Assignments
Interactive activities that explore aspects of modern food
Interactive activities that explore aspects of modern food
For my McDonaldization exercise I rode my bike to Five Guys for dinner. Much like In-N-Out Burger, as discussed in by George Ritzer in the McDonaldization of Society, Five Guys fits one of those niches slightly outside the reach of complete McDonaldization. They use higher quality ingredients, very fill fillers, potatoes from varying farms and places, fresh beef and raw potatoes. These irrationalities are balanced with many forms of McDonaldization like uniform restaurant aesthetics and limited menu to increase efficiency.
I really liked the idea of walking into a fast food place and replacing the mold of the quick 15 second order with actual meaningful human interaction. So instead of ordering my usual burger and topics I decided to ask Marcus what I should get. I made sure to use his name in my question and his reaction was initially defensive. His initial reaction seemed like he thought I was testing him on his knowledge, or one of those pain in the ass customers that was going to ask questions about every ingredient. He really opened up a few seconds into it after it became evident that, hopefully from my demeanor and body language, that I was neither of those irritations. He told me that he really enjoyed the junior burgers because they were a more reasonable size and much less calories if I wanted a full burger. He has been eating the regular burger with bacon and no bun lately because he is currently trying the Keto diet. Either way he eats his burger with ALL THE WAY, which means with mayo, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, and mustard, and also adds jalapeno peppers and green peppers.
I asked him about his favorite foods on the Keto diet and he said breakfast was the easiest for him because he can eat as many eggs and as much bacon as he wanted to. He’s been on the keto diet for 4 months and has lost 15 pounds and said his energy levels have never been higher. I told him I tried the keto diet and after a few weeks decided it wasn’t for me. In the end I ordered a little cheeseburger with mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, and the jalapenos that he recommended. Marcus gave me a number and I walked to the other end of the counter and returned to the world of McDonaldization. I think this conversation was possible only because I was just before the dinner rush and the only person ordering at the time. There were a few people standing and waiting for their food, but no rush behind me. I do not believe I would have gotten much of a recommendation, let alone any meaningful human interaction if there was even a single person behind me. My food took about 10 minutes to finish cooking, I was called by my number, and handed my burger wrapped in a brown paper bag. I sat and ate my burger without any additional interaction the entire trip.
I really liked the idea of walking into a fast food place and replacing the mold of the quick 15 second order with actual meaningful human interaction. So instead of ordering my usual burger and topics I decided to ask Marcus what I should get. I made sure to use his name in my question and his reaction was initially defensive. His initial reaction seemed like he thought I was testing him on his knowledge, or one of those pain in the ass customers that was going to ask questions about every ingredient. He really opened up a few seconds into it after it became evident that, hopefully from my demeanor and body language, that I was neither of those irritations. He told me that he really enjoyed the junior burgers because they were a more reasonable size and much less calories if I wanted a full burger. He has been eating the regular burger with bacon and no bun lately because he is currently trying the Keto diet. Either way he eats his burger with ALL THE WAY, which means with mayo, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, and mustard, and also adds jalapeno peppers and green peppers.
I asked him about his favorite foods on the Keto diet and he said breakfast was the easiest for him because he can eat as many eggs and as much bacon as he wanted to. He’s been on the keto diet for 4 months and has lost 15 pounds and said his energy levels have never been higher. I told him I tried the keto diet and after a few weeks decided it wasn’t for me. In the end I ordered a little cheeseburger with mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, and the jalapenos that he recommended. Marcus gave me a number and I walked to the other end of the counter and returned to the world of McDonaldization. I think this conversation was possible only because I was just before the dinner rush and the only person ordering at the time. There were a few people standing and waiting for their food, but no rush behind me. I do not believe I would have gotten much of a recommendation, let alone any meaningful human interaction if there was even a single person behind me. My food took about 10 minutes to finish cooking, I was called by my number, and handed my burger wrapped in a brown paper bag. I sat and ate my burger without any additional interaction the entire trip.
