The Struggle to Eat After Watching Food Inc.

When I am home, I am lucky enough to have a farmers' market year round, local milk delivered to the front door, chickens that lay eggs in my back yard, and parents who care about all of these things, and also purchase local beef. For me, eating on the meal plan at school had already been difficult enough. Then, I watched Food Inc.

I have seen Food Inc. before, but that was in high school, when I still lived at home. It definitely left an impression on me then, but living at home, it was much easier to eat organically and locally produced food. Now, after seeing the film again, I am confined to the foods provided by Aramark - the majority of which are definitely not organic, or local, and in many cases not even healthy. I have been struggling to pick which foods I want to eat. In general, I tend not to eat much meat from school, but after watching the film, I now struggle with other things as well. Even the salad vegetables. I think about how they were mass produced, and possibly genetically modified. There were grown somewhere far away, and picked before they were ripe. I don't even get tomatoes from the dining hall anymore because they don't taste anything like a real tomato. But when I have convinced myself that even the salad bar is not a good option, what am I left with? I envy the incoming classes who will have access to more local food with the changing dining hall plans, but I am happy that Wheaton is moving in that direction.

My sad looking salad from Emerson. 

What makes a care package so caring?

We have all had that moment of excitement when our phone lights up with a notification from the mail room- a package!!! Personally, my mind starts running. Is it the shoes I ordered? Maybe a book? Or the best possibility- a care package from my mom.  I might be a little biased, but I believe my mom sends the most amazing and heart-warming care packages ever. Even the idea of a care package from my mom makes me smile. And this led me to wonder, what is so special about care packages? Why does a simple box of trinkets and food embody so much emotion? Sure, her cute greeting cards that are most commonly covered with cats wearing sweaters are delightful, but there is something more going on. After hours, okay, maybe minutes, of contemplation I realized it wasn't the cards or the festively decorated socks that make me love care packages so much- it’s the food. The staples of my mom’s care packages include home-made chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin bread (a favorite among my roommates). These sweet and delicious desserts are the foundation that I grew up on. Every party or gathering in my childhood consisted of cookies and there definitely was not a fall season without pumpkin bread. Receiving these foods in a care package from home reminded me of all of the comforts that I had as a childhood. Something as simple as a bite of pumpkin bread floods my mind with memories of my home and my mother 2000 miles away.

 

The goodies from my mom's most recent care package.

 As I started to think more about the affective nature of care packages it led me to think about the other side. How does my mom feel when she sends a package? Does making a package carry the same emotion? To find out I asked the care package goddess herself, my mother. My mom told me that even though make a care package can actually be quite a lot of work it is always worth it. In her words, “Being so far away from you guys, sending a care package makes me feel a little bit closer- more a part of your lives. We miss you guys. And it is always a nice thing to hear that people like your cookies and want more.” As someone who was always hosting a gaggle of my friends at our house and constantly making snacks and hosting team dinners, it make sense that my mom would miss being a part of my life in this way. Even though she can’t cook a dinner for me and my friends any more, she can send cookies or bread instead and can still be a part of my life. A care package isn't just a package of goodies, it is a link between my life in Massachusetts and my mom in Colorado.

What is comfort food?

This October break, I went to my roommate’s house for the long weekend. I chose not to go home because I didn’t want to pay travel expenses and my best friend/roommate offered for me to come over. Though they are not my family, we are very close and I can consider them family. Essentially they are a home away from home.

While we were there, of the many things we did throughout our day, mealtime was our favorite. Since good food is in shortage at Wheaton College, we had to indulge and what better way than to eat out at a restaurant for every meal?

On Thursday, on our way from campus to his house in Andover, Massachusetts, we stopped in for a late lunch at a Vietnamese Restaurant known for its Pho, or rice noodle soup. This soup usually contains beef or chicken as well as bean sprouts, cilantro, lime, and pepper. It is a very popular Vietnamese dish that has been globalized the rest of the world. To compare it to something, it is like a healthier version of ramen noodles. It was just my best friend and I enjoying the graces of a hot broth of vegetables, noodles, and beef. It was definitely the best meal of that break because it had meaning to me.

