The World's Worst French Citizen
Growing up, I was accustomed to many foreign foods being placed on the dinner table that were new to me. My dad’s side of the family brought to the table a mixture of Danish and Persian cuisine with a French twist (he grew up in Paris with a Danish mom and a Persian dad), while my mom’s side prided itself on making many feel-good, American classics like pudding pie and crock pot hot beef. On top of all of that, my family and I spent my childhood as expats attending International Schools in Canada, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, before moving back to Michigan as I was entering the seventh grade. That feeling of complete dread when a strange meal is placed in front of you at a dinner party was not at all a rare occurrence for me. From sleepovers at my Portuguese friend’s house in elementary school, to plugging my nose as I walked by the cheese vendor at the market in France, to begging my mom to embrace the convenient aspect of the American Diet, I have had a myriad of experiences with food that have shaped how and what I eat today.
Every summer, I flew to my grandparents’ home in the south of France to spend six weeks with all eighteen members of my dad’s side of the family. Although I was accustomed to living and eating overseas, I remained a picky eater despite the fact that the majority of European children simply are not given the option to be finicky. Being the “USA-er” that I prided myself on, I was always more than happy to eat Kraft Macaroni and Cheese rather than a complex, homemade, saucy meat dish. It drove my parents and especially my grandmother crazy. To most people, the meals served at my grandparents’ summer house presented an ideal and authentic, French experience. To me, the complicated fare was the part I dreaded most about going to France. My fondest memories of our trips to France always surrounded the daily ice cream cone we were allowed to have as our post-sieste treat. Even in France, Wei-ting Chen's findings in From "Junk Food" to "Treats" holds true: even though there is an emphasis placed on "eating well," the French still view a processed ice cream cone as a treat.
One summer, we were celebrating my grandfather’s birthday with a grandiose dinner party at the house. I was pleasantly surprised by the event’s simple menu until my grandmother brought out a platter of foie gras with bread. While I was aware of the high status of the French delicacy, I could not and would not bring myself to eat the duck liver. I remember watching my French cousins completely indulge in the celebratory dish as I prayed that no one would notice my abstinence from trying the ground meat. Of course, my Uncle stated loud enough for the entire family to hear “Samantha, why aren’t you eating any foie gras?” Once everyone’s attention lingered on me, I eventually had to choke down a small bite of the pasty meat.
I find it interesting that unfamiliar foods were so scary and daunting for me to try as a child since I was exposed to them so often during my family’s time in Europe. Since I didn’t like cheese, cringed at the sight of foie gras, and ordered chicken nuggets and french fries at some of the best seafood restaurants on the Mediterranean Sea, some would argue that I was the world’s worst French citizen. Like most moms just trying to get their kids to eat something without throwing a fit, I think my mom just cooked the simple foods that she knew we liked and that were somewhat local to the country we were currently living in.
As more and more birthdays passed, I eventually grew out of my stubborn eating habits. This happened mostly through cooking with my mom. Since my mom is American and grew up with a very feminist mom who stopped cooking altogether so as not to give into typical gender roles, we learned to cook and experimented with new recipes together. Cooking was our thing and still is to this day. Without knowing it, we seemed to evolve and follow many of the rules set forth in Chelsea Fagan's How To Be Your Own Italian Grandmother. We always keep dinner leftovers for lunch the next day and try to avoid going to the store for last minute ingredients, probably because we grew accustomed to most grocery stores having limited hours while we lived in Europe. Rather, we work with what we have and almost always create something that tastes delicious. My mom always says that it’s better and healthier to eat something homemade than store bought even if it’s a luscious, Butter Chicken feast or “The World’s Best Chocolate Cake”— a family friend’s recipe that requires a whopping six sticks of butter. I have carried my mom’s motto regarding homemade food with me to this day. The fact that we always cooked from scratch and with real ingredients shaped my opinions on eating clean, unprocessed foods as much as possible, even if it means spending more money for better ingredients.
Due to having constantly moved and encountering new cultures, my family was and still is very adventurous with trying dishes from around the world. Viewing food as an adventure allowed my family to adopt the attitude and acceptance that not everything we try will be our new favorite food. My grandfather always encouraged my cousins and me to say, “J’aime moins,” French for “I don’t like it as much,” when a new food we tried did not sit as nicely as we had hoped on our palates. Throughout my childhood, some of my family’s favorite meals to make have included Vietnamese spring rolls, Spaghetti Carbonara, various types of stir fries, Persian Shami, and Tikka Masala, each one added into our recipe book as a new, successful adventure.
Growing up, however, the one food that we never ate was canned tuna. Once, when I was ten-years-old, my parents went out of town for the weekend and had me stay with our American family friend, Deanna. Deanna was making pasta for dinner that night, which I was very excited to hear as I knew it would be a simple meal that I would enjoy. I was wrong. Deanna put canned tuna in the tomato sauce. What might not seem like a big deal to others made me feel so overwhelmed that I cried and had to call my mom. I didn’t know why I was so appalled by the canned tuna, but I quickly realized that my mom had never actually cooked with it when I was growing up. In fact, I later discovered that my great grandmother died of food poisoning from eating a can of bad tuna. The story made national headlines and was even included in a commentary series by Andy Warhol. He called my great grandmother’s story, “The Tunafish Disaster.” To this day, I have not tried canned tuna and most likely never will.
Even though my family will not touch a can of tuna, we embrace almost every other dish. I think we are so open to trying new food because it is a representation of that food’s culture, tradition, and hospitality. We were constantly invited to dinner parties where we tried new dishes and we learned that sometimes you will love a food and other times you will have to force it down with a smile and a “thank you.” Overall, if someone takes the time to make a dish or meal from scratch with real ingredients, I was raised to never refuse trying it.
