| May Day |
How does the forgetting of a workers' holiday commemorating an American labor struggle show fundamental aspects of the American Way of Life?
May Day is a day dedicated to the hard work of labor internationally… except for the United States and Canada. May day represents the struggle of workers trying to protest for an eight-hour day. Because May day is mostly celebrated by communist, socialist and anarchist groups the United States and Canada have chosen to opt out of this holiday. It seems so retarded that the US would go so far as to make up a whole new holiday. There is only a Labor Day because the US agrees with the same concepts of May Day. I think it just shows how much the government trys to shelter us from the thought of communist…. |
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| Grocery Store and Habitual Food |
Whenever my father and I usually go shopping we have a goal in mind. I don’t pay much attention to the other produce around me; I go straight to the specific lanes and get out. I wouldn’t say I use the grocery store to its full potential because I don’t take the time to look around. I don’t eat many vegetables weekly. Although I can name many vegetables that I like from the class list I couldn’t name many that I eat often. I found that my list of roots, grains and nuts were bigger than both my fruits and vegetables together. On a typical week my family would eat : Peas, Corn, Mushrooms, Potatoes, White Rice, Yellow Rice, Grapes, Apples, Bananas, Oranges, Red beans, Pink Beans, Onions, Garlic, Peppers, Strawberries…exc.
Although I might not eat the types of fruits and vegetables that I love all the time it doesn’t mean that I don’t eat a variety of foods. I noticed that my variety of vegetable intake has decreased over the years because my mother doesn’t supply them anymore. Now that my life runs a lot faster and I don’t have someone here to take the time out and make food for me I guess I just don’t find time to go out of my way and make those things for myself. My “habitual diet” is odd, I don’t eat most of my favorite dishes every day, and instead I eat the thing that can be made quickly.
Visiting the fancy grocery store was eye opening; this grocery store was not like mine or many others that I have visited. The arrangements of the produce were eye catching; it made the food look appetizing. If I were shopping in that store and passed the fruits and vegetables I would have been more likely to buy them here than in the stores near my house. Another thing I recognized was the level of the prices, they were all eye level for me and I think it’s because the store wanted no confusion on the cost of the food. Something that was pointed out to be was the different labels of the poultry. One of the chicken packages mentioned that the chicken had been feed only a vegetarian diet and was allowed to roam free. The packaging was trying to get the buyers to purchase that brand because of all the extra things that it had to offer. |
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| My Many Meals |
Tuesday
Dinner: I had a big lunch that day and wasn’t that hungry for dinner. I was so tired from my softball game that when dinner time finally came around I was already sleeping.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Every morning I skip breakfast, not intentionally but just because I don’t have time and it feels weird whenever I do manage to eat that early in the morning.
Snack: I had a Snapple can from the vending machine in the cafeteria.
Lunch: I went to Subways with a small group of friends. (Karl, Binta, Sam and Adam) I chose a chicken teriyaki sandwich; although I did not make it, I did get to chose what was on the sandwich. I have no idea who makes this food or where it comes from. I eat the sandwich with my hands and not in front of a TV although there was a new TV in the store. I rarely say grace and I wouldn’t say it over lunch with my friends anyway. I felt happy because I was out of school and the weather was nice. Our conversation varied towards many different topics.
Dinner: It turns out again I had a softball game and got home really late. I wanted to grab something to eat before I went to bed so that I wouldn’t be starving in the morning. My dad was making some hotdogs so I grabbed 2 and ate them with bread and ketchup; along with the hotdog I had a cup of champagne soda. I ate them by myself with my hands in my room sitting on my bed wile I watched TV. The hotdogs were made by my dad; they came from a package that came from the supermarket, which came from a factory. After the meal I felt full and went straight to bed, I didn’t think too much about the meal itself and I didn’t think too much into the atmosphere because its normal to me. |
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| Home and Corporate |
How do you do food at home?
In my house food on a daily basis is something that just provides us with nutrients. We eat in our own rooms doing whatever, and as far as the food part there are day were we order out, eat cereal or have a home cooked meal. On other days when there is a special occasion food becomes a big deal there’s always people cooking about 4 different dishes and the kitchen is always full. Food also becomes a big deal when someone in the family cooks something good or makes a big meal, since we all live close to each other family members will come over to try this and that just because. There is no one specific routine for me when it comes to food in my house.
How do people in the U.S. mainstream do food - as shown in TV and movies?
The history of food has changed a lot over time. I’m not sure when but dinner time for families were very different from how they are now. Dinner time was earlier in the day around the table with the household. Usually the tone was very relaxed, people would sit there and talk about their days and bond as a family, I would say dinner time was of the upmost importance back then. Now dinner is just a necessity, it seems to be rushed all the time and it has no sincerity. I don’t know any other meal where people get together except dinner and now it’s not even like that anymore. It’s become normal to eat individually; it seems like group meals are planed instead of expected.
Please write a one page comparison of your family's food ways, your food ways, and mainstream corporate US food ways.
When I was younger my family’s food ways were sitting around the table every night eating a home cooked meal. This was a regular routine for us and I think it is a regular routine for every family that has young children. Now my food ways are a lot different, I don’t often eat a home cooked meal anymore and I usually eat alone. My dinners are usually a bowl of cereal, takeout, something I can preheat and the occasional home cooked meal. Mainstream corporate US food ways use to market food as something a family did together. Now that time has passes TV shows and movies portray what meal time is really like. I see more people eating food in their own rooms or together in front of the television, mainstream corporate have accepted that and have made it more common in the media. |
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posted by Lauren at 