Pho is considered to be one of my comfort foods. I don’t regularly eat it but my mother makes it on occasion when she has the time. Being part Taiwanese allows me to try foods of my culture and those that are in ties, associating with foods like dumplings, noodles, and sticky rice, a sweet and glutinous dish with pork and mushrooms that my grandmother usually makes for the holidays. A comfort food should mean something to the eater and bring back a sensory memory or reminder of what something was like in the past. Of the many interpretations, it can bring a feeling of peacefulness, happiness, or of the feeling of being surrounded by loved ones.

The last time my mother visited me at school this year, she brought up a stockpile of food for me, including homemade sticky rice and pho. The pho was from one of my favorite restaurants. It was tasty and emulated the thought of my mother caring to buy something for me. Even though I was away from home and hadn’t been back since I left for school, the food on that Thursday delivered me back to my house eating with my family through the sensory experience when I smelled the citrus-beef broth escaping from the bowl in front of me. It reminded me of when my mother visited and calmed my homesickness down. In my own sense of the word, comfort food brings me back to a time and place where that food was present, the setting was filled with family and friends and happiness was contagious. Being at this restaurant with my roommate reminded me of this type of time and the next time I eat pho, I will remember the feeling once again of comfort food, adding the emotion of eating pho with my roommate that one great weekend to my memory.

What's Important About Dining Halls?

Clearly dining halls are an integral part of the college campus, student life, and the overall college experience. They are notoriously avoided if possible, which is not often, for their usually below-par food. So what makes dining halls so important? Besides the obvious, of course, which is that they serve us food. They are a social space: a vehicle for social interaction. During the day, it seems that a lot of people get their food to go, in those little red and white to-go boats, if they have a class to get to, some work to catch up on, or don’t want to sit alone. 

I find the dining halls most interesting at night, around dinnertime, since that’s when the majority of the student body flocks to Chase and Emerson. You see different kinds of groups sitting together; sports teams, random assortments of friends, different clubs, etc. Eating is an extremely social action, so it’s only natural that the dining halls become such a space for social interaction. For the freshmen, during the first couple of days of orientation, meals in the dining halls make for prime friend-making opportunities, and can act as an aid in bringing people together.

If it weren’t for the dining halls and the time I spend there, I most likely wouldn’t see half as many of my friends on such a regular basis. Dining halls are important because they bring people together, and can help keep people from becoming too isolated if they otherwise don’t spend that much time socializing, which I think can be very important. 

Sharing Food

Sharing food is by definition a community activity that either brings people together or at least signifies an act of generosity between people. This sense of community is increased when sharing food involves eating it together.  Last night an exec board meeting turned into an impromptu strawberry cheesecake eating session. Even on a campus with dining halls that are open until midnight the prospect of food, particularly desserts, can be very exciting.  I would argue, that more so then meals which tends to be shared among the same group of people, an impromptu sharing of food can bring together people who normally may not interact in social settings. Additionally, this type of food can often feel personal since it is often “homemade” or have a story behind it. In this case, the cheesecake was bought for a student by her boyfriend’s parents when she first met them.

Post Food.inc

Thursday morning, after finishing Food Inc, I was over come with a desire to eat better. As I was about to leave, my fellow classmate Ivy stopped me and changed my morning. First she asked if I wanted to go get some breakfast off campus (always a game changer for my morning), and then she told me about this amazing place, The Breakfast place. She described how this place specialized in locally sourced, grass-fed meat, as well as locally grown veggies and coffee(fyi, some of the best coffee I have ever had, no bitter after taste) I had been going to Wheaton for 4 years, considering myself a well informed eater in the area and I had never heard about this place. This place is a hidden gem tucked away in the corner of a small building in attleboro. Unassuming from the outside, and one of the most down to earth places on the inside. The walls are strewn with chalkboards showing amazing seasonal specials and their locally sourced Razzo's coffee. 

