the dominant social practices that exist. But maybe this true for our social practices, it is meant to be complex, but in the film they barely make that reference. For example, the study of what names were beneficial to your child argued two sides of the story, but if you weren't carefully listening it would of seemed that both sides argued the same thing. But maybe that is just what life is, not really noticing and understanding what the two issues are and just acknowledging the fact that the problem is there, is all we have to know.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Hw - 7c Reading Response
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Chapter Seven: In Greeley, Colorado, a town known for its utopian community dedicated to agriculture, education, mutual aid and high moral values that began in 1870 has now well become a small meatpacking town. The IBP revolution was the cause for the termination of Greeley's peace which started in Denison, Iowa when two officials began the Iowa Beef Packers(IBP). They adopted similar methods the McDonald brothers use to make hamburgers in which the system required little skill. Thanks to this system, many of unions and smaller companies were pushed out of business.
Qoutes: "Holman and Anderson designed a production system for their slaughterhouse in Denison, Iowa, that eliminated the need for skilled workers. The new IBD plant was a one story structure with a dis assembly line. Each worker stood in one spot along the line, preforming the same simple task over and over again." (p.153).
Questions/Responses:
1. The system that has kept smaller companies and unions out of business due to larger food companies sounds like a higher end of American government, but it's not? So what does that say about the amount of power large food companies have in America?
2. Since the redefining shifts in the food industry, it presents a futuristic positive change, but to those who fall short of advancing as well, seem to get more affected in a negative way. Why hasn't it changed yet again for better then?
Chapter Eight: Somewhere in the High Plains, I toured one of the slaughterhouse; it was crowded and bloody enough to the point where I had to tuck my pants into my boots. In the facility, the workers worked silently concentrating hard on not falling behind. To not fall behind in work, sometimes the workers use methamphetamines to keep up with the fast-paced environment. The cattle that is brought in, are in a single file lines lined up to be stunned one after another by one man and then another man who cuts the cattle's throats'. Injuries are common is this fast paced environment, and because most workers are illegal, most of the injuries go unreported. Health violations and other safety methods are ignored due to the power the companies have over the workers, threatening to work harder to keep the only job they can find, only to benefit the profit of the company.
Quotes:"The line speeds and labor costs at IBP's nonunion plants now set the standard for the rest of the industry. Every other company must try to produce beef as quickly and cheaply as IBP does; slowing the pace to protect workers can lead to a competitive disadvantage." (p.175).
Questions/Responses:
1. Not only do these large food companies have the power to knock out smaller unions and companies, they have the power to hold their workers from reporting deadly injuries. And still our government doesn't do enough to crack down on them.
2. These large companies resemble a dictating power threatening workers with "if you want your job, don't complain" and "if I say work faster, work faster." There is nothing the workers can turn to for help.
3. The necessity of trapping their workers has very well much become using these people as expendables to a plant that provides no safety, which is a crime. But still there is nothing to be done to change it?
Chapter Seven: In Greeley, Colorado, a town known for its utopian community dedicated to agriculture, education, mutual aid and high moral values that began in 1870 has now well become a small meatpacking town. The IBP revolution was the cause for the termination of Greeley's peace which started in Denison, Iowa when two officials began the Iowa Beef Packers(IBP). They adopted similar methods the McDonald brothers use to make hamburgers in which the system required little skill. Thanks to this system, many of unions and smaller companies were pushed out of business.
Qoutes: "Holman and Anderson designed a production system for their slaughterhouse in Denison, Iowa, that eliminated the need for skilled workers. The new IBD plant was a one story structure with a dis assembly line. Each worker stood in one spot along the line, preforming the same simple task over and over again." (p.153).
Questions/Responses:
1. The system that has kept smaller companies and unions out of business due to larger food companies sounds like a higher end of American government, but it's not? So what does that say about the amount of power large food companies have in America?
2. Since the redefining shifts in the food industry, it presents a futuristic positive change, but to those who fall short of advancing as well, seem to get more affected in a negative way. Why hasn't it changed yet again for better then?