Currently, my mom and I eat very similarly. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease five years ago and have followed a strict gluten free diet ever since. Since my family was already passionate about eating homemade, unprocessed foods, it was not difficult for me to cut out gluten. During my first year of college, my mom became very passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and watching the foods she put in her body. Her fitness journey and lifestyle changes highly influenced me to make small changes in my diet, as well. I started thinking twice about eating the extra bowl of ice cream at the cafeteria and really took time to read the nutrition information on the back of grocery items. After reading Pandora’s Lunchbox, I try to eat whole foods in their natural state instead of processed foods, while still maintaining some “fun” foods like homemade (of course) chocolate chip cookies in my diet every so often.
This class has supported my existing beliefs and opinions on food while presenting the many complications that accompany our current food system in the United States. Although I had already been exposed to some arguments supporting Veganism, Weekday Vegetarianism, and diets consisting of minimal processed foods, our readings and class discussions allowed me to put myself in other American's shoes. While I used to wonder why those of a lower socioeconomic background simply did not put their health and nutrition first and I found myself judging the foods they were buying. When reading It's Time to Stop Shaming Poor People For What They Buy With Food Stamps, I was struck by the minuscule difference in the soda to milk ratio of non-SNAP households to SNAP participants. The issue of eating nutritiously in America is much more complicated than the consumer and will need to come from government policies, changes in subsidies, and advertising regulation.
Before, I thought that buying local, presumably happy chickens, meant that I was doing my part in supporting animal rights. I quickly learned, however, especially through reading Eating Animals, that the entire meat industry is much more complex than that. Something that I joked about with my very pro-meat-eating brother before his move to Los Angeles was that he’d return a vegetarian. All jokes aside, Alex ended up only spooning mashed potatoes and corn onto his plate at this year’s Thanksgiving dinner (we’re still working on convincing him to eat more greens, though).
Overall, throughout the course of this class and the analysis of my ever-changing eating habits, I have noticed that my privilege is one of the main factors that determines the food I eat. From turning my nose up at fancy foie gras to enjoying endless cooking and eating adventures with my mom, one of the biggest reasons I eat the food that I do is because my family and I had the privilege of choice. Never before did I realize that the person whose hands picked the apples and strawberries displayed at the grocery store hardly had enough money to buy anything remotely nutritious as seen in the film, The Harvest. While I will continue my push towards a more whole foods and plant-based diet, I hope that the necessary cultural and political changes will take place to ensure a fair future for humans in general and the food we eat.
Every summer, I flew to my grandparents’ home in the south of France to spend six weeks with all eighteen members of my dad’s side of the family. Although I was accustomed to living and eating overseas, I remained a picky eater despite the fact that the majority of European children simply are not given the option to be finicky. Being the “USA-er” that I prided myself on, I was always more than happy to eat Kraft Macaroni and Cheese rather than a complex, homemade, saucy meat dish. It drove my parents and especially my grandmother crazy. To most people, the meals served at my grandparents’ summer house presented an ideal and authentic, French experience. To me, the complicated fare was the part I dreaded most about going to France. My fondest memories of our trips to France always surrounded the daily ice cream cone we were allowed to have as our post-sieste treat. Even in France, Wei-ting Chen's findings in From "Junk Food" to "Treats" holds true: even though there is an emphasis placed on "eating well," the French still view a processed ice cream cone as a treat.
One summer, we were celebrating my grandfather’s birthday with a grandiose dinner party at the house. I was pleasantly surprised by the event’s simple menu until my grandmother brought out a platter of foie gras with bread. While I was aware of the high status of the French delicacy, I could not and would not bring myself to eat the duck liver. I remember watching my French cousins completely indulge in the celebratory dish as I prayed that no one would notice my abstinence from trying the ground meat. Of course, my Uncle stated loud enough for the entire family to hear “Samantha, why aren’t you eating any foie gras?” Once everyone’s attention lingered on me, I eventually had to choke down a small bite of the pasty meat.
I find it interesting that unfamiliar foods were so scary and daunting for me to try as a child since I was exposed to them so often during my family’s time in Europe. Since I didn’t like cheese, cringed at the sight of foie gras, and ordered chicken nuggets and french fries at some of the best seafood restaurants on the Mediterranean Sea, some would argue that I was the world’s worst French citizen. Like most moms just trying to get their kids to eat something without throwing a fit, I think my mom just cooked the simple foods that she knew we liked and that were somewhat local to the country we were currently living in.
As more and more birthdays passed, I eventually grew out of my stubborn eating habits. This happened mostly through cooking with my mom. Since my mom is American and grew up with a very feminist mom who stopped cooking altogether so as not to give into typical gender roles, we learned to cook and experimented with new recipes together. Cooking was our thing and still is to this day. Without knowing it, we seemed to evolve and follow many of the rules set forth in Chelsea Fagan's How To Be Your Own Italian Grandmother. We always keep dinner leftovers for lunch the next day and try to avoid going to the store for last minute ingredients, probably because we grew accustomed to most grocery stores having limited hours while we lived in Europe. Rather, we work with what we have and almost always create something that tastes delicious. My mom always says that it’s better and healthier to eat something homemade than store bought even if it’s a luscious, Butter Chicken feast or “The World’s Best Chocolate Cake”— a family friend’s recipe that requires a whopping six sticks of butter. I have carried my mom’s motto regarding homemade food with me to this day. The fact that we always cooked from scratch and with real ingredients shaped my opinions on eating clean, unprocessed foods as much as possible, even if it means spending more money for better ingredients.
Due to having constantly moved and encountering new cultures, my family was and still is very adventurous with trying dishes from around the world. Viewing food as an adventure allowed my family to adopt the attitude and acceptance that not everything we try will be our new favorite food. My grandfather always encouraged my cousins and me to say, “J’aime moins,” French for “I don’t like it as much,” when a new food we tried did not sit as nicely as we had hoped on our palates. Throughout my childhood, some of my family’s favorite meals to make have included Vietnamese spring rolls, Spaghetti Carbonara, various types of stir fries, Persian Shami, and Tikka Masala, each one added into our recipe book as a new, successful adventure.