Outside of their ingredients, it was not much different from any other diner I had ever been in. It had the same feel, same affordable prices, and the same adorable down to earth conversation you can expect in any diner. It was refreshing to see a business catering to all manner of people, from college students like myself to individuals, for example when I was there, wearing work boots and pants, covered in many different stains I can only assume came from a hard job of physical labor. Even the people who worked there expressed to me an interest in being a hair dresser outside of working at the diner. The Breakfast place successfully brought together individuals of different classes and backgrounds over a meal they could be proud of. Especially in a time when foods such as grass-fed beef and locally sourced veggies are considered an upper middle and upper class diet by most, it was nice to see the food not commodified, but made accessible to everyone. Similar to Stoneyfield's message, the food was accessible, and made for everyone. It wasn't some fancy over blown, place with fancy items on the menu, it was the Breakfast Place, with steak and eggs, eggs benny, corned beef hash, and waffles and french toast that would blow your mind. No what I had, was special, grilled tomato, with an herb hollandaise sauce, and locally sourced uncured bacon. Especially after watching a movie like Food Inc. This place was a refreshing change from the foods I, as a college student usually have access to in neighboring areas.  

Help Me I'm Poor

You may proudly serve, but do we proudly consume?

According to a 2011 article in the American Journal of Health Education, written by Gary McIlvain, a study examined 500 college freshmen regarding caffeine intake. McIlvain found that "83% of the students reported having at least one sign/ symptom of caffeine intoxication in the past; 51% reported having at least one sign/ symptom of caffeine withdrawal. Students consumed three to five times the recommended amount of caffeine". The high correlation between caffeine consumption and college students creates an obvious market for coffee vendors surrounding college campuses. On the other hand, there is another correlation that occurs predominantly in college campuses; the correlation between college-aged people and the lack of money to spend. 

At Wheaton, the Hood Cafe in Balfour, run by a partnership between Starbucks and Aramark, and the corresponding cafe in the Science Center are the only places on campus to get a truly delicious cup of coffee on the go (sorry folks, but the Chase and Emerson coffee just doesn't do it for everyone). What is the problem you ask? Well, the problem is I -as well as my fellow students -don't want to pay close to $5.00 for a caramel flavored ice coffee every time we are itching for the highly demanded caffeine needed in our daily schedule. It is aggravating to know if it was more easily accessible, I could get the same satisfaction from a caramel flavored coffee at Dunkin' Donuts for half of the price. The Wheaton dining service provides $37.50 of Lyon's bucks on your student ID at the start of every semester, but if you are an avid coffee drinker, that money could be blown halfway through the semester, leaving you to pay that four to five dollars for a "gourmet coffee" out of pocket. This idea is a classic case of supply and demand, where a business capitalizes on the market's wants and needs. The Starbucks at the Hood Cafe is able to price its goods significantly high because it has very little competition to work with here on campus.

As we have talked about in class, caffeine is a commodity known as a "drug food", which is a type of food that can elicit cravings and create responses in your brain similar to those in addictive drugs. Other examples of drug foods are alcohol, chocolate and sugar,  Because of this natural desire to consume it, coffee has the power to drive a market and in this case, the market is in the hands of Starbucks Coffee Company here at Wheaton. If you are an active member in the coffee market such as myself, your bank account will suffer greatly from those late morning cravings when the cafe is the only means of obtaining your caffeine fix.

Food in Context: Peacock Pond

 

​Recently, my Ponds to Particles science class took it upon ourselves to conduct a relatively thorough cleanup of Peacock Pond. Our goal was to clean out waste, raise awareness, and restore the ecosystem to its natural equilibrium. Expecting to find mostly plastic and glass products, I was shocked to find that upwards of 166 pieces of food waste were recovered in less than two hours (and believe me, we could have found more). This food waste consisted primarily of fruits that appeared to have been attained by students from Chase and Emerson dining halls. My first inquiry was what was the reason students were throwing food into the pond, and what kind of effect would it have on the delicate ecosystem?

      Students clean Peacock Pond 

​While waist deep in the murky waters of Peacock Pond with fellow students and President Hanno, it was brought up that a certain team (that will remain unnamed) had a hazing ritual involving freshman throwing oranges across the pond, and when the fruit inevitably couldn't make it to the opposite bank, the freshman would have to swim across the pond. Other stories such as fruit-throwing challenges, acts of boredom, and disposal of unwanted food waste were all shared, and I came to the conclusion that people were not viewing the fruit as food, but as a means of entertainment. Surprisingly, only a small portion of people admitted to using the pond as a place to dump trash, but rather indicated that they had thrown trash in for sport. Therefore, in the context of Peacock Pond, food no longer holds value as a means of nutrition, but becomes a game.

