Cortometraje de Comedia

Names:

Shamarlon
Sabrina
Mecca
Taylor
Alysha
Maria

Rodaje: Un elefante en un supermercado.

  • El elefante se pone en la fila en el supermercado.
  • La mujer ve al elefante y estuvo sorprendido.
  • La mujer se dijo al elefante que se parece su hijo.



Mujer (Alysha): ¿Eres un elefante?

Elefante (Shamarlon): Sí, soy un elefante.

Mujer (Alysha ): Se parece mi hijo que fue matado por un otro elefante.

Elefante (Shamarlon): ¿Tu hijo fue un elefante?

Mujer (Alysha): Sí, él fue mi hijo adoptivo. Nunca tuve la oportunidad de decirle “adiós.”

Elefante (Shamarlon): Eso está muy triste, lo siento.

Mujer: ¿Puedo pedirle un favor?

Elefante: Si, cualquier cosa para te sientas mejor.

Mujer: Por favor, dime “Adiós mamá”.

Elefante: Claro, Adiós mamá.

Mujer: Adiós mi hijo. Otra vez por favor.

Elefante: Adiós mamá.

Mujer: Adiós mi hijo.

El cajero da a la mujer sus cosas y ella se aleja

Mujer: Adiós mi hijo.

Elefante: Adiós mamá.

El cajero suma el precio de las cosas para el elefante

El cajero (Taylor): Seiscientos dólares.

Elefante: ¡Pero sólo tengo una botella de Snapple!

El cajero (Taylor): Ella fue su mamá, ¿Verdad?

Elefante: ¡Ay dios mío no!

El cajero: Por cierto, los elefantes no podrían estar en los supermercados.

"Te Amo"- Lulu, Manna, Marina & Rugei

​El hombre esta en la fila en la galleria. 
Señor Reddy ve a la mujer y se queda sorprendida, muy sorprendida. 
Señor Reddy la cuenta la mujer que se parece a su ex-esposa quien se murió en el man. 
Señor Reddy lamenta que nunca tuvo la oportunidad de decir "Te Amo."
Señor Reddy le pide a la mujer que le digna "Te Amo."
Los dos se despiden "Te Amo"
Señor Reddy dice que "¡Nosotros estamos en un programa de television que se llama Desconocidos Locos!"

Adios Mama (Parody) - Morgan, Amanda, & Stephen


El Scenario by CyndiLynn Sheridan, Jenn Wright & Tenzin Ngawang
El hombre se peina en la fila en el restaurante. 
La camanera ve al hombre y queda sorprendida.
La camanera le cuenta al hombe que se parece asu novio quien salió ella en el día de San Valentines.
La camanera lamenta que nunca tuvo la oportunidad decir te quiero. 
La camanera le pide a hombre que le diga "te quiero" cuando se vaya.
Los dos despiden "Adios, mi querida." "Adios, te quiero."
El hombre se da cuenta de que fue engañado por la vieja porque ella querri su novío ahora tiene cellos.

El Script:
Stephen: Hola
Morgan: Hola.
Stephen: Hoy es el día e San Valentines.
Morgan: Yo se.
Stephen: Nadie ha dicho que se quieren en el día de San Valentines. Nunca tuvo la oportunidad decir te quiero. ¿Se los dices a mi? 
Morgan: Ah... si.
Stephen: Te amo mi amor.
Morgan: Adios mi querida. Adios te quiero.
Amanda: ¿Dijiste te amo a mi novío?

Deh & Dal

Recipe & Analysis:

Ingredients:

White Rice

Red Lentil

Water

Tomatoes

Onions

Salt

Vegetable Oil

Indian Masala (spices)

Hand full of Parsley

Tumeric powder

Masala


Prior Steps:

Chop 2 red onions and 3 tomatoes

Put the 1 and a half cup of red lentil in a container

Wash red lentil until the water comes out clear

Steps:

Put 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pressure cooker

Heat it on the stove for about 30 seconds

Put the diced onions into the oil

Put in 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric powder and 3/4 teaspoon of masala

Stir the goods.

Put in the chopped tomatoes & give it a good stir

Wait for the onions and tomatoes to be soft and mushy

Then add the 1 and a half a cup of Red lentil

Give it another stir

Add 6 cups of water.

Stir again and while you stir, add 3 teaspoons of salt.



Analysis:

Living in India for the majority of my life, I have grown accustomed to the things they eat, the way they cook and their life styles. I can remember up to 3rd grade and I remember eating rice and dal in our hostel room. Our home mother would make 15 liters worth of dal for the 40 students that live in the hostel. Dal is lentil soup in hindi. It is very popular in India. It is nutritious as well. I remember my house mother use to always tell me drinking dal would make you taller. I have always lived by these phrases of advice. 

Dal, or should I say, lentil soup, can be made out of different types of lentil. There are lentil beans, red lentil, yellow lentil, all sorts of variety. Everything in the soup is whole food, there is no processed food. A traditional dal would include, onions, tomatoes, lentil beans, salt, tumeric powder, vegetable oil and masala of your choice. You can choose to avoid masala but I wouldn’t recommended it because it would lose the generic taste. Lentil contains protein (which makes you grow, more so body development), vitamin B and dietary fibers. The best thing about lentil soup is that it doesn’t have as many calories as you would think it has when you eat it. 

For my dish, I decided to put in parsley to mix with my soup (it’s sort of my dad’s idea really.. but we have been doing that for awhile and we really like it). Parsley is basically a herb that many people use as topping or as decorations for their dish. It contains a lot of amazing vitamins such as vitamin A, C and K. These vitamins are good for 




​Reflection:

I have realized that in United States, junk food and processed food are ubiquitous, I can find them almost every corner of the nation. Consuming processed food is much more convenient than making something out of scratch. If one was to run out of things in the refrigerator, one can just simply walk around the block and end up at McDonald restaurant or Dunkin Donuts. I think one of the main factors of obesity and the poor food system is due to lack of government care. If the government cared enough to think about the citizens before businesses, they can easily turn down these businesses, not even that, just lessening the amount of fast food restaurants in general can reduce the obesity level. More and more people would be cooking in their houses rather than being lazy and grabbing a fast food product.  Another thing is reducing the prices of organic food, with the government’s power, I’m pretty sure they can make that happen. Everyone cares for themselves or their children and they would want the best for their family but with the amount of money they carry in their pockets will limit what they can get and cannot. 

For me personally, I have banned soft drinks, fast food, any meat in general and juice from my diet after this unit. I have successfully been a vegetarian for a whole week now and I’m planning to continue to do so. After watching those clips in class, I could not bare to see the cruelty that these animals face. I think I’m good with vegetables. My mom has been vegetarian for 7 years now and she is supportive about me excluding meat out of my diet. I am not sure if I will last but I’m determined and hopefully it lasts more than a month. I love beans so that’s my source of protein, instead of meat. 

FoodRuleTenzinNgawang.001
FoodRuleTenzinNgawang.001

¡Hola Diego! - Cyndi, Jenn, Tenzin, and Sean

¡Hola Diego! 

Names of people in your group:

Cyndi Lynn Sheridan

Jennifer Wright

Tenzin Ngawang

Sean Force

 

Script:

Un pato y una víbora entren un supermercado. Ellos están dispuestos a salir. Sin embargo, la víbora se da cuenta del pato es igual a su esposo viejo y ella dije...

Jennifer: Te parece como mi esposo que me dejó cuando estaba embarazada.

*Pausa*

Jennifer: Yo nunca recibí el dinero para cuidar a mis niños. ¿Porque yo?

Sean: Lo siento, señora. Espero que pueda ayudarle.

*Entra en su bolsillo.*

Sean: Aquí tiene trescientos dolores.

Jennifer: No no, está bien! Gracias.

Sean: No, yo insisto.

Jennifer: ¿En serio? Muchas gracias"

Cyndi: "¡HOLA DIEGO! ¿Qué tal, mi amigo?"

Sean: ¿Diego? ¿Qué?

