Lady Macbeth's Diary

For my Macbeth Creative Project, I created a mock-diary of Lady Macbeth's deepest thoughts and feelings. The book doesn't go very far into her mental realm so I wanted to create my own version of what she would think. It also shows the change that took place in her life which led to her downfall. I used Shakespearean-style wording which was very hard and took a lot of work. I created a total of thirteen journal entries written as her with a somewhat intimidating preface. One thing that I want people to notice about my work is that it was all hand-written, and I put quite a lot of time and effort into it. 
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IMG_5528

The Progressions of a Mad Man // Chernowski

MacbethCreativePieceChernowski
For our English project this quarter we created a creative way to show Macbeth's or Lady Macbeth's transformation. For this I wrote a series of three poems that are in Macbeth's point of view that got increasingly darker and power crazed to show how he changed. I want people to notice the gradual transitions in Macbeth's thought process and how he eventually loses it.

Damage Has Been Done

If fairness was rewarded,

It would pertain to me,

My life,

That of a great king,

I am certain that greatness is of me,

At the beginning,

Drowned in the unknowing,

As pure as the fresh from the womb,

My fire taking me to the top,

I at once was given the chance,

The chance to become one of the best,

At that, my problems on the horizon,

Come soon, come fast,

Not one or two,

They came in three,

With the purpose of reaping my destiny,

I heard of the idea to be king,

King mighty king is supposed to be me,

I hear of Banquo to bear lines of fruit,

But I hear of me being king,

The fear the fear,

It’s there I hear,

To hurt and harm for my goal thats near,

From Cawdor to the kingdom, I see my fate,

Take Duncan to doom,

Or keep ease with fate,

Little do I no, they were there to play,

The wife and witches made my bed,

Soon it shall be,

Many will be dead,

I did it the deed,

One that has made many seethe,

The want for power, My thirst took me to acquire,

The king be gone for I am here,

I shall rule,

What an adventure that waits ahead,

My goodness used for evil,

Again the wife and the witches,

Tug on the strings that is me,

The dream is accomplished,

I am now he,

The one with it all,

But yet there is one key,

The threat of Banquo is that of his line,

Spoken from the mouths of the mystical divine,

The work put in for the prize of someone else,

I have to stop this,

For no one can be safe,

Neither Thane nor wife,

Deep in the night may plan takes action,

Gone awry by the true issue escaping from my grasp,

What evil lurks to take my crown,

It can’t happen,

It won’t happen,

Doubters beware,

For I Macbeth is here,

It has now come to blows,

Anyone who does not believe,

Will have to go,

Overtime I make my presence known,

Scotland has now come to see,

Everything that happens will be seen and done through me,

To hell with the idiots that call themselves royals or even citizens,

My time has come to be obtained by the more important,

Maintaining my prestigious rank as the great king,

I have killed the foes that walk my way,

Sometimes for no reason,

Probably to play,

At last they come,

The traitors unite,

At first not scared my debt had been assured,

Here comes Macbeth with the threat to slay me,

No fears to be had, laughter actually comes through,

That is till he announced being ripped from the womb,

At that moment all dreams had crashed,

Just as my head came off with just one gash,

To think I had once been the fighter to be,

And them king with the citizens bowing at my feet,

Many decisions made be me,

But don’t forget,

It was the females who pushed me.

My goal for this project was to make sure that readers could understand my point of view without me having to flat out say it. This was meant to get a full understanding of Macbeth's story from fame to death, and to get to know why everything wasn't his fault. 

Macbeth Rap

I made a Macbeth rap to show the change in Macbeth. I want you to know i am not a good rapper but i tried my best. I chose to do a rap because i found it fun to do while i am actually working for a class. I might've talked a bit fast so heres the lyrics.

Oh snap… lets calll the cops.

MAcbeth just killed someone from the naives the chops

Dunsanaine coming to the top

Better watch out with those moving crops

Macbeth people and my mixtape about to drop

Macbeth killing it gotta stop


Naw lets start from the begining.

yea, MAcbeth was great and loyal or atleast he was.

Killing, i believe he did  it just because

alright lets see how this all got started

his wife telling him hes too warm hearted

he killed duncan malcolm departed

When u hear my rap, yea its prerecorded

Macbeth such great, loyal and devoted

All these quotes in one book, i decode it


First was duncan,second was banquo

third was killing macduff famiily just like rambo

To be king was his fate

but all he really got was real painful  hate

all these good quotes i should annotate

a sword to his chest, no amour plate

macbeth going crazy at an outstanding rate

only if he was the kind of person to patiently wait


He started acting abit strange

This is where he took a real big change

should tell his wife but shes out of range

got her dying in the end in exchange


strange things in his head shall be scanned

back to duncans with two daggers in his hand.

lady macbeth the murder was planned

now macbeth has all scotland


Now hes just killing without even thinking

hes acting to fast before hes even blinking

his heart      little by little its shrinking

im going a bit slow so the words can start syncing



for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth.

Macduff the one and only shall cause his death


Killing his family was a real big  mistake

he shall be sliced, and be done with for gods sake


Macbeth hes king, he got their fast

he killd alot of people but just forget the past

a test to see if heĺl chanlenge fate, he didnt pass

the war is going to start, finally at last


now we see forest coming up to dunsanine

macbeth inhaling feear and all this pain

he deserves this for breaking the great human being chain

keep my verses straight on track like a septa train


Macbeth, hes done a lot of killing

instead of king hes a big bad villian


Macduff looking for someone     hes outof sight

Is he going down, well      not quite

Macbeth isnt going to die without a fight

but lets be real   macbeth is softer than some egg whites


Macbeth was noble and loyal

now hes just plain ol evil and royal

the forest coming up to dunsanaine soil

Making macbeth mind go in endless coils


why challenge fate, out of curiosity

becamne nice to evil so fast its called velocity

question is, if this is called reality

school i go to science leadership academy




Donaldbain and malcolm they not here they fled

Macbeth was good to start but now is full of dread

i seen that in a line that i carefully  read

I dont dont make money i make literal bread

to much things in his mind, cant to go to bed

Same for lady, something she already said

too late when macduff sliced his big ol head


Macbeth where his friends he has none

banquos son wiill be king yes more than one

I think this is the part where i call it done


Dennis English 1 // "My Wife Made Me Do It" // Benchmark 2

Comic (Good Copy) 3
Comic (Good Copy) 3
My project altogether is a small Comic Strip for the play, Macbeth.

My goals for this project was to have it submitted on time (check), have the coloring done before the scan (check), and to make it look like an actual comic (depends)
I hope people will notice how much I put into drawing it and that they know that there are a few flaws in this as well. I decided to show a little bit pof Lady Macbeth's transformation, I also decided to show her two-faced side throughout the story.
I would definitely try something new if I wasn't going to choose a comic strip. If I were to just make edits to this, I would just add a Part 2 to enhance more on Lady Macbeth's transformation. 

Arroz con Gandules

oreo
oreo

Ingredients

2 cups grain rice (rinsed)

4 to 5 cups of hot water,

3 tablespoons of sofrito

16 ounce can of gandules

1 packet of Sazon with achiote

3 tablespoons of oil

Salt and adobo



Process

1. Add the oil into a big pot and let it heat up.

2. Add the sofrito into the pot and stir it until it starts to bubble up.

3. Add the gandules (beans) into the mixture and add the sazon.

4.Add the salt to give it more taste

5. Add a little bit of adobo to give it more taste.

6. Add water and let it boil

7. Then add the rice and lower the heat to low.

8. DO NOT STIR right away. Wait 10 minutes and stir rice.

9.Sir rice every 10 minutes for 30-40 minutes until the rice is tender.




Analysis: (this part you will be explaining how this meal is healthy, sofrito, guandules sazon and the ingredients basically)


Arroz con gandules is a combination of rice, pigeon peas and pork, cooked in the same pot with Puerto Rican-style sofrito. This is the signature dish of Puerto Rican culture and also has become very popular throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Arroz con gandules is part of Puerto Rico's national dish.


Arroz con gandules is a pretty healthy meal if you look at the ingredients. One of the major components that displays its healthiness is the fact that you have to make it from scratch. Since you are making it entirely from scratch, the excess chemicals that are contained in processed foods isn’t a problem.


Sofrito offers a lot of healthy nutrition for the body because it is a mixture of all natural vegetables blended. These vegetables such as peppers, greens, onions, garlic, etc. contain nutrients that the body need on the daily basis such as Vitamin D, E, and C.


Grained rice is the most nutritious because of its starchy substance. Most of it isn’t entirely natural, but it does in fact contain some nutrition that will benefit the body. Although rice isn’t very high on vitamins, it’s a good source for iron. This is very important because we need iron on the daily basis in order to give us strength. Iron is an essential mineral. The major reason we need it is that it helps to transport oxygen throughout the body. Iron is an important component of hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to transport it throughout your body. Hemoglobin represents about two-thirds of the body’s iron. If you don't have enough iron, your body can't make enough healthy oxygen-carrying red blood cells. A lack of red blood cells is called iron deficiency anemia.

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The role in the larger food system is to make money. The food industry does not care about the amount of money you are spending or what you eat. they care about the amount of money they can make and how long it lasts so that they won't keep making new food or even let the food that they made rot.  Some of the changes that I would make with my food choices are to eat more fruits and vegetables. Not everything that I will buy will be organic but I will buy foods that are healthier and aren't as processed. The impact of these changes will be a little more expensive.  I buy a lot of healthy foods already but I never realized how processed some of the "healthy" foods I buy. For instance, in my family, we buy a lot of beans.  In Puerto Rico, we would not buy a lot of beans since we could go to family farms and actually go to the farm and collect the beans. If we didn't do it, someone else in the family would make it. Same with the seasonings. Since we are not there, we buy all our vegetables and since they come from P.R, they are not as healthy in America because they are already processed. I am willing to buy more organic foods or locally grown foods.The Ted talk explained things that I already knew but reminded me of the seriousness of eating healthy. And that is why I am willing to do the full change.


