One thing that I found very interesting about Easter island is how a society managed to live and thrive for a bit without any industrialization. As an American I think its rather typical for me to be surprised that a place can live without mass production and solely using their resources around them. I actually think that is a more respectable thing, the fact that they did everything themselves without the help of huge fossil fueled machinery and factories.
After reading about Easter Island I can recodnize similarities between our American civilization and that of Easter Island. The collapse of Easter Island was because of a lot of different factors such as, the way they abused their enviorment as well as political, social, and religious issues. The people on Easter Island used up a lot of unsustainable resources and gave no regard to the fact that these items may one day be unavailable. Comparing that to today, we are using up all of our resources. We are also just abusing our land with no regard to the consequences. Our mass production is based off of fossil fuels which will soon enough be gone. We are chopping down a mass amount of trees and fucking up our rain forest's causing a lot of the animals to become extinct. Animals that are crucial to our eco-system and plants and flowers that we will never see again. We used so many toxic chemicals that our O-zone layer is tearing and global warming is becoming more of an issues as each day passes. We are not only using up all of our resources but we are slowly and surely killing our own planet because of everyones carelessness.
Looking at the collapse of Easter Island and comparing it to Americas inevidable collapse shows us a deep similarity and should serve as a warning. We are going to continue to go downhill, regardless of any effort to save our society. Its sad, but we are too late.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Food Assignment #7 (REVISED)
The Recipe:
Food Network
The Elvis sandwich
2 tablespoons butter, softened
8 slices white bread
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 large, ripe banana, sliced
1/4 cup honey
12 slices bacon, Sauteed until crispy (optional)
Spread the butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. On the other side of half of the slices spread peanut butter. Place banana slices on top of peanut butter. Drizzle honey over bananas. Place 3 bacon slices on top of the banana, then place the remaining buttered bread slices on top, butter-side-out.
Place sandwiches on a preheated grill pan or griddle. Flip them over when they become golden brown and crispy. When the sandwiches are browned on both sides, remove to plates. Slice in half and serve immediately.
Responses: I made this one night a couple of hours after dinner and I was actually really excited about it. I had never had one before and I saw the recipe a couple of years ago on the food network. Making it was one of the most simple things I have ever cooked and the outcome was AMAZING. My mother walked in while I was frying the bacon and saw the ingredients and asked what I was making. When I said an Elvis sandwich she looked at me like I was crazy, knowing what it was. She then continued to ask me if I was pregnant, because only a pregnant women would crave such random things in a sandwich to which I answered a resounding NO!
Knowing my stepsister Jamie loved Elvis I called her over and invited her over for a surprise. When I showed her my finished product and told her the name she was extremely excited and rather puzzled as to how I came across this. We sat in my room and talked and ate these sandwiches which really hit the spot that night. She thought it was a really great snack, and thanked me for calling her over. I would recommend this to anyone who likes all of the ingredients in this sandwich! and even though it may sound crazy to combine them all, the outcome is simply pleasing!
Food Network
The Elvis sandwich
2 tablespoons butter, softened
8 slices white bread
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 large, ripe banana, sliced
1/4 cup honey
12 slices bacon, Sauteed until crispy (optional)
Spread the butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. On the other side of half of the slices spread peanut butter. Place banana slices on top of peanut butter. Drizzle honey over bananas. Place 3 bacon slices on top of the banana, then place the remaining buttered bread slices on top, butter-side-out.
Place sandwiches on a preheated grill pan or griddle. Flip them over when they become golden brown and crispy. When the sandwiches are browned on both sides, remove to plates. Slice in half and serve immediately.
Responses: I made this one night a couple of hours after dinner and I was actually really excited about it. I had never had one before and I saw the recipe a couple of years ago on the food network. Making it was one of the most simple things I have ever cooked and the outcome was AMAZING. My mother walked in while I was frying the bacon and saw the ingredients and asked what I was making. When I said an Elvis sandwich she looked at me like I was crazy, knowing what it was. She then continued to ask me if I was pregnant, because only a pregnant women would crave such random things in a sandwich to which I answered a resounding NO!
Knowing my stepsister Jamie loved Elvis I called her over and invited her over for a surprise. When I showed her my finished product and told her the name she was extremely excited and rather puzzled as to how I came across this. We sat in my room and talked and ate these sandwiches which really hit the spot that night. She thought it was a really great snack, and thanked me for calling her over. I would recommend this to anyone who likes all of the ingredients in this sandwich! and even though it may sound crazy to combine them all, the outcome is simply pleasing!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Food Assignment #8 Industrial food
When looking for information on industrial food I came across a very interesting definition of how industrial food operations work. The definition is as follows: "Industrial operations strive to increase production and maximize profit. These farms can cause much harm to the environment; depend heavily on petroleum and other fossil fuels; typically warrant the use of antibiotics, hormones and chemicals; and typically rely on a lean work force." By reading this it just furthers the argument that America will do anything to get more money and to sell more products. Even if that includes enslaving a race and forcing them to work on farms for little to no money to maximize profit. Or in this case manipulating our food supply by adding unhealthy chemicals to our animals or raping our land.