​Unfortunately for the plants and animals living in the pond, that fruit is neither a means of nutrition, nor a means of entertainment. Little do the students of Wheaton College know, those rotting fruits create a surplus of bacteria and acidity in the water.  In the context of animal life, those fruits are detrimental to their environment. This just demonstrates a reoccurring theme in Feast or Famine and the field of anthropology, that context can change the meaning of an object. In the context of Chase or Emerson an orange is sustenance, in the context of Peacock Pond oranges are toys, and in the context of the biodiversity living in the pond oranges are poison. These acts also demonstrates to the larger community that Wheaton Students are not concerned about food conservation, the ponds ecosystem, or the aesthetics of their home. Food should remain in the context of production, distribution and consumption.

Birthday Blog

Lemon ricotta spongecake made by my auntie over break

Birthdays are a very interesting gastronomical and gastropolitical event for at least in my family and amongst my friends, the event is almost always surrounding or surrounded by food. This year was an especially exciting and intricate event because not only have I reached the "American milestone" by turning 21, but I was also able to celebrate for an entire week as my mom came to the east coast from California for october break. Here is a picture of one celebration: lemon ricotta spongecake with lit candles.

Before my mom arrived and the family visiting/break/celebrations commenced, I celebrated this "milestone" with a group of my close friends from Wheaton at Nortons' local Italian Restaurant, "Sabatino's Trattoria". While the company was superb, the restaurant was not. We waited 40 minutes with a reservation until they seated us, then waited nearly 2 hours for our food to arrive and to make matters worse, my friend and I received cold pizza while my other friend received hers completely burnt.  The overall consensus of the celebration was that if it were not for the terrible planning of the kitchen, the birthday dinner would have been ideal. Luckily, the group of friends I have were extremely easy going and gracious, and although disappointed with such ill-reception, we were able to laugh off the whole event and made it clear that we would not be returning to this local "gem". 

**photos of food not available from sabatino's because empty plates were what we received. When food did come we were too hungry to take pictures**

For my actual birthday (October 5th,) I did something I have never done before for a birthday, I went to a 50's styled diner with my best friend and her parents. The food was described as "classic american" and "comfort food" which made me think because none of the food on the menu was what I think of when I imagine comfort food, although I could clearly see how the dishes were considered as such, as well as could clearly see how they were considered "American dishes." For my birthday, I decided to try something outside of my comfort zone, and went for a traditional chicken potpie. I have only ever had this dish once when I was 7 years old after watching the movie "chicken run" (which is ironic because the animated film is against chicken potpie,) but at this true gem of a diner in Middleboro, Massachusetts, the potpie with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce was absolutely delicious and a very unexpected birthday treat surprise!! 

Chicken Potpie from Dave's Diner in Middleboro, MA

For the final celebrations, my mom and I traveled to New York City and Pennsylvania to visit all of our family (paternal and maternal) over october break. As my mom, my cousin, my auntie, and I are all born under the libra sign (born in october,) we had a conjoint celebration in Pennsylvania that was filled with our mutual favourite pies, Lemon Meringue (sweet) and Tomato Pie (savory), both made by my paternal auntie, Gail. Both of these meals are birthday traditions for me and somehow make me feel like I actually celebrated properly and wholly. Tomato pie is a savory tart filled with tomatoes, parmesan cheese, herbs, caramelized onions, and encapsulated by means of a butter crust. Lemon meringue on the other hand, is the perfect balance of a sweet and tart pie that has a thick custard filling and is topped with perfectly baked meringue. Every year since the start of college until this one, my auntie has come to Wheaton with these pies and we have celebrated by eating them both together. This year, my mom and I were able to go to Pennsylvania and we all officiated our birthday celebration and recognition with these two home cooked delicacies. 