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images

Mini Banana Cream Cookie Pie

Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 11.52.32 AM
Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 11.52.32 AM
​Ingredients:
 1 package of ready-to-use sugar cookies
 banana pudding mix
 3 bananas 
 reduced fat whipped cream

Instructions:
1) Roll cookie dough into balls and place into mini cupcake pan
2) Bake cookies for 10 minutes
3) Shape cookies into cupcakes
4) Place back in the oven for 3 minutes
5) Prepare banana pudding
6) Take 2 tablespoons of banana pudding and drop into cookie pies
7) Slice bananas
8) Lay 1 banana slice on top of pudding
9) Finish off with whip cream
10) EAT!
To make mini banana cream cookie pies I used 5 ingredients to make a total of 24. About 90% of my food is a whole food. A processed foods mostly have along list of ingredients. The ingredients I used consisted of bananas, whipped cream, ready to use cookie dough, milk and banana cream pudding mix. Some sugars can be processed, however none of the sugars in my ingredients had high-fructose corn syrup in them. 

One cookie pie was 13 calories, one teaspoon of banana cream is 10 calories, one banana slice is about 8, the whip cream topping is 5 calories. The total amount of calories for this snack is 36 calories. The sugar content of this dessert has 10 grams of sugar in the cookie pie, the banana cream has 4.5 grams of sugar, one slice of banana has 2 grans of sugar and less than 1 gram from the whip cream. There are less than 17.5 grams of sugar in this dessert. The only ingredient that contained fat was the cookie pie and that was less than 1.5 grams.

The body will breaks done food by mixing it with fluids. When your stomach digests food the carbohydrate in the food breaks down into a different form of sugar, glucose. The glucose then gets released into the blood stream and stored for energy. Some possible health issues that could arise if you ate nothing but this meal everyday would be your body isn't intaking even protein. The only ingredient in this meal that contains protein is the banana and it isn't enough to power a human body. Another risk your body would be experiencing is not eating enough calories a day. It only contains 36 calories. If a man 30 years old 5’10 and 165 pounds needs to eat approximately 1550 calories a day. That means he would need to eat 43 desserts a day. That would result is weight gain and less energy.

My bananas came from Guatemala, the pudding mix is from Illinois, cookie mix came from Utah and the whipped cream traveled from Indianapolis. The banana traveled the farthest, more than 1852.7 miles. The bananas were organically grown from guatemalan soil. 

This meal to make 24 cost 9.16. Fast food restaurants don’t sell that many desserts. Some fast food restaurants, McDonalds for example sell chocolate chip cookies 3 for $1. In this case it would be cheaper to buy McDonald cookies by $0.14. The Pillsbury Factory, Del Monte Factory, Reddi Whip and Jell-O Factory all made a profit off of this meal. They are all large corporations. 


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Banana Crunch Muffins

I made banana crunch muffins and I think that its 50/50 processed and whole food because it uses the usual things you use when baking like flour and sugar but it doesn’t use a lot of the processed ingredients. If you constantly ate this meal everyday, you most likely after a while would get fat from the sugar intake even though its not high and a good portion of the sugar comes from the bananas in it. Your body breaks down sugar and turns it into energy. I think that most of the stuff thats out of season comes from warmer climates outside of the country. I think the bananas traveled the farthest. I think that homemade food highly differs from fast food because fast food has lots of preservatives in it. In total the meal was about 30 dollars because I had to make more servings. Banana come from tropic areas. Most bananas sold by the British market come from Latin America and Africa. America gets their bananas from a number of places depending on the season. We get our bananas from Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, the Philippines, and Panama. We couldn’t grow own bananas here unless in warm climates, but we wouldn’t be able to have them all year round. Growing bananas yourself could prove difficult rather than getting bananas from another country.



Banana Crunch Muffin Recipe:


Makes 10 muffins


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 bananas, mashed

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-crumb-muffins/


Reflection:


This unit we learned about different things relating to health and diet. Like Diabetes, disease related to diet, processed food, organic food,  obesity, and how we contribute to the food system. I think that we contribute to the food system with what we buy, and how we choose to eat and how we eat in our families. How we choose to eat at home is really important because if you constantly eat healthy at home, and cook it helps you lead a healthier lifestyle. Some people raise their kids vegetarians, some people make home cooked meals every night. I think the biggest issue with our food system is unhealthy food is too available. You can have it delivered to your house. Its easier than grocery shopping, because there aren’t a lot of places where supermarkets are in walking distance. Some changes I’ve already made in my food diet are to eat at least one fruit and veggie a day, and try to choose the healthiest option for me out of what I have, and drink a lot of water. I think it would benefit me in the long run. I feel like its a change I’m willing to make fruit is pretty easy to get, and its good.


Food Rule:


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Screen Shot 2015-01-23 at 10.22.19 AM

Mini Banana Cream Cookie Pie

Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 11.52.32 AM
Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 11.52.32 AM
​Ingredients:
 1 package of ready-to-use sugar cookies
 banana pudding mix
 3 bananas 
 reduced fat whipped cream

Instructions:
1) Roll cookie dough into balls and place into mini cupcake pan
2) Bake cookies for 10 minutes
3) Shape cookies into cupcakes
4) Place back in the oven for 3 minutes
5) Prepare banana pudding
6) Take 2 tablespoons of banana pudding and drop into cookie pies
7) Slice bananas
8) Lay 1 banana slice on top of pudding
9) Finish off with whip cream
10) EAT!

To make mini banana cream cookie pies I used 5 ingredients to make a total of 24. About 90% of my food is a whole food. A processed foods mostly have along list of ingredients. The ingredients I used consisted of bananas, whipped cream, ready to use cookie dough, milk and banana cream pudding mix. Some sugars can be processed, however none of the sugars in my ingredients had high-fructose corn syrup in them. 

One cookie pie was 13 calories, one teaspoon of banana cream is 10 calories, one banana slice is about 8, the whip cream topping is 5 calories. The total amount of calories for this snack is 36 calories. The sugar content of this dessert has 10 grams of sugar in the cookie pie, the banana cream has 4.5 grams of sugar, one slice of banana has 2 grans of sugar and less than 1 gram from the whip cream. There are less than 17.5 grams of sugar in this dessert. The only ingredient that contained fat was the cookie pie and that was less than 1.5 grams.

The body will breaks done food by mixing it with fluids. When your stomach digests food the carbohydrate in the food breaks down into a different form of sugar, glucose. The glucose then gets released into the blood stream and stored for energy. Some possible health issues that could arise if you ate nothing but this meal everyday would be your body isn't intaking even protein. The only ingredient in this meal that contains protein is the banana and it isn't enough to power a human body. Another risk your body would be experiencing is not eating enough calories a day. It only contains 36 calories. If a man 30 years old 5’10 and 165 pounds needs to eat approximately 1550 calories a day. That means he would need to eat 43 desserts a day. That would result is weight gain and less energy.

My bananas came from Guatemala, the pudding mix is from Illinois, cookie mix came from Utah and the whipped cream traveled from Indianapolis. The banana traveled the farthest, more than 1852.7 miles. The bananas were organically grown from guatemalan soil. 

This meal to make 24 cost 9.16. Fast food restaurants don’t sell that many desserts. Some fast food restaurants, McDonalds for example sell chocolate chip cookies 3 for $1. In this case it would be cheaper to buy McDonald cookies by $0.14. The Pillsbury Factory, Del Monte Factory, Reddi Whip and Jell-O Factory all made a profit off of this meal. They are all large corporations. 



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Q2 BM Changing Worlds Essay

Analytical Essay

Dealing with the death of someone close is a life changing event that no one has control over. Because they lack this control, people become shocked of the news and it takes a while for them to fully understand that person is now gone.


Losing someone who is close to a person is the worst feeling in the world. When someone passes away, their loved ones and the people closet to them go through a long and hard process that takes lots of time to get over. In the book, “The Yellow Birds”, when Bartle and Sterling are watching Murphy’s body go down the river, Bartle was stunned and did not know how to feel about it all. But, Sterling said, “ Like it never happened, Bartle. That’s the only way.”( Pg. 211).  Sterling is telling Bartle that the only way for him to get over the death of Murphy is to forget that it ever happened. But what if that makes things worse for Bartle? What if    he can not forget it and move on from this whole new experience. This could maybe help him move forward in life by remembering little moments from this event.


With death, people start to regret things that happened to that person or things that happened between the person. In the book, Murphy’s mom says that she wished he would have stayed home and did not go off to war but she also knew that it was his duty to go war for his country. Murphy’s mom knew that it would have been better for him to stay home where he could have been safe. When you are a loved one or a friend of that person you wish that you could have done something that could have prevented their death to come.

Sometimes when there is a lot of deaths happening around you, you want to ignore it all so that you In the book, Murphy is telling Bartle about a guy who was just killed and Murphy cut in front of him in a  lunch line. Murphy didn’t even know the man but because he was just killed, he felt bad about it. Bartle told Murphy to not worry about it. This shows that with death happening around Bartle that he is being insecure and just brushing off Murphy’s concerns with the man. Bartle also wants to ignore the death happening around him and ignore it because it is shocking news to him. It shows he also understands it could’ve been him and he has no control over it. 

In a interview about the book, “The Yellow Birds”, the author, Kevin Powers says, that with death,“All pain is the same. Only the details are different”. What he is trying to say is that the pain of losing somebody close to you feels the same for everyone. It’s how you deal with it and get  through the pain and grief that is different. Death is something in life that takes a lot to overcome. 