Watching the video on animal cruelty was just crazy to watch. I would have never guessed that the animals we eat are treated in that way. Its hypocritical of those who say they care so much about our food and want it to be only Grade A quality meat, but we don't feed these animals the way they should properly be eating and they are abused before they are killed. It makes me think how much people actually care about what they eat. And personally I feel bad watching that video but I wish I was still ignorant because I am still going to eat industrialzed foods. Our society has wrapped our entire culture around increasing production and maximizing profit that a lot of americans don't give a shit about good values like not abusing animals, etc.
Watching the video on animal cruelty was just crazy to watch. I would have never guessed that the animals we eat are treated in that way. Its hypocritical of those who say they care so much about our food and want it to be only Grade A quality meat, but we don't feed these animals the way they should properly be eating and they are abused before they are killed. It makes me think how much people actually care about what they eat. And personally I feel bad watching that video but I wish I was still ignorant because I am still going to eat industrialzed foods. Our society has wrapped our entire culture around increasing production and maximizing profit that a lot of americans don't give a shit about good values like not abusing animals, etc.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Food Assignment #7
The Recipe:
Food Network
The Elvis sandwich
2 tablespoons butter, softened
8 slices white bread
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 large, ripe banana, sliced
1/4 cup honey
12 slices bacon, Sauteed until crispy (optional)
Spread the butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. On the other side of half of the slices spread peanut butter. Place banana slices on top of peanut butter. Drizzle honey over bananas. Place 3 bacon slices on top of the banana, then place the remaining buttered bread slices on top, butter-side-out.
Place sandwiches on a preheated grill pan or griddle. Flip them over when they become golden brown and crispy. When the sandwiches are browned on both sides, remove to plates. Slice in half and serve immediately.
Food Network
The Elvis sandwich
2 tablespoons butter, softened
8 slices white bread
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 large, ripe banana, sliced
1/4 cup honey
12 slices bacon, Sauteed until crispy (optional)
Spread the butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. On the other side of half of the slices spread peanut butter. Place banana slices on top of peanut butter. Drizzle honey over bananas. Place 3 bacon slices on top of the banana, then place the remaining buttered bread slices on top, butter-side-out.
Place sandwiches on a preheated grill pan or griddle. Flip them over when they become golden brown and crispy. When the sandwiches are browned on both sides, remove to plates. Slice in half and serve immediately.
Comments on other peoples blogs
COMMENT TO MARGAUX:
One thing that I saw that was interesting on your blog was from your internet research. It said:
"That food companies are constantly competing with eachother, so that when one company makes their portions bigger, the other has to do the same. Once Mcdonalds creates supersize, so does all other fast foods, etc."
This isn't surprising to me but it I find it very interesting. I often see many of the same items at Mcdonalds as many other fast food place. This competition can be one of the leading causes of obesity, because of the lack of caring about peoples health and the motive of selling as much unhealthy food as possible.
COMMENT TO:
One thing that I saw that was interesting on your blog was from your internet research. It said:
"That food companies are constantly competing with eachother, so that when one company makes their portions bigger, the other has to do the same. Once Mcdonalds creates supersize, so does all other fast foods, etc."
This isn't surprising to me but it I find it very interesting. I often see many of the same items at Mcdonalds as many other fast food place. This competition can be one of the leading causes of obesity, because of the lack of caring about peoples health and the motive of selling as much unhealthy food as possible.
COMMENT TO:
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
FOOD Convention EXTRA CREDIT
When I was told about the food convention I didn't know what to expect, since I had never been to one before. I would have never found myself interested in something like this until I actually went and experienced it. I traveled to the convention with my parents and my friend Vicky and we had an amazingly great time. We stopped at all of the booths and talked and tried samples of everything. Some of the stuff looked great but didn't taste too great and something were just amazing. I decided I was going to stay for two workshops and carefully picked out the ones I wanted to spend time at. The first workshop I took was called "healthy eating can help beat diabetes" which focused on eating healthy and prevention of diabetes. This workshop was very important for me to take because my grandfather died of diabetes amongst other diseases so it helped me take a look at my eating habits and see what little changes I could make that would help make. I took some helpful tips that I am going to include in case anyone would like to read them...