* Encogió*

 

Thenry -FOOD

Screen Shot 2013-01-28 at 11.12.25 AM
Screen Shot 2013-01-28 at 11.12.25 AM
It goes along with the rule "You don't have to eat meat with every meal" I tried to find an exaggerated form of  food that people normally choose over healthier alternatives.  The alternative food was oatmeal and fruit being helped by a smiling woman.

Recipe
- ​Lettuce
Carrot
Walnuts
Cucumber
Eggplant
- Sweet soy sauce
- Pineapple 
- Tomatoes

Analysis
We decided to make a salad, and it will be use mostly whole food. The only food with a direct label on it will be the soy sauce. We decided to use the rule “eat your colors” when coming up with this meal.  It will cost approximately 9 dollars to make.  Compared to fast foods, it will contain a lot less processed ingredients.   This meal could  be survived on,  it has ingredients from several of the major food groups that we depend on to stay alive.  The salad will contain vital proteins, vitamins, minerals, salt, and sugar.  There will be approximately 150-200 calories per serving. The meal will be enough to feed 5-6 people.    The lettuce came from florida.  We believe that the majority of the ingredients came from american farms, and we know that they were commercially grown.  In the long run, using mostly commercial ingredients for dishes like these may negatively affect the government. The fuel required to transport goods cross country / globally, usually involves emissions that are bad for air quality and the atmosphere.

Commercially grown carrots and Walnuts follow the same pros and cons of other commercially grown food; nuts specifically. 

Lettuce: 

Since lettuce is a vegetable, it is obviously first grown at a farm. Farmers produce crops to sell to big companies for packaging and distributing. There are a lot of steps to take for farmers to get their yield to the supermarket. From tending the soil to sowing the seeds and finally harvesting their crops, there are many steps to take to yield a successful harvest. As they stock up on vegetables, big companies either hire or make deals with them to produce their harvest at supermarkets for the general public. The vegetables go through a cleansing process to preserve its condition. Then, they are packaged up by machines or workers to sell.

Walnuts:

Similar to Lettuce, walnuts must first be grown (from trees) to harvest later on in August. By using complex tree shaking machines, they are able to harvest walnuts by the thousands in a matter of a few hours. Most walnuts go through a quick and easy processing phase. The husk is removed since it is not edible and the nuts are dehydrated to optimum 8% moisture level. This is also to protect and preserve the quality of the nuts. Finally, they are packaged and sent to whatever food retailer.

Sweet Soy Sauce:
Like many other condiments, sweet soy sauce is made ina  similar fashion. It has the same base as regular (salty) soy sauce, meaning that it has the same base ingredient: soy and wheat. Unlike soy sauce, it is not fermented and has various ingredients that I don't know since it's hard to find on the internet. This is because Indonesia is one of the only main countries that use this condiment. But, they are packaged in bottles and shipped out to various grocery stores.


Of course, our plans changed at the last minute as we did not want to involuntarily kill any of our classmates by serving a poisonous dish. So instead, here is the recipe that we used to make "Matt and Taahir's Energy Drank":

Matt and Taahir's Energy Drank:
- Romaine Lettuce (1 whole leaf)
- Carrots (2 whole)
- Pineapples (juice and fruit; about 1 cup)
- Orange Juice (2 cups)
- Pecans (1 cup)
- Whey Protein (2 tbsp)
- Sparkling Pear Beverage (1/2 cup)



Personal Reflection:

I think my role in the larger food system involves educating myself and the people around me to make healthier food choices.  I've learned to question the foods that are labeled to appear healthy.  Just because it says "100%" doesn't mean that there is all natural juice.  Some labels have vitman c or another vitamin in smaller print.   One thing I foiund particularly interesting is the fact that in America, the people of the lower economic statuses are more often obeses.  The opposite is true of people in other countries as well. Also, whole wheat bread may have bread that contains whole weat grains mixed in with the grains of regular bread. I also learned that corn of some type exists in almost everything we eat, solids and liquids.      I beleive the biggest problems with our food system is the way that crops like corn and soy have monopolized the food industry.  Instead of trying to find the root of problems and fixing them, they come up with more high tech was of temporarily dealing with the problems at hand.  There isn't much that we can do as individuals , but we would have to come together in the support of smaller companies and farmers that are invested in healthier foods and better treatment of animals.  I think that I could choose to eat less meat per day, and choose to eat less processed food , which in the long run would benefit my own health.


Potato Salad Recipe

Potato Salad Recipe By Allison and Keisha

Step 1:

Clean 6 potatoes 

Step 2:

Peal the 6 potatoes 

Step 3: 

Boil the 6 potatoes 

Step 4:

After boiling the potatoes, cut the potatoes anyway you like 

Step 5:

Get a big size bowl, perfect size for your servings.

Step 6:

Jar of light mayo (of your choice) 

Step7:

Boil 5 eggs

Step 8:

Peal shell off of eggs

Step 9: 

Cut eggs (or put into grinder) 

Step 10:

Pour the cut potatoes and cut boiled eggs in to bowl

Step 11:

Scoop hole jar of mayo, or half jar of mayo into the bowl then stir

Step 12:

After have two onions cut and pour into bowl

Step 13: 

Stir ingredients together

Step 14: 

Your choice of seasoning but if not add salt and pepper 

Step 15:

Put in refrigerators for and 1 hour then ready to serve


Analysis

Our potato salad is very simple; 6 potatoes, 12 boiled eggs, a jar of mayonnaise, an onion, some salt and pepper. The potatoes were most likely grown in Idaho or Washington which are two of the biggest potatoes growing states. They are then put on a truck and driven to Pennsylvania and put on the supermarket shelves. Potatoes are a wonderful food because they are almost fat free, cholesterol free, and sodium free. They are also an excellent source of nutrients, high in potassium, fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and protein. In addition, they are low calorie. As for the eggs, they were most likely grown on a farm somewhere in Pennsylvania then shipped to the supermarket. Most likely, the farm was a chicken farm which specialized in the mass production of eggs. Different growth hormones were probably given to the chickens to make the eggs produce quicker. Eggs are a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12 and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Protein and Selenium. However, they are high in saturated Fat, and very high in cholesterol. The mayonnaise originates from Spain but now it’s created all over the world with a simple mix of oil, egg yolk, and vinegar or lemon juice depending on your taste. For this recipe we used Hellmann's light mayo which has half the calories, only 35, and uses cage-free eggs. Onions are mainly grown in Idaho and Washington but some are grown in Pennsylvania. Little growth hormones are used in growing onions because they grown very easily. They are low in calorie and fat yet high in fiber. The salt comes from a salt mine or is made from sea water and the pepper is made from a tropical plant grown native to India. Salt and pepper is low in calorie but obviously high in sodium. The total calorie count of a serving of potato salad is about 350 calories per cup. They only part of the meal that is processed is the mayonnaise because we chose to use Hellman’s mayo instead of homemade. The meal was very cheap, the most expensive part was the mayonnaise which was about $6. This could be because the mayo traveled the farthest or it takes the most to produce. Unfortunately, we could not find a listing for where Hellman’s mayo is produced so we do not know how far it traveled to get to the supermarket. As for the other ingredients, they could all be home grown expect for the salt and pepper. This would be safer because there would be no growth hormones or pesticides but the process would take so long that it would just be easier to buy the products from the store. Most of the products were probably grown in Pennsylvania or a nearby state anyway, so it doesn’t take much to ship them to the supermarket.