Narrative Essay


During my life, I have lost both my grandmother and my father. Both were completely important people in my life. I didn’t know what to do after losing them both. It was strange to live without them and go about my day now thinking that they will not be in my life anymore. With death, it is hard to forget it after some time. You don’t think that this would happen to you this fast in your life. It’s something you don’t expect to happen so quick and soon in your life. 


Hearing the news is the worst part no matter how bad or how good your day is going. When I found out my grandmother had passed away, I was home in my room just laying in bed listening to music. I get a knock on my door. It’s my mother. I tell her to come in. When she opens the door, I see her crying.  I only knew what it could be. She tells me the news and begins to cry more. I never want to see my mother cry. I bring her into my arm. She explains to me that my grandmother loved me and was a very good woman. I knew all of that but I just sat quiet and nodded my head. She left me standing in the middle of my bedroom floor. I heard in my head what my mother told me. “Your grandmother passed away”. I continued to repeat it until it was stuck in my head and the last time it was repeated, I broke down in tears. I didn’t know what to do. There was no one to hold me now. Flashbacks of my life with her and things that we used to do started to flood my mind as I sit there with tears running down my face. 


The same thing happened when I heard the news with my father but very different. For my father, I was waiting for my report card conference. While I was waiting, I get a call from my brother saying that my mother called him saying she sounded like she was crying telling him to hurry home and she had something to tell us. Without hesitation, we followed her instructions and headed straight home. We get close to home and we get another call from our mother saying that our uncle will come to pick us up. When our uncle came to pick us up he stopped us and said. “listen. I want to tell you this before I take you over to your father’s house. Your father passed away today. Your mother and your sister found him today. Your sister and your mother are very emotional right now and it is ok to cry.” He then told us that he is here for us if we need him for anything. We get in the car and begin to head to wear my father lived at. The whole time I was thinking to myself, how could this happen so soon? I had just spent the weekend over his house like I would normally do. He wasn’t feeling good when I saw him but it wasn’t this bad. I started thinking about what could have happened. How would my life now be without one of my very important people in my life.


The days after losing them was the most depressed I had ever felt. There was nothing that could really cheer me up. Everything seemed to move slowly. I was out of school for a lot of the time so that meant that I would have to make up some work and homework to catch up. I couldn’t do it. I could barely turn in work on time. Everything was being turned in late or forgotten about over time. My grades started to fall dramatically. I had to find a way to catch my self up before the quarter ended. I tended  to not have the urge to go down for dinner when it was ready or get up to find food until my stomach began to grumble. I couldn’t go to sleep at night because I would be reminded of them every other hour.


But sometimes with death, comes a sense of happiness. With my family, both funerals weren’t quiet and depressing. They were us and friends reflecting on the life of my grandmother and my father. We talked about his life and how kind and friendly he was to other people. With my grandmother, we did the same thing. With my family, we believed that people who die, will go on to heaven. This made it somewhat easier to cope with the death of both my grandmother and my father. It helped me ensure that both of them would be in a better place. You then get to see pictures that you never got to see before and share more memories. Dealing with death is a hard thing to deal with but when you surround yourself with more positive things and people, you begin to get back into your normal life and not worry so much about it anymore.

Fruit Salad

By Lala Doumbia & Pierce Luck

Ingredients

4 servings, serving size: 1 cup


2 apples, cut into bite-size pieces

2 oranges, peeled and break into pieces

1 lb strawberries

1 lb blueberries

3 Kiwifruit

2 Mango, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

1/3 cup of sugar

2 tablespoon- balsamic vinegar

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip®), thawed


Process


  1. Refrigerate, 8-10 glasses in the Refrigerator

  2. Cut all fruits into 3rds or 4ths.

  3. Add all fruits into large bowl

  4. Then add 1/3 cup of sugar & 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

  5. Gently Stir

  6. Next, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour

  7. Last, spoon fruits from bowl to the chilled glasses.

  8. add one serving of cool whip

  9. Enjoy!


Analysis:


The percent of the meal that is processed is 20%. We are using all organic fruit from whole food. This store is the only store that sell organic food only. That mean all the fruit are not processed and locally grown. But we do know that the balsamic vinegar, sugar, and cool whip are factory made. One person will be consuming 39 caloric per serving, 1.5 g total fat, 1 mg sodium, 6 mg potassium, and  5.1 g  Sugar. We would be able to process the food better because it doesn’t have a lot of genetically modified ingredients. It will also mean that when you was to work off the fat it will not be as hard. We would not have any protein in our meal but we will have your 9 serving of fruit everyday.

We think all our food (fruits) for our recipes were locally grown in the U.S, since we brought them from whole foods.The Whole food products come from local farmers across the country. The apples are prominently grown in Washington. The Oranges are grown in Florida, California, Texas and Arizona. The strawberries are grown in California. The blueberries are from Michigan and Indiana. The Kiwis aren’t from here but are grown in California. The mangos are also grown in California and Florida. Most of our fruits are from the South or West where there is nice weather all year around. The foods that travel the farthest would be the ones from California which are the Oranges, Strawberries, Kiwis and Mangos. Our fruits were organically grown from these farms. The fruits were organically processed and it’s better for the environment because there are no outside chemicals tainting the environment.

This meal will cost about $5.00 per serving which correlates to about 20$ for the 4 servings which would feed about 8 people. Our price for this healthy meal is more expensive but way healthier than a fast food “McDonalds Meal”. Fast Food restaurants use a lot of grease and fatty materials and processed foods that ultimately is unhealthy and will kill the consumers. There food is cheap and will cause great health problems vs. our slightly more expensive healthy alternative. Our food isn’t genetically modified or tampered with as it has very little preservatives and is organically grown. The businesses involved are Whole Foods cooperating with the local farms, also the Cool Whip® Product at General Foods. There aren’t any social ramifications of our meal choice because it is a healthy delicious meal that everyone could enjoy while sticking to a healthy way of living.
Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 12.13.35 PM
Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 12.13.35 PM
​Reflection Lala
I learn a lot of about organic food and what we should eat and not eat . I believe my role in the food system is to learn and inform people on what's happing with how they know if the food is good for them and how they can fix there what they want to eat to be healthy in life. We read about people how are overweight in the U.S and where the places are. People tend to buy fast food when they are at work and it lunch time. People don't see that buying the food that's not made by yourself. One thing that I leaned in Mr.best class what organic food is. Organic food promote healthy eco-systems and prohibit the use of genetically engineered seeds or crops. For live animals they have be humanely treated animals by providing organically-grown feed and healthy. So of the thinks that I will be changing about what I eat is if i can't read and understand 5 ingredients than I should eat it.
Screen Shot 2015-01-23 at 12.25.41 AM
Screen Shot 2015-01-23 at 12.25.41 AM
Reflection Pierce
So far in this quarter, I feel that I have learned a lot about food and food in the major industries. This was probably one of my favorite quarters because it's a topic that I can really relate to. In my opinion I don't have a major role in the larger food system, but I impact it in small ways. Major industries rely on the common people to but what they have to sell. They depend on us for their profit. That's why these industries use so much propaganda and advertisements to drive us in looking for food alternatives, healthy or not. I feel as though the biggest problem in the food industry is the amount of processed and unhealthy foods being sold to the U.S people. From 2 early assignments form earlier in this quarter, "Obesity in the US" and " Teach Every Child About Food(Ted Talk)" told us that 2/3 people that's about 66% of the U.S population is obese or will become obese. That is an extremely unhealthy way of living that could and will kill our people. It also stated the Japanese people of obesity is about 6%. This fact really stuck with me that the U.S knows that we are living so unhealthy but we still sell our people garbage. Changes in my diet that could make would be to eat foods that are less processed, not organic foods though because there too expensive (Simpsons Episode). If I just cut down on my sugary snacks and junk and instead eat more leafy foods than I would be living a healthier life. My diet would be better and I would be healthier. I am willing to make these changes but only by a little bit. I workout a lot and stay in shape. The sugars and cakes go against that, but I burn it off regularly. So I would limit my treats but not get rid of them. One of the "food rules" said you shouldn't deprive yourself, you want it eat it, just be smart. 

Fruit Salad: Fruits Galore

Ingredients

4 servings, serving size: 1 cup


2 apples, cut into bite-size pieces

2 oranges, peeled and break into pieces

1 lb strawberries

1 lb blueberries

3 Kiwifruit

2 Mango, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

1/3 cup of sugar

2 tablespoon- balsamic vinegar

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip®), thawed


Process


  1. Refrigerate, 8-10 glasses in the Refrigerator

  2. Cut all fruits into 3rds or 4ths.

  3. Add all fruits into large bowl

  4. Then add 1/3 cup of sugar & 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

  5. Gently Stir

  6. Next, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour

  7. Last, spoon fruits from bowl to the chilled glasses.

    8. Add, 1 serving of whipped cream.

    9.Enjoy!


Analysis:


The percent of the meal that is processed is 20%. We are using all organic fruit from whole food. This store is the only store that sell organic food only. That mean all the fruit are not processed and locally grown. But we do know that the balsamic vinegar, sugar, and cool whip are factory made. One person will be consuming 39 caloric per serving, 1.5 g total fat, 1 mg sodium, 6 mg potassium, and  5.1 g  Sugar. We would be able to process the food better because it doesn’t have a lot of genetically modified ingredients. It will also mean that when you was to work off the fat it will not be as hard. We would not have any protein in our meal but we will have your 9 serving of fruit everyday.