Growing up, however, the one food that we never ate was canned tuna. Once, when I was ten-years-old, my parents went out of town for the weekend and had me stay with our American family friend, Deanna. Deanna was making pasta for dinner that night, which I was very excited to hear as I knew it would be a simple meal that I would enjoy. I was wrong. Deanna put canned tuna in the tomato sauce. What might not seem like a big deal to others made me feel so overwhelmed that I cried and had to call my mom. I didn’t know why I was so appalled by the canned tuna, but I quickly realized that my mom had never actually cooked with it when I was growing up. In fact, I later discovered that my great grandmother died of food poisoning from eating a can of bad tuna. The story made national headlines and was even included in a commentary series by Andy Warhol. He called my great grandmother’s story, “The Tunafish Disaster.” To this day, I have not tried canned tuna and most likely never will.
Even though my family will not touch a can of tuna, we embrace almost every other dish. I think we are so open to trying new food because it is a representation of that food’s culture, tradition, and hospitality. We were constantly invited to dinner parties where we tried new dishes and we learned that sometimes you will love a food and other times you will have to force it down with a smile and a “thank you.” Overall, if someone takes the time to make a dish or meal from scratch with real ingredients, I was raised to never refuse trying it.
Currently, my mom and I eat very similarly. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease five years ago and have followed a strict gluten free diet ever since. Since my family was already passionate about eating homemade, unprocessed foods, it was not difficult for me to cut out gluten. During my first year of college, my mom became very passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and watching the foods she put in her body. Her fitness journey and lifestyle changes highly influenced me to make small changes in my diet, as well. I started thinking twice about eating the extra bowl of ice cream at the cafeteria and really took time to read the nutrition information on the back of grocery items. After reading Pandora’s Lunchbox, I try to eat whole foods in their natural state instead of processed foods, while still maintaining some “fun” foods like homemade (of course) chocolate chip cookies in my diet every so often.
This class has supported my existing beliefs and opinions on food while presenting the many complications that accompany our current food system in the United States. Although I had already been exposed to some arguments supporting Veganism, Weekday Vegetarianism, and diets consisting of minimal processed foods, our readings and class discussions allowed me to put myself in other American's shoes. While I used to wonder why those of a lower socioeconomic background simply did not put their health and nutrition first and I found myself judging the foods they were buying. When reading It's Time to Stop Shaming Poor People For What They Buy With Food Stamps, I was struck by the minuscule difference in the soda to milk ratio of non-SNAP households to SNAP participants. The issue of eating nutritiously in America is much more complicated than the consumer and will need to come from government policies, changes in subsidies, and advertising regulation.
Before, I thought that buying local, presumably happy chickens, meant that I was doing my part in supporting animal rights. I quickly learned, however, especially through reading Eating Animals, that the entire meat industry is much more complex than that. Something that I joked about with my very pro-meat-eating brother before his move to Los Angeles was that he’d return a vegetarian. All jokes aside, Alex ended up only spooning mashed potatoes and corn onto his plate at this year’s Thanksgiving dinner (we’re still working on convincing him to eat more greens, though).
Overall, throughout the course of this class and the analysis of my ever-changing eating habits, I have noticed that my privilege is one of the main factors that determines the food I eat. From turning my nose up at fancy foie gras to enjoying endless cooking and eating adventures with my mom, one of the biggest reasons I eat the food that I do is because my family and I had the privilege of choice. Never before did I realize that the person whose hands picked the apples and strawberries displayed at the grocery store hardly had enough money to buy anything remotely nutritious as seen in the film, The Harvest. While I will continue my push towards a more whole foods and plant-based diet, I hope that the necessary cultural and political changes will take place to ensure a fair future for humans in general and the food we eat.
Pandora's Lunchbox
Dear Mom,
It was so good to see you, today! Thanks for stopping by and bringing me some Otto’s Chicken from home. It’s so hard to find “happy chickens,” as we say in East Lansing since most of the chicken at the store is just two dollars for three blown up chicken breasts—obviously, pumped full of additives and growth hormones. I think I’ll make butter chicken or a stir fry some time this week with the chicken you dropped off.
Speaking of industrialized meat, I’m actually writing this email to tell you about a book I read for my Honors ISS class. It’s called Pandora’s Lunchbox and provides insights into the production of everyday processed foods. Since we always talk about minimizing the amount of processed foods we consume and how we can buy more local produce and meat, this book would be a perfect fit for you. Reading Pandora’s Lunchbox allowed me to assess my own eating habits and gave me a behind-the-scenes look into the corrupt processed food industry. During my reading, there were two things that really stood out to me: the sneaky reality of some Greek yogurts and the exorbitant amount of synthetic vitamins in the foods we eat. Throughout my reading, I found that foods, deemed healthy in our family, were actually shown to have some questionable ingredients during production. Melanie Warner, the book’s author, goes into detail about “Greek Style” yogurt and the commonality of added vitamins to nearly every processed food.
The first thing that truly shocked me in Pandora’s Lunchbox is the reality of cheaper Greek yogurts on the market. A product that is advertised as such a healthy superfood and even sits on a very high pedestal in our home is really not that wholesome at all. Food scientists have discovered a way to use modified starches to extend a product’s shelf life, thicken food in a low-cost way, and allow frozen vegetables to look and taste like they haven’t been sitting in a freezer for the past year. Since making true Greek yogurt is a costly and time-consuming process, companies have ditched the heavy machinery and resorted to making “Greek Style” yogurt. This cheaper dupe combines a myriad of starches with milk protein concentrate, creating the thick texture Americans are familiar with at a fraction of the cost. Personally, I find it unfair that large companies are able to trick the public into believing that “Greek Style” yogurt is the same thing as real Greek yogurt. However, when Warner asks a National Starch representative at a food technologies convention about this concern, he replies with, “‘There’s no standard rule of identity for Greek yogurt, so there is no real thing’” (Warner 3013. pg 8). If there isn’t a minimum requirement to constitute as Greek yogurt, are the food companies to be held responsible or the consumers? I’d love to hear what you think of this if you read the book.