Reflection

On of the biggest problems I see with the way American's eat is that we are too stuck on the need for convenience. It's convenient to go to Mcdonald's because you drive up order and be eating within 5 minutes, in comparison to having to cook food at home which can take hours. Even when cooking at home American's tend to be lazy. Instead of cooking from scratch things like minute rice and canned everything is used. American's no longer have to harvest their food like the Aborigines did, they can go right to the grocery store and have it done for them. The grocery store is only out to make money that's why in most stores there is little healthy food because it's hard keep up with. Healthy food can only be kept on a shelf for so long before it spoils because it lacks preservatives. That's way when going to a grocery store you should only shop the surrounds and not go into the aisles It's easy to rotate the stock of a healthy food if it's on the outside. One of the big things I learned this unit is that organic and free-range products are not necessary how they sound. For something to be organic it must be grown without pesticides but this leaves room for toxins that come naturally from the product. Also, cage free means that the product is not in a cage but can still be cramped together in a small area. I’ve learned this from the movie we are watching and from the articles we read in the organic food assignment.

foodSlide
foodSlide

New Me Slide

Script 

I chose to do my slide this way because it reflects how I am and what I enjoy to do. I love to go skiing,  listen to music, and collect sneakers. The pictures make it POP to the eye. The color of the pictures draw attention, but to over power that; I put the Text right below the pictures so you don't loose your self in the images. There is a good repetition with pattern’s in the area of text and it keeps it looking good and balanced out. The shape of the pictures naturally draw attention. It may be crowded, but the excitement of the pictures make up for that. Thank You for looking at my PDF.



Second Picture is a pdf and shows how I changed my slides from what I corrected.
Screen Shot 2013-01-25 at 9.15.00 AM
Screen Shot 2013-01-25 at 9.15.00 AM

Sierra's Food Project

Ingredients for Macaroni and Cheese:

 

¼ box of elbow noodles

½ bag Sharp White Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

½ Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

¼ stick Velveeta Cheese

1 cup Evaporated Milk

2 Eggs

1 tablespoon Butter

Pinch of salt

 

Directions:

 

1.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2.     Boil water with a pinch of salt

3.     Once the water is completely boiled, add noodles and let cook until the noodles are soft.

4.     Microwave the butter until it is completely melted.

5.     In a bowl microwave ½ of evaporated milk and Velveeta cheese together until completely melted.

6.     Stir together the cooked noodles, microwaved Velveeta cheese, microwaved butter, and eggs.

7.     Once the ingredients are well mixed add the yellow and white cheeses. Stir.

8.     Spread the ingredients into a pan.

9.     Put in the oven, and let cook for 15 – 20 minutes. (until edges are a light brown)

 

About the ingredients

 

Cracker barrel white/ yellow sharp cheddar cheese

-       No sugar

-       High calcium

-       High saturated fats

-       Kraft product (made in Kraft factories)

 

Land O’ Lakes Salted Butter

-       100 calories per serving (1 tbsp)

-       All fat

-       Comes from Arden Mills, Minnesota

 

Velveeta Cheese


80 calories per serving

-       High in calcium

-       High in sodium

-       High in saturated fats

-       Kraft Product (made in Kraft factories)

 

Evaporated Milk

-       High in calcium

-       High in sugar

-       87 calories per serving (100 grams)

-       High in carbohydrates

-       Nestle Product (factories in Allentown and in Harrisburg)

 

Eggs

-       High in protein

-       No saturated fat

-       No cholesterol

-       High in riboflavin

-       High in selenium

-       High in sodium

 

Elbow Pasta

-       High in carbohydrates

-       No saturated fats

-       No cholesterol

-       No sodium

-       High in thiamin

-       Barilla product (factory in Bannockburn, Illinois)

 

Overall, this meal isn’t the healthiest thing you could eat. A lot of the ingredients involved have high amounts of sodium, high cholesterol, high amounts of sugar, and high amounts of carbohydrates.  Maybe with different ingredients, this meal could potentially be turned into a meal that won’t kill you over time. I got the recipe for my macaroni and cheese dish from my mom. She doesn’t make this dish often, and now I see why.

In terms of cost, this meal can be considered to be an expensive meal. Before producing the meal, I had to go out and buy all the ingredients used. I ended up spending about 30$ for all the ingredients in total. Since I didn’t every bit of each ingredient, I would say there is enough left to make the small dish about 2 more times which would be equivalent to 1 large pan. That isn’t the best deal. I can think of about 5 other meals that I can buy that would be cheaper than just this dish.

Another downside to this dish is where the ingredients come from. This meal is 100% processed, which isn’t the best thing. The only things that are considered to be “local” or whole foods would be the eggs. Everything else comes from factories, some far and some not too far. However, when you think about things being produced in a factory you have to think of the means of production. With factories come workers, injuries, waste, and pollution. So now not only do I have to think about how this meal is affecting the health of my family, but also how this meal is effecting our environment.


Self Assessment 

The biggest problem that we have in our food system is cost and profit. These people who produce these foods aren't worried about the health of their consumers. They're more concerned with how much of a profit they will make which is why the food system is so screwed up. It's easy to say that we'll stop buying products from these "Big Food" companies, but that is unrealistic. What we need is to find some type of alternative. Food that is bad for you shouldn't be so cheap, and food that is good for you shouldn't be so expensive. Basically, healthy food is a luxury and that shouldn't be the case. I think we need to really think about and research how our food system got like this and then work on a way to reverse it.

A goal I have for myself is to try and eat less processed foods. Also, I would like to eat out less. This is hard for me, but I feel that if I can do that now then maybe I can teach the same things to my kids so that they can teach that to their kids and so forth. I can also try and get my friends to have similar goals which maybe one day can make for a healthier future. It seems as if 
each generation is getting more unhealthy and that's solely based off of how much we exercise and what we eat day to day. So if we can change those aspects of our lives, then we will be on our way to a healthier lifestyle. 



SCISOC_SLOGAN
SCISOC_SLOGAN

Science&Society Q2 BM

​RECIPE/ANALYSIS

Collard Greens

-4 Bundles

-Wash/Wipe Down

-Boil Water with meat of your choice to flavor the water

-Cut the ends off the greens

-Bunch a small portion of the greens and roll to begin to cut

-After cutting throw greens in a pot to rinse after done cutting

-Throw the greens in the water that you boiled with meat of your choice

-Let boil

-Begin putting all your different seasonings in that you like

-Should be ready in about an hour or so

Fried Chicken

-Rinse chicken

-Season the chicken with all the different types of seasoning you like

-Begin to let the oil get hot meaning put the oil in a pan and turn the stove on

-Put the chicken in some flour

-Throw the chicken in a pan and it will begin to fry

Analysis

Fried Chicken and Collard Greens is like a traditional thing for my family. Every big event we have at my house or with any of my family, we have to have some chicken and collard greens. Fried chicken was the first thing I learned to cook so I decided to make some chicken. I dont know exactly like all the different proteins and stuff it has in it but I do know it taste good. The meal doesnt cost much it's up to you how you spend your money and what you decide to get. The chicken cost me about $9 and the collard greens cost me about $3. So its not much to it.

SELF REFLECTION


My role in the larger food system is to eat what I think taste good to a certain extinct. What I kind of mean by that is eating the food that I grew up with. I don’t really try nothing new all the time because its not the stuff that my mom cooked or had me eating. I came from a household of 7 so we always had home cooked meals and a lot of food. So I don’t really know too many different kind of foods unless I try it or someone suggest it to me. I’m not going to lie, I eat a lot of sugary and fat foods but that’s because I have a fast metabolism so I don’t really gain any weight. This pass year I been trying to watch what I eat because if I keep eating at the rate I’m going the weight will begin to catch up to me and then I maybe will have a higher chance of diabetes and that’s not what I want. I stopped drinking juice and soda. I stopped drinking soda for 9 months now and stopped drinking juice for a week now. So I can definitely say my food system has changed over the years. I don’t think there is a big problem with the food systems. I think that because there are a lot of different choices of food to eat, healthy, not healthy, its your choice so I don’t think it’s a problem with the food system because there is plenty of healthy food out there for people to get and eat but they choose not too so I think that is their problem honestly. It’s their choice whether they want to eat fast food everyday or a salad everyday so therefore I believe you cant blame the food system for that. I am going to try and watch the things I eat and I think I will get a good impact from it. 