We think all our food (fruits) for our recipes were locally grown in the U.S, since we brought them from whole foods.The Whole food products come from local farmers across the country. The apples are prominently grown in Washington. The Oranges are grown in Florida, California, Texas and Arizona. The strawberries are grown in California. The blueberries are from Michigan and Indiana. The Kiwis aren’t from here but are grown in California. THe mangos are also grown in California and Florida. Most of our fruits are from the South or West where there is nice weather all year around. The foods that travel the farthest would be the ones from California which are the Oranges, Strawberries, Kiwis and Mangos. Our fruits were organically grown from these farms. The fruits were organically processed and it’s better for the environment because there are no outside chemicals tainting the environment.

This meal will cost about $5.00 per serving which correlates to about 20$ for the 4 servings which would feed about 8 people. Our price for this healthy meal is more expensive but way healthier than a fast food “McDonalds Meal”. Fast Food restaurants use a lot of grease and fatty materials and processed foods that ultimately is unhealthy and will kill the consumers. There food is cheap and will cause great health problems vs. our slightly more expensive healthy alternative. Our food isn’t genetically modified or tampered with as it has very little preservatives and is organically grown. The businesses involved are Whole Foods cooperating with the local farms, also the Cool Whip® Product at General Foods. There aren’t any social ramifications of our meal choice because it is a healthy delicious meal that everyone could enjoy while sticking to a healthy way of living.


Personal Reflection

So far in this quarter, I feel that I have learned a lot about food and food in the major industries. This was probably one of my favorite quarters because it's a topic that I can really relate to. In my opinion I don't have a major role in the larger food system, but I impact it in small ways. Major industries rely on the common people to but what they have to sell. They depend on us for their profit. That's why these industries use so much propaganda and advertisements to drive us in looking for food alternatives, healthy or not. I feel as though the biggest problem in the food industry is the amount of processed and unhealthy foods being sold to the U.S people. From 2 early assignments form earlier in this quarter, "Obesity in the US" and " Teach Every Child About Food(Ted Talk)" told us that 2/3 people that's about 66% of the U.S population is obese or will become obese. That is an extremely unhealthy way of living that could and will kill our people. It also stated the Japanese people of obesity is about 6%. This fact really stuck with me that the U.S knows that we are living so unhealthy but we still sell our people garbage. Changes in my diet that could make would be to eat foods that are less processed, not organic foods though because there too expensive (Simpsons Episode). If I just cut down on my sugary snacks and junk and instead eat more leafy foods than I would be living a healthier life. My diet would be better and I would be healthier. I am willing to make these changes but only by a little bit. I workout a lot and stay in shape. The sugars and cakes go against that, but I burn it off regularly. So I would limit my treats but not get rid of them. One of the "food rules" said you shouldn't deprive yourself, you want it eat it, just be smart. 







Eggplant fries

Crispy Eggplant Fries
Ingredients
  • 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch thick 'fries'
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Dredge the eggplant slices dip them in the egg and then into a mixture of the panko breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
  2. Place the eggplant slices on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425F oven until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes.

Analysis

First on average Americans consume about 29 pounds of french fries a year. Deep fried potatoes, now just imagine if you change the potatoes to eggplant, and them being deep fried to being bakes. One order of medium fries from a fast food restaurant is 365 calories, the same amount of eggplant fries in only 160, and thats with cheese.  

One order of medium fries is 117 grams, which is equal to 0.25794085 pounds, divide that by 29 pounds which is what we consume a year is 112.42887662, multiply that my 365 calories, thats around 41036 calories a year just from french fries alone. 

So for my meal I wanted to show a substitute for french fries. Eggplant is a vegetable that people often skip over. Although it is filled with vitamin B6niacinpotassium,folate, and vitamin K. Eggplant isn't a food that is often grown in America although many people grow them in gardens, the food is usually shipped from countries likeChinaIndiaEgyptIran, and Turkey. Eggplant is one worlds healthiest foods, eggplant helps regulate your digestive system, helps control diabetes, they are very low in calories, help lower cholesterol and help prevent blood clots.

There are no really no known big companies that sell eggplants alone. Many eggplants that go to local super markets are sold by who ever sells the tomatoes. So the markets and company that provides the tomatoes are the ones that making a profit off of the sell.


Panko bread crumbs and japanese style, they are mainly used for foods that are deep fried, but I used them fro baking. The ones I bought wear organic. Panko is breadcrumbs with out the crust of the bread, and they are larger and thicker. The eggs I got where from shopright, most eggs in the us come from hen houses, it really hard to say that a egg is bad, but most of the hens that lay these eggs and caged and feed corn and things like that. And salt was from trader joe's and it was sea salt, most of the US sea salt doesn't actually come from he sea, the one a bought was organic so hopefully it is genuine sea salt.  



  

Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 7.37.59 AM
Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 7.37.59 AM
Slide

I have a real problem with just eating something because it is in front of me, and it's a horrible habit. It mostly happens when I'm bored, and I don't think I'm the only one that has this problem. I've learned that if food easily available to you than you are going to eat it, when we have to go somewhere to get the food or we have to make it we aren't willing to do those things. Like have you ever drove past a fast food place and went I could eat, they do that on purpose. They know that when food is fast and easy to get people are going to get it.
​Personal Reflection

I've learn in this unit that I really need to start watching what my family and I eat. I find I don't even care that much the only thing I refuse to eat is McDonalds but I still eat the fries. I know that most things should not go into my body yet I still eat them.

There is no real reason that I don't eat better or watch what I eat, and I do understand that there are people out there that can't eat healthier or better because of cost, but I don't have a real reason. I think my main reason is that my mom and dad don't care that much and they aren't going to stop eating things because they were in cages or that are genetically modified. I feel like I'm making it harder on them when I say a refuse to eat something because of this.

But my real fear is that all these foods with GMOs will kill us. Learning more on this made my fear even worse, because in America they don't have to say what they put in our foods. The real question I have when I don't buy things from like whole food or trader joe's is what am I eating. Especially in the meat what ever they are giving our cows, turkeys, pigs, and chickens are killing us. And the media and public like to turn a blind eye because we can't afford to say I'm noting going to eat meat, or I'm going to start buying my meat organic. It just doesn't work, and until people real start learning about whats in our food things will stay the same.  

Soldiers in the changing world

The Yellow Birds connection to the Changing World:


When soldiers serve their country, they have different experiences. But despite the mixed reactions of the soldiers, their emotional damage can not be ignored. Despite the seriousness of PTSD, soldiers are still expected to adapt to their old life as if their service never occurred. But to adapt to such changes, one must accept that it is a multi step process, there is no one right way, and failure along the way is not weakness. In Powers novel, The Yellow Birds, we are told the tale of how the main character, Bartle, personally deals with the after effects of war. Dealing with death in one’s own terms accomplishes self peace and reflection more effectively than following other’s procedures. An individual must react to change in their own terms, not how someone else has succeeded, or how one believes is the “right” way.

Throughout the novel, death is one of the most prominent themes. The main character, Bartle, makes a best friend while enlisted named Murph. As the are deployed together they experience a lot of death, both of the enemy and of their brothers. Shortly into the war, a woman carrying a surrender flag starting walk to the soldiers and they open fire, not realizing she came in peace. The boys had mixed reactions, but Bartle and Murph were part of the newbies. This was their first rhedo. “Holy shit, that bitch got murdered.” Murph said. There was no grief, or anguish, or pity in that statement. There was no judgement made. He was just surprised, like he was waking from a long afternoon nap, disoriented...” Their LT then walked over to comfort each of the boys, telling them they’d be OK. “it was hard to believe that wed be OK and that we fought well. But I remember being told that the truth does not depend on being believed...we lived murph and me.” (Pg. 22-23) War can invoke different emotions out of different people. Throughout the book we see how very different characters cope with death. Murph unfortunately died because he tried to process death the way people around him approved of. From that day forward, death became a daily part of the boys lives, and they were expected to deal with it as their sarge did, despite the lack of time to adjust. Their LT gave them a pat on the back and moved on normally. No one talked about killing an innocent civilian or acknowledge what they would do to the soldiers, until after their home and counselors are shoved down their throats, but pressured to not accept them. The more experienced soldiers are able to sweep instances like this under the rug, Murph is able to to recognize it and try and process it but Bartle just floats along. By finding a coping mechanism that fits for himself, not everyone else, he is able to handle lose more effectively.

A common stigma in war is that one can not be weak. Soldiers can not break done and let their emotions get to them while in War. They can not analyze what just happen, they just have to keep moving. In an interview with The Guardian, author Kevin Powers, Iraq Army Veteran, he states,“I was interested in trying to describe this state between apprehension and comprehension. That is one of the primary characteristics of the experience of being at war: it's so intense and you don't have time to process.” (Powers) A lot of Powers personal experiences and feelings were transferred into his writing and shown through Bartle and Murph. People sitting at home watching more and more soldiers return home with PTSD tell them they have to process what happened. Which is true, one must process what happened, how it made them feel and how they are able to move on if they wanted to continue their life. But they need to do so at their own pace, in their own comfort zone. To be able to self reflect on such drastic changes that death carries happens in phases, different and unique to each individual. While processing death in these environments can be near impossible, they should also not be completely ignored because a lieutenant can handle it. In order to come to peace with the horrific things that happen in war, one needs to allow himself to cope within their own terms.

