Food, Inc

          After watching Food, Inc I realized how little I knew about where my food comes from. Now I think twice before eating anything and question what really is in my food. What stood out to me the most was probably how the food companies deal with their problems. In 2001, a young boy named Kevin had a burger from a fast food restaurant. Twelve days later he was pronounced dead. It turned out that the burger he ate was contaminated with e.coli. After the food companies received reports of e.coli breakouts from their products, they didn't get to the bottom of the matter to see where it came from. Instead, they decided to add a chemical called ammonia to get rid of the bacteria by washing them with it. So basically, they added more harmful things to the food that we consume rather than making it better. This is a huge issue because now there are chemicals in our foods and little children are being exposed to them. 

          What I really liked about this film was that it opened the doors to the truth. It revealed what really goes on "in the kitchen". Nothing is really grown on farms anymore, it's mostly actually produced by machines and factories. And what's even more shocking is how the government supports all this. If I were to have a food formula it would be to eat what you desire but carefully. I would follow this rule because we all need to be aware of what our food contains. I love food but I have to be cautious because there can be dangerous ingredients in my food. Also try eating healthier, maybe consider all organic foods. There's always a healthier version of the unhealthy foods. Maybe not as great, but definitely rewarding to your health. 

Fast Food

      In Eric Schlosser's essay "What We Eat, " he argues how the fast food industry has taken over America. Eating at a fast food joint has become a regular part of our lives.  The food from these restaurants are inexpensive, the wait time may be about 3-5 minutes, and it tastes great; So what could possibly be wrong ? Well Schlosser shows us how it changed society and how the food affects us. Schlosser used several different methods in his essay.

      One method Schlosser used was comparison. An example of this was when he mentioned how Mcdonalds had beat coca cola in advertising which was actually the number one company before. He also compares how most of our money was spent a generation ago, to now. "A generation ago, three-quarters of the money used to buy food in the United States was spent to prepare meals at home. Today about half of the money used to buy food is spent at restaurants -mainly at fast food restaurants." This shows how Americans have changed because before meals were cooked at home and now no one seems to have the time to do that anymore.

      Another method Schlosser used was description. "...full of thick juicy burgers and long golden fries , rarely mentions where these foods come from nowadays or what ingredients they contain." (671).  He describes the appearance and texture of the food which are a huge reason people are attracted to the food not realizing what's really in it or where it came from. Schlosser also descriptively describes an average person walking into a fast food restaurant and placing an order. "Pull open the glass door, feel the rush of cool air, walk in, get on line, study the backlit  color photographs above the counter, place your order, hand over a few dollars, watch teenagers in uniforms pushing various buttons, and moments later take hold of a plastic tray full of food wrapped in colored paper and cardboard." (667-68). He shows how normal and easy it has become to get food in just a short amount of time.
      Schlosser also uses the method of process analysis when he mentions the step by step process on how one can effortlessly order food. "Pull open the glass door, feel the rush of cool air, walk in, get on line, study the backlit  color photographs above the counter, place your order, hand over a few dollars, watch teenagers in uniforms pushing various buttons, and moments later take hold of a plastic tray full of food wrapped in colored paper and cardboard." (667-68). Just a couple of steps is all you need in order to obtain a meal to fill your up your stomach. 

      By using several different methods in his essay, he made his argument much more stronger and stuffed with a plethora of facts and details. It definitely makes this writing piece more informative  and interesting. I feel that incorporating several different writing techniques is a great way to tie the essay together. Although,I feel that he could have included what really is inside the food that we eat,how it is made and what about it is about it that is so unhealthy. I agree with Schlosser's argument. The fast food industry has swept the nation like a giant plague. It's everywhere we go and has become a part of our daily lives. Sure the food tastes great and it is affordable, but does that really mean that it is right to consume them? I don't think so and I believe that we should all go for more healthier options, like maybe eat at home for once. 

Two ways to belong

        We always compare and contrast in our daily lives. Whether to get a good deal at a clothing store or just to find some differences and commonalities between two or more things. Comparing and contrasting helps narrow down certain aspects of a certain subject or object. In "Two ways to belong," written by Bharati Mukherjee, she tells a personal story of when she and her sister immigrated to America. 

        Mukherjee and her sister Mira were pretty much the same before coming to America.  "When we left India, we were almost identical in appearance and attitude. We dressed alike, in saris; we expressed identical views on politics, social issues, love, and marriage in the same Calcutta convent-school accent."(Mukherjee 272). They were so similar and shared pretty much the same ideas and beliefs.  But eventually, Mukherjee married someone who was outside of her culture. She loved being an American citizen and traveled around North America. On the other hand, Mira married someone from the same culture and planned to move back to India as soon as she retired. She had no desire to stay till after. 

        In this essay, Mukherjee mostly discusses the differences between her and her sister. They came with the same background and upbringing but ended up going in different paths. Although they did agree on one thing; How they felt when the government turned on them. For Mira because she was a target of being an immigrant(documented) and for Mukherjee when she stayed with her husband's family Canada and the government decided to go against the non traditional people.

        I think the main point of this essay is that these sisters may have been so alike but there can always be differences between them. Mukherjee grabbed her opportunity and took full advantage of her right as being a citizen, while Mira only used America as a source to make an income because she just wasn't as happy as she would've been if she was in India. I think they both are right because they are entitled to their own opinion. One of the sisters just didn't feel comfortable in America while the other sister did. 

