Yields 30 triangles

Preparation/cook time: 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 1/2 pound spinach

- 1 bunch scallions

-1/8 cup chopped parsley

- pinch of salt and ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup feta cheese

- 1/4 cup Ricotta cheese

- 1 egg, beaten

-1/2 cup butter

- 1/2 pound filo dough

Directions:

Heat half of oil and half of the spinach in a saute pan and saute until the spinach becomes soft. Do this for about 2 minutes. When done, take the spinach, drain it, and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop it (does not need to be fine). Repeat this again with the remaining oil and spinach, then add scallions and saute till soft (which should take 2-4 minutes). Add parsley, salt, and pepper, cook this for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and put everything you've made so far into a bowl and refrigerate till room temperature. 

Preheat the oven to 350. Put some butter or olive oil on a baking sheet. Beat eggs and stir feta together in a small bowl, then add to the cooled spinach mixture, and mix it all together. 

Unroll the filo dough, but make sure the dough doesn’t dry. At this point you can decide whether to make a pie or triangles, cut the dough in the shape you want. Dabble some melted butter over the filo dough, make sure it’s as even as possible though. If you’re making triangles, cut the filo dough into squares, and put a table spoon of the spinach in the middle of each square, then fold the dough to make a triangle. 

Place all the triangles on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the dough on top is golden. 

Analysis:

All of the food that I got was from Whole Foods or a specialty store. My parents an I, for the most part, only shop at Whole Foods or specialty stores, because we feel like food from there is just over all better for you and more trustworthy. Making my own guess, a serving size is five of those triangles. In each serving there’s about 230 calories and 14.3 total grams of fat. Because of the spinach, there’s 15% Vitamin A. I’d consider this to be a pretty healthy food, since there’s a lot of spinach and scallions. But to others, I can see how this could be fattening, since there’s so much cheese and butter. 

The filo dough is definitely made in the US, since the lady that works at the Greek store makes all the baked goods. I’m pretty sure the ingredients in the filo dough are probably also from the Greek market, which would mean it’s either from Italy or Greece. Everything else came from Cali or New Jersey. 

The supplies for this meal costed about $25. The most expensive ingredient was the filo dough, since it takes a lot of time to make and prepare. It’s  basically bread that’s extremely thinly sliced and then frozen, so it doesn’t break. 

Reflection:

Throughout this food unit, our class has learned about the food that we eat, health statistics, and how the human body processes certain foods. Before this unit started, I had some knowledge on the food that I ate and an overall general understanding of what we talked about. For my personal role in the food system, I'm a pretty big believer in organic and fresh foods. For the most part, I eat very healthy, except when I eat candy. My parents and I both shop at either Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, mainly because we know that the food they have don't have excessive amounts of preservatives and every fresh food is restocked every day. Although, I realize that organic food isn't always better, it always makes me feel better knowing it's fresh. To go along with organic, the animals they use for meat are not given steroids or chemicals and are not tortured before being killed.

I see fast food as being out biggest problem in the food system. I say this for multiple reasons. Fast food isn't just McDonalds or Burger King, it can also be frozen foods you find at the grocery store, such as Smart One's or LeanCuisine. Fast food is not only made with a lot of chemicals, but people are very uneducated about the amount of calories they take it. Also, not to mention that because fast foods are usually the cheapest, people tend to forget the importance of cooking their own food and then later on have no idea how to cook, and since so many people are lazy, they will continue to buy fast foods.

I personally like the food that I eat now and wouldn't change it. Sometimes I miss eating red meat, but since I've been eating only white meat for so long, it doesn't seem like that big of a thing. I get a fair share of vegetables, fruits, and protein. Although I believe I should eat less candy, it's probably not the best for my teeth. I'm definitely willing to make that change, and I think that I could be on an even healthier regiment if I did so. But life is short, why not eat candy?

The Scarlet Letter/Juno Creative Project

Isabella Tognini

Self-reflection

Due: 12/10/2012

For my creative piece I actually decided to focus on a couple of topics that weren’t quite discussed in class, which was “independence” and “an individuals pursuit of happiness.” When reading The Scarlet Letter, I couldn’t help but admire Hester’s ability to take her situation head on, and continue to carry herself and her child through some very rough times. From the beginning of the book she is definitely seen as an independent women. In spite of the way the townspeople see her, she soon finds liberation in the letter, which allows her to transform the meaning of the letter. In the movie, Juno, she starts off being an extremely independent person. She, as well, takes the situation head on, and decides to stay pregnant and for the most part, does not let others opinions effect her daily life. But though these two ladies were independent, they also found comfort and longing for the one they loved. I created a song about society’s cruelty and having the strength to endure their perception of right and wrong. When writing this song, I focused more on Juno, and how she had to carry the evidence with her, but also the support that she, in the end, wanted from Paulie. The song starts off saying “they were kind, for a time,” where I connected with how society treats individuals -- they can be kind, until you do something that they don’t see as the norm. With my lyrics I wanted to show that the character (or whoever might sing this song) was affected by society’s opinion, but at the same time knowing that they don’t actually understand the whole situation. Though times are hard and people are cruel, you can still be strong and be able to carry a burden without running away. But although it’s nice to be independent, having someone by your side to help support you can be a great thing.  