Screen Shot 2013-01-14 at 11.59.31 AM
Screen Shot 2013-01-14 at 11.59.31 AM

One Path, Two Roads

For the second quarter, in Mr.Blocks class, we focused a lot on how we are connected to language and how language plays a role in our life. By doing this project I learned that languages has played a huge in my life since I moved to American. In the story below you will read the longer version of how language has such a big role in my life, how knowing three different languages has it advantages and disadvantages.  
One Path, Two Roads

My family and I live in America. A place that is mixed with so much. We’ve been here in America for about 11 years now. I’m fifteen but until a few days ago the thought about language never overcame me.

Everyone in my family knows about 3 different languages although we all don’t know the equal amount of each language. I am fluent in three languages, English, Bangla, and Hindi. My family’s birth language is Bangla.

My siblings and I mostly speak English when we’re all together so it gets hard for our parents to understand us since they aren’t that good at it. My father is better at Hindi than he is in English. My mom on the other hand understands my siblings and me a little when we speak in English but not much. Her understanding of English has become much better now than before. My mom uses context clues to figure out other words she may know, which I really like about her.

At age 5 when we came to America I began to learn English and Hindi, which became my second and third language. My siblings also learned English, as well as Hindi, but since I learned English at a younger age I became more fluent at it.

Although speaking three different languages for me has it great advantages it also has its disadvantages. Sometimes that causes a communication barrier between my siblings and my parents because they don’t understand English that well.

I remember it was October 2010, and around 6:30. I was sitting in the squash classroom, which was in the basement of Drexel. There I was waiting for my mom to come so we could have a conference about me playing squash and about my report card from school. I waited in there for a while and then saw her. She came in through the open doors, looking around not knowing any of the students but a few of the staffs. Then I went to her and we both sat down.

Katie, the academic director, and Brett, the squash director of SquashSmarts, told us to wait until the students leave so we could have the conference. We waited and watched as the students left the room to go home. And then they both came over, sat down, and we started speaking.

Katie said, "Monisha has been doing great in both school and squash." I translate what Katie said to my mom because I was older, knew more English, so my siblings didn’t have to do it anymore.

"Ami onake valo korchi schoole ar squashe" I told my mom.

My mom said "O, valo tho" She was happy to hear that I was doing good in both squash and school.

I told them that my mom said “Oh, that’s good.” We were going back and forth like this for a while. And then I saw Brett looking at the way my mom and I were speaking.

Brett looked at me and said "It amazing how quickly you can transition from one language to another, with no problem. One second you're speaking English and then the other you're speaking Bangla. I’ve never seen this side of you." Brett and Katie both knew that I knew English and Bangla but they never heard me use the languages back to back. I smiled at him and then translated that to my mom who then also smiled. We continued with the conference on like that.

Since I know three languages sometimes I combine them together and then speak. I mostly do that when there are some Bengali or Indian food that I don’t know how to say in English because they are so different or me just randomly speaking in two languages.

Just the other day my best friend, Sabrina, came over to see me, it had been a year since we last saw each other even though we live right around the block. My sister, her and me sat on the carpet and played a board game called Ludo; its really fun if you play the Bengali way.

“No etha cheating, etha fair na. Choir.” I yelled at Sabrina.

“Na tuih dakohos nai” She yelled back to me.

“Okay, whatever. Game continue kor.” My sister said to the both of us.

We finished the game. Then when Sabrina was about to leave she just said a random sentence using English, Bangla, Hindi and Spanish, although we’re not that good at Spanish.

At those two times and many others, I didn’t realized how much language played a role in my life, making me who I am or even showing people how educated I am. The way I spoke gave people the first taste of who I am.

ISerrano Q2 Benchmark

​Reflection

During this unit I learned how most of the labels on food products don't mean anything, like "access" to the outdoors. This could mean that the doors to their barn or holding cell, whatever, is open for a few minute maybe an hour a day. In most cases the animals are to fat because of all the antibiotics that is given to them. Also how organic doesn't really mean that it is a 100% organic. 

I think that whatever I buy at a supermarket affects the larger food system. So what I buy can cause the item's price to be raised if many people but it. It would made in mass qualities due to demand. I do eat healthier than I did before but after this unit I question whether the food I eat is actually healthily. Like I ate an apple yesterday that said it was organic but that only means that only a small portion of the process to make that apple was organic. Just about all the apples that are sold have a wax coating on it. It is said to not be harmful but some people argue that. This makes the apple look appealing and deceivingly good. If people knew what the labels really meant, they may stop buying the products. 

If people were more aware of what they were eating and what the companies are hiding, there's a chance that better food can be produced. But not everyone seems to care. The chance that the prices may go up worries people. Especially in this bad economy. 

Recipes

White Rice

Ingredients:

- 3 cups of long grain Rice

- 5 cups of Water

- Salt

 

Directions: White Rice

1) Wash the rice to out any impurities that could be left in it

2) Bring the 5 cups of water to a boil with a pinch of salt in a large saucepan with a lid that fits.

3) Add rice and stir

4) Put lid on and turn down to low. There should be a little steam coming out. If too mush is coming out, the heat was not lowered down enough. 

5) Cook for about 20-30 minutes but DO NOT UNCOVER. The steam aids in he cooking.

6) Remove from heat then fluff the rice with a fork. 

7) Serve.

 

Green Plantains

Ingredients: 

- Green Plantains

- water 

 

Direction: Green Plantains

1) Bring a large pot filled with enough water so that there is two inches left from the the surface of the water to the rim. 

2) Wash the plantains and cut in half. Maybe quarters if it is too large.

3) Grab a knife and cut along one of the ridges so that there is a slit in the peel.

4) Carefully place the plantains into the water. 

5) Boil for about 15 minutes then using tongs, carefully remove the peels. 

5) Cook for another 10 minutes. 

6) Remove from heat. 

7) Serve.

Analysis:

There aren't many ingredients so it is fairly simple to find "organic" or "natural" items that are healthier. The only salt is in the rice but that could be optional if the person doesn't want flavor. Just about everything is a whole food. The rice is the only processed food. The meal is rather cheap. The rice cost about $10 and the green plantains were about 6 for a $1.50. When compared to how much fast food would need to be brought when compared to the amount that you have with these ingredients, this meal is cheaper. I don't know where any of the ingredients came from but I know that the rice is not made in the U.S. Farmers made money off of the selling of the plantains because they are "natural", so there is minimal factory involvement. I wouldn't be able to grow rice myself but I have grown plantains myself and they don't taste much different then the ones I brought. 

Food Graphic


Screen Shot 2013-01-10 at 12.41.28 PM
Screen Shot 2013-01-10 at 12.41.28 PM

Language Autobiography

My father was the general manager of a chain of prestigious printing companies. He was a man of power. Many of his colleagues and people in a higher position than his were of Caucasian descent. I have many memories of my brothers and I being in the car with my father and listening to him answer his cell phone. We noticed his voice would immediately change to sound like a voice I associate with a white person.

“Hey Jerry, it’s Myron here. I called you to see if you received my email about the finances of the store up in Lancaster. I’d like to hear back from you as soon as possible because I’m not really sure what your guys are doing. I’m going up to the store right now to check on what’s going on.”

We would always laugh at our dad’s “white voice”, mainly because it seemed to have a higher pitched, more nasally quality to it. But I believe since we were around him so much while he was speaking with perfect English diction, my brothers and I also picked up on this way of speaking.

Numerous times I have been told “You talk white.” This statement was always said by a fellow African American in a brutal, disgusted fashion. My answer would always be “This is just the way I talk, I’m not trying to sound white.” It has always puzzled me that I am ridiculed for speaking in a manner that that doesn’t relate to my ethnical appearance . I see it as some people of African descent who encounter me feel a level of discomfort or intimidation when I speak. But, this is not the message I am trying to convey. It is simply my natural diction. But it goes to show how powerful language can be.