The second revelation that made me question what I considered as healthy is the fact that synthetic vitamins are in nearly every processed food we consume. I know we mostly try to stay on the perimeter of the grocery store when we shop; however, these vitamins are even added to the milk products we buy. Originally, synthetic vitamins were needed to replace the naturally-occurring vitamins that were lost during production of certain processed foods (Warner 2013. pg 77). Today, added vitamins have spiraled out of control, allowing those sugar-packed cereals that you hardly let Alex and me eat to claim they are essential for a healthy heart (Warner 2013. pg 87). With that in mind, some researchers say that Americans are getting too many vitamins due to the amount of synthetic vitamins in our processed foods. We know from visiting Dad’s side of the family that Europeans eat a much fresher diet than Americans. The book points out that because of this, they are not consuming too many vitamins and are also living longer with fewer health problems (Warner 2013. pg 88). While I was reading, I was interested to see if the foods I considered minimally processed contained any unnecessary vitamins. I found that the Horizon Organic milk that I bought contains Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D, and DHA Omega-3 (which “supports brain health”). Before reading this book, I would have thought all those claims meant the milk was a better alternative. Now, though, I’d rather get my milk directly from a local farmer where it hasn’t been processed (Just like we used to in France!).
Since you’re so invested in your health and wellbeing, I really think you’d enjoy this book. It could even be interesting to bring it up in your Body Talk group or your book club. Unfortunately, I was left feeing rather hopeless as a consumer because of the limited regulations on processed food. I do think, however, that if I get a job in Advertising at a food company, I will put some responsibility on myself and my team to be more transparent with consumers. Let me know if you think you’d like to read Pandora’s Lunchbox and I can bring it the next time I come home. I hope you have a great week!
Love you,
Samantha
It was so good to see you, today! Thanks for stopping by and bringing me some Otto’s Chicken from home. It’s so hard to find “happy chickens,” as we say in East Lansing since most of the chicken at the store is just two dollars for three blown up chicken breasts—obviously, pumped full of additives and growth hormones. I think I’ll make butter chicken or a stir fry some time this week with the chicken you dropped off.
Speaking of industrialized meat, I’m actually writing this email to tell you about a book I read for my Honors ISS class. It’s called Pandora’s Lunchbox and provides insights into the production of everyday processed foods. Since we always talk about minimizing the amount of processed foods we consume and how we can buy more local produce and meat, this book would be a perfect fit for you. Reading Pandora’s Lunchbox allowed me to assess my own eating habits and gave me a behind-the-scenes look into the corrupt processed food industry. During my reading, there were two things that really stood out to me: the sneaky reality of some Greek yogurts and the exorbitant amount of synthetic vitamins in the foods we eat. Throughout my reading, I found that foods, deemed healthy in our family, were actually shown to have some questionable ingredients during production. Melanie Warner, the book’s author, goes into detail about “Greek Style” yogurt and the commonality of added vitamins to nearly every processed food.
The first thing that truly shocked me in Pandora’s Lunchbox is the reality of cheaper Greek yogurts on the market. A product that is advertised as such a healthy superfood and even sits on a very high pedestal in our home is really not that wholesome at all. Food scientists have discovered a way to use modified starches to extend a product’s shelf life, thicken food in a low-cost way, and allow frozen vegetables to look and taste like they haven’t been sitting in a freezer for the past year. Since making true Greek yogurt is a costly and time-consuming process, companies have ditched the heavy machinery and resorted to making “Greek Style” yogurt. This cheaper dupe combines a myriad of starches with milk protein concentrate, creating the thick texture Americans are familiar with at a fraction of the cost. Personally, I find it unfair that large companies are able to trick the public into believing that “Greek Style” yogurt is the same thing as real Greek yogurt. However, when Warner asks a National Starch representative at a food technologies convention about this concern, he replies with, “‘There’s no standard rule of identity for Greek yogurt, so there is no real thing’” (Warner 3013. pg 8). If there isn’t a minimum requirement to constitute as Greek yogurt, are the food companies to be held responsible or the consumers? I’d love to hear what you think of this if you read the book.
The second revelation that made me question what I considered as healthy is the fact that synthetic vitamins are in nearly every processed food we consume. I know we mostly try to stay on the perimeter of the grocery store when we shop; however, these vitamins are even added to the milk products we buy. Originally, synthetic vitamins were needed to replace the naturally-occurring vitamins that were lost during production of certain processed foods (Warner 2013. pg 77). Today, added vitamins have spiraled out of control, allowing those sugar-packed cereals that you hardly let Alex and me eat to claim they are essential for a healthy heart (Warner 2013. pg 87). With that in mind, some researchers say that Americans are getting too many vitamins due to the amount of synthetic vitamins in our processed foods. We know from visiting Dad’s side of the family that Europeans eat a much fresher diet than Americans. The book points out that because of this, they are not consuming too many vitamins and are also living longer with fewer health problems (Warner 2013. pg 88). While I was reading, I was interested to see if the foods I considered minimally processed contained any unnecessary vitamins. I found that the Horizon Organic milk that I bought contains Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D, and DHA Omega-3 (which “supports brain health”). Before reading this book, I would have thought all those claims meant the milk was a better alternative. Now, though, I’d rather get my milk directly from a local farmer where it hasn’t been processed (Just like we used to in France!).
Since you’re so invested in your health and wellbeing, I really think you’d enjoy this book. It could even be interesting to bring it up in your Body Talk group or your book club. Unfortunately, I was left feeing rather hopeless as a consumer because of the limited regulations on processed food. I do think, however, that if I get a job in Advertising at a food company, I will put some responsibility on myself and my team to be more transparent with consumers. Let me know if you think you’d like to read Pandora’s Lunchbox and I can bring it the next time I come home. I hope you have a great week!