            I started my piece by picking a song that I really liked and know all the lyrics to. I originally wanted to write my own song, but then realized that I don’t play any instruments and that it would be extremely hard to come up with a tune/melody without knowing chords. So I decided to use a Mumford & Sons song and change up all of the lyrics. I wrote down some key concepts, which I thought might help with writing the song. While doing this I thought about that scene when Juno walked through the hall at her school and all of the kids just stared at her stomach and in The Scarlet Letter when Hester had to stand up on the scaffold. And while those people judged her, they still stood strong, Juno didn’t run to the bathroom and cry, and Hester didn’t just leave the town.

Unfortunately, the problem with using an existing song, is that I did have to pay attention to how many words/syllables I had in each line, or it would be sounded like I was trying to rush the song. Also, since it’s such a new song, I could not find the instrumental, and had to stick with using just my own voice (and a crappy microphone). I am also not great at writing songs, but I tried the best I could with being as poetic as possible. And I think that for never having wrote a song before, I did do a pretty good job, especially when I needed to execute a theme. I think I made it clear that in the beginning of the song, there was an obvious issue with society and was able to show a solution near the end when they are able to be strong together and they don’t have to run away, even if they don’t live my society’s expectations. 

If I had to do this project all over again, I think I could have tried to pick another song, one that I could find an instrumental for, which I believe would have made the song sound a lot better. Another thing which would have been really cool to do, is to actually have learned to play the song on guitar. Though I do think it was smart for me to take an already existing melody, or I would have created something that would have absolutely been horrid (haha). 

We all know soap operas to be incredibly cheesy and funny to watch. But what most people don't know is that Argentina made soap operas popular, one could say they created the genre. America tends to focus on family problems or business problems, mainly because American soap operas are censored, so curse words are not allowed and sex scenes are prohibited. 

Soap operas in Spanish-speaking countries  refer to SO's as Telenovelas. One main difference between Telenovelas and SO's is that they come to an end and new stories are created, almost like a series (as apposed to chapters). Also, there are not as many constraints, so scenes can be more explicit and/or dramatic. Plots tend to go along the lines of teen drama and twisted romance (such as Chiquititas or Belíssima. Though places like Brazil, who create more realistic and historical dramas, Chile and Colombia focus on comedy, everything usually depends on the countys' culture. 

In America, SO's have become less and less popular, but with that, Telenovela has become increasingly popular, especially in Mexico. Most shows revolve around romance and the conflicts between two sides, so there's always a villain. One of the most popular is Los Ricos Tambien Lloran, which actually become popular is other counties, like Russia. Mexican SO's have made a comeback since the 70's, mainly because they can also reflect reality, but in a more entertaining way. 

IM and text talk has become increasingly more popular in this generation. For the most part, people are very lazy, and decide not to type out full words or sentences. Personally, I type out full words and sentences when I talk to people online, but abbreviate everything when I text people. My research questions were, "Is there a difference between IM talk and text talk? What are the popular abbreviations?" I talked to a 20 girl, Fatima, from Spain to get her outlook. 

Isabella T: Is there a difference between instant messaging and text messaging?

Fatima L: not really. it is all kind of the same.

Isabella T: What are the most popular abbreviations?

Fatima L: a10 and a2 are usually used to say "adios" and aki is used to say "aquí"

Fatima L: numbers are usually used in abbreviations. it is also popular to say b7s which is "kisses". which is said instead of adiós/goodbye.

Isabella T: Haha, that's interesting. In english, people usually shorten words, but it seems like in spanish words are abbreviated by the way the words actually sound. Such as "aki" or "bn"

Fatima L: yeah, that is true. other ones are like "exo" (hecho) or "fsta" (fiesta).

Isabella T: Are there any weird abbreviations?

Fatima L: yeah i guess so. por favor is usually "xfa" and hasta luego is "hl".

Most people don't know that texting and instant messaging started or became popular in Europe before anywhere else. I did find it interesting that they use numbers as apposed to just using letters. 

            On the first day of the project, we all assigned ourselves specific components of our project. The component I was responsible for was making a video, which would be the main element of the campaign. I'm pretty knowledgeable when it comes to iMovie, so I figured it would be the best thing for me to do. The first thing I did was let Siani and Loren finish finding statistics and putting together a brochure, which we planned to give out to people. The other component I helped with was the name of the campaign, which was "Homeless Faces of Philadelphia". Both Sammy and I tried to combine our ideas and keep in contact with the rest of the group, and update them on new ideas. My group and I got along pretty nicely, so there really were no disagreements or complications.

            My original idea for the video was to take my own photographs of the homeless in Philadelphia. I came to school equipped and ready with my camera to photograph throughout the city, I even came with a bag of change as a small token for the people who let me take a photograph of them. But as I set off on my journey, camera in hand, money in pocket, I was overwhelmed by the sadness of their desperation and felt that photographing them for my agenda felt inappropriate. Also, that my small token of a couple of dollars for this project was meaningless, so instead I chose to use available images to tell a story. But the deep impression that was made on that day will stay with me for a long time. 