Refrigerator Photography
A Suburban Surprise
10/3/2018
I originally asked our new next-door neighbors to take pictures of their fridge, but thought it was cheating since I had already met them a few days before. So, wanting completely fresh introductions and no preconceived biases, I took a walk around the neighborhood to find another fridge photography victim. I waylaid Eric as he was sweeping grass off his sidewalk and watching his two year old son play in a battery operated mini monster truck. Eric, along with his wife Beth and son Austin, live on the opposite side of our eighty house middle-class neighborhood in Mason, Michigan. I took note of the two nice cars in the driveway, the motorcycle in the garage, the well maintained lawn, and the swing set in the backyard; Eric and Beth did not seem to struggle financially like many of the families we’ve discussed so far. After explaining my assignment I was invited inside to take pictures and discuss some of their common meals and general eating habits.
Their fridge was what I expected the typical young American family of three’s fridge to contain. Foods I consider healthier options, and regularly have in my own home, were a gallon of fresh milk, a gallon of local apple cider, a large tray of eggs, a couple avocados, a bag of green beans, a cucumber, cheese, and grapes. The rest of the fridge had margarine, condiments, high sugar yogurts, packaged deli meats, and a package of breakfast sausages. The freezer had a couple bags of ice for the weekend tailgate, frozen waffles, leftover ice creams and shakes, a couple variations of chicken nuggets, fish sticks, hash browns. The typical breakfast for Austin is a waffle or two, with the adults drinking coffee and maybe a yogurt. Lunches for Austin are eaten at daycare, and Eric and Beth usually grab something at work like fast food. Dinners are very often ordered out, they had just ordered pizza from Marco’s when I stopped by. Other common dinners are any combination of the frozen items in the freezer. One thing I found strange was that what I typically consider breakfast items like eggs and hash browns were more often consumed at night than in the morning.
The most interesting part of their fridge to me was how there was not a big difference from the families in poverty that Wei-ting Chen in From “Junk Food” to “Treats” discussed. Eric and Beth also talked about making healthy choices and avoiding sugars, but had a fridge full of items that contain high fructose corn syrup and a lot of added sugars. I was also surprised how little they cooked from scratch. Their fridge and freezer look pretty full upon initial glance, but when digging in there isn’t much substance.
Their fridge was what I expected the typical young American family of three’s fridge to contain. Foods I consider healthier options, and regularly have in my own home, were a gallon of fresh milk, a gallon of local apple cider, a large tray of eggs, a couple avocados, a bag of green beans, a cucumber, cheese, and grapes. The rest of the fridge had margarine, condiments, high sugar yogurts, packaged deli meats, and a package of breakfast sausages. The freezer had a couple bags of ice for the weekend tailgate, frozen waffles, leftover ice creams and shakes, a couple variations of chicken nuggets, fish sticks, hash browns. The typical breakfast for Austin is a waffle or two, with the adults drinking coffee and maybe a yogurt. Lunches for Austin are eaten at daycare, and Eric and Beth usually grab something at work like fast food. Dinners are very often ordered out, they had just ordered pizza from Marco’s when I stopped by. Other common dinners are any combination of the frozen items in the freezer. One thing I found strange was that what I typically consider breakfast items like eggs and hash browns were more often consumed at night than in the morning.
The most interesting part of their fridge to me was how there was not a big difference from the families in poverty that Wei-ting Chen in From “Junk Food” to “Treats” discussed. Eric and Beth also talked about making healthy choices and avoiding sugars, but had a fridge full of items that contain high fructose corn syrup and a lot of added sugars. I was also surprised how little they cooked from scratch. Their fridge and freezer look pretty full upon initial glance, but when digging in there isn’t much substance.
Thursday, September 13th, 2018
Breakfast
Friday, September 14th, 2018
Breakfast
In general I feel like I eat very healthy, at least in comparison to the average college student. I try to eat very little from packaged foods, and the worst I used to think I typically consume is the occasional craft beer or post hockey Labatt carbohydrate replenishment. For the first day I started with a fairly standard breakfast of eggs cooked in butter and avocado. Sometimes I vary between adding bacon and oatmeal depending on my hunger level or time. For lunch I ate with a group at work, which is a fairly common occurrence. We went to Meat BBQ in Lansing where I got a pulled pork sandwich on a bun with coleslaw, sauce, pickles, and jalapenos. I usually think of newer and small locally owned restaurants as having a higher quality of food both in taste and where it came from. For dinner I met some friends like I do every Thursday night prior to hockey and went to Ellison. They have a food truck on Thursdays called Detroit Frankie's that serves phenomenal pizza.