When Bartle returned home from his tour in Iraq, he had some difficulties adjusting, understandably. He had not yet started processing what happened in Iraq and how much that would change his life when he got back home. Everyone was so excited to be going back home, not just because they missed their family, but because they made it. But none of them spoke of how returning home didn’t mean slipping back into the life they once had, but starting a whole new one. ““You all right, hon?” My mother said...” Yeah, ma, I’m fine.”...I was disappearing. It was as if I stripped myself away in that darkened bedroom… I would be another number for the cable news shows. I could almost hear it. “Another casualty today,” they’d say, “vanished into thin air after returning home.” (Pg.110-111) When Bartle returned home, he was under pressure from his mother. Despite her best interests, returning home from war at his age with his experiences is not something he wants to discuss with anyone, let alone his mother. He needed time; something that he did not always have in Iraq. He was restless at night, but he slept that night, once again dreaming of Murph. He needed to figure out how to let go of Murph and all the other ghosts in his head in his own way or he would never truly be letting them go. He wasn’t done experiencing new things and even something as familiar as being in his mother’s house would feel like he was doing it for the first time. By taking the time he needs to self reflect and come to terms with what happened over seas, he will give himself more peace in the future.

While some may argue adapting to change in “this way” or “that way” is unhealthy, it is not for them to decide. When servicemen return home, they are entitled to the freedom they fought for. They are allowed to go through the anger and skip back to denial, they do not have to follow a 12 step program. Adapting to a new world, diagnosed PTSD or not, can be tremendously hard for anyone. Allowing them to react in their own space will allow them to feel like they still have power over something. They can go on their own terms and their own pace, benefiting them more than someone elses “right way” ever could.



Personal Connection to the Changing World:


My thesis previously mentioned dealing with death in one’s own terms being a more effective method of coping, than following what worked for someone else. Trying to connect this back to myself is hard.. the only real loss I’ve felt was my great uncle dying. When he passed, it put death into perspective for me. I felt like death was real now and that it could happen to anyone around me at anytime. My uncle and I weren’t super close, but I seen the way his death hit everyone around me. So when I was alone in my room, I would just think about my uncle and all the people that died in my family before I got to meet them and prayed that I wouldn’t lose anyone else.

I don’t know if I can really say my prayers worked because my pop is sick. I’ve surprisingly told a lot of people about my pop being sick, but I think it was more so an explanation of my tattoo. I don’t really talk about what’s going on with my pop because it gets me so upset. So when I got a tattoo of a cross with rosaries inside of angel wings, I wanted it to represent him. I wanted it to bring God on his side. I wanted him to have all the help in the world because I don’t know if I would survive if I lost my pop. Just thinking about losing him gets me emotional. Thinking about him being sick makes me think about my nan as well and if, when, the same thing is going to happen to her. Or my mom, my dad, my uncle, my sister...

My pop started getting sick before last christmas. No one told me that he was sick for a really long time. I had to overhear conversations between my mom and nan to understand that something was going on. I was in 9th grade I believe, when it was known that he was sick, but no one ever came up and told me personally. That christmas everyone just talked about it and asked him how he was doing. I had no idea what he was sick from or how serious it was. I would come to know that he had sclerosis of the liver, the same thing my Uncle Stevie had passed from in 2011. That was really hard to deal with because I assumed he would have the same ending as my uncle. Little did I know, cirrhosis  wasn’t the only thing wrong with him. His cirrhosis  has now progressed to liver cancer and without a transplant...

My pop got increasingly sick this past summer. He was admitted to the hospital several times because he was incoherent and spaced out. He had already been diagnosed with diabetes and he became insulin dependent. That was when I basically moved in with my nan. I only had my permit at the time, but it was enough to help get my nan around as she doesn’t drive. She depended on my pop to drive her wherever she had to go, but he was too sick to stand let alone drive. I remember one time he was feeling really bad and wanted to go to the hospital. My nan and I was the only one home so I drove them to the hospital and had to drive the car back myself. It was a bittersweet moment- it was my first time driving alone, but the reason why shadowed that.

I’ve been mostly living with my nan from about August, when my pop started getting too bad to drive. I didn’t understand everything that was going on. All I knew was that my pop had the cirrhosis, he had bad diabetes, his cirrhosis had enhanced to liver cancer, and he had hepatitis C. I began to understand how serious things were when he started radiation treatments and chemo last year. But I still had a lot of hope.. the treatments can, will, work. My hope began to fade the week before school started.

I was at my house with my best friend Grace from grade school watching my little sister. My parents had went to Atlantic City for the weekend and they were supposed to be on their way back to my house. But my nan called early that sunday morning and told me they had to take poppy to the hospital so my parents left A.C right way and went to the hospital. They didn’t come home until late that night. My whole world changed after my dad and I took my friend home. As we pulled away from her house he told me he had something he wanted to let me know. He thought I should, that I deserve to know. My dad told me that poppy was worse. The cancer had taken over most of his liver and he would need a transplant to survive. They were giving him 3 months to live.

I felt like my whole world fell apart. I was struggling to breathe through my tears but my dad wasn’t done. He told me that I needed to prepare myself and to help my mom out, but also not to tell my sister what was going on. I didn’t know what to do. How was I supposed to deal with losing my pop? How is everyone else going to deal? I felt like I had to do what everyone else was doing...ignoring it. My mom didn’t mention anything when I got home and I felt like I shouldn’t either. But my mind wouldn’t stop racing, thinking of everything he was going to miss out on in my life. I needed to talk to someone. My family might be able to act like nothing was wrong, but that didn’t work for me. So I texted Grace about how I felt..How I felt knowing he wouldn’t see my graduate..wouldn’t see me get married. It killed me inside but I didn’t feel like ignoring the situation would help me.

When school started, one of the main things teachers asked was what was something that would interfere with my work this year or something I would want them to know. At the time, I put that my pop was sick because I thought he only have a little bit of time left. Thank god he has been doing better and is on a transplant list, but that doesn’t mean we are out of the woods. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with everything going on. One day my life was fine, and the next I barely see my parents and sister and my pop is sick. It has happened in school a few times this year and my friend Gabby has been there for me each time.

My immediate friend group knows my pop is sick, and after my tattoo everyone does. But not many people know what “sick” means. I didn’t bother telling people because I didn’t even know what “sick” meant for a long time. But I’m now at the point where I can tell someone my pop is sick, when before I just ignored what was going on. That wasn’t working for me so I coped by talking. I continue to cope my crying when I need to. I don’t follow what others around me are doing and I don’t listen to things I see online. I need to process the change death plays on my mind in my own way, just as Bartle did.

Following someone else's success does not guarantee that it will work for you as well. There is no right or wrong way to deal with death, just as coping does not discriminate against gender. No one needs to “man up” and “quit being a girl”. Dealing with death is whatever way you see fit may not seem healthy at times, but giving yourself that control will help you overcome the grief and give yourself peace better than any steps other people tell you.

Food recipe and slide

Instructions on how to make Bengali Lachcha Semai or in english Vermicelli Pudding.


This recipe is approximately for 10 people


Ingredients needed

  • ¾ gallon of Milk

  • 2 Cardamoms

  • 2 Bay leaves

  • Sugar (according to taste)

  • 1 pack of vermicelli

  • Raisins (desired amount)

  • Coconut shreds (optional and desired amount )


Tools needed

  • Stove

  • Pot

  • Bowl

  • Large spoon


Directions


  1. In a pot add milk, sugar, 2 cardamoms, and 2 bay leaves.

  2. Heat the ingredients until the milk comes to a little thick consistency which will take about half an hour


While the milk is heating you will want to start on creating the base 

  1. In a bowl, line it with a pack of vermicelli

  2. On top of the vermicelli, drizzle on coconut shreds

  3. Finally, drizzle on raisins

  4. Once the milk come to a thick consistency, set it aside to let it cool for about half an hour

  5. Once the milk has cooled, pour the liquid into the bowl of vermicelli

  6. Let it sit for a few minutes and then grab a bowl and a spoon and enjoy.


Analysis of dish

This recipe contains very simple ingredients that are more whole food rather than processed foods. However, this can change depending on where someone gets the ingredients that are listed above. I believe the vermicelli that is used in this dish is processed since it was most likely made in a factory.

The milk that is in this dish is whole milk and on the label it says that it contains 8g total fat, 130 mg of sodium, 12g of total carb, 12g of sugar, 8g of protein, and 150. It also contains vitamin A 6%, vitamin C 4%, calcium 30%, and vitamin D 25%. The spices such as cardamoms and bay leaves are brought from a bengali store where the product has come from Bangladesh as well as the vermicelli. Cardamom and bay leaves are more used for flavoring rather than having health benefits.  A lot of the ingredients come from my home country, Bangladesh, meaning that is has traveled quite far before it came into my presences. I don’t think the process of the ingredients cause any harmful effects to the environment. The ingredients price value range from $1 to $5, meaning that a person can expect to pay about $10 in order to create this dish.

Overall, this dish is easy to make and does not contain that much processed ingredients.


Personal reflection

I never would have thought that we would have a unit in which we learn about food. This unit was very helpful because I now have more knowledge about organic and non-organic foods. I think that every school should provide their students with a unit like this so that the students are more aware about the foods they way. They should know where the food that is being placed of their plate comes from. If they do not know, then it is kind of like they are going to life blindly. This definitely is not a good thing because you need food in order to survive so its really important to know what you are putting into you body.

During this unit there are many things that I learned but the one thing will stick with me for ever is the TED Talk called “Teach Every Child About Food” that we watched  in class. The speaker did a experiment with children where he asked them to identify vegetables and a lot of children failed to do that. This made me realize that if a young child does not know their vegetables then what does that say about adults and their food knowledge.

Some of the biggest problems that I see in our food system is that media plays a big role in influence the mind of consumers. Companies know that people always watch T.V and this becomes their way of advertising the food they make to look better than the real product. Also there are so much of influencing people to stay be fit but on the top of that there are so many unhealthy foods that can just devour the fitness down.  

