SE3 - Field Notes & Culture

SE3: Visit a location where people are eating or otherwise connected to food. Take observational field notes for one hour. Your notes should include who you see, what those people are doing, what they are eating, how they are eating, details of the setting, etc. Then, with the help of at least one outside source, write a short essay in which you consider and interpret your notes to make an observation about food values and culture in connection to a specific community.

           

            The popularity of coffee is something tat can be seen on a daily basis. It is one of the world’s most consumed beverages only behind water, tea, and beer. It is for this very reason that over fifty-four percent of American’s over the age of eighteen consume coffee on a daily basis. As a result, Americans spend more than eighteen billion dollars on specialty coffee each year (Statistic Brain, 1). For some people, coffee is what gets them in the morning while for others it is what keeps them going. Coffee is what keep our modern, fast paced lives running smoothly, and in a sense, coffee is the lifeblood of our society. In order to provide American’s with enough coffee to satisfy their demand, coffeehouses around the nation are always working to create new and interesting blends and concoctions that keep the American audience wanting more. No other company does this like, Starbucks.

            I was able to go to Starbucks for an hour in order to observe the locale and take note of the interactions made by the people visiting one of the locations. From the outside, the Starbucks coffeehouse was a very modern construction with a steel foundation and plenty of glass windows to let light in and to let patrons view the outside. There was also a large patio on the front of the building with a few tables with a large umbrella to provide shade. The day was rather hot, but some parties were enjoying the day and spending their time outside. In total there were about ten people outside and they all appeared to be enjoying themselves, each with a iced coffee or cold beverage in hand. It was a very social atmosphere outside as people were talking, laughing, or somehow in the midst of a very lively conversation.

            As I moved inside I could feel a breeze of fresh cool air rush over me as I entered the lobby. The inside was a very busy as people were carrying out their conversations and people placing their order at the register. The whole space was full of energy, as everyone in the building (staff included) was active in one way or another. Everyone was occupied with what ever it is they were doing, but coffee was involved in one way or another. There was a college couple enjoying a conversation as they sipped on their frappuccinos, a business man on his cell phone pouring creamer in to his coffee, and to a professor grading papers as he drank a venti iced coffee and a poppy seed bagel. In the 1 hours I was there must have seen over 70 costumers go in and out.  The entire situation was put into perspective in Charlene Elliott’s words, “…as the preferred beverage of Americans and Canadians (second only to water), it has definite socio-cultural significance (Elliott, 370).” From the sheer amount of patrons that went into the location, it was made clear just how prominent coffee is on the lives of people. It also goes to show the economic power of coffee, as it is a product that is consumed on such a constant basis.

            For some coffee was a break from work, while for others it was a catalyst for some other business. In particular being near a college campus meant that a lot of students were able to come to Starbucks with a group of friends and enjoy a nice social setting or come to try and get some work done. I saw many students on their computers, as they appeared to be working on their projects or essay, for many of the students were deep in though and typing away on their keyboards. However, each student always had a large coffee, frap, or caffeinated beverage in their hand or by their side. “The beverage itself has become integral to working and professional culture: it is simultaneously a pick-me-up that provides greater productivity and a pause (in the form of the coffee break) (Elliott, 371).” Thus, coffee can be consumed for a variety of reason, but the major reason revolves around work related issues. Getting work done, meeting people over coffee, or enjoying a coffee break with friends means that coffee plays a significant role in a lot of social and professional situations.

            People come to coffeehouses because they play an important role as social and work related gathering points. Starbucks is a prime example of how a single product/food item can bring together so many different people. Whether to meet up with friends or spend time working, coffee is the perfect companion to either situation, and it was what I witnessed during my time examining a Starbuck’s location. The role that coffee plays in our society is one of influence and importance because of how prevalent is in the daily lives of Americans, for coffee is a very dynamic product that is not just enjoyed for its taste but for is social implications.

Works Cited

Elliott, Charlene. "Consuming Caffeine: The Discourse of Starbucks and Coffee."Consumption Markets & Culture 4.4 (2001): 369-82. Print.