Homemade Tomato Pie (Savory)

My favourite pie in the world: Lemon Meringue (left) and Lemon ricotta spongecake (right)

Upon arrival back at Wheaton, I was greeted with a final "birthday present" of cupcakes. The fact that these homemade cupcakes constitute a gift that is both intricate and thoughtful, shows how deeply intertwined food and birthday celebrations are and how one without the other is implausible. While there are events in which fasting is necessary (whether out of necessity or for religious ritual,) birthdays are a day (or slew of days) of celebrations in which feasting (or sharing food) are vital and represent like Barthes writes in his article, a medium for information. Food signifies in this sense, a change of events and acts as a marker for celebration and recognition for festivity.

Earl Grey Cupcakes with almond butter and chocolate ganache

Mess Food

Room Food is Always Better than Mess Food
My last post featured a regional cuisine we are all familiar with known as "Chase Food." The Royal Thimphu College in Bhutan equivalent is called mess food and is equally as underwhelming. A common mantra among students is "room food is always better than mess food," with "room food" referring from food brought from home in tupperware and eaten in the dorm room or food prepared in the room, always with friends. But unlike at Wheaton, students are not even given the option to cook independently and they are not given access to a kitchen. The solution: electronic rice cookers used to make curries, particularly kewa datshi- potatoes and chillies with cheese, and electric tea kettles to make Maggi. Maggia Marsala Magic 2-minute noodles are the Bhutanese college student's equivalent to Annie's mac and cheese or Easy Mac among American college students. Both are well recognized and valued brands and dorm room must-haves.
Room food has a whole culture of its own. First of all, it is never consumed alone. Friends have told me they would rather be hungry than eat alone. There is also the cultural phenomena that I refer to as "hypergenerosity." Students will sacrifice eating to make sure a friend or guest is well fed, and refusal of food is not an option. When my roommate told me I had gotten fat I told her it was her fault because she was always feeding me!
At this point I would like to draw the readers attention to the picture: fried rice and chillies. This is a standard breakfast at mess. Meals never stray from these staple items and are usually a variation of rice and chillies. Similarly, Chase rarely fails to provide students with "Buttery Penne" and all its variations. It just goes to show that on opposite sides of the world, similar themes can be identified within the college dining experience.

Pilaf, "Latino" Aramark's attribution of cultural identities to their meals

Have you ever walked through the dining hall and seen meals with general and vague titles like, "Spanish Rice", "Mexi Rice", "African Sauce", or in this case, "Pilaf, Latino". Aramark's descriptions of their food reference countries, entire continents, and in this case, an entire ethnic/racial identity. 

It's easy to see that there is no genuine cultural foundation justifying Aramark's use of general terms like African, Spanish, or Latino. This title makes me wonder, what is so Latino about this Pilaf? The Latino identity is extremely diverse characterizes not only South and Central America, but also areas of the United States and the Carribean. If over 20 distinct countries each containing a variety of cuisines, and millions of people identify as Latino, what makes Aramark's Pilaf Latino? The fact that it may be submerged in a spicy sauce, or that it contains corn? 

Does Aramark's use of these cultural identities demonstrate how uncultured or uninformed the organization is? The titles of these meals represent a lack of knowledge and care regarding the genuine traditional cuisines of these areas, and promote false notions regarding Latin American, African, Spanish, and many other traditional dishes.

Most Important Meal of the Day?

If you were a college student and you had to juggle athletics, classes, finishing a huge lab for bio, studying for your econ mid-term on Friday, going to the SGA meeting, trying to keep a social life, while trying to get 6-7 hours of sleep a night, when do you have time to eat!? Growing up, my mother made sure I ate a hearty breakfast every morning before school or before I left the house (a granola bar or yogurt didn't suffice). My mother would have french toast, homemade cinnamon buns, scrambled eggs, cinnamon toast, pancakes, coffee cake, dunkin donuts, or danish prepared for my siblings and I whenever we woke up for school. Although I'm in college now and away from my mother's cooking, I still must eat a filling breakfast every morning before my first class or I cannot be functional. During the fall semester, I have to rely on Chase or Emerson to provide that breakfast because I usually have 7:00am practice that ends right before my first class of the day.