Chapter Eight: Somewhere in the High Plains, I toured one of the slaughterhouse; it was crowded and bloody enough to the point where I had to tuck my pants into my boots. In the facility, the workers worked silently concentrating hard on not falling behind. To not fall behind in work, sometimes the workers use methamphetamines to keep up with the fast-paced environment. The cattle that is brought in, are in a single file lines lined up to be stunned one after another by one man and then another man who cuts the cattle's throats'. Injuries are common is this fast paced environment, and because most workers are illegal, most of the injuries go unreported. Health violations and other safety methods are ignored due to the power the companies have over the workers, threatening to work harder to keep the only job they can find, only to benefit the profit of the company.
Quotes:"The line speeds and labor costs at IBP's nonunion plants now set the standard for the rest of the industry. Every other company must try to produce beef as quickly and cheaply as IBP does; slowing the pace to protect workers can lead to a competitive disadvantage." (p.175).
Questions/Responses:
1. Not only do these large food companies have the power to knock out smaller unions and companies, they have the power to hold their workers from reporting deadly injuries. And still our government doesn't do enough to crack down on them.
2. These large companies resemble a dictating power threatening workers with "if you want your job, don't complain" and "if I say work faster, work faster." There is nothing the workers can turn to for help.
3. The necessity of trapping their workers has very well much become using these people as expendables to a plant that provides no safety, which is a crime. But still there is nothing to be done to change it?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
SPROUTS
Growing my own sprouts felt like a tiny experiment that could be continuous because of how easy it was, and afterwards a treat to eat after caring for it. Although I am not a big fan of eating bare sprouts, I used some of it in a turkey sandwich that covered some of it's distinct and weird taste. Growing my own food felt like I had just saved myself from going out and buying food from a place that I was a stranger too and knowing that I was eating the food I grew felt like I was doing myself a service instead of having people service me. Even though going out and buying sprouts to eat would have been much faster, the fact and experience of growing my own sprouts set this sense of independence instead of depending on those to provide.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Hw - 7b Reading Response
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Chapter Four: Dave Feamster, former NHL player was injured while playing and could no longer pursue his former career. He struggled at first at what he was going to do after his accident until he bought his on franchise from McDonalds which had become successful when fast food chains started to emerge. Franchising became a big part of the fast food industry because it made for great business, one could make millions following the rules the major corporation set them in, or one could fall into dept depending on how well you carried out the plans/rules.
Quotes: "In 1998 an IFA survey claimed that 92 percent of all franchisees said they were "successful." The survey was based on a somewhat limited sample: franchisees who were still in business. Franchisees who'd gone bankrupt were never asked if they felt successful."
Questions/Responses:
1.Franchisees that went bankrupt, how would the IFA respond to their survey if they were never asked and how does this survey fair with current franchise owners of today?
2. If supposed innocent people like Dave Feamster can successfully own a franchise, why is that those who failed like three quarters of the American companies that started selling franchises in 1983 went out of business by 1993?
Chapter Five: Potatoes of the 1900's were a big part of the food industry. J.R. Simplot was born in 1909 and grew up working on a potato farm with his family until he left school around the age of fifteen to find work in a potato house. At age sixteen, Simplot had become a potato farmer and soon was buying, selling and sorting potatoes. During WWII, Simplot became successful selling dried onions and potatoes to the military and in 1950, invested in frozen food technology afterwards selling frozen french fries to McDonalds.
Quotes:"...the current market for potatoes as an oligopsony - a market in which a small number of buyers exert power over a large number of sellers."
Questions/Responses:
1. The potato business seems unfair due to the fact that the sellers make ultimately less then what the buyers buy them at. If the sellers were not to provide anymore, would fast food chains end up being ran out until they paid fairly?
2. J.R. Simplots involvement in the rise of McDonalds french fries bettered his money situation but for those who pick and peeled the potatoes before the frozen food technology were now payed less creating this unequal shift.
Chapter Six: Hank, a Colorado rancher lives and works on his farm, and while I was there he was intent on showing me the difference between what he does and "raping the land" does. The difference he intended on showing me was how the runoff from the city's drainage system damaged the environment. There were these trusts such as the Steel, Tobacco and Sugar trusts and a few major players completely controlled the price of goods on their own. Soon after in the 1910's there was a beef trust and when the owners of major slaughterhouses got together they would decide the appropriate price of beef. In the market the cost of being a farmer is so expensive that most farmers sell the land they own to be able to pay for it.