NA. "Coffee Drinking Statistics." Statistic Brain. N.p., 2013. Web. <http://www.statisticbrain.com/coffee-drinking-statistics/>.

SE2 - Food Advertisements

SE2: Compare at least two food advertisements. Describe their design and rhetorical function. Who is their audience and what are their appeals? Based upon those appeals, what can you say about food cultures and values?

Food advertisements are created very carefully and worded in a specific manner in order to appeal to a specific target audience. How an advertisement is put together says both a lot about the values a certain type of audience favors as well as a lot about food culture as a whole. By comparing a set of advertisements one is able to see the differences in values for a specific demographic or target audience and learn about the role of food in society. I have decided to analyze an ad in Runner’s World magazine dealing with Panera Bread, as well as an ad in fine Cooking magazine dealing with Belgioioso cheese in order to see how the structure and layout of the ads give information about their target audience.

The first ad that I came to observe was as rather simplistic ad located in a running magazine called Runner’s World. The layout of the ad itself is very simplistic with only a picture of a large chicken salad in the center, a 2 sentence paragraph in the bottom left can corner, the Panera Bread Logo on the bottom right, and some text written in a circle around the salad plate. As I mentioned before, the ad appear very simple and is very neat and to the point. Having the large chicken salad in the center of the page and the text encircling it draws the eyes towards the center of the image and focuses in on the leafy-green color of the lettuce and the white, fresh texture of the chicken. Around the chicken salad plate, the text reads, “Antibiotic-free chicken in every bowl – Food you can trust in every bite.” The logo in the bottom right just has the regular Panera Bread symbol, but around it are the words, “ Live consciously – Eat deliciously.”

Being placed in a runner’s magazine, it is made clear that the target audience are athletic men and women that are interested in running and other physical activities associated with exercising. It is for this very reason that the Panera Bread ad contains health conscious vernacular such as “consciously” and “antibiotic-free”. Along with appealing to the health aspects of their chicken, Panera Bread also includes descriptions talking about how delicious their food is. This goes on that people don’t just want to eat healthy food, but also great tasting food. The best of both worlds is something that these people want to have and it is for this reason that Panera Bread is stating that their chicken is both healthy and delicious. Based on this ad alone one get to see that people care about the health effects of food and thus want to buy products that state some kind of health benefit or are natural or without preservatives. It also goes to show that healthy eating is also associated with a bland taste, so advertisers have to go on and state that their product is also palpable and great tasting. People want to eat something that they will enjoy and make them healthier. It just goes to show just how important health and taste are form this audience.

The second ad is one advertizing Belgioioso cheese, and is a print ad in the Fine Cooking magazine. This advertisement is much smaller than the first, only being half a page vertically. The layout is a little more complex because it depicts a variety of cheeses (blue, provolone, asiago, and gorgonzola) atop a t-bone steak, chicken, and hamburger. The center of the ad has some large, white text that reads, “Artisan. Hand-Made. Superior Quality.” Underneath this large text is a small paragraph describing how the cheese making is a craft and how the cheese ads a unique depth of flavor to a steak or hamburger. It also describes its Italian influence and describes its cheese as a specialty.

The audience for this specific brand of cheese is probably chefs and people that enjoy cooking gourmet meals. Having a spot in Fine Cooking magazine, this ad caters to an audience that cares about gourmet ingredients and fine dining. Similar to the findings in Freedman and Jurafsky’s analysis of food, language, and culture, in this particular ad, vocabulary is very important because it is trying to appeal to a higher class of people, specifically people with higher socioeconomic standing. The use of words such as “artisan”, “hand-made”, and “superior quality” are specifically chosen to convince the reader that this cheese is authentic and worth buying. The ad appeals to people that care about where their food comes, how it is made, and its quality. These values go to show that some people care greatly not just about the taste of their food but also about the authenticity of the food they eat. Food history and craftsmanship are factors that are just as important as flavor. What this goes to show is that authenticity plays a big role in how a food product is perceived and may influence is a person will buy the product or not.