For my second day my goal was to remove any unknown ingredients from eating out and to not eat anything with preservatives or any other labeled ingredients that weren't what I directly wanted to consume. While both places I ate at were known for quality food I still do not believe that every ingredient was completely organic and not processed. At Meat I was suspect of the buns, the coleslaw, and the sauces. At Frankie's I was suspect of the dough and the sauces used. While I would like to inquire into any of the ingredients at both places I did not have time to travel around and make phone calls. For breakfast instead of using lime juice from my plastic Meijer bottle than contained a preservative I purchased a lime and used that juice directly. I also wasn't very hungry so I grabbed a few cups of cantaloupe that we had cut up and stored in the fridge. We meal prep in my house typically with a meat, a vegetable, and some form of carbohydrate. Since I ate lunch out the day before I had one extra left over for my weekly meals that I wanted to finish on Friday. If I wasn't trying to eat healthier than the day before we may have gone out to eat or create some sort of casserole that may have included boxed short cuts (like stuffing), but I was determined to stick to minimal ingredients. I usually drink either water or some sort of sparkling water like Perrier. I refrained from the Perrier for the second day because I do not know what the natural flavors or minerals are, or their source. It was incredibly hard for me, even someone that has a very healthy regular diet, to eliminate all processed foods with potentially dangerous additives.
Breakfast
- Two eggs. Meijer. Scrambled
- 2 tablespoons butter. Land of the Lakes Butter salted
- 1/2 avocado
- Lime juice. Meijer bottle
- Pulled pork sandwich with slaw, pickles, jalapenos, and sweet BBQ sauce. Meat BBQ
- Two slices pizza, Ellison food truck
- 1 Ellison Brewing IPA, 16 oz draft
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 2 Labatt Blue Light 12 oz cans
Friday, September 14th, 2018
Breakfast
- 1/2 avocado
- Lime juice from 1/2 lime
- 2 cups canteloupe
- 8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, Meijer
- 1 cup cooked brown long grain rice
- 1 cup broccoli
- 8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, Meijer
- 1 cup baked potato wedges
- 1 cup canned green beans
In general I feel like I eat very healthy, at least in comparison to the average college student. I try to eat very little from packaged foods, and the worst I used to think I typically consume is the occasional craft beer or post hockey Labatt carbohydrate replenishment. For the first day I started with a fairly standard breakfast of eggs cooked in butter and avocado. Sometimes I vary between adding bacon and oatmeal depending on my hunger level or time. For lunch I ate with a group at work, which is a fairly common occurrence. We went to Meat BBQ in Lansing where I got a pulled pork sandwich on a bun with coleslaw, sauce, pickles, and jalapenos. I usually think of newer and small locally owned restaurants as having a higher quality of food both in taste and where it came from. For dinner I met some friends like I do every Thursday night prior to hockey and went to Ellison. They have a food truck on Thursdays called Detroit Frankie's that serves phenomenal pizza.
For my second day my goal was to remove any unknown ingredients from eating out and to not eat anything with preservatives or any other labeled ingredients that weren't what I directly wanted to consume. While both places I ate at were known for quality food I still do not believe that every ingredient was completely organic and not processed. At Meat I was suspect of the buns, the coleslaw, and the sauces. At Frankie's I was suspect of the dough and the sauces used. While I would like to inquire into any of the ingredients at both places I did not have time to travel around and make phone calls. For breakfast instead of using lime juice from my plastic Meijer bottle than contained a preservative I purchased a lime and used that juice directly. I also wasn't very hungry so I grabbed a few cups of cantaloupe that we had cut up and stored in the fridge. We meal prep in my house typically with a meat, a vegetable, and some form of carbohydrate. Since I ate lunch out the day before I had one extra left over for my weekly meals that I wanted to finish on Friday. If I wasn't trying to eat healthier than the day before we may have gone out to eat or create some sort of casserole that may have included boxed short cuts (like stuffing), but I was determined to stick to minimal ingredients. I usually drink either water or some sort of sparkling water like Perrier. I refrained from the Perrier for the second day because I do not know what the natural flavors or minerals are, or their source. It was incredibly hard for me, even someone that has a very healthy regular diet, to eliminate all processed foods with potentially dangerous additives.