The school I attended for most of elementary and middle school was an Afrocentric school, and they used reverse racism against white people to uplift the African race. Though they denied this claim, every student knew it was true. Most of the moments when I felt guilty for being partially white happened while I attended that school. I very vividly remember in the third grade while I was having free time during gym, one of my classmates came up to me and asked “Are you Caucasian?” Being so young and clueless, I didn’t even know what Caucasian was. I asked her “What’s that?” and she responded “White.” I wasn’t entirely sure of my ethnicity so I told her “I think, on my dad’s side.” He was so light, so I assumed. Finally I asked “Why?” “You talk white.” There was so much venom in her tone. In that moment I realized, I was a possibly mixed kid in a black power school. I felt weird and out of place.v

Through language, you can articulate the thought patterns of your mind into something comprehensible to others. If your knowledge of language is limited, then it is viewed that your thoughts can only be so brilliant because there is no way to relay your message to others. This means that language equals power. The stronger your words, the more respect you will receive. Words are often used to offend. My experiences with conflict involving language had nothing to do with direct threat, but the enormity of my vocabulary offended those who did not possess the same amount as me.

With my father, he was required to show the extent of his knowledge of the English language when in his professional setting, but I have also heard himself “dumb it down” for his companions and allies.

“Wassup man it’s Speed I just left the crib I’m bouta swing down my mom’s house and pick her up a few things then I’m gonna shoot over to Man’s house and just chill there for a while.”

To master language, you must understand its levels. To convey your message, you must consider your surroundings and adapt. I don’t believe this is at all “Selling out” or “Being fake”. But rather, being understood. That is the sole purpose of language. To intertwine the thoughts of your mind with others’ thoughts.

Throughout my life I will continue to try my best to explain what I am feeling through language in hope that my words will fall in relation with whoever chooses to internalize what I say. As said in Mother Tongue by Amy Tan,

“I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language -- the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.”

Language is a power that everyone can possess, in one form or another. I choose to take full advantage of this power.

Yummm! Delicioso!

For this project I will be talking about myself and the cooking world around me. I will also be sharing a family recipe of a healthy meal.


Me & Our Food Society


I have the tendency to either eat more on the healthy side or more on the unhealthy side sometimes. It really depends. I have a good diet but I am very picky with everything that I eat. When I go to certain stores depending on there I might not or I might feed into the healthy or unhealthy ways. 

The larger food system I guess I am sometimes helping it and other times hurting it. Every now and then( not often) I tend to eat what’s faster rather then what would be easier for me to get. The larger food system is more unhealthy but I feel as if a lot of people are worrying more about what they consume everyday. Also the whole thing with income matters towards what people can afford. 

The biggest problem within our food system is what is available and what is not. Most people do not have a place around them that is surrounded by markets or healthy places to eat. Therefore A lot of people eat really unhealthy foods because it’s available and its cheaper for them and their family. Then on the other side some people chose not to eat unhealthy. Exhibit A are those people who grow their own plants and food. Like people on farms. 

Personally cutting out the junk food completely would be a good change for me. Also worrying about where my food comes from would also help a lot. These changes might make a lot of people perhaps follow my steps. Also it would be helpful towards the Earth. Everything doesn’t have to effect the society that you live in, if it just helped the Earth or personal improvements. I am more then willing to help out, and also more willing to make a change to the things I eat also. 


Spaghetti 


What You Will Need: 

1/4 Cup of Olive Oil, Extra Virgin

8 Cloves of Garlic, Peeled 

28 oz or 35 oz of San Marzano peeled plum tomatoes, Crush them by hand in a bowl, then set aside. 

1 tbs salt 

1 tbs pepper

3 shakes Red Crushed Pepper 

6 Fresh Basil Leaves 

2 strings fresh Parsley 


_____________________

Directions :

Heat Oil in a pot on medium heat for 4 minutes. Take the already peeled garlic and with the flat side of a knife whack the garlic so that it becomes flat. Cook garlic until it is a light brown color.  The add in the tomatoes. Bring everything to a boil and season lightly with salt, pepper, and red pepper. Then lower the heat so that the sauce is at a lively simmer. Using a wooden spoon or whisk stir the sauce, which will break down some of the tomatoes, about 25 minutes until the sauce is thick. Stir in basil and parsley for about 4 1/2 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with salt, pepper, and red crushed pepper as needed.  



The World & The Meal 


•Approximately: About 90% of this meal is whole food.


•Health/nutrition:  Believe it or not but there is only 526 calories in the whole batch of sauce, which means when adding noodles and such there won't be that many health problems. Also the healthy whole food will process through your body well because it is fresh. Also it is really good for your insides, especially since it is fresh! I feel as if someone ate this meal every day, They won't really have much protein in their diet but everything else, except what type of pasta they use should keep them pretty good feeling. 


•Environmental:  Tomatoes- Italy   The tomatoes traveled the farthest, everything else was produced in America. Nope commercially grown. 


•Political/economic: Not that much both of the cans were 8 dollars the olive oil was 7 dollars for a bottle and the garlic was like a dollar so everything was pretty cheap. Fast food is cheaper, but fast food is a quick filling meal, but the sauce will have you eating for more then a day. Cento



•Social:  Nothing really, someone can't really complain except for the fact that the tomatoes garlic ad such weren't organic. 

Tomatoes- Grown in Italy, picked fresh, canned 

Garlic- California from out of a plant which also makes potatoes. In the Garlic capitol. 


Since the beginning of time we as humans have been looking for things to give us less work to do. Also it is always easier and more available 


Food Slide 
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Screen Shot 2013-01-11 at 11.43.23 AM

Lulu's Benchmark 2 (:

Chicken Curry Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb boneless chicken thigh and/or breast (cut into small cubes/pieces)
2 lemon grass (cut into 4-inch lengths, use only the white part, pounded)
6-8 pieces kaffir lime leaves
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt to taste

Spice Paste:

1 1/2 inch galangal
1/2 lb fresh red chili (seeded and sliced)
5 shallots (sliced)
1 inch ginger
1/2 inch fresh turmeric
1/4 teaspoon belacan (fermented shrimp paste)

Instructions:

  • Blend all spice paste ingredients to a very fine paste.
  • Heat up some cooking oil in a work and stir-fry paste until aromatic or a thin layer of oil rises to the top.
  • Add chicken and continue stirring until it’s almost cooked.
  • Add the coconut milk and continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes, over low heat.
  • Add salt to taste and serve hot.

It's interesting to see where our food comes from when you actually research it and get to know about it a little more. In my country, I always eat different meals and try different things, but one of my favorite dish would probably be the Chicken Curry. Many countries has their own way of cooking curry and what to eat it with, but in Vietnam, we eat it with white rice or bread. My chicken curry has a lot of different spices as you can see above, but it all blends well together. I promise.

Us vietnamese people love to eat our greens, seafood, fruits, and lots of meat! I was raised in a environment where we kill animals and eat them. I guess you can call us meat lovers! One of my favorite chicken to eat is Tyson's chicken because it's so tasteful in my mouth. When I did some research on Tyson's chicken and where it came from, I found out that the chicken are processed and Tyson has its own slaughter house. Although this is probably a bad thing, it won't stop me from eating Tyson. I mean, it's better than McDonald's chicken. The chicken curry does have some nutritious ingredients as well. This dish consist of lime leaves and lemon grass. The name of these different vegetables/plants might not sound good, but it makes this dish even better. It gives a complexity of flavor that distinguishes them from other curries.

According to the Live Strong resource, it turns out that coconut milk can help us level our blood cholesterol and it puts us in a better position of protecting our hearts. "Coconut milk contains lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid, unlike the saturated fat in meat and more like the saturated fat found in human breast milk." According to Nutrition Data, lime juice provides a really good source of vitamin C and it offers a good amount of potassium. I feel as though that Asian people uses a lot of spice that keeps us healthy in our meals. For example, galangal (ginger) is one of the main spices in the chicken curry and they way it smells, it makes me nose tingle a little bit. Actually, galangal are used sometimes for medications in Asia. True Fact. For example, turmeric was discovered to help treat cancer since it increases liver functions. Since this chicken curry is supposed to be spicy, there's 3 different types of ginger we use and the more I go down the line, the spicier it gets! As we go down the ingredients list, things just get hotter and hotter, but overall, my meal didn't consist a lot of "unhealthiness." Tyson's chicken might be processed, but my spices makes up the healthiness and nutrition that my body needs.  

