Industrial Food Diaries
This assignment was both challenging and eye-opening for me, as I got a sense for the amount of processed and non-processed foods that I eat on a daily basis. On the first day, I ate as I normally would and consumed many processed foods. While I am not completely certain about how the Brody Cafeteria Chefs make their eggs and sausage, I have a feeling that the eggs are most likely from a powder or carton and that the sausages are shipped frozen to the school (due to the sheer number of students eating sausages in the mornings). These products, like many of the food products mentioned by Melanie Warner in her book, Pandora's Lunchbox, are most likely kept fresh during transportation by many salts and preservatives. After checking on the MSU Nutrition site, I confirmed that the sausages did contain multiple sodium-based chemicals, including Sodium Erythorbate and Sodium Nitrite. Another food that I consumed that was highly processed was the Sargento Cheddar Cheese, Cranberry and Cashew Snack Pack. This pack, similar to the Lunchables mentioned by Michael Moss in his article, "The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food," most likely contained many preservatives as well as added sugars and fats to keep the product looking the same in every package.
On Tuesday, I tried to avoid as many processed foods as I could. I ate a lot of vegetables and fruits, which aside from slight preservatives for shipping I believe were fairly non-processed. The bacon I ate on the BLT was most likely processed, as I saw a box of frozen bacon in that kitchen that was transported from somewhere else. One highly-processed item that I could not avoid eating was my Quest Protein Bar. In the mornings, I do not have the time nor the access to the proper equipment to make myself a protein-packed breakfast that is both low in carbohydrates and sugars. I try my best to keep a strict low-carb, low-sugar and high protein diet on days that I am exercising, and it is hard to find a quick meal in the morning that will satisfy these requirements. Like Warner mentions in Pandora's Lunchbox, there are a few upsides as explained by several employees and chemists in the food production industry to mass produced foods. Many of them contain just the right amount of nutritional value that certain people need in their diets. For me, I need a low-carb, low sugar and high protein bar that will satisfy me and get me through my workout. While I may think that this bar is keeping me healthy and in shape, I may not know the full effects that the added chemicals in the bar are having on my body, as suggested by Warner when she talks about the many chemicals in Subway's bread.
Monday, September 17th: Eating Industrial Foods/Processed Foods
- Breakfast: For breakfast today, I ate scrambled eggs, sausage, and French Roast Coffee from the Brody Cafeteria at MSU.
- Lunch: For lunch, I ate a bagel and cream cheese that I took from the Brody Cafeteria on my way out of breakfast.
- Dinner: For dinner, I ate a piece of grilled chicken, brown rice, steamed vegetables and a baked potato prepared by our house chef.
- Snack: I consumed several snacks today as well, which included a Raspberry Nutri-Grain Bar, a Sargento cheddar cheese, cashew, and cranberry snack pack, and an apple.
Tuesday, September 18th: Trying to Avoid Industrial/Processed Foods
- Breakfast: For breakfast today, I ate a Quest Protein Bar, as I went to the gym in the morning and that is what I always eat before I exercise. I also drank a K-Cup (Keurig) Coffee.
- Lunch: For lunch today, I consumed a hearty salad with lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, tomatoes, jalepenos, banana peppers and a light balsamic vinaigrette as the dressing. I also had half of a BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato) Sandwich that our Chef made for us.
- Dinner: for dinner today, I ate spaghetti and marinara sauce with a side salad of lettuce, tomato, banana pepper, shredded cheddar cheese and a light balsamic vinaigrette.
- Snack: I consumed several snacks today as well, which included an apple, an orange, and some Rold Gold Pretzels.
Photograph of Refrigerator
Below this paragraph is a picture of my neighbor's fridge. Judging by the contents within the fridge, I predict that he and his family share a fairly healthy, environmentally-aware household. Within the two bottom shelves of the fridge are many fresh fruits and vegetables, like carrots, lemons, spinach, kale, lettuce, and onions. Some of these products were clearly packaged and purchased at a store, but they seem fresh nonetheless. I also saw resealable Tupperware, showing that this family is not the type to scrap extra food. I do see a fair amount of processed food products, including bottles of Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper, pre-packaged yogurt, wrapped cheese-sticks, tomato sauce, salad dressings and ketchup. Clearly, this family regularly shops at a supermarket where these products are available. I also saw a carton of what appeared to be milk or egg product that contained the word, "VEGAN" on the side, signaling that someone in the family may choose to keep a vegan diet or has a dietary restriction.