Love you,
Samantha
Topic Explorer Project: The Growing Issues With Institutional Food In America
Podcast/Documentary:
Graziano, M. (Director). (2010). Lunch Line. [Motion picture]. USA: Uji Films.
While a little outdated, this documentary does an acceptable job of depicting the current status of school lunches as well as the history of the National School Lunch Program. Lunch Line incorporates interviews and footage from all sides of the table while weaving a historical and detailed timeline of school lunches throughout the film. Part of the documentary follows a group of students from Tilden Academy in Chicago, winners of the Healthy School Campaign’s Cooking Up Change competition, as they travel to Washington D.C. In order to win, the team of students had to create the best possible healthy school lunch while keeping costs under a dollar per meal. Their trip to the capital consisted of meeting with politicians about the need for better school lunches.
Something unique from this documentary is the interviews with politicians favoring the agricultural industry. When asked about the controversy surrounding ketchup standing in place of a vegetable in a school lunch, Secretary of Agriculture under Bill Clinton, Dan Glickman, said arguments were “just a meaningless bunch of nonsense.” Glickman defends the sweet, red sauce as if it was second nature to do so. By including this interview, the documentary’s producers allow the audience to understand the complexity of the problem and the corruption in the foodservice system. Later on in Lunch Line, Glickman brings up the question of who will decide what constitutes “good” food as opposed to “bad” food if the system were to change. Celebrity chef, Ann Cooper, explains that the answer, for now, is that schools need to serve “food that is food” and where it comes from can be a conversation for the future.
Lastly, the history of school lunches and the policies surrounding the National School Lunch Program are explained throughout the documentary. Lunch Line illustrates how food served in schools has come down to being a numbers game. When the maximum fat content allowed in school lunches was lowered, cafeterias had to add an overwhelming amount of cookies and cakes to make up for the lost calories in fat-free foods. Like we read in Pandora’s Lunchbox, the documentary mentions how vitamins can be added to almost anything to meet “health” requirements. Just like we learned through class readings, the documentary explains that Vitamin C can be pumped into gummy bears and easily replace a real orange on a child’s lunch tray. Unfortunately, Lunch Line fails to further explain how vitamins work more efficiently when activated by chemicals in real fruits as opposed to synthetically being pumped into candy.
Book:
Camplin, E. (2017). Prison Food in America. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Erika Camplin’s Prison Food In America dives deep into the plates of America’s inmates. Since there was no introduction, I read the first chapter and third chapter of the book. Chapter 1: America’s Prison System And The Role Of Food In It provides background on the prison system and a layout for the rest of the book. Camplin details the effects of the War On Drugs on today’s prison demographics. Ever since laws on drug usage became stricter, incarceration for non-violent drug crimes increased leading to overflowing prisons and the rise of African-American men in particular behind bars.
Along with the rise of prison populations came the need to feed more mouths as efficiently as possible while spending the least amount of money. In Chapter 3: The Business of Prison Food, the book discusses the privatization of American prisons known widely as the prison industrial complex. The private companies running these prisons constantly play a numbers game similar to that of school lunches. The difference, however, is that schools only have to feed a child one meal a day while prisons must feed grown men and women at least three times a day on practically the same minuscule budget (around two to four dollars per person). It really is no surprise that these prison management companies employ foodservice providers like Aramark to engineer absolutely everything surrounding meal times. By spending the least amount of money and just barely reaching the minimum nutrition requirements, prisons feed inmates food that most Americans would not think to feed their pets.
Camplin illustrates the extent to which food drives people’s lives and how prison can take away a person’s humanity like the freedom to choose what and when to eat. Since prisoners do not have a true sense of time, food and meal times act as a clock in the never-ending routine of a prison sentence. Not only is food an emotional driver, but studies show that diets not pertaining to fundamental nutritional needs lead to an abundance of psychological and behavioral problems.
News Articles:
1. Barford, V. (2015). Is It Fair To Punish Prisoners With Horrible Food? BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35128124.
2. Delgadillo, N. (2018). Maggots With a Side of Dirt? What Privatization Does to Prison Food. Governing. Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/gov-private-food-service-prisons- aramark-trinity-ohio-michigan.html
3. U.S. Department Of Agriculture. (2017, May 1). Ag Secretary Perdue Moves to Make School Meals Great Again [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2017/05/01/ag-secretary- perdue-moves-make-school-meals-great-again.
The three articles I found discuss problems with the current state of foodservice in correctional facilities and schools across the country. An article from BBC News addresses the corruption in U.S. prisons with an example of a meal replacement called nutraloaf that is used in many prisons as a form of punishment for unruly inmates. While this concoction sounds like it would provide nutrients due to the “nutra” in its name, it actually consists of anything and everything that is leftover in the kitchen. Some nutraloafs contain a mixture of oatmeal, ketchup, and ramen noodles, creating a day-in-a-meal that many deem unconstitutional. Using nutraloafs as punishment shows inmates that they have something to lose. This is just one example of the extent to which corruption of power is poisoning American prisons.
Most problems in U.S. prisons seem to point to the privatization of correctional facilities. An article from Governing details multiple occurrences of maggots found in the food served in some Michigan prisons. After switching from privatized food contractor, Aramark, to Trinity, Governor Rick Snyder announced that Michigan prisons systems would end their contracts and move to in-house foodservice in order to have more control over inmate food. The article explains how privatization of prisons does not work like a normal part of a free market because the consumer does not have any choice when he or she is in prison. In other words, there is no need for consumer satisfaction and other market drivers, hence, allowing the foodservice providers to serve the lowest quality food without losing any business. Food Service Administrator at the Ramsey County Correctional Facility, Tim Thielman, acknowledges that investing more in nutritious meals would cut costs in the long run.