* Instead of eating too much, you can eat smaller servings because bigger is NOT better. Check food labels, packages often contain more than one serving and that means extra calories if you eat the whole thing!
*Instead of drinking soda or sugary drinks, you can drink water, seltzer or 1% milk. This tip helped me out a lot because I never knew how bad and how much weight can be gained by drinking soda. I urged my mother to buy seltzer which satisfies my craving for bubbly soda as well as helps out my health.
*Instead of snacking on junk foods, eat healthier snacks such as pretzels, low fat popcorn, baby carrots, celery grapes, dried fruit, yogurt, etc.
*If you eat unhealthy fats and oils try to switch to healthier oils such as olive oil and canola oil. Use oils and spreads that say "0 grams trans fat"
* If you eat a lot of fast food try to eat it at least once a week and avoid super sizing up your meals.
* If you usually eat red meats, try buying fish chicken or turkey. Try boiling, grilling or steaming these meats.
The second workshop I took focused on was being healthy while expecting and was called " Women's health, Take control" This workshop was extremely interesting because it built off of our whole birth unit and it gave direct instructions on what women need to know. One thing that surprised me was the fact that in the workshop it talked about how a women controls if she wants to be pregnant or not and to take advantage of birth control methods if the women doesn't want to become pregnant. The workshop also addressed the fact that a women doesn't need a mans consent for reproductive services even if they are under the age of 18. This was very important to me because it made me even more aware of my options and the fact that adults recognized that even teenagers are capable of making decisions with this matter. This workshop was extremely empowering to me as a female. In the workshop they spoke about 10 specific ways women can stay healthy and gave out pamphlets to remind us women what we need to do. The 10 points from the pamphlet are:
1. Having a regular doctor and scheduling visits, which check for high blood pressure, diabetes, mammograms, etc.
2. Knowing your HIV status, use condoms, get tested for HIV/STD's, get vaccinated to ensure the health of yourself and the baby.
3. Be tobacco free! Quit smoking ad avoid second hand smoke to prolong your life and protect those around you. This is an issue I see a lot with pregnant women. I see a lot of pregnant women that still smoke and I know it is a hard habit to break but it upsets me that these women are so selfish that they put their needs before the health of their child. There are statistics that say more women die from lung cancer than ANY other cancer! Smoking greatly affects the child's size, features, and can make them more likely to have asthma, bronchitis, and can cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS)
4. Get regular exercise and eat a healthy diet.
5. Live free of independence on alcohol and drugs.
6. Get help if you are depressed or experiencing domestic violence.
7. Choose if and when to get pregnant- its every women's right.
8. If you're planning a pregnancy see a doctor or other health provider for a pre-pregnancy check up.
9. See a health care provider as soon as you think you might be pregnant.
10. Protect your developing baby!
A lot of these points are very important and it is crucial that women who are prenagnt are aware of all of these issues. Especially now with our society addicted to drugs, alcohol and unsafe sex. I am happy that I got to experience this particualr workshop along with my friend who found it very helpful as well but its bittersweet. A lot of women who are actually gpregnant are not aware of all of these dangers and because of their ignorance the child has to suffer. It is very sad but at least when the time comes I get prengant or anyone close to me does I will make sure to hand them this very helpful pamphlet and hopefully it will help!
Overall the food convention was very helpful and in the future I plan on being apart of it to help educate the community further.
* Instead of eating too much, you can eat smaller servings because bigger is NOT better. Check food labels, packages often contain more than one serving and that means extra calories if you eat the whole thing!
*Instead of drinking soda or sugary drinks, you can drink water, seltzer or 1% milk. This tip helped me out a lot because I never knew how bad and how much weight can be gained by drinking soda. I urged my mother to buy seltzer which satisfies my craving for bubbly soda as well as helps out my health.
*Instead of snacking on junk foods, eat healthier snacks such as pretzels, low fat popcorn, baby carrots, celery grapes, dried fruit, yogurt, etc.
*If you eat unhealthy fats and oils try to switch to healthier oils such as olive oil and canola oil. Use oils and spreads that say "0 grams trans fat"
* If you eat a lot of fast food try to eat it at least once a week and avoid super sizing up your meals.
* If you usually eat red meats, try buying fish chicken or turkey. Try boiling, grilling or steaming these meats.
The second workshop I took focused on was being healthy while expecting and was called " Women's health, Take control" This workshop was extremely interesting because it built off of our whole birth unit and it gave direct instructions on what women need to know. One thing that surprised me was the fact that in the workshop it talked about how a women controls if she wants to be pregnant or not and to take advantage of birth control methods if the women doesn't want to become pregnant. The workshop also addressed the fact that a women doesn't need a mans consent for reproductive services even if they are under the age of 18. This was very important to me because it made me even more aware of my options and the fact that adults recognized that even teenagers are capable of making decisions with this matter. This workshop was extremely empowering to me as a female. In the workshop they spoke about 10 specific ways women can stay healthy and gave out pamphlets to remind us women what we need to do. The 10 points from the pamphlet are:
1. Having a regular doctor and scheduling visits, which check for high blood pressure, diabetes, mammograms, etc.
2. Knowing your HIV status, use condoms, get tested for HIV/STD's, get vaccinated to ensure the health of yourself and the baby.