Personal Reflection

I think that America is considered the "Fat" country. This country has been trying to live right and healthy but I feel like America contradicts what they think they are and what they say to others. Compared to the world, America seems to have the most fattening in food. McDonalds would be a perfect example for fattening. The reason why is because they use meat that has certain fattening in the meat and it cause the Americans to gain weight. In the movie Super Size Me, the man clearly shows that he was gaining a lot of weight by eating McDonalds every single day. I think that fast food is probably one of the biggest problems in our food system because for one, it's not healthy for our body and it's not the right food. Because of fast food, people are getting obese, diabetes, high cholesterol, and many more. But if people were to eat healthier, they would be in better shape and there wouldn't be so much people dying because of diseases.


Although I do admit that one of the reasons why people rather watt unhealthy than to eat organic because it's fast and they spend less money. On the other hand, organic food is a lot more expensive and sometimes, people rather spend a dollar on a meal that can fill them up then get lettuces from the super market. After watching the Food Inc movie, my mind didn’t change about fast food because I’m so used to it. But I do feel bad for those animals and how they kill them. But I don’t eat fast food that much because I like home cooked meals. It’s a lot better than eating fast food almost everyday. Overall, I think that it’s okay to eat fast food here and there, but it’s a lot better to eat home cooked meals. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to live healthy life. 
best.003
best.003

Mohamed Marzouk's Cous cous

Recipe

Ingredients:

  • Cous Cous
  • Chick peas
  • 2 2/3 cups of water
  • 2 2/3 tea spoons of salt
  • your choice of spice

Materials:

  • Actual Cous Cous
  • Pot
  • Big Spoon
  • Microwave to speed the heating of the cous cous
  • Another pot to stir the sauce for the cous cous
  • Plates to eat the cous cous!

Steps:

  • Open cous cous from container, put it in pot
  • Add water, salt and mix the cous cous
  • Although some people prefor to heat the cous cous using an oven, I've found simply using a microwave is sufficent.
  • Use the other pot to start making the sauce for the cous cous
  • Either use already made sauce and add more spices or ground up your own tomatoes.
  • Combine both the sauce that has the meat in it and the couse cous
  • Eat up!

Analysis:

Cous Cous is a food that is very popular in the Mediterranian. The Mediterranian includes Countries such as: Italy, Spain, Tunisia, Morrocco. These places eat cous cous a lot. Cous cous has become a trend around the world too. Especially in places like the Middle East, North America and South America. The United States has particularly adopted Cous Cous as a favorite. It travels over 2,000 miles to get here- the natural kind, that is. Some cous cous is getting picked here, caushing it to have more pesticides in them. 

There are many, many variations of making Cous Cous but the one I explained above is the my Mom's recipe she's been using for many, many years and it's customed to eat it like that where I'm from. Cous Cous can be a very healthy food- it doesn't rival brown rice when trying to eat healthy but is still a healthy alternative to pasta. You can cook Cous Cous with lots of vegetables and healthy lean meats. Depending on how much you buy, this could be a very cheap meal when looking at this bare bones. Most of the food here is not processed because usually you can pick the vegetables that you want to cook with or the kind of meet. Also, when looking at the container of cous cous the nutrients are very healthy. Though cholesterol is a bit high, there is low sugar, fat, but again, high on carbohydrates. 

The money goes towards farmers because they help dig up the cous cous because it is a grain. Cous Cous is usually picked without much pollution or immorality like you see the meat companies do here in the States. Since cous cous is in such a high demand, people are hired more to make them across the pond, so I feel as though politically, the people win. Also, the quality of food is better so people will enjoy cous cous more and the demand will keep growing. Cous cous could be become one of the most sought-after foods in the world.

This recipe has been in my family for many generations and lives on. My mom makes really great cous cous and I don't think the other types I've tried really rivals the kid she makes. The times i've gone to tunisa, I've tasted amazing cous cous and wish to travel to Italy or Spain to  try some more.



Personal Reflection:
I think there are lots of problems with our food system. I don’t think it necessarily comes from the food makers or the people who eat the food, but rather our economic status. I believe that obesity comes from socioeconomic status rather than what people put in their mouth. I know that sounds absurd at first, but people need to eat, right? When you’re poor and need to feed your family food to keep them from not starving, anything really matters; eating healthy is not the one concern. Going to the dollar menu at Mcdonalds and spending 10 dollars to fill your family up or just getting heat-up dinners that are high in transfat and generally bad for you is something that you need. I feel like if we want to make a difference now, we need our Government to strive and implement programs where people who are in need can receive the food they need, but also getting healthy food in the process. When the doctor from Camden came told us about his work and finding, he made a valid point about the correlation of cheap food and no money. I feel like I can accurately base my opinion on credible research like that. I feel like what I can do is try to make aware stores like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods that do have some healthy but cheap alternatives to people so they can eat and be healthy

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Screen Shot 2013-01-11 at 1-1.24.57 PM_2

Spaghetti w/ Sweet Mixed Meat Sauce

Sweet Mixed Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs ground beef

2 packets of onion soup mix (one box usually contains two packets)

2 cloves of garlic

2 twenty-six oz bottles of traditional tomato sauce

1/4 cup of sugar

6 Italian sausages (approx. 12 oz)

1 tsp of worcestershire or A1 sauce

bay leaves

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground peppercorn

1 medium-sized bell pepper (green or red; green was used)

1 medium-sized yellow onion

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp basil

Materials:

A crockpot

2 skillets (or one that is washed for each meat, one non-stick skillet was used)

2 spatulas (or one that is washed for each meat)

A few cutting knives

A wooden spoon

A strainer

Measuring spoons and cups

1.  Begin to brown the ground beef in a skillet on medium high heat

2. While browning the meat, add one packet of onion soup mix and 1 tsp of Worcestershire or A1 sauce.

3. Add two bottles of 26 oz traditional tomato sauce to a slow cooker (crockpot), set on low heat. 

4. Mince two cloves (or as much as desired) of fresh garlic

5. Once the beef is browned, drain the meat, then add it to the crockpot with the sauce, stir well

6. Remove the casing on the Italian sausage. 

7. Separate the sausage meat the best you can and put the sausage into the skillet on medium-high heat and brown the sausage while chopping it with the spatula.

8. Add a few bay leaves, the salt, pepper and sugar to the sauce and stir well. 

9. Cut 1/2 of a medium-sized pepper into fine cubes and add it to the crockpot

10. Cut 1/2 of a medium-sized onion and add this to the crockpot also, stir well

11. Add the second packet of onion soup mix to the sauce, stir

12. Add garlic powder and basil to the sauce

13. Let the sauce simmer on low heat for about an hour while stirring occasionally. 

Spaghetti Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 boxes of thin spaghetti

water

Materials:

A big pot

A spoon

A strainer

1. Fill a big pot mostly with water and let it boil

2. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, gradually add the spaghetti noodles

3. Stir occasionally to make sure that the noodles do not stick to the bottom or the sides of the pot

4. Remove the pot from the heat once the noodles are soft and drain the water

5. Top with warm sauce

Analysis:

Most of the meal is processed. Regarding the meats, the ground beef is a whole food, but I'm with the sausage, since seasonings were added to it inside the casing, I believe that would be processed. The tomato sauce that we used is processed, but we used fresh vegetables in the sauce. The spaghetti noodles would be processed, since they are made from other things. 

I'm not sure how to evaluate the meal seeing as there are some aspects that would be difficult to factor into the things we do have labels for. I believe that there would be a high sodium, fat and sugar count though seeing as pasta sauces are naturally salty, there is a lot of meat and there was extra sugar added. If this meal was eaten everyday I believe someone would have high blood pressure and an increased risk of diabetes because of the salt, sugar and fat.

A lot of the ingredients in the meal are processed, so this could affect the air quality of the environment. When foods are processed, since they need additional time to process, factories use up more energy. The energy used is most likely generated through methods that involve fossil fuels. When this fossil fuels are used they release toxins and pollutants into the air.