Quotes: "It would be wrong to say that Hank's death was caused by the consolidating and homogenizing influence of the fast food chains, by monopoly power in the meatpacking industry, by depressed prices in the cattle market, by the economic forces bankrupting independent ranchers, by the tax laws that favor the wealthy ranchers, by the unrelenting push of Colorado's real estate developers. But it would not be entirely wrong." (p.146).
Questions/Responses:
1. Since major industries had a lot of control over the different trusts, the few major companies that still run all the little companies have new similar patterns they did so long ago which basically still puts them on top of others.
2. The death of Hank represents how intense the food industry competition is and how hard it is to stay current in a rapid growing food economy.
3. How would Hank's death personally effect those who work in the food industry competing in competitive business?
Chapter Four: Dave Feamster, former NHL player was injured while playing and could no longer pursue his former career. He struggled at first at what he was going to do after his accident until he bought his on franchise from McDonalds which had become successful when fast food chains started to emerge. Franchising became a big part of the fast food industry because it made for great business, one could make millions following the rules the major corporation set them in, or one could fall into dept depending on how well you carried out the plans/rules.
Quotes: "In 1998 an IFA survey claimed that 92 percent of all franchisees said they were "successful." The survey was based on a somewhat limited sample: franchisees who were still in business. Franchisees who'd gone bankrupt were never asked if they felt successful."
Questions/Responses:
1.Franchisees that went bankrupt, how would the IFA respond to their survey if they were never asked and how does this survey fair with current franchise owners of today?
2. If supposed innocent people like Dave Feamster can successfully own a franchise, why is that those who failed like three quarters of the American companies that started selling franchises in 1983 went out of business by 1993?
Chapter Five: Potatoes of the 1900's were a big part of the food industry. J.R. Simplot was born in 1909 and grew up working on a potato farm with his family until he left school around the age of fifteen to find work in a potato house. At age sixteen, Simplot had become a potato farmer and soon was buying, selling and sorting potatoes. During WWII, Simplot became successful selling dried onions and potatoes to the military and in 1950, invested in frozen food technology afterwards selling frozen french fries to McDonalds.
Quotes:"...the current market for potatoes as an oligopsony - a market in which a small number of buyers exert power over a large number of sellers."
Questions/Responses:
1. The potato business seems unfair due to the fact that the sellers make ultimately less then what the buyers buy them at. If the sellers were not to provide anymore, would fast food chains end up being ran out until they paid fairly?
2. J.R. Simplots involvement in the rise of McDonalds french fries bettered his money situation but for those who pick and peeled the potatoes before the frozen food technology were now payed less creating this unequal shift.
Chapter Six: Hank, a Colorado rancher lives and works on his farm, and while I was there he was intent on showing me the difference between what he does and "raping the land" does. The difference he intended on showing me was how the runoff from the city's drainage system damaged the environment. There were these trusts such as the Steel, Tobacco and Sugar trusts and a few major players completely controlled the price of goods on their own. Soon after in the 1910's there was a beef trust and when the owners of major slaughterhouses got together they would decide the appropriate price of beef. In the market the cost of being a farmer is so expensive that most farmers sell the land they own to be able to pay for it.
Quotes: "It would be wrong to say that Hank's death was caused by the consolidating and homogenizing influence of the fast food chains, by monopoly power in the meatpacking industry, by depressed prices in the cattle market, by the economic forces bankrupting independent ranchers, by the tax laws that favor the wealthy ranchers, by the unrelenting push of Colorado's real estate developers. But it would not be entirely wrong." (p.146).
Questions/Responses:
1. Since major industries had a lot of control over the different trusts, the few major companies that still run all the little companies have new similar patterns they did so long ago which basically still puts them on top of others.
2. The death of Hank represents how intense the food industry competition is and how hard it is to stay current in a rapid growing food economy.