Similar to prisons, serving healthier, more expensive meals in schools would save health costs in the future. A press release from the USDA explains that schools are having difficulties meeting whole grain, sodium, and milk requirements while serving food that children will actually eat. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, permitted more flexibility in the regulations so that students will actually eat the provided school meal. Something that really stood out to me in the press release is the picture of Perdue eating a school lunch with a group of students and, ironically, almost every child appears to have brought his or her own lunch from home.
Summary of Topic:
Overall, the topic of institutional food in America is extremely important and pressing. It is a complex problem with numerous sides of the argument to take into account. From the overwhelmingly large interests of agricultural companies to the discussion around human rights of prisoners, there are many aspects of the issue to analyze. Institutional food has many potential policy implications surrounding the topic due to the enormity of the issue. With so many case studies and research being done on the effects of institutional food, there are plenty of resources to use for research if my group chooses to pursue this topic.
Something that peeked my interest during my research was the notion that in-house food service in prisons saves long-term costs like detrimental prison riots and rodent outbreaks. This argument relates to the need for healthier school lunches, as well. If prisons and schools invested in more nutritious meals, prisons would most likely avoid riots and other food-induced brawls and childhood obesity rates would ideally decrease. If my group decides to pursue this topic, I hope to research institutional food in other countries and see how their systems compare and contrast to food in schools and prisons in the United States. Additionally, I would like to focus my research on successful instances of in-house food service programs in prisons and schools in order to explore which options would be feasible in the United States.
I am extremely interested in this topic; however, I would not be upset if my group members decided to pursue one of their topics. All aspects of food culture in our society peak my interest, so I am not too attached to my topic of industrial food in America.
Graziano, M. (Director). (2010). Lunch Line. [Motion picture]. USA: Uji Films.
While a little outdated, this documentary does an acceptable job of depicting the current status of school lunches as well as the history of the National School Lunch Program. Lunch Line incorporates interviews and footage from all sides of the table while weaving a historical and detailed timeline of school lunches throughout the film. Part of the documentary follows a group of students from Tilden Academy in Chicago, winners of the Healthy School Campaign’s Cooking Up Change competition, as they travel to Washington D.C. In order to win, the team of students had to create the best possible healthy school lunch while keeping costs under a dollar per meal. Their trip to the capital consisted of meeting with politicians about the need for better school lunches.
Something unique from this documentary is the interviews with politicians favoring the agricultural industry. When asked about the controversy surrounding ketchup standing in place of a vegetable in a school lunch, Secretary of Agriculture under Bill Clinton, Dan Glickman, said arguments were “just a meaningless bunch of nonsense.” Glickman defends the sweet, red sauce as if it was second nature to do so. By including this interview, the documentary’s producers allow the audience to understand the complexity of the problem and the corruption in the foodservice system. Later on in Lunch Line, Glickman brings up the question of who will decide what constitutes “good” food as opposed to “bad” food if the system were to change. Celebrity chef, Ann Cooper, explains that the answer, for now, is that schools need to serve “food that is food” and where it comes from can be a conversation for the future.
Lastly, the history of school lunches and the policies surrounding the National School Lunch Program are explained throughout the documentary. Lunch Line illustrates how food served in schools has come down to being a numbers game. When the maximum fat content allowed in school lunches was lowered, cafeterias had to add an overwhelming amount of cookies and cakes to make up for the lost calories in fat-free foods. Like we read in Pandora’s Lunchbox, the documentary mentions how vitamins can be added to almost anything to meet “health” requirements. Just like we learned through class readings, the documentary explains that Vitamin C can be pumped into gummy bears and easily replace a real orange on a child’s lunch tray. Unfortunately, Lunch Line fails to further explain how vitamins work more efficiently when activated by chemicals in real fruits as opposed to synthetically being pumped into candy.
Book:
Camplin, E. (2017). Prison Food in America. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Erika Camplin’s Prison Food In America dives deep into the plates of America’s inmates. Since there was no introduction, I read the first chapter and third chapter of the book. Chapter 1: America’s Prison System And The Role Of Food In It provides background on the prison system and a layout for the rest of the book. Camplin details the effects of the War On Drugs on today’s prison demographics. Ever since laws on drug usage became stricter, incarceration for non-violent drug crimes increased leading to overflowing prisons and the rise of African-American men in particular behind bars.
Along with the rise of prison populations came the need to feed more mouths as efficiently as possible while spending the least amount of money. In Chapter 3: The Business of Prison Food, the book discusses the privatization of American prisons known widely as the prison industrial complex. The private companies running these prisons constantly play a numbers game similar to that of school lunches. The difference, however, is that schools only have to feed a child one meal a day while prisons must feed grown men and women at least three times a day on practically the same minuscule budget (around two to four dollars per person). It really is no surprise that these prison management companies employ foodservice providers like Aramark to engineer absolutely everything surrounding meal times. By spending the least amount of money and just barely reaching the minimum nutrition requirements, prisons feed inmates food that most Americans would not think to feed their pets.
Camplin illustrates the extent to which food drives people’s lives and how prison can take away a person’s humanity like the freedom to choose what and when to eat. Since prisoners do not have a true sense of time, food and meal times act as a clock in the never-ending routine of a prison sentence. Not only is food an emotional driver, but studies show that diets not pertaining to fundamental nutritional needs lead to an abundance of psychological and behavioral problems.
News Articles:
1. Barford, V. (2015). Is It Fair To Punish Prisoners With Horrible Food? BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35128124.
2. Delgadillo, N. (2018). Maggots With a Side of Dirt? What Privatization Does to Prison Food. Governing. Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/gov-private-food-service-prisons- aramark-trinity-ohio-michigan.html
3. U.S. Department Of Agriculture. (2017, May 1). Ag Secretary Perdue Moves to Make School Meals Great Again [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2017/05/01/ag-secretary- perdue-moves-make-school-meals-great-again.