Recently, I have already made changes to my food choices. Now, I tend to eat less processed food such as instant food because I understand know how much chemicals go into the products to keep it looking fresh or appealing to eat. I know processed foods tend to have a lot of sodium and high about of things in them so if I decrease those intakes I would be a much healthier person.

Food rule side

Below is the food rule side I made. For my design I kept it real simple, with just words and color grouping. I wanted my slide to be something that catches your attention and the color red seems to do that. I divide my text in black and white so that there is a pattern.
E2rzKUZ65LuhIjvINf1aINvKHxb9r9aL78GaY3Yrnfw
E2rzKUZ65LuhIjvINf1aINvKHxb9r9aL78GaY3Yrnfw

Q2 Benchmark (Chris Tran + Nikki Adeli)

Fried Rice: (Brown rice alternative)

Ingredients:


  • 2 cups of brown rice

  • 1 cup of mixed vegetables

  • 1 cup of ham or any kind of meat

  • Salt

  • 2 Garlic

  • 2 Red onions

  • Pinch of Vegetable Oil


Recipe:


  1. Gather all of the ingredients needed, prepare a small frying pan and add a pinch of vegetable oil.

  2. Chop the garlic and onions into small pieces.

  3. Prepare the ham or any kind of meat wanted with rice.

  4. When the pan is hot add the chopped onion and garlic. Fry until it is the color of gold.

  5. Then add the rice into the frying pan and stir fry the rice, onion, and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add ⅙ teaspoon of salt and continue to stir fry for another couple of minutes.

  6. Add 1 cup of meat into the frying pan and stir fry for about 2 to 3 minutes.

  7. Then add 1 cup of mixed vegetables and stir fry for about 2 to 3 minutes

  8. Then decorate your plate with the rice and enjoy!


Analysis:


My version of a healthy fried rice is mostly whole food. About 90% of my fried rice’s ingredients are whole foods and only 10% processed. For my fried rice the total calorie is about 250 calories. The sugar content is pretty low at 10 g in total, the sodium is 25 mg., total carbohydrates is 27 mg., and protein is 4g. Well based on my research my meal doesn’t take long to digest because it is only 270 calories all you need to do after you eat is to exercise and you can work it off. Based on personal experience, I have lost 20 pounds due to this recipe. Well for the sugar, proteins, and carbs, they are something that our body needs to do simple things everyday and they can also help our bones and our body become stronger or slimmer. Well some of the health issues that can rise from this would be nothing because rice is something that my culture has ate for almost 2,000 years and nothing happened to our health. It would just improve our health a lot more than it would hurt.

Well most of my foods are from the U.S, but the brown rice is from China. The food that travelled the furthest would be the brown rice. This rice would have to be organically grown because this brown rice is filled with nutrients that no processed food have. Well since none of my foods are processed. I would have to say that processed foods can cause pollutions due to the factories creating it creates pollution and the processed foods can also create cancer or can cause diabetes.

In total, the cost of the meal was $20.79. All of our food choices were from fresh ingredients and where much more wholesome than a fast food restaurant. That being said, it was more expensive to prep and buy all of this food in comparison to fast food. Most of our food ingredients are regulated by the FDA and USDA to ensure that our Chicken doesn’t have salmonella and that our vegetables aren’t covered in herbicides. The majority of the people who made money off of the food we purchased will benefit the farmers who grew the crops and chickens. The biggest corporation that will make the most money off of our ingredients is the infamous Monsanto. They have dominated the market have a monopoly in their favor.

There are no social ramifications of my meal choice, but there are some controversy involving the import of rice from China to the U.S. The trace for rice would be that it was grown in a field in China or any warm climate environment and was picked and packed and sent to the U.S. Now for the rest of the ingredients they are all from the U.S. Also the side dish most of the ingredients are common things that we eat. These items are purchased at a local chinese supermarket. They are healthy, organic, and convenient. The organic rice are grown in fields and takes months to grow compare to factory rice. They grow it chemically and then picked and processed. Then for the herbs its the same process. They grow it organically and for companies they grow it chemically and picked it and processed it. Now for the vegetable oil they just make it by factory, its possible but you would have to dry the plants or veggies and then get the oil out of them.


Personal Analysis:


Chris: Looking back into this unit, I think my role in the larger food system is that I contribute to the fast food business and contribute to the growth in obesity in this country. I think I should turn to a more healthy diet after this unit and continue to work out everyday to contribute to the growth of a healthier America. I think the biggest problem with our food system is that we add too much carbs and sugar into our food. It is hurting people and causing diabetes and heart diseases. Another problem would be that fast food has artificial meat which hurts Americans and everybody else because we are not taking in the healthy, real, natural meat that is needed in the human body. Some of the changes that I can make with my food choices is to choose more healthy food and to cook more instead of eating out. The impact of these changes would be losing weight and living a healthy life. Yes, I am willing to make these changes because this is something that I need to be healthy.  I feel like after watching the TED talk that Jamie Oliver did I wanted to quit fat food and move on to the more healthy alternative. 


Nikki:


Food Slide Rules:



hahah
hahah
NothingNatural (1)

Science And Society BM- Plantians

Screen Shot 2015-01-16 at 10.08.37 AM
Screen Shot 2015-01-16 at 10.08.37 AM

Plantains Recipe:

⅓ SALT

Plantains

Oil or water

Process:

Peel the Plantains

slice it small

add salt

Wait until the oil is hot then put the plantain in there

or if using water just put it in water and let it boil.

when turn reddish which would be about 8 to 9 mins take out and enjoy!


Analysis:

Plantains are a type of bananas, they are not bananas but are a type of bananas. My family has been eating plantains for many years because of one poverty at the time and also because they pretty delicious. Plantains are appetizer but could be also be a meal if you add other things like fish to it. Plantain are very healthy because according to foodworks “Fat free, cholesterol free, sodium free, an excellent source of vitamins A and C and a good source of potassium.” Despite the fact that plantains are really healthy food when my family makes it I think they take away all that. They put way too much salt and too much oil, and I was thinking maybe instead of using vegetable oil maybe use some coconut oil. As far as boiling it, that would work because you are just adding a little salt and that would still make the food good for you. Now the plantains could also be fried with red oil, red oil is healthy and could make the plantain more healthy. To make plantains is not very expensive, it is a poor food to make.The food from what I know definitely started in Africa, and as slave trade it then move up here.

According to food works “Plantain found its way into Madagascar from Malaysia and India through trading Asian merchants and by Arabs during the Trans-Saharan trade boom. Plantain and banana trade along with yam and other food crops became a very important factor in the wealth, prosperity and rapid expansion of the Bantu Kingdom of central and southern Africa around 1500 AD. Up till date, plantain is still a major and popular staple meal across Uganda and the rest of the former Bantu region.” The food cost about four dollars. This food has traveled 3450 miles from Africa to south America. Compare to fast food this food is actually a lot cheaper so therefore no excuses as to why it couldn’t be purchased. Growing this food could be a lot better, but if it is grown in the farm they may process it too much, there are also organic plantains that you can definitely look into.

Self Reflection:

The unit has been very interesting because we have been talking about food, I can relate to this because I love food and everything about food. I have a very major role in the food system because in order for something to change I feel like everyone should feel like they can do something so with that being said I am consider myself to be a very big part of the food system.  I definitely feel like big companies uses advertising to make everyday people buy their product and since I am a everyday people I think I could start to watch what I buy or consume. Since we talked about obesity this quarter and talked about about 66% of the U.S population is obese. That a pretty big percentage. Watching the the ted talk also gave us a lot information on how school lunch isn’t even healthy. Something that was very major was the japanese obesity was only 6% compare that to U.S was very strange. Another statement that was very interesting was when we talked about “If you are not hungry enough to eat an apple then you are not hungry”. I am definitely going to change my food choices, because this situation is serious and I don’t think we are taking actions as a society. I have come to a conclusion that healthy food is the way, but that also remembering that even “Healthy food” is also processed but as a consumer I just have to be aware. This was a very good unit, I enjoyed everything about it and I am looking forward to actually getting more knowledge on what I a consume.






The war and changing the world

Analytical Essay:


War is dense. It pulls at the mental and physical stability of a person until they are constantly running off of an adrenaline rush in order to survive the intense circumstances that is war. “The yellow birds”  depicts this easily by constantly personifying the war, calling the air of shrapnel it’s breath, how its constant weight of death is a heavy reminder that war is patient, and murderous. Powers begins the book by saying “The war tried to kill us in the spring . As the grass greened the plains of Nineveh and the weather warmed” This completes imagery and personification of the war is continuously used throughout the book to prove a further point on which Powers decides to elaborate, on. War creates the armor of the soldier. It makes him numb to all things human, and embeds the constant feeling of survival, a life on adrenaline, a permanent fight or flight syndrome. War strips a person of their emotional connection to life due to survival, resulting in PTSD and a severe lack of empathy and room for grieving. Changing the world starts with the empathy for people, without it nothing can be changed because no one is understood. The eradication of war would create a world united in improvement and not destruction.

In a war it is said that one, a soldier is their country, that they are fighting for the very glory and victory of their own nation. However the truth to be seen is that in reality there are no winners in a war. Those who empty there guns first and find themselves with the most bodies at their feet envy the deceased, because they now live with the permanent memories of gore embedded in their minds, are called cowards if they cannot cope with the after math of their doings or admit that they might need help. How can one be able to create a change if they are not able to seek help? To find guidance and be in agreement on the problem? Instead problems are created at home. In a heated discussion with his mother Bartle says “Got dammit Mama all I fucking do is think.” After she asks him what he does in his room all day. After this statement springs out of his mouth it becomes clear to the reader the amount of agitation he is feeling, constantly on edge in the small expert of expression within a sentence to his mother. This is the first time Bartle comes home before he dies. After seeing enough, after not wanting to see anymore.