From these two advertisements, one can see that food ads play on the values of its audience and use them to have greater influence on the choices people make in regards to the food they decide to eat. However, these values that people care about don’t just give an indication of what food them might like, but also a look into cultural and societal issues. For instance we see that people care greatly about the taste and health implications of the food that they consume. We also learned how authenticity is also a value that people care about because it allows people to feel good about the food they buy or eat and deepens the bond that people have with food (not just eating food for survivial).

Post 7

P7: Read Pollan’s “An Animal’s Place,” the introduction to Estabrook’s Tomatoland, and the infographic by Cook. In what ways do these pieces trace the history and production of our food? How do they compare in their methodologies and findings?

        Pollan’s “An Animal’s Place”, Estrabrook’s Tomatoland, and Cook’s infographic all trace the history and production of food by looking at specific animals and how they are processed. In Pollan’s “An Animal’s Place”, he goes on to talk about the dilemma that he faced after reading Peter Singer's ''Animal Liberation'' while eating a steak. In his essay he focuses on the moral dilemma that is associated with eating meat, specifically chicken, beef, and pork. He explores the notion of animal’s rights and what past philosophers have said about the subject. He focuses on what equality means and how that relates to animals and how if we were to truly care about equality, animals should have equal consideration with respect to how they are treated. However, Pollan does see that eating meat has been part of human history for thousands of years, but in our new era there is a changing attitude about how animals should be treated. He feels that eating meat does not have to be a necessarily bad thing, but that it should be that should be done less and with respect for the animal that was killed in order to feed the human population. In Tomatoland, Estrabrook talks about how tomatoes are grown in our modern world. He talks about how tomatoes are not grown for taste, but instead grown for capitalistic reasons. He talks about how modern tomatoes are stripped of their nutritional value and instead grown in just look pretty and appetizing. He explores the logistical, political, and economic aspects of tomato growing in order to depict the current state of the tomato business. In Cook’s infographic, he mainly talked about the effects that chicken plants have on the health and welfare of the workers that man these plants. He focuses on the statistics related to injuries acquired by these workers as well as the terrible working conditions that people are forced to work under.

            With respect to their methodologies, Pollan and Estrabrook both deal with a lot of statistics as well as personal anecdotes to deliver their subject matter to the reader. They both want to make the piece personal yet contain some sort of scholarly material to really drive their argument forward. Cook’s piece is a little different because his methodology was just using statistics to bring to light the current working conditions that workers have to deal with in chicken processing plants as well as the health risks/effects that they have to deal with. The use of statistics and other numerical values are used through out all the pieces because it is a great way to give concrete evidence to support what each author is trying to argue. However, each author is trying to accomplish a different thing by writing his or her articles. Pollan is trying to convince the reader to try and decrease their meat consumption because he want the reader to become aware of what animals have to go through in order to become food for people. He is trying to increase awareness for the Animal Rights movement as well as educate people animal treatment in the food industry. In Estabrook’s article, his findings are made to show how the tomatoes humble place as a food has been so commercialized that the product that is grown can hardly be called a tomato. He was people to see that the modern tomato is nothing but a farce of a fruit that contains minimal nutrition compared to homegrown or farmer’s market tomatoes. Finally, Cook’s findings of terrible working conditions in chicken plants are brought up in order to give these finding some attention. All of the authors have written their respective pieces in order to gather attention to what they believe is a pressing matter relating to the food industry.

Post 6

P6: Read Pollan’s “Our National Eating Disorder.” What does Pollan diagnose as the symptoms and / or causes of our national eating disorder? What do you find most interesting in his analysis? Connect Pollan’s piece to your own decisions on what to eat.

            What Pollan associates as the cause of our national eating disorder is that American worry too much about how healthy food is almost as much as they worry about what they are going to eat. Americans, from the start, treat food as a paradox. We always worry about what we are going to eat in terms of how many calories we are consuming or how much carbohydrates we are taking in instead of just worrying about how much we are actually eating through out the day. It seems that “scientific” thought and always thing about the macro and micronutrient in food is actually causing us to eat less healthy than countries that eat pretty much anything they want but do so according to a strict method of eating.