The three articles I found discuss problems with the current state of foodservice in correctional facilities and schools across the country. An article from BBC News addresses the corruption in U.S. prisons with an example of a meal replacement called nutraloaf that is used in many prisons as a form of punishment for unruly inmates. While this concoction sounds like it would provide nutrients due to the “nutra” in its name, it actually consists of anything and everything that is leftover in the kitchen. Some nutraloafs contain a mixture of oatmeal, ketchup, and ramen noodles, creating a day-in-a-meal that many deem unconstitutional. Using nutraloafs as punishment shows inmates that they have something to lose. This is just one example of the extent to which corruption of power is poisoning American prisons.
Most problems in U.S. prisons seem to point to the privatization of correctional facilities. An article from Governing details multiple occurrences of maggots found in the food served in some Michigan prisons. After switching from privatized food contractor, Aramark, to Trinity, Governor Rick Snyder announced that Michigan prisons systems would end their contracts and move to in-house foodservice in order to have more control over inmate food. The article explains how privatization of prisons does not work like a normal part of a free market because the consumer does not have any choice when he or she is in prison. In other words, there is no need for consumer satisfaction and other market drivers, hence, allowing the foodservice providers to serve the lowest quality food without losing any business. Food Service Administrator at the Ramsey County Correctional Facility, Tim Thielman, acknowledges that investing more in nutritious meals would cut costs in the long run.
Similar to prisons, serving healthier, more expensive meals in schools would save health costs in the future. A press release from the USDA explains that schools are having difficulties meeting whole grain, sodium, and milk requirements while serving food that children will actually eat. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, permitted more flexibility in the regulations so that students will actually eat the provided school meal. Something that really stood out to me in the press release is the picture of Perdue eating a school lunch with a group of students and, ironically, almost every child appears to have brought his or her own lunch from home.
Summary of Topic:
Overall, the topic of institutional food in America is extremely important and pressing. It is a complex problem with numerous sides of the argument to take into account. From the overwhelmingly large interests of agricultural companies to the discussion around human rights of prisoners, there are many aspects of the issue to analyze. Institutional food has many potential policy implications surrounding the topic due to the enormity of the issue. With so many case studies and research being done on the effects of institutional food, there are plenty of resources to use for research if my group chooses to pursue this topic.
Something that peeked my interest during my research was the notion that in-house food service in prisons saves long-term costs like detrimental prison riots and rodent outbreaks. This argument relates to the need for healthier school lunches, as well. If prisons and schools invested in more nutritious meals, prisons would most likely avoid riots and other food-induced brawls and childhood obesity rates would ideally decrease. If my group decides to pursue this topic, I hope to research institutional food in other countries and see how their systems compare and contrast to food in schools and prisons in the United States. Additionally, I would like to focus my research on successful instances of in-house food service programs in prisons and schools in order to explore which options would be feasible in the United States.
I am extremely interested in this topic; however, I would not be upset if my group members decided to pursue one of their topics. All aspects of food culture in our society peak my interest, so I am not too attached to my topic of industrial food in America.
The Truth Behind The Cart
You wouldn’t think something so simple as the act of shopping for and purchasing food could reveal so much about a person or demographic. Habits around food have so much to do with the surrounding culture. Obviously, there are numerous food cultures around the world; however, what do varying local food establishments say about the differing people, prices, and food purchased there? I visited three vastly contrasting locations selling food in the East Lansing area to find out how purchase decisions are influenced by each establishment.
To begin my observations, I went to the grocery store that I frequent: Meijer. While I have shopped at many large grocery stores like Meijer, I tried distancing myself during my observation and looking at the store from an outsider’s perspective. Right away, I noticed the enormity of the establishment. Rows and rows and aisles and aisles of intense, fluorescent lighting shone down on shelves packed full of convenience goods. Name brands stacked like skyscrapers and were plastered with an excessive amount of yellow SALE signs. While prices were low, the competition was high. There seemed to be an overabundance of everything. From the ten different kinds of apples to choose from to the entire aisle dedicated to competing coffee brands, shoppers could find exactly what they needed and everything they never knew they wanted. We live in a culture where consumerism rules and bigger is better; Meijer exemplified this attribute of our culture to the fullest. One would think this establishment would stop at its surplus of food, but in addition, it carries everything from electronics to the latest fall clothing trends at affordable prices.
Along with its large range of products, Meijer has a diverse demographic of customers. During my observation, I noticed shoppers of all ages, skin colors, genders, and ethnicities. Because of the low prices and the numerous sale items, the establishment is inclusive of all income levels. The venue even has a bus stop right in its parking lot to accommodate shoppers who do not have their own methods of transportation. As far as interaction among shoppers went, there was very little of it. Shoppers entered with a grocery list (and even headphones in their ears in one case) while they navigated the endless aisles with little communication and a very Midwest “Ope, sorry” when almost bumping into another shopper’s cart. Those who wished could even use a self check out aisle to ensure absolutely no contact with another human being the entire trip.
The second stop on my journey was the East Lansing Farmer’s Market. Due to its weekly appearance in the heart of East Lansing, one would assume the market would be overflowing with students. Rather, there seemed to be a larger amount of middle-aged families and couples. Contrary to Meijer, the market had a very peaceful feeling of community. It was easy to see that market-goers went for the experience and enjoyment instead of the need to acquire every item on their shopping lists. People smiled and conversed with one another as a band played joyful music. Vendors lit up with joy when asked about their apples, zucchinis, or freshly baked gluten-free goods. The demographic of shoppers clearly had a higher income since they were not working on a Sunday afternoon and, as a result, could take their time visiting each vendor.
While Meijer offered a one-stop-shop for all necessities, the farmer’s market strictly sold local foods. Many of these were fresh fruits and vegetables rather than pre-packaged, highly processed foods. Contrary to Tracie McMillen’s initial opinion in The American Way of Eating, the farmer’s market was not selling fancy food for fancy people. The prices of the fruits and vegetables were very similar to those at Meijer. The notion of a farmer’s market being “fancy” could accompany the fact that the shoppers did not have other commitments on a Sunday and could dedicate the time to enjoy the local food, hinting at the idea that they belong to the upper middle class.