3. How would Hank's death personally effect those who work in the food industry competing in competitive business?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Hw 7 - Reading Response
Fast Food Nation by Eroc Schlosser
Chapter One: Carl Kacher was born in 1917 in Ohio. He quit school after eighth grade to continue working long hours on the farm with his father. When Carl turned 20, he moved to Anaheim,CA to work at a Seed and Farm job his uncle had offered him. He saved enough money to by his own Hot Dog stand and soon after opened a drive in barbecue restaurant. Meanwhile, the McDonald brothers began their speedee service system by providing a self service system taking out drive in restaurants and bringing in customers into their highly efficient restaurant.
Qoutes: "The McDonald's fired all the carhops in 1948, close their restaurant, installed larger grills, and reopened three months later with a radically new method of preparing food. It was designed t0 increase the speed, lower prices, and raise the volume of sales. The brothers eliminated almost two-thirds of the items on their old menu. They got rid of everything that had to be eaten with a knife, spoon, or fork. The brothers got rid of their dishes and glassware, replacing them with paper cups, paper bags and paper plates." (19-20).
Questions/Responses:
1. It's interesting and quite funny to see how Schlosser described McDonald's new speedee service system helped advance the fast food industry by providing fast self servicing restaurants.
2. How is it significant to know about the history of Carl's Jr in relation to the new development of Self-servicing systems?
Chapter Two:Ray Kroc dropped out of high school and served in WWI and eventually became successful by buying the right to franchise McDonald's. Walt Disney was born in Illinois a year apart from Ray and together they developed the world's view on product advertsising. Kroc's strategy was to target the children by providing the kids with entertainment and with that along came McDonald's, Ronald McDonald clown. Disney developed clear and efficient marketing strategies such as creating an atmosphere in which visitors felt as though they had escaped the real world, and coining the “synergy” strategy, which sold the rights to use Disney characters to other companies, thus increasing product recognition.
Quotes: "If they were drowning to death, I would put a hose in their mouth.” Ray Kroc says this of the Walt Disney Company as their fortunes declined in the 1960s "(41)
Questions/Responses:
1. To see how much the fast food industry is an actual competitive business in the light of Ray Kroc and Walt Disney was interesting because it really did develop the future of the world and at the sametime made the future worse providing unhealthiness to many.
2.The rivalry between Ray Kroc and Walt Disney explains how in most cases that money is the main inportant drive in successful businesses.
Chapter Three: In Colorado Springs, CO, the military bases became predominant since the outbreak of WWII which brought forth more people and with more people came more change and modernization of the food industry in that area of that time. The workforce at that time was mainly made up of adolescents who were trained to work at machines and do praticed task that they had to preform at work. After the teens would move on from working where they were at, they were easily replaced because it was not hard to do what was being asked of. Since the workers were paid such low wages, often ex-employees would rob the places where they once worked furthermore getting back at the job that treated their work efforts unfairly.
Quotes: "No other American industry is robbed so frequently by its own employees.” Joseph A. Kinney, the president of the National Safe Workplace Institute, says this about the fast-food industry when he urges restaurants to pay their employees higher wages in addition to updating security measures. (86)
Chapter One: Carl Kacher was born in 1917 in Ohio. He quit school after eighth grade to continue working long hours on the farm with his father. When Carl turned 20, he moved to Anaheim,CA to work at a Seed and Farm job his uncle had offered him. He saved enough money to by his own Hot Dog stand and soon after opened a drive in barbecue restaurant. Meanwhile, the McDonald brothers began their speedee service system by providing a self service system taking out drive in restaurants and bringing in customers into their highly efficient restaurant.
Qoutes: "The McDonald's fired all the carhops in 1948, close their restaurant, installed larger grills, and reopened three months later with a radically new method of preparing food. It was designed t0 increase the speed, lower prices, and raise the volume of sales. The brothers eliminated almost two-thirds of the items on their old menu. They got rid of everything that had to be eaten with a knife, spoon, or fork. The brothers got rid of their dishes and glassware, replacing them with paper cups, paper bags and paper plates." (19-20).
Questions/Responses:
1. It's interesting and quite funny to see how Schlosser described McDonald's new speedee service system helped advance the fast food industry by providing fast self servicing restaurants.
2. How is it significant to know about the history of Carl's Jr in relation to the new development of Self-servicing systems?