Many would argue that war is a constructive way of solving conflicts. That it has its purposes and allows the job to get done with as much gratification for its successor as possible. However the toll that it takes in the aftermath of itself proves to be far more harmful than beneficial. It begins the road to poverty from destruction people who had nothing find themselves having less than before, people betraying their countries in order to survive and dying at the hand of the war with no one to grieve their loss. “Shukran, Afwan, Qumbula, Thank you, Your welcome, Bomb. This is Maliks old stomping grounds!...We did not see Malik get killed but murph and I had his blood on both of our uniforms.... Doesn’t count does it? No. I don’t think so. Where are we at? Nine-sixty eight.” (Powers 11) The beginning of the conversation has such a thankfulness ring to it. As if Malik is of value and immediately after his death they didn’t even include them in their count of dead men, for the loyalty to their own soldiers. For the defense of their own bodies.

The soldiers will later go home to grieve in silence. To never open up their room or windows, and while The Yellow birds tells the story of two men who had died and follows them through the most painful and concise instances of their life. Without war, they could’ve kept the streets clean, help build from the rubbles that had been lost, but war has changed the world. It has turned it gray and shoved soot into the lungs of children crying for their fathers while they watch their mothers dig bodies out of the ground at dawn, while we force our children to dig cereal from a bowl before school. It has deprived those who rightfully so deserve it. War is a last breath, is a barbaric resort to a frustration for the yearning of immediate gratification.




Works Cited for Analytical Essay:

Powers, Kevin. The Yellow Birds: A Novel. New York: Little, Brown, 2012. Print.


Dahlen, Dr. Barbara Van. "PTSD / Video." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.



Narrative Essay:


In 1973 Richard Nixon installed a coup to take down Chilean president Salvador Allende. To be rid of the communist rule that had gained so much power for the poor people in the country. A country rigged with classism prior to his election. The coup lasted for years, and resulting in the assassination of Salvador Allende and the installment of Pinochet killing millions of communist and liberal chileans. There was a black-list that had my uncles name on it.

The first time I watched my family shunn us back home I was 12. I was reaching for my cousin Rodrigos hand when my aunt smacked it. She had me go back to my mother and my cousin sat there crying with a blank face as though he knew what had happened and he knew why but didn’t want to. I could feel the back of my eyes pulling at me and I was holding my hand toward my chest. It didn’t hurt, but it made me upset

Final Food Project by Will Amari

Wile E. Willie's ol' Southern Boi Carolina Corn Bread 


Ingredients:


-2 cups all-purpose flour

-2 tablespoons baking powder

-1 teaspoon salt

-2 cups yellow cornmeal

-1/2 cup sugar

-1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 

-1 cup milk

-1 cup no fat plain yogurt

-2 large eggs

-2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 


Preparation:


-Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 

-Butter up a large cast iron skillet

-Throw ingredients all into a large bowl 

-Stir the crap out of it with a electric beater until batter is thin

-Pour batter into iron skillet

-Place in oven (after it has preheated) on the middle rack 

-Let it sit in oven for about 50 minutes (it should look golden brown at the end)

-Take out of oven

-Wait ten minutes to let it cool down

-Sit down for a spell 

My cornbread is not that healthy, but still it would be fine eating it in small portions. 


Analysis: 


Most of the ingredients are conventional and/or non-organic. This means that the food used to make this dish has either been made with GMOs, chemicals like pesticides, or both. 


For example, instead of using good-old-fashioned organic valley butter, I used Land-O-Lakes salted butter. This contains a lengthy list of ingredients ranging from partially hydrogenated soybean oil and hydrogenated cottonseed oil to artificial flavor and cream, which warns us about its’ trivial amount of cholesterol. I used two sticks of this, but hey, at least it’s USDA double A—not the worst thing for you, but not the best thing either. Along with this, I also used Indian Head Old Fashioned Stone Ground Yellow Corn Meal, which contains some organic compounds like Niacin and enriched thiamine mononitrate. I wished I used real corn, but oh well. It seems like I used the next best thing. Corn meal also contains a healthy dose of riboflavin (vitamin B2), and iron.


The ingredients aren't what I would call, locally grown. In fact, the corn meal came from Maryland, that’s for sure the most local I ever got. While the butter came from Minneapolis and the milk came from as far as Idaho. At least all the food came from America, right? The positive side to having a lack of organic food in a recipe is that it means it is very cheap to make. Cornbread in general is cheap to make, only costing five to six dollars in price. I’ll take it. 


The coolest thing about some of the brands I used is that some of them care a little about the world. Dominos sugar for a hundred years been organic. It comes from the pure sugar cane and is harvested and milled on the same day. It is a US company owned by American Sugar Refining Industry. Land-O-Lakes is a little more controversial (PETA released an undercover video of animal abuse of dairy cows), but their eggs are supposedly cage-free. That’s good enough for me. 


I would say that overall my cornbread is fine as along as it doesn’t act as a replacement for real vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and of course... corn. 


Self Reflection:


After doing some personal reflection I have concluded that I have a very small, yet essential role in the larger food system. My food decisions, whether or not to go organic or conventional, has an effect on myself (my health and well being), on my family (I could influence my family to go organic), and of course on the business I am supporting (Whole Foods versus Monsanto). As long as you want to eat, you have to support some business that will be making some capital, so you minus well research and find out the best business to support. Some conventional farms use chemicals and pesticides to grow vegetables and drug chickens and cows to make them grow fatter, faster. Is this really the business you want to support? On the other hand organic foods can be a rip off and your bananas will only last you a couple days—you would have to go shopping more often. I think that’s the biggest problem with our food system. There doesn’t seem like an obvious right and an obvious wrong. Unhealthy foods are cheap and convenient, which will easily feed a starving family of four, but most foods are highly processed foods that are killing Americans more than any other cause of death. Organic sounds nice until you look at the price and then you realize being healthy is for rich people. What a shame. 


I generally buy organic, but that doesn’t mean I’m living a healthy life style. They say to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a jack, and dinner like a surf. I don’t eat anything for breakfast, I eat a apple and some bread for lunch, and for dinner I pig out with second helpings. Probably not healthy. I have already started to make changes. For breakfast I had fruit salad and a danish. If that’s not eating like a king, then I don’t know what is. It is important to remain healthy and eat right. I want to out live my parents. 

 
Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 9.39.07 PM
Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 9.39.07 PM

Food Recipe - Cunningham

Ingredients:

  • Bell Peppers
  • Cheese
  • Ground beef
  • pot
  • pan
  • knives
  1. Boil the peppers in boiling water.
  2. While the bell peppers are in the pot of boiling water, you need to fry the ground beef
  3. Make sure to season the ground beef first with your desired seasoning
  4. After the beel peppers are done, take each of them and cut the top part.
  5. after that is done, the ground beef should be almost done. Make sure it is brown and not pink
  6. Add cheese on the ground beef and let it sit until it melts
  7. Turn off the pan and insert the desired amount of ground beef into each bell pepper

This is actually quite healthy for you. It is after all eaten inside of a bell pepper. Now as far as how healthy the pepper is. It depends on what kind of pepper it is, and where you get it from. For instance, a save a lot pepper, isn’t going to be as fresh as a pepper that is from trader joes or produce junction. Then it’s all about storage. If you keep fresh and in a plastic bag inside a refrigerator, it will maintain it fresh status. As opposed to having it sit out on the table for a couple days. It would cost more the fresher it is.


The meat is also fresh by carrier. If you get it from like a pathmark or a acme, its not gonna be as fresh as if you went down to the italian market and got it fresh. It would cost more but you do pay for what you buy. They say that red meat isn’t good for you, but in my Foods Rules slide, the rule that i made was that you shouldn’t eat things that don't eat healthy themselves.


I have actually learned a lot this quarter. I learned about how healthy food actually is and the different between processed, and organic food choices. Before we came into this unit, i didn’t know as much as i know now about food. It was interesting getting to know the real reason why organic food is more expensive than the trans fat, processed food. I also did not know what organic food was made out of. When I thought of organic food, I also thought immediately that it was healthier and that was why it cost more. Now i know that it actually takes more to make food organic. The most interesting part about this unit was the TED talk. It was interesting to see him talk about food and how it connects to our society so well. I liked especially when he talked about how gross the school lunches were and how the lunch cooks weren’t at blame. Everything he said was true, they try to do so much with so little and cheap food in the kitchen. Moving forward from this unit, I will think a lot about the food that I buy and the food that I eat. Especially after seeing the TED talk and looking at numerous BMI charts.
Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 9.09.24 PM
Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 9.09.24 PM

Food Benchmark Project

Partner: Amani Bey (separate analysis though)


Ingredients:

1 lb. of lentils

half an  onion

spinach

Cumin

salt

pepper

Chicken Broth

Coconut Milk

Chicken

Butternut Squash

Tomato Paste

Zucchini


Steps:

  1. Brown onions and zucchini in a pot with vegetable oil

  2. Add desired amount of pepper

  3. Put in half a can of chicken broth

  4. Bring to a rolling boil

  5. Put the lentils in

  6. In separate pot Combine 1/2 can of coconut milk, butternut squash paste, a dash of tomato paste and cumin, add pepper and cayenne to taste

  7. Put the coconut mixture in the lentils once the broth in the lentils evaporate.

  8. Let the lentils cook down until they become paste-like.

  9. Chop and add spinach.

  10. If needed, add more cumin and pepper to taste.


Lentils are one of the world’s healthiest food. They are the third highest of any legume or nut in protein by weight, only to be succeeded by soybeans and hemp. Lentils contain dietary fiber, vitamin B, folate and other essential minerals. Lentils can be grown in many types of conditions. The two leading countries in the production of lentils are Canada and India. Together, the account for over 50% of the worlds lentil production. The United States is 5th on the list. Lentils is a good choice if you need to lower cholesterol. It has high levels of soluble fiber which helps keep arteries clean. Lentils being a good source in folate and magnesium make it a good choice for people who are struggling with heart health. Magnesium improves blood flow and oxygen. Lentils have also been found to be able to help with blood sugar stabilization, weight loss, and increasing energy.