In the freezer, I saw packaged girl scout cookies (thin mints... yum), frozen potatoes and other pre-made side dishes. This made me think that this family may be a busy one, with both household owners working jobs. These pre-made dishes most likely serve them well on busier days when time is of the essence, and dinner must be made. This relates to the article by Laura Shapiro, in which she says that time is factor that motivates people to purchase pre-made, processed frozen foods. These foods are only side dishes, it seems, so this family most likely retains a feeling of creativity when cooking, as Shapiro references. I did not see a lot of meat in the freezer, and I also saw vegetables roasting on the stove as I took this picture (the family was preparing for dinner). This made me believe that the family might be vegetarian, which would make sense based on the amount of vegetables and fruits the family had.
Overall, this fridge signaled to me that this family is a healthy American family. They seem to eat fresh, wholesome foods with limited junk food (The Mountain Dew and Thin Mints being the only exception!) I believe that this family most likely does more to conserve food and plastic-ware than the average family, utilizing Tupperware and large pitchers to save food and drink that is not consumed. I also heard from the owner that they had just stocked the fridge, so this was about all they would have in their fridge at any given time. It seems they eat healthier than the average American family, and I assume they have secure jobs with a substantial salary to pay for the amount of fresh produce they have.
Overall, this fridge signaled to me that this family is a healthy American family. They seem to eat fresh, wholesome foods with limited junk food (The Mountain Dew and Thin Mints being the only exception!) I believe that this family most likely does more to conserve food and plastic-ware than the average family, utilizing Tupperware and large pitchers to save food and drink that is not consumed. I also heard from the owner that they had just stocked the fridge, so this was about all they would have in their fridge at any given time. It seems they eat healthier than the average American family, and I assume they have secure jobs with a substantial salary to pay for the amount of fresh produce they have.
McDonaldization Exercise: Disturbance at the Drive Thru
For this assignment, I was tasked with doing something out of the ordinary and disrupt the McDonaldization process at a store or restaurant. decided to make the Drive-Thru process at Dunkin Donuts longer to see how people would react. When I got to the microphone to place my order, I heard a voice ask, “Welcome to Dunkin Donuts, what can I get started for you this morning?” The employee clearly had the expectation that I already knew what I wanted and would tell her as soon as she asked, as implied by her tone which sounded as if she was a broken record who had been asking the exact same question and receiving quick responses for hours. Normally, the ordering process takes about 30 seconds and the rest of the Drive Thru takes no longer than a few minutes. It took me four minutes to order. To go against the grain, I did not respond with my order. Instead, I asked about the products. I asked the employee a multitude of questions about what kind of roasts were available for the coffee, what kind of coffee beans were used to make the coffee, if there were differences in caffeine and calorie content of the drinks, and whether the beans were from the United States or if they were grown elsewhere. For some of the questions, the employee easily listed off options, and told me what kind of roasts and brews Dunkin Donuts offered. For other questions, the employee was unable to give me an answer or made assumptions to pass off the questions. For example, her response to my question about what kind of beans were used was, “I am not sure, but I think that they are all the same beans.” After each question I asked, the employee became increasingly irritated and clearly was annoyed that I was asking so much of her. Finally, I gave in and ordered a regular coffee and retrieved it from the checkout window.
Overall, I felt strange completing this exercise. I did not like irritating the Dunkin Donuts employee, and cars behind me began to honk because I was taking so long. I felt that the employee was not able to answer my questions successfully, and I believe that an employee at an artisan café or nice restaurant would have been able to tell me more about their coffee than this Dunkin Donuts employee. While Dunkin Donuts does provide a quick way to get coffee, I feel that you lose a degree of authenticity and quality of product when you purchase a coffee at Dunkin Donuts. As she describes in her book, “Pandora’s Lunchbox,” Melanie Warner describes how many fast food restaurants use highly processed and standardized ingredients to produce their food, like Subway. I believe that the coffee beans used to make Dunkin Donuts’ coffee is also processed and highly standardized and believe that as a result the employees know very little about the product aside from flavors, basic qualities and price. I concluded that purchasing coffee at a Dunkin Donuts drive through is worth it if you know exactly what you want, however, not if you are looking for an authentic cup of coffee that you wish to know more about.