            One of the points that Pollan tries to argues is that Americans rely less on their tastes and sense and do so more based on convenience, price, and health claims. In contrast, countries such as France eat food based on their own likes and tastes but tend to eat very small meals and do so an very social settings. Pollan goes on to say that part of the cause to our health problems is associated by the way we categories food as being either “bad” or “good” for one’s health. In doing this, we are ever anxious about our food choices, and this is turn has both mental and physical repercussions. Food fads are also greatly affecting how we view food because with each new fad a culinary revolution ensues. The ever changing food climate only adds to the confusion that the everyday American experiences, and creates an environment in which the people are always worried about what it is they are eating and how new scientific studies relate to food.

            The thing that I found most interesting in Pollan’s piece was the issue with the American paradox and the differences seen in France. Being from the United States and having studied abroad in Paris, I can say first hand that much of what he says is correct. In France, meals incorporate very fatty food like foie gras, cheese, a lot of bread, wine, and various meats, yet the people are very healthy. As described in Pollan’s piece, the people of France eat anything that they want but do so very conservatively. While in the United State I always eat very processed food while eating out, usually because I am eating at fast food restaurants. The American mentality in regards to food is very much different than the French, and goes to show that how food is treated has to do a lot with culture.

            When I decide what I eat I usually go with what I think I will enjoy or because it was something a friends recommended. However, I do find myself thinking about caloric intake and other factors when I am deciding what to eat. I always feel that I need to watch how much I am eating because I don’t want to go over my 2000 daily calorie recommendation. It wasn’t until I read this article that I actually began to actually question why it is that 2000 calories is a good ballpark number for the amount of calories that can be consumed on an average day. It began to notice how anxious I get when I am deciding what I want to eat and the many things that go through my mind when making a decision. In the back if my mind I am always thinking about how a certain meal will affect my health or at the very least the health implications of the meal. 

Post 5

P5: Read Hortwiz. How does Horwitz develop his argument for “eating on the edge”? Relate his essay to one example from your own life to illustrate, complicate, or otherwise expand upon Horwitz’s argument.

            Horwitz develops his argument for “eating on the edge” by talking about a change on how food is viewed. Instead of food being the definitive part of a meal or mealtime it has come to change into more of an additive factor to any given situation.  What this means is that the manner in which food is consumed and the situations in which one eats food are becoming more dynamic. Food location and occasion are changing with time, Horwitz chooses to focus his argument particularly on how people are tending to eat along and at their own descriptions, which is something he calls eating on one’s own space-time and micro-gravity.

            Something that Horwitz’s essay made me recall was how some of my eating habits growing up coincide with his argument. Horwitz speaks about how eating and spending time with family during specific times (i.e. breakfast, lunch, or dinner) is becoming less common. From my experiences, I agree with Horwitz observations because I noticed that I would sometimes eat dinner by myself instead of eating at the dinner table with my family. Instead of sitting down at the table I would just grab my plate along with as much food as I could and then head into my room to watch television or continue playing on my Xbox. Recalling these memories, made me think about how technology and the “modern” world have affected the way in which people treat food. I feel that the pace of life in our day in age is so much quicker than what it used to be and has thus spurred the creating of meal on the go. I feel that technology and the modern era has come to play a large role in a shift of mentality amongst people, and thus changed how and when people eat. I find Horowitz’s piece on the TV dinner to be a very accurate example of how television has influenced a change in how people act with food, family, and a meal. My experience with choosing to eat by myself inform of a television instead of eating as a family with my parents is a perfect depiction of the change Horwitz is trying to describe.

Post 4

P4: Read Cate and O’Donnell. What roles does food play in the communities that they studied? Compare how Cate and O’Donnell relate food to communities. What part of their studies did you find most interesting and why?