Since I was not able to go through with my original plan, I decided to compile as many pictures as I could from the Internet, all of which were taken in Philadelphia (so it wasn’t completely random). When I got to around twenty-five, I thought it was best to make the campaign video around fifty seconds long, so it wouldn't be too overwhelming for people, since homelessness is a very serious subject to begin with. After that, I tried to find music that would be appropriate for the assignment. The first thought that came to mind, was The Pursuit of Happiness, which I think depicts the subject really well. The song that I found was actually called "Homeless" which was when Will Smith's character found out that he has not where to go with him and his son and it really renders the feeling of desperation. Once I had the pictures and music, I needed quotes or lines that could help me get our message across. Sammy and I worked together to put a few lines together, which I think represented our message very well.

Overall, the project went smoothly. My group collaborated pretty well, each of us knew what we had to do and we accomplished our goals, even if some of us didn't do what we were originally going to do. I believe our final project turned out to be really meaningful and effective (I know this because it made my Mom cry). 

• Hicimos un PSA sobre basura en Filadelfia. 
• Es un asusnto importante a nosotros porque causa contaminacion y es inconveniente por todos.
• Esperamos que el público de Filadelfia se entienden los peligros. 

Nunca me deja

Me encanta este lugar

Amo a mis padres

me da la empresa

Te diré todo lo que

mi vida está aquí

mi familia está aquí

Yo no creo que pueda salir

las cosas que escucho

las cosas que digo

todo viene de mi corazón

Yo crecí en Filadelfia

mi vida está aquí

mi familia está aquí

Yo no creo que pueda salir

mi vida está aquí

mi familia está aquí

Yo no creo que pueda salir

Isabella Tognini 

Final Draft – 1/14/11

Neutral Words

            “Abowt two years aygo, Ah had a business meetin’ with Pat Gilick and Dave Montgomery. In that meetin’ Dave Montgomery he told me, “Charlie, you gotta lot uh seconds.” I don’t have no damn seconds no mo.”

 I really cannot understand what he is saying. It would be nice if he talked a lot clearer, he sounds like a West Virginia hick.  I had to listen to Charlie Manuel five times before I understood exactly what he was saying.  That man with that country accent was the manager of the world champion Philadelphia Phillies two years ago.  He may sound like a country bumpkin to our Philadelphia ears but that does not mean he is not smart. His players love him and respect him and so do all of us. People from West Virginia probably think we speak funny.  I used Charlie Manuel as an example of language because we all know him and can remember when he first came here and people thought that maybe he wasn’t such a great manager in part because of the way he sounded, which to bluntly put it, and to our northern ears sounds dumb.

“You’re not from here, are you?” Said the waiter when I asked for a glass of water.

“No, I am. I’m from Philly.”

“Oh, you don’t have an accent. Where are you from?”

My answers were always the same, “I’ve always lived in Philadelphia.”

My history has produced a pretty neutral accent, though sometimes I find myself falling into an accent, especially with my friends, if I spend long amounts of time with them, I can hear myself pronouncing words a bit different then usual.  A couple years ago I went to a camp in Ireland and after just a few days I found myself adopting an Irish brogue.

Both of my grandmothers are still alive.  My mother’s mother is from Greece, while my father’s mother is from England.  They have both been here for more than 50 years, but they still have accents from their home countries.  I’ve seen my Greek grandmother struggle in a store to make herself understood, and the clerk working in the store soon loses patience.  On the other hand my English grandmother has no language barrier and people seem charmed by the accent. 

In the story How to Tame a Wild Tongue by Gloria Anzaldúa she said, “Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity – I am my language,” which refers to her belief that language defines your culture and identity.  She did not want to reject her Mexican culture in order to be part of ours.  She is hurt by the way she is treated here because of the way she speaks.  My European grandmothers did not leave their cultures behind, even after all these years, though they love our country, with all of its diverse people.  After all wasn’t this country built on immigration?  I don’t understand all the anti-immigration talk these days.  My mother was born and raised in Philadelphia, and my father grew up in Canada and later outside Cleveland, Ohio.  Neither seem to have any accent at all.  Maybe that’s why I don’t really feel like I have an accent, and have been lucky to blend in with language and culture and have not had a problem with it.

Language is directly related to power.  Even if you were raised in a penthouse on Rittenhouse Square, you may not get ahead in relationships with others if you cannot speak well and convincingly.  If you speak well and with confidence it can help you negotiate with people and helps you express your ideas.  Language, or good use of it can help in an interview for a college or a job.  My grandmother came to this country as an adult, and had difficulty learning the language.  It is hard for a person to get ahead in America if they cannot speak “good English,” even if they had a good job in their country of origin.  How can they teach or be a doctor if no one understands them?  There is a small Albanian population in my neighborhood and I see the men walking together and smoking cigarettes, but they only seem to say hello in English.  They sit together everyday at the Dunkin Donuts.  They have each other.  I guess the next generation will have English as a first language and have an easier time blending in.  I guess what anyone wants from their language is to be accepted.