The ways we lie

      In Stephanie Ericsson's essay, "The ways we lie", she starts it off by saying how she lied to the bank tellers that she sent a check in the mail when she clearly didn't. To me, I think that this was an example of a little white lie. This is because  her lie wasn't harming anyone, it was just to avoid fees from the bank. A white lie is one of the ten different lies she mentions. They are the white lie, facades, Ignoring the Plain Facts, Deflecting, Omission, Steroetypes and Cliches, Groupthink, Out-and-Out Lies, Dimissal, and lastly Delusion. I honestly didn't even know that there were so many different forms of lies.
   
      For every single category, Ericsson includes several examples. I think her using the example were the most important part of her explanations. For example, I had no idea what an out-and-out lies was but then she mentioned the incident with her five year old nephew which made it a lot more clearer. However, for some of the different categories like Groupthink, it was quite confusing and didn't make any sense. Her example of it also wasn't that helpful.

      I think that Ericsson wrote an essay about different types of lying because it's such a common thing to do. We lie all the time and sometimes we don't even realize it. Also I think that most of us don't even know that there are other forms of lying, including myself until now.  Ericsson may have wanted to bring to light that there are several methods of lying people use. I really liked how she started her essay by listing all the lies she told in such a short span of time.  This was most likely because she's no stranger to telling lies and that sometimes people lie for a reason. Like when her partner asked her how her day was, she said fine so that her partner doesn't have to worry about her problems.

A skunk in a bottle?

      In Robert Conners' essay, "How in the World Do You Get a Skunk Out of a Bottle?," he has quite an interesting title. I think he specifically named it this and in form of a question because throughout his whole essay, he was literally struggling to get a skunk out of a bottle. He tried several methods and they just weren't working. So obviously he just had no clue how in the world to get a skunk out of a bottle. Also, how often would a skunk really get stuck in a bottle? Not so frequently. So basically if someone were to read the title of this essay somewhere, they would immediately become curious and check it out. The title was a really good way to attract more audiences.

      The situation that Robert Conners encountered is such a rare occurrence. He probably wrote about this event in the form of a process analysis because he wanted to show every single thing that happened ever since he noticed the skunk. He described how the skunk was getting suffocated and taking long slow breaths and also how he was panting back and forth on how to help the poor skunk. Innocent animals are always getting into accidents because of litter and garbage thrown away. The skunk was just an example of one that fortunately was saved because of Conners, but some aren't as lucky.

      I think the main purpose of his essay was to show how animals are sometimes suffering because of us humans carelessly littering. We need to be more cautious of our actions because what we do can harm defenseless animals. So when we see a poor animal stuck in something, we shouldn't just watch but rather help if we can or ask someone else. When Conners finally got the bottle off of the skunk, they looked at each other before separating ways. It's as if the skunk was shocked that a human actually helped him. I felt like it was a very touchy moment.

False Advertising

    The picture on the right is what Mcdonalds normally displays on their ad campaigns.It shows a nice enlarged version of a sandwich with the appearance of fresh cheese, pickles, and sauce. On the other hand, the left picture shows a much smaller, less attractive sandwich that barely resembles what is usually advertised. In reality, we receive the sandwich that is shown on the left side. 

   As consumers, we tend to buy things that appeal to the eye, meaning if something looks good or at least attractive we are more likely to purchase it. Mcdonalds definitely tries to manipulate their customers by falsely advertising their products in order to attract more people. I'm pretty sure that if they advertised what their food really looks like, then there would be a lot less people eating at Mcdonalds. Advertisements are a really good way to convince people to buy things. As consumers we really have to question whether certain products are really as nice as they are shown.

Depression in College Students

      In Alissa Steiner's article "Depression in College Students," she explains how depression has become a huge problem in colleges throughout the nation. "Hopefully, as universities come to realize the importance of students' mental health in academic functioning, they will make funding their counseling services a priority." The thesis statement above fully depicts what Steiner is trying to convey. She provides an example of students that have tried to get in contact with counselors in their schools. One student, Hagar Liebermensch,  describes the hassle of trying to meet with the counselors in his college. He complains how it's not easy to make an appointment because there are huge time intervals between dates and also a huge problem for those who really need the help. Some people don't have time and need the attention as soon as possible or else it can be too late for them. 
      Steiner also included statistics by incorporating a study by the American College Health Associations in 2005 which showed 15 percent of college students were diagnosed with depression. I think Steiner presented a clear and informational argument that raises several questions like, will the counseling services ever be funded enough to support the college students? Or what's going to happen if they don't? She also gives examples of students that committed suicide because they didn't receive proper care or attention. If I were to do anything different in writing this essay I would compare the data of people suffering from depression before college and after college to show whether or not depression is really high specifically at this point in their lives which is in college because I'm wondering whether colleges would get more aid if the government sees that the years spent in college is a pretty crucial time period in most people's lives. 
      I agree with Steiner's argument because I believe that there's so much pressure during the college years and sometimes it's really hard to get the right type of help. College can be very stressing and can often lead to depression which is why the schools should provide enough counseling so that they can prevent such mental illnesses. The sooner they solve the problem or help reduce it, the more beneficial for everyone.