Fast food uses a lot of undesirable ingredients and things that are not supposed to be digested by the human body in their products, whereas this has nothing of the sort. A home-cooked meal is easier to monitor and to adjust to someone's diet, but this is more difficult in the fast food business. There may be a low-calorie choice in a fast food restaurant, but that does not mean that there is less fat, sodium, or sugar,. With this meal, it would be easy to adjust to make it so that there would be less fat, sodium and sugar; simply by buying lean meat, adding less salt and using ingredients that have less salt and not adding sugar (the sauce tastes delicious without it, too!).

Green Peppers are in season in warmer months. If I grew these myself, then I would only be able to use them during that time. However, the fact that they can be bought year-round means that they would either be grown in a different country and shipped or they would be kept in a type of greenhouse and forced to grow all year round. When the peppers are shipped from other countries, a lot of gas; fossil fuels are required in order to get it to the supermarket. If the peppers are forced to grow all year round, they may not have a flavor as good as the flavor they would have during warmer months; when they are supposed to be grown. On the spaghetti noodle box, there are ingredients that are unknown to me; if they are common things, they have crazy names or they are just things used in a factory. Spaghetti noodles could be made at home with simple ingredients. Since the spaghetti noodles are processed in a factory, energy is used and so are ingredients that are not found in a common kitchen. The energy would contribute to the problem with fossil fuels. The fact that there are ingredients included that are uncommon in a normal, means that these ingredients could be things that do more than just the basic functions of normal ingredients or are not meant to be in a normal household. If I made the spaghetti noodles myself, I would recognize all the ingredients that I would have to use by name and would not have to question the other functions of these ingredients. 

Personal Reflection:

I believe my role in the larger food system is to simply be a consumer. There’s a reason as to why things are labeled and boxed the way they are; t attract the eye of others. If I do not prepare and package these products than I am the eye they are catching.

The biggest problems I see with the food system are that there are many things we are not told about it. Many people do not know where their food comes from or how it is processed. If more people knew the story behind their food; where it comes from, what is in it and how it is made, I think more people would be aware of what they are eating and would eat less of it or invest in better choices. However, people are not aware of what they are eating, they do not know what they are taking into their bodies and therefore we, as a people, are unhealthy. If the ingredients of food were written in layman's terms, I believe a considerable amount of people would take the time to look at the food labels. 

I could not snack as much or find healthier snacks. The impact of these choices would be that I would eat a lot less sugar, msg, sodium and food dyes. I am willing to make this change and have already partially done so; instead of eating gummy worms or a bag of chips, I will usually buy granola or a trail mix. 


Screen Shot 2013-01-11 at 11.27.05 AM
Screen Shot 2013-01-11 at 11.27.05 AM

Q2 Food Benchmark

Shepherd's Pie


Prep: 10 minutes   Cook: 50 minutes  Total Time: 1 hour 


Makes: 8 servings


Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 1-2 cups vegetables - (corn, peas, chopped carrots)
  • 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. potatoes (3 big potatoes)
  • 8 tablespoons butter 
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 jar of Heinz Beef Au Jus Gravy
  • 1 can of Campbell’s French Onion Soup 
  • Ground pepper


Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400º F. Spray an 8x8 inch or 11x7 inch baking dish with cooking spray. 
  2. Peel and cut the potatoes. Boil in water until tender (about 20 minutes).
  3. While potatoes are being cooked, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan. 
  4. Sauté onions and carrots in butter over medium heat. Add the corn and peas to the pan and let the vegetables cook until the onions begin to brown.
  5. In another pan, cook the ground turkey. Stir to brown. Cook until meat is cooked through. Add salt, pepper, gravy and soup. Mix. Add this mixture to the vegetables.
  6. Mash the potatoes in a bowl, and use the remaining butter. Add extra seasoning if necessary.
  7. Place the ground turkey and vegetables in the baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes on top. 
  8. Cook until the potatoes begin to brown (about 30 minutes). Allow time for cooling before served. 

Note:

Instead of using mashed potatoes, you can use sweet potatoes. You could also use ground beef instead of ground turkey. 


Analysis:

The ground turkey is semi-processed. It's gluten free, all natural, and is 65% less fat than ground beef. The vegetables aren't really processed, because they're organic.This meal is about 390 calories per serving. The only ingredient that could cause possible health issues is the butter. Too much butter can lead to different health issues like high coronary artery disease, stroke, and other issues do to the blockage of arteries. However, with this recipe there is no need for excess butter, so these issues aren't anything to worry about. The ingredients for this recipe are all from the United States. Jennie-O's farm locations are in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the potatoes are from Idaho. So, the potatoes traveled the farthest. Corn and peas can be grown anywhere in the country, as long as the growing conditions are fine. Carrots are primarily grown in California. The food that traveled the farthest, were the carrots. The meal cost under $10 for the full recipe. At fast food restaurants you can get a bit more for about $10 than this. But, this meal has some vegetables and it also has meat for protein. So, it's healthier even though it might be a little less than what you can get in the drive-thru. The farmers and the turkey corporation (Jennie-O) made money off of my meal. 

 

Reflection:

    It's kind of hard to point out what my actual role is in the larger food system, because I think we have so many. There are many different ways that people can and have contributed to the food system. We're consumers for the most part, but some people are producers, farmers, or business leaders in the food system today.

      Our biggest problems with our food system is the lack of knowledge about things that are grown or produced in our country or around the world to be consumed, and the rapidly increasing obesity rate in our country. There are so many people who don't have access to "healthy" food due to their financial status and their location. There are also so many people that just eat terribly, and are causing their health to deteriorate. The obesity rate years ago wasn't as bad as it is now. Obesity affects adults as well as many children. These obesity rates can come from the amount of food eaten, lack of exercise and lack of important nutrients in a person's diet. If more and more people gain knowledge about how to improve their health and to eat right, we could see the obesity rate lower.  

      For the most part, I eat pretty healthy on a daily basis. My mom makes healthy, home cooked dinner each night. And, I don't like sugary drinks (I dilute all of my juice), and I try to steer clear of soda. So, I guess the change I want to make isn't much of a change but more of a continuation of the lifestyle I lead now. If I continue to eat right, and exercise and stay healthy then I think I'll be fine.


Food Rules Slide:
I wanted my slide to be pretty simple, because the rule is simple! My family eats dinner together every night, and since it's so important to us I think that more people should try to do so more often.
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Screen Shot 2013-01-10 at 10.14.37 PM

Jenny's Jewish Apple Cake

Jewish Apple Cake Recipe:

6 apples, Granny Smith preferred
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar
2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9” Bundt pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.



Analysis


Screen Shot 2013-01-24 at 8.38.46 PM
Screen Shot 2013-01-24 at 8.38.46 PM
The approximate calories for the whole cake is 4,973 calories. There is quite a lot of oil in this recipe, 1 cup, and that comes up to almost 2,000 calories just itself! sugar and oil are the most ‘unhealthy’ things in the recipe. If you ate nothing but this, you would be eating entirely too much sugar and oil which should be the smallest parts of one’s diet. This is a not the worst desert, it uses 6 apples after all. The best way to optimize it in the future is to cut down on the oil and the sugar.
Screen Shot 2013-01-24 at 8.39.27 PM
Screen Shot 2013-01-24 at 8.39.27 PM

The apples definitely came from Washington. They are from a company called Rainier Fruit Company. I read on their website that they apples are harvested in September and October. On the site, it says they are stored in oxygen controlled rooms for up to 12 months. They say this allows the US to not rely on the imported apples and only ones grown locally. They state they do not use GMOs, but I can’t find information about the fertilizers or pesticides only that the fruit is certified pesticide-residue free.


The flour costs 2.98 for a 5lb bag so this recipe used 50 cents worth. 

The sugar cost 6.48 for a 10lb bag so this recipe used 87 cents worth.

The vegetable oil costs 3.48 for 48oz so this recipe used 58 cents worth.

This recipe uses about 66 cents worth of eggs. 