This morning, I didn't have morning practice so I woke up and prepared myself my own breakfast the way my mother used too. I made homemade batter (my favorite) and used my griddle pan to cook the pancakes. Of course butter, syrup, coffee and milk are necessary with pancakes and I also had some rice pudding that is not shown in the picture below. I am fortunate enough to live in a themed house on campus and be able to cook my own food at my convince and not have to fight to use the stove with other students in the dorm or on a floor. No matter what I have to do, I will always eat breakfast in the morning because it is what keeps me fueled all day.

a test

Showing Affection Through Food

As a sophomore at Wheaton, I would like to think I am fully transitioned into college life and all that comes with it. I love almost everything about Wheaton, but there are one or two areas I would improve on if given the chance, and one of those areas is food. I have seen many people express this opinion in their blog posts, so I am obviously not the only one who constantly craves a home cooked meal. I think the reason the transition was especially hard for me freshman year due to my family background.

Most of my family grew up in Italy, and we are extremely stereotypically Italian. We are loud to the point of being obnoxious and occasionally rude and overbearing, but we also have a very specific way of showing love towards each other: through food. My memories of my grandmother start at a very young age, and are almost all associated with food. She let me help her cook, and always made me try her homemade sauce before serving it. She made it a fun experience for my cousins and me (letting us lick the spoon) and always kept us extremely well fed. To this day, visiting her means everyone running around the kitchen, chatting and yelling at each other lovingly (and usually gaining a few pounds). She never stops asking me if I’m hungry, and will always pester me until I eat something, constantly exclaiming "You look so skinny!"  Although I only see her about once a year, my mother has carried on her tradition of homemade Italian cooking.

Chapter two of FCR talked a little bit about comfort foods often being from your childhood, something that reminds you of home. I've experienced this concept here at Wheaton, because whenever I feel like getting off campus and going out to eat, I crave spaghetti and meatballs, pizza, and lasagna. I love my life here but am always counting down the days until I can walk into my house and smell wonderful Italian cooking.

Finding Your Groove

As a student newly off the meal plan, my first thought was, "Am I going to be wasting my time cooking?"

I was used to my tradition collegiate setting, where food became a passing thought. It's just there. Everyday you just sign in to the dinning hall pick up your ready made food and you are on your way. I never gave a second thought to the time and effort it took to make the meal that I was eating. Food became a commodity, something I could pick and choose from with little to no thought as to the implications of my choices. It seemed as if I devalued the food. I made it out to be something that was there because it just was, not because someone behind that counter slaved away, planning and executing a meal for 1500 students to eat. 

This year, I challenged myself to change my relationship with food and removed myself from the meal plan. This change has forced me to sit down, plan my meals and shopping trips. I no longer eat based on what I feel like eating, like chocolate cupcakes and chips, but rather what is necessary and realistically something I can make for myself. I have been forced to take a break during my day to cook my food and create something delicious from various different ingredients on my own. 

The whole experience however has not been easy. It has given me a real appreciation of how difficult it must be to, not only create a menu fit for a whole campus, but how hard it is to shop for food on a budget ensuring longevity of both the fresh ingredients. On top of that, ensuring the dried/canned goods, that are sure to last longer, are used in conjunction with more healthy options. 

This experience has given me an appreciation for the food supply industry, and just how important a good meal is for both my physical and mental health. While Wheaton's supplier Aramark is not my favorite, in fact I find a lot of the food options to be tasteless, or in general unhealthy, I understand why they struggle. In the modern day access to fresh food is expensive. Where as foods packed with preservatives and canned goods are readily available for a fraction of the price. Living on a $200 a month budget I supplement my pasta, rice and bread with frozen chicken breast and frozen vegetables. I avoid buying fresh fruits or vegetables and treat them as a luxury, something I cannot afford as most of the time they do not last more than a week. 

Food is not, and should never be, treated as a commodity. It was a mistake I made. I took the food I had for granted. Through my experience off the meal plan however, I was able to find the joy in preparing my food, while simultaneously finding a way to appreciate all the hard work it takes to feed a campus even the size of Wheaton.