The last place I visited was a store called Foods For Living. While I had passed the establishment many times before, I had never been inside. One of the first things that caught my eye upon entering the store was the warmer toned lights. Contrary to Meijer’s blindingly bright, almost white lights, the store had dimmer lights offering a calming atmosphere. Rather than taking on an industrial look, the store had carpeting, earth tones for signs and labels, and even a coffee bar for shoppers to mingle at. Based off of the high prices of the groceries, one could conclude that those of the older, upper middle class made up most of the shoppers. One could also assume that shoppers are more health conscious than the average American. The store had many natural foods like freshly ground peanut butter, freshly baked bread, and grab-and-go lunch options like tabouli and salads.
Something that stood out to me was the seasonality of the fruits and vegetables in the store. Foods For Living would not fall under the documentary, Food Inc.’s, statement that “there are no seasons in the American supermarket.” Bananas, mangoes, and kiwis were nowhere to be found due to their geographic origin. With only a bag of multi-grain tortilla chips in my cart, I approached the young cashier. He flashed a warm smile at me as he asked me how my day was going. After I paid for my items and our conversation came to an end, he wished me a pleasant afternoon and even offered to return my cart for me. Despite the high prices, the experience was enjoyable and positive and I can see why those who an afford it frequent Foods For Living.
Overall, my experience visiting the different locations around East Lansing provided insight into people’s food decisions based off of where they shop. While I cannot assume everything, I was able to make some predictions and educated guesses regarding the culture and lifestyles of shoppers.
To begin my observations, I went to the grocery store that I frequent: Meijer. While I have shopped at many large grocery stores like Meijer, I tried distancing myself during my observation and looking at the store from an outsider’s perspective. Right away, I noticed the enormity of the establishment. Rows and rows and aisles and aisles of intense, fluorescent lighting shone down on shelves packed full of convenience goods. Name brands stacked like skyscrapers and were plastered with an excessive amount of yellow SALE signs. While prices were low, the competition was high. There seemed to be an overabundance of everything. From the ten different kinds of apples to choose from to the entire aisle dedicated to competing coffee brands, shoppers could find exactly what they needed and everything they never knew they wanted. We live in a culture where consumerism rules and bigger is better; Meijer exemplified this attribute of our culture to the fullest. One would think this establishment would stop at its surplus of food, but in addition, it carries everything from electronics to the latest fall clothing trends at affordable prices.
Along with its large range of products, Meijer has a diverse demographic of customers. During my observation, I noticed shoppers of all ages, skin colors, genders, and ethnicities. Because of the low prices and the numerous sale items, the establishment is inclusive of all income levels. The venue even has a bus stop right in its parking lot to accommodate shoppers who do not have their own methods of transportation. As far as interaction among shoppers went, there was very little of it. Shoppers entered with a grocery list (and even headphones in their ears in one case) while they navigated the endless aisles with little communication and a very Midwest “Ope, sorry” when almost bumping into another shopper’s cart. Those who wished could even use a self check out aisle to ensure absolutely no contact with another human being the entire trip.
The second stop on my journey was the East Lansing Farmer’s Market. Due to its weekly appearance in the heart of East Lansing, one would assume the market would be overflowing with students. Rather, there seemed to be a larger amount of middle-aged families and couples. Contrary to Meijer, the market had a very peaceful feeling of community. It was easy to see that market-goers went for the experience and enjoyment instead of the need to acquire every item on their shopping lists. People smiled and conversed with one another as a band played joyful music. Vendors lit up with joy when asked about their apples, zucchinis, or freshly baked gluten-free goods. The demographic of shoppers clearly had a higher income since they were not working on a Sunday afternoon and, as a result, could take their time visiting each vendor.
While Meijer offered a one-stop-shop for all necessities, the farmer’s market strictly sold local foods. Many of these were fresh fruits and vegetables rather than pre-packaged, highly processed foods. Contrary to Tracie McMillen’s initial opinion in The American Way of Eating, the farmer’s market was not selling fancy food for fancy people. The prices of the fruits and vegetables were very similar to those at Meijer. The notion of a farmer’s market being “fancy” could accompany the fact that the shoppers did not have other commitments on a Sunday and could dedicate the time to enjoy the local food, hinting at the idea that they belong to the upper middle class.
The last place I visited was a store called Foods For Living. While I had passed the establishment many times before, I had never been inside. One of the first things that caught my eye upon entering the store was the warmer toned lights. Contrary to Meijer’s blindingly bright, almost white lights, the store had dimmer lights offering a calming atmosphere. Rather than taking on an industrial look, the store had carpeting, earth tones for signs and labels, and even a coffee bar for shoppers to mingle at. Based off of the high prices of the groceries, one could conclude that those of the older, upper middle class made up most of the shoppers. One could also assume that shoppers are more health conscious than the average American. The store had many natural foods like freshly ground peanut butter, freshly baked bread, and grab-and-go lunch options like tabouli and salads.
Something that stood out to me was the seasonality of the fruits and vegetables in the store. Foods For Living would not fall under the documentary, Food Inc.’s, statement that “there are no seasons in the American supermarket.” Bananas, mangoes, and kiwis were nowhere to be found due to their geographic origin. With only a bag of multi-grain tortilla chips in my cart, I approached the young cashier. He flashed a warm smile at me as he asked me how my day was going. After I paid for my items and our conversation came to an end, he wished me a pleasant afternoon and even offered to return my cart for me. Despite the high prices, the experience was enjoyable and positive and I can see why those who an afford it frequent Foods For Living.
Overall, my experience visiting the different locations around East Lansing provided insight into people’s food decisions based off of where they shop. While I cannot assume everything, I was able to make some predictions and educated guesses regarding the culture and lifestyles of shoppers.