This recipe is actually pretty cheap if you buy the ingredients on sale. Apples can vary in price if they are in season. Farmers and companies that produce eggs and apples made lots of money off these because they are mass produced. For the apples, the Rainier Fruit Company is an independent corporation but they are one of the biggest fruit growers in the US.

The main ingredient in Jewish Apple Cake is the apples. As mentioned, they are from Washington, specifically the Selah town. That is about 2,750 miles from Philadelphia. There isn’t a way to know when they were actually grown do to the storage process. The website for the company as well as the bag mention the wax that is put onto the apples. Firstly, I believe this to be purely aesthetic to achieve that shiny apple look, but they say the waxes come from natural sources, they stop mold and apples normally produce their own wax--plus you can wash it off. Now I bought them at the supermarket, but buying them locally cuts down on the need for these ‘waxes’. Growing them yourself would be of course the idea and most cost efficient.

​Personal Reflection

My role on the larger food system is my consuming of products. My vote is the money I spend in the supermarket or at a fast food restaurant. Spending the money I earn on the food that is un-whole or that uses animals treated inhumanely is my vote for the continuation of that type of food. Because of that the absolute biggest problem in the food system is the shroud of mystery about the production of the food. If there was more awareness I believe there would have to be more policies in place to regulate it and make it safer. As a nation we are obsessed with convenience and cheapness. Changes I could personally make are buying food that is responsibly produced. The people who can afford it need to be the ones who make the changes by influencing the companies to change. Just like in Food Inc. they gave the example of Walmart altering the way they milk is produced because of consumer trends. I am willing to make these changes, though they it might be difficult to see at first. I think most people are like me when they don’t know about the basics when it comes to food. Learning just some of the terminology can change the way a person looks at the food they buy.
photo (47)
photo (47)
​Food Rule
foodrule
foodrule

Jamaican Curry Chicken and White Rice

Food Rule Slide
Food Rule Slide
RECIPE

Prep Time: Approximately 15 minutes

Cook Time: Approximately 45 minutes

Servings: 4


Ingredients:

  • 4 cups of rice
  • ¾ cup of water
  • 4 tbsp of vegetable oil
  • ¼ stick of butter
  • ½ of whole chicken
  • 2 tbsp of curry powder
  • ¼ tbsp of black pepper
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 stalks of scallion
  • 3-4 pieces of thyme
  • 3 pieces of garlic
  • 1 tsp of chicken seasoning
  • ½ tbsp of pimento seeds
  • 2 Irish potatoes
  • Salt for taste


Instructions for CHICKEN:

1. Wash chicken (remove skin if preferred) and cut into small pieces.

2. Sprinkle black pepper and chicken seasoning onto chicken and mix well.

3. Pour vegetable oil in pot (keep stove on medium heat) and let it heat up.

4. Crush garlic and fry in oil for 5 minutes.

5. Remove the garlic and place in trash.

6. Pour curry powder into oil and stir gently for 1 minute. 

7. Gently place chicken into oil and stir with a long fork for 5-7 minutes.

8. Dice onion and scallion.

9. Pour ¾ cup of water all over the chicken.

10. Add diced onion, scallion, pimento seeds and thyme and then stir.

11. Cover pot and let it cook for approximately 30 minutes.

12. Wash, peel and slice potatoes into cubes.

13. Add Irish potato to pot 25 minutes in and stir (Only cook for 5 minutes).

Instructions for RICE:

1. Wash rice twice to remove starch.

2. Put rice into pot and add just enough water to cover the rice.

3. Add a pinch of salt, butter and stir.

4. Place stove on medium heat until water boils.

5. After water boils, turn the stove on low heat.

6. Let it steam until rice is soft (Approximately 20 minutes).

RECIPE ANALYSIS

Curry is an intricate part of the Jamaica culture, history, and cuisine. Indian indentured servants who were brought to the then English Colony to work on sugar cane plantations after the abolition of slavery brought the spice to Jamaica in the 17th century. Curry is now one of the most popular spices in Jamaica and is used on various types of meat. As long as it is meat, it can be curried (E.g. curry goat, shrimp, chicken, crab, and even pork).

Surprisingly, I estimate that approximately 80% of my meal was processed. The processed ingredients included the rice, chicken, curry powder, black pepper, and butter. On the other hand, the whole foods included the onions, thyme, garlic, potatoes and scallion since my mom buys most of our fruit and vegetable at the farmer’s market at Reading Terminal. However, if this meal was prepared in Jamaica, over 95% would be whole foods. This is because the chicken would have been raised on a farm, the curry seasoning would have been homemade and all the vegetables would have been from a garden.

After completing some calculations, I estimate that each full serving of curry chicken and rice has approximately 640 calories (48% fat) and 18 g of protein. As you can see this meal is high in fat and also in protein. If this nothing but this meal is eaten everyday, obesity, diabetes and possibly high blood pressure could occur. However, if eaten in moderation, this meal can provide you with healthy benefits since it is also low in cholesterol and high in protein.

The ingredients for this meal originated in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Texas, Wisconsin, New York and Florida. The food that raveled the farthest was the curry powder that was manufactured in Doral, Florida, 1,297 miles away. The potatoes traveled all the way from Rosholt, Wisconsin, 1070 miles away. The potatoes were organically grown with a limited amount of pesticides. As stated previously, the vegetables (onions, scallion, garlic, thyme) were local produce that was bought at a farmer’s market. I estimated that my meal traveled more than 7,000 miles, which is bad for the environment because of all the pollution.

The cost of this meal was approximately $15. The most expensive ingredient of the meal was the chicken at $5. The corporations that made money of this meal were the Wakefield Food Group and Purdue. In addition, local farmers made money off this meal. Cooking this meal at home is more cost friendly and healthier because a full fast food meal for four people would cost more than $15 and would be unhealthier.

I am used to getting a home cooked meal everyday and I do not eat fast food that often. I believe this enables me to make healthy food choices, even though most food items nowadays are unhealthy in some way. The cost of this meal would have been reduced to about $7 since everything would be grown at home.


SELF-REFLECTION

This unit has further informed me of the flaws in our food system and the factors that contribute to it. I also learned of the prevalence of obesity and heart disease in America society. It is interesting to see the connection between the way Americans eat and the diseases are now affecting a large part of the population. The most interesting thing I learned about was food deserts and how popular they are in America. Food deserts help to contribute to high levels of obesity in low-income areas where residents do not have access to healthy foods. Based on the research we did in class about food deserts in our own communities, I found out that I actually live in a food desert. I also understand this because people in my community usually shop at corner stores and Chinese stores. This is why people of a lower socioeconomic status have higher rates of obesity.


From watching Food Inc, I have learned much about the food system and the role that I play. As the consumers, we are the drivers of the food system. Food companies makes the products that we want to buy and if we decide to not support a certain food product or company, we can bring change to the food system. A prime example of this was the pink slim industry. After a public outcry in 2012, people stopped buying pink slime, which is ammonia treated meat scraps that are grinded together. Soon after, pink slime was banned from major food stores such as Kroger’s and Food Lion, among others. This drove these companies out of business and brought change to the industry. My mom usually cooked ground beef/pink slime, but after I heard the news reports, I told her that she should not buy it again. If we can to change the food system, we have to start with ourselves and them get our families and friends to join in.

The biggest problem with our food stem is the lack of federal regulation. Food companies have essentially bought out the government and is often lobbying to get laws passed in their favor. This makes companies feel that they are all powerful, which leads them to abuse their workers and animals. I am willing to change the way I eat but I have to think about the budget of my family. Eating healthily means more money. I am going to stop eating at much fast food, especially at McDonalds. I believe that this is something that I can achieve by eating more often at home.

20130125_140854
20130125_140854

New slide By Ilker Erkut

I had to change my slide totally because you cannot customize a wordle.  I researched for like 2 hours and never found a way to customize it my way.  This one is simple and gets the point across.  I am in the middle.  Right under me is my name in bright orange letters to match my background.  The soccer ball and computer represent things I like to do.  That is why they are right next to me.  This is my new slide.
new slide 3