            The role of food within one’s culture, community, and identity is something that may seem kind of silly, but is actually a very reoccurring and prevalent thing. The manner in which food is eaten, prepared, who it is eaten with, and the choices involved in picking food all say something about us and about the values we care about. In the articles written by Cate and O’Donnell, the role of food is very different, and thus tells a different story about the situation and context that revolves around food in a specific area.

            In O’Donnell’s article, food is something that is used to distinguish between generations and social politics. In Shenzhen, a vast city on southeastern China, O’Donnell tells of how an individual’s appetite may not be ethically or politically neutral. The region has had a booming history within the last 30 years and as such here are many migrants and locals. Food is something that truly distinguishes between the older generation and the younger generations because each generations treats food in their own manner. For the older generation, food was something that was meant to be shared, thus pertaining more to an older, more socialist mentality. As for the newer generation, living within a more globalized environment, their food choices are more to do with the self. The manner in which food is treated in this context goes to show a slight clash in mentality between old versus new and socialist versus capitalist.

            In Cate’s article, she talks about the role of “spread” and how it is an important part of inmates’ lives in jail. The term “spread” refers to a meal that is prepared by inmates, which incorporates various ingredients, but begins with a base of Ramen Noodles. The making of “spread” is not only done in order to keep hunger at bay, but also as a way to maintain and express individuality. Inmates create their own “spread” that incorporated their own specific likes and taste. A whole food culture revolves around the making of “spread” and inmates take time to share recipes as well as share their creations with one another. The sharing of “spread” also becomes as social activity in which inmates can form friendships, but beyond that, the sharing of “spread” operate on the principle of reciprocity. The inmates will each contribute something to make the “spread” and thus receive part of the final concoction.

            The thing that I found most interesting after reading these two articles was learning about “spread” in general. I never knew that inmates would gather and save the food they would receive through out the day in order to create something for themselves for later in the day. It was interesting to learn about the many recipes of “spread” as well as how it is made. The manner in which different types of “spreads” are made all use different ingredients and cooking techniques that I would have never though of. I find it ingenious how different cooking techniques result in different tastes.

Post 3

P3: Read Freedman and Jurafsky. Explain the connections you see them making between food, language, and culture. What do you find most interesting in their analysis of potato chip advertising? Beyond potato chips, where else can you imagine applying their method of food advertising analysis and what do you think you’d find?

            The connections that Freedman and Jurafsky make between food, language and culture are that the vocabulary and metaphors that are used to advertise food are related to the target audience. The manner in which text is used in advertisement has a lot to say about different classes and represent a variety of class identities. In particular, Freedman and Jurafsky have done some research on how factors such as education and health affect how advertisements are used to attract people across socioeconomic statuses.

            One of the most interesting things that I found in the Freedman and Jurafsky’s analysis of potato chips was how authenticity was defined for expensive versus inexpensive chips. It was interesting to hear that for the expensive chips, naturalness and emphasis on ingredients were mentioned to try and construct a sense of authenticity. On the other hand, inexpensive potato chips mentioned more often stories of its history and locality. The differences that are seen between how these two types of potato chips are advertised says a lot about the people that buy these chips. The manner in which language is used in advertisements contains a lot of information about the values that people hold dear. For instance, I came to learn that the reason that expensive chips tend to have more descriptions about being natural and contain fresh ingredients is because the upper class tends to cherish and care about things that are natural and nonartificial. For the lower/working class history and family tradition are values that are important to them and thus create as sense of authenticity for them. Thus the main issue here is authenticity and how our own personal values affect how we live our live, from something as big as choosing our career paths to something as small as choosing what potato chips we want to eat.

            Based on their method of food advertisement analysis, another type of food that I think would display similar results would be cereal. In any supermarket there are always a variety of cereal to choose from and many of them try to attract different people. The main groups I can see are adults and children. Children’s cereal is always more colorful and vibrant and always talk about having a great taste while the “adult” cereal always talks about having certain vitamins or more fiber and appeal to being part of a healthier breakfast/meal. These types of differences are all around us, and goes to show just how important language is in advertisement as well having significance in social distinctions.