A bag of all natural whole lentils cost about $2 for a 16 oz bag. That equates to about 8 servings. That is under $0.30 a serving. This is a way better price compared to the unhealthy dollar menu that in the long run will cost more than one dollar if that person develops health issues. In this recipe, only 1/12 of the ingredients is processed. The rest are all natural ingredients.This is great because the consumer will not have to worry about whether there are harmful chemicals. Overall lentils is a great food option, not only is it extremely healthy, but it is also a product that does not cost a plentiful amount of money.

During this unit, I learned that food is a real essential topic in America. I learned that the food industry is larger than the food businesses themselves. It branches out into government agencies, health and fitness. I learned that making good food choices is not always getting the organic kind because organic doesn't mean natural. There are a lot of pretenders that advertise themselves as healthy but really are not. I think the problem with our food system is that we allow trash to be labeled as food. McDonalds, Wendy's, Pop-Tarts, Meat with multiple animals inside or chemicals and fillers. Nearly all foods in the supermarket that is boxed on shelves or in cans is unnecessarily unhealthy. Also, the healthier choice is too expensive and poorer people do not have the choice but to buy the unhealthier product. If I could make changes it would be to get rid of fast food places that sell half food, decrease organic food prices and distinguish healthy organic and not healthy. I would outlaw the ability to overprice the healthier option and under price the unhealthier option. Hopefully with these changes more people will have access to healthier food choices. I would if I could.




Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 8.02.57 PM
Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 8.02.57 PM

Amani's Lentils

Screen Shot 2015-01-14 at 10.05.38 AM
Screen Shot 2015-01-14 at 10.05.38 AM
 My family has a rule about having at least three colors on our plates. This allows for more vegetables and less starch. The color wheel bleeds off the page and everything is in the thirds. My recipe is a stew or sorts, but it encourages for many colors and vegetables, and has room to be a different dish each time. 



As a  Diasporic person in America , I have no set culinary culture. My grandmother converted to the Moorish American way of life in the 70s. The Moorish people were dark people with great influence in the Arab and Spanish world.  My grandmother always cooked with chick peas, but I don’t like them, which is why I’m using my favorite bean, the lentil. Lentils were commonly traded in India but made their way on Moorish trading routes. Cumin, one of the most distinctive flavors in the meal, was grown in India, as well, but made it’s way to Spain and many other countries by way of the Moores. Tangine usually includes tomatoes, but I use a butternut squash sauce instead, as homage to my great grandmother who's father was Native American. It also  tastes better. I’m slightly allergic to the acid in tomatoes. Mirepoix, or what most would call celery,carrots, and onions, hails from France and New Orleans. I spent a year there during 5th grade and my little sister’s family is from New Orleans. Kale is a European crop. This stew, is like my family, a mixture of things and flavors.


Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb. of  red split lentils 

half an  onion 

spinach 

Cumin

salt 

pepper 

Chicken Broth 

Coconut Milk 

Chicken 

Butternut Squash 

Tomato Paste

Zucchini 


 

Steps:

  1. Brown onions and zucchini  in a pot with vegetable oil 
  2. Add pepper liberally 
  3. Put in half a can of chicken broth
  4. Bring to a rolling boil 
  5. throw them lentils in
  6. In separate pot Combine 1/2 can of coconut milk, butternut squash paste, a dash of tomato paste and cumin, add pepper and cayenne to taste 
  7. Put the coconut mixture in the lentils once the broth in the lentils evaporate. 
  8. Let the lentils cook down until they become paste-like. 
  9. Chop and add spinach. 
  10. Add more cumin and pepper to taste.


**This recipe gives more of an Indian cuisine taste than a morrocan taste. For a Morrocan flavor, replace coconut milk with tomato paste, or go half and half, use more cumin and no coriander. Add mirepoix.  
IMG_4477-3
IMG_4477-3
Analysis

This meal is considerably very whole. Lentils are unprocessed, as are the vegetables within.  I went to the Reading Terminal for the produce and when Iovine has organic produce from independent farmers for reasonable prices. Dollar bags of vegetables are accessible in the middle of the city.   1 cup of lentils contains 20% of the daily value of Potassium, 13% of DV carbs, 64% of fiber. The fiber in lentils is insoluble, meaning that it can not go ingot he blood stream but it is great for the bowels and colon health. It scrubs everything out. Cumin, which is a big spice in this dish, is great for digestion and fighting off infections. Its aroma has capabilities as well. The chicken and lentils both contain large amounts of protein which  is broken down in the intestines and absorbed through amino acids and used for cellular structures. It's great for muscles. Lentils also increase oxygen flow, which is great for everything. 


Coconut milk is a processed food, but many distributors have standards as to how its harvested. I admire the coconut because its harvesting involves the entire fruit (it's actually a one seeded drupe). The flesh and liquid within are consumed, the shell is squeezed and pressed for oil, and the husks are used for building structures. In Pacific cultures, the coconut tree has been called the "tree of life". This reminds me of the chapter from  "Survival of the Sickest" about Lima beans , because it is good for but can also kill you if you're not careful.  Coconut milk contains chains of saturated fats that are actually good for you, they're called MCFAs and they're absorbed and used for energy by the liver, but too much is not good for you. Both lentils and coconuts should be used in moderation.

The coconut milk I had came from the Philippines and was processed and packaged in the United States. The Philippines are over 3,000 miles away, yet the can I got from my corner store was only $1.29. Coconuts are what Americans consider "foreign", yet unlike other culinary oddities they are not very expensive, like that of french truffles, or South American peppers.

 



​Personal Reflection



One of the greatest lessons I've learned from this unit is that you should know your body and how it works. Due to different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds we eat differently and have different reactions to certain things. The study with aboriginal peoples showed that certain groups of people are better adapted for a certain amount of living. I think the Western Diet is trash because the "West" has not existed for thousands of years, so people have not had time to evolve to be better adapted to the "sweets and meats"  it entails. One size fits all diet and lifestyles don't fit. We concluded BMI does not work in class (I am 5 feet tall and according to BMI, I am 40 lbs overweight, but I am healthy as a horse). Treat your pancreas well so that you can last in life. 

The food system is flawed because access to good food is hard. Impoverished people are more at risk for being obese. In order to fix this problem, many of the whole foods are too expensive. The FDA allows many things to let fly . I am cutting back on sugar and increasing my water intake. The relationship between my liver and pancreas is important and I need to respect it by not putting crap in my body. I feel the difference when my blood sugar is low. I go a little cray.  

After cutting back on my sugars and drinking water, I noticed a terrible change in my mood, so I have been working on incorporating fruit into my diet. 

Michael Nicolella Food Project

Instructions on how to make Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

1/3 cup parsley

1 egg

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 spoonful of breadcrumbs

1/2 cup parmesan

8 oz. ground pork

8 oz. ground beef

For the rest:

12 cups of chicken broth

1 lb. of chopped escarole

2 tablespoons of grated parmesan

Add salt and pepper until you find the appropriate amount. 

 

Process:

1) Put the meat in a bowl along with all of the other meatball ingredients. 

2) Mix until you think its fully mixed .

3) Saute meatballs until they turn brown

4) Bring broth to a boil and add escarole and meatballs first. Make sure the escarole is evenly distributed.

5) Add parmesan to broth.

6) Keep pot under flame and periodically stir the soup for 1hr.

 

Analysis:


Overall I think that this soup is very healthy due to the escarole which is a vegetable and it makes up most of the soup. All of these ingredients can be made organic. For example the beef or pork can easily be purchased organic instead of factory farmed and they are not farmed far away usually. Escarole is another ingredient that can be easily made organic, although it does depend if its in season which I believe starts in early spring and all throughout summer. This can lead to problems but it can probably be grown somewhere else where it is able to be harvested. Also, even though red meat is proven to not be that good for you, it is a good source of protein and you will mostly be tasting the other things in the soup.

Depending on the quality of the ingredients, this soup can be either cheap or a little expensive since meat is quite expensive, especially organic meat. But the good thing about this soup is that there is a lot and it can feed a very large family. This is definitely nothing like fast food. It will take a good hour and a half to cook this and many of the ingredients are quality. I think that some social issues would arise from the meats in this soup, but that involves any dish with meat in it. There are people like vegetarians/ vegans who don't eat meat and there are people who specifically don't eat pork like Muslims. 


Personal Reflection


I thought that this unit was helpful to many people, including myself because of all of the helpful info that we learned during this unit. Since obesity and diabetes are a huge problem in this country, it seems only right that we be educated on how to prevent this stuff and eat healthier. One of the most impactful lessons that was given this unit was the ted talk by Jamie Oliver. It seemed a little extreme when he told a mother that she was killing her children, but it was true. That showed how childhood obesity affects our lives and how it can ultimately shorten it. Before this unit, I never really knew what organic food was honestly. There was really no obvious way to tell what food was and what food wasn't. Now I know to read the label. Also being someone who's family members are affected by diabetes, it really was a great lesson to learn about what causes it and how it can be prevented. I also noticed through this unit that America's food industry tries to be as cheap and efficient as possible, sacrificing the healthiness and quality of the food. All of these things can be changed, and hopefully over time it will. I have learned a lot of useful things and now i feel confident and more knowledgable in this subject thanks to this unit.


Food Slide


Food rules
Food rules