Chapter Two:Ray Kroc dropped out of high school and served in WWI and eventually became successful by buying the right to franchise McDonald's. Walt Disney was born in Illinois a year apart from Ray and together they developed the world's view on product advertsising. Kroc's strategy was to target the children by providing the kids with entertainment and with that along came McDonald's, Ronald McDonald clown. Disney developed clear and efficient marketing strategies such as creating an atmosphere in which visitors felt as though they had escaped the real world, and coining the “synergy” strategy, which sold the rights to use Disney characters to other companies, thus increasing product recognition.
Quotes: "If they were drowning to death, I would put a hose in their mouth.” Ray Kroc says this of the Walt Disney Company as their fortunes declined in the 1960s "(41)
Questions/Responses:
1. To see how much the fast food industry is an actual competitive business in the light of Ray Kroc and Walt Disney was interesting because it really did develop the future of the world and at the sametime made the future worse providing unhealthiness to many.
2.The rivalry between Ray Kroc and Walt Disney explains how in most cases that money is the main inportant drive in successful businesses.
Chapter Three: In Colorado Springs, CO, the military bases became predominant since the outbreak of WWII which brought forth more people and with more people came more change and modernization of the food industry in that area of that time. The workforce at that time was mainly made up of adolescents who were trained to work at machines and do praticed task that they had to preform at work. After the teens would move on from working where they were at, they were easily replaced because it was not hard to do what was being asked of. Since the workers were paid such low wages, often ex-employees would rob the places where they once worked furthermore getting back at the job that treated their work efforts unfairly.
Quotes: "No other American industry is robbed so frequently by its own employees.” Joseph A. Kinney, the president of the National Safe Workplace Institute, says this about the fast-food industry when he urges restaurants to pay their employees higher wages in addition to updating security measures. (86)
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Hw - 6 Food Diary
September 29th:
Morning: Small cup of tea and toast with butter.
Lunch: Turkey sandwich on a kaiser roll with a bottle of water.
"Sushi" (California Roll)
Dinner: Chicken Burrito from Chipotle no Guacamole. Glass of Orange Juice.
September 30th:
Morning: Small cup of tea
Lunch: Roast Beef Sandwich and a bottle water.
Dinner: Wan Tan Soup (Small)
These past two days have not been normal eating habits for me, especially during breakfast, its only a few days I would not miss breakfast. At the beginning of the week I was sick; coughing and a stuffy nose so for the 3oth when my sickness was clearing up, I decided to order wan ta soup which always makes me feels better. I usually eat a lot of home cooked meals but for the past two days it has been take out. On the 29th I can say for dinner was really enjoyable because I hadn't eaten Chipotle in a while so the taste was amazing. It probably wasn't the most healthiest thing to eat since I was incapable of finishing it because of it's large size. Being sick also made it more appealing because I felt weak at the time, so eating something huge was apparent.
For the 30th when my cold was clearing up, Soup was the ideal meal for dinner because I had a large lunch and what a better way to clear up your cold with soup and still satisfy yourself.
Morning: Small cup of tea and toast with butter.
Lunch: Turkey sandwich on a kaiser roll with a bottle of water.
"Sushi" (California Roll)
Dinner: Chicken Burrito from Chipotle no Guacamole. Glass of Orange Juice.
September 30th:
Morning: Small cup of tea
Lunch: Roast Beef Sandwich and a bottle water.
Dinner: Wan Tan Soup (Small)
These past two days have not been normal eating habits for me, especially during breakfast, its only a few days I would not miss breakfast. At the beginning of the week I was sick; coughing and a stuffy nose so for the 3oth when my sickness was clearing up, I decided to order wan ta soup which always makes me feels better. I usually eat a lot of home cooked meals but for the past two days it has been take out. On the 29th I can say for dinner was really enjoyable because I hadn't eaten Chipotle in a while so the taste was amazing. It probably wasn't the most healthiest thing to eat since I was incapable of finishing it because of it's large size. Being sick also made it more appealing because I felt weak at the time, so eating something huge was apparent.
For the 30th when my cold was clearing up, Soup was the ideal meal for dinner because I had a large lunch and what a better way to clear up your cold with soup and still satisfy yourself.
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