3. Be tobacco free! Quit smoking ad avoid second hand smoke to prolong your life and protect those around you. This is an issue I see a lot with pregnant women. I see a lot of pregnant women that still smoke and I know it is a hard habit to break but it upsets me that these women are so selfish that they put their needs before the health of their child. There are statistics that say more women die from lung cancer than ANY other cancer! Smoking greatly affects the child's size, features, and can make them more likely to have asthma, bronchitis, and can cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS)
4. Get regular exercise and eat a healthy diet.
5. Live free of independence on alcohol and drugs.
6. Get help if you are depressed or experiencing domestic violence.
7. Choose if and when to get pregnant- its every women's right.
8. If you're planning a pregnancy see a doctor or other health provider for a pre-pregnancy check up.
9. See a health care provider as soon as you think you might be pregnant.
10. Protect your developing baby!
A lot of these points are very important and it is crucial that women who are prenagnt are aware of all of these issues. Especially now with our society addicted to drugs, alcohol and unsafe sex. I am happy that I got to experience this particualr workshop along with my friend who found it very helpful as well but its bittersweet. A lot of women who are actually gpregnant are not aware of all of these dangers and because of their ignorance the child has to suffer. It is very sad but at least when the time comes I get prengant or anyone close to me does I will make sure to hand them this very helpful pamphlet and hopefully it will help!
Overall the food convention was very helpful and in the future I plan on being apart of it to help educate the community further.
Grocery Store and Habitual Food
*My family makes a trip to t he grocery store at least once a week. Usually its to take advantage of sales or stock up on something we've run out on in the fridge. Since my parents usually do the shopping I get to put away all the stuff so I get to see what they bought. The most frequent bought item is juice, along with a supply of chips cookies and eggs. A gallon of 1% milk bought as soon as the old one finishes. Sometimes my mother gets meat from the supermarket, but she usually goes to a local butcher to ensure that the meat is just the way she wants... fresh. She always buys a variety of breads which for a couple of years now, has been 3 grain or wheat. When I was younger I would only eat white bread but now she buys " healthier" bread for us to eat. There is always almonds and walnuts in my house because my mother and I like to put them in yogurt along with some honey. My mother has always been into healthy things, like soy beans, tofu and a lot of vegetables. Since I eat a select variety of vegetables, she only makes them for herself usually or she'll makes the vegetable that I like. There is ALWAYS carrots in my fridge, regular ones or baby carrots which I eat sometimes as a snack. The only fruits I can think of that are in my house are apples, bananas and oranges while the other fruits in my house are snacks like fig newtons or raspberry cookies which don't really count.
*Looking at the placement of foods in the grocery store it is quite interesting how things are set up. In my supermarket which is right across the street from my building everything is placed together in isles. If your looking for cookies, a whole two isles are devoted to junk foods. If your looking for vegetables and fruits another two isles on the opposite side of the store hold those. One thing that I find interesting is the placement of candy right near the cash register. One of the places people can spend the most time simply standing still is near the cash register waiting to pay for your groceries. I have seen women with children buy their kids candy because they have been standing in front of two shelves of it for ten minutes. Going back to this idea, supermarkets and a lot of junk food companies target little children because of their lack of knowledge for what is good for them. Little kids are less likely to say yes to a cookie and no to an apple if they had the chance to choose. I have never seen a supermarket with fresh fruit stands right next to the cash register, and for some reason I don't think I will.
*Looking at the placement of foods in the grocery store it is quite interesting how things are set up. In my supermarket which is right across the street from my building everything is placed together in isles. If your looking for cookies, a whole two isles are devoted to junk foods. If your looking for vegetables and fruits another two isles on the opposite side of the store hold those. One thing that I find interesting is the placement of candy right near the cash register. One of the places people can spend the most time simply standing still is near the cash register waiting to pay for your groceries. I have seen women with children buy their kids candy because they have been standing in front of two shelves of it for ten minutes. Going back to this idea, supermarkets and a lot of junk food companies target little children because of their lack of knowledge for what is good for them. Little kids are less likely to say yes to a cookie and no to an apple if they had the chance to choose. I have never seen a supermarket with fresh fruit stands right next to the cash register, and for some reason I don't think I will.
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