Container Gardening

On Thursday April 10th I attended the Container Gardening at the Oshtemo Public Library.  The presentation started at 3 and unfortunately I had to leave at 3:30 because I had to work at 4.  However, in those 30 minutes I did learn a lot of new information.  The woman who did the presentation was named Linda and she does a lot of work through MSU and she is also the coordinator of the master garden program in Kalamazoo.  She began the presentation by asking people if they had any questions that way she could see if she would address them in the presentation or not.  Next, she talked about Ornamental edible containers.  The key to a good edible container is that you have to grow something you like.  If you don't like the fruit or vegetable then you might not take care of the plant.  Also, what ever edible you decide to grow you need to figure out how much space and light it needs.  You can grow edibles in very little space if needed as long a they have enough sunlight and water.  Many of the edibles need a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight.  Edible plants need an inch of water a week.  When you plant an edible you should think about this.. is their water easily accessible.  You don't want to have an edible container in a spot far away from water because then you will have to deal with carrying the water a long ways or messing with a tangled hose.  Some negatives of edible containers is that they might get too much water or not enough water.  Too much water will cause rot, mold, mildew, and death to the plant.  Not enough water could cause arrest to the plant and stresses it out.  With containers you also need to make sure they have an escape route for water.  A rain barrel is a good idea for plants too!  Check this out   .

      

The restaurant I chose to visit was Zooroona.  Zooroona is located off of West Main st. in the Tiffany's Village Plaza.  I don't remember if this was one of the restaurants on the list Allen gave us, but when I looked up Mediterranean restaurants in Kalamazoo this one caught my eye.  I visited Zooroona during lunch time and that was probably a mistake because they were super busy.  I asked my server if he could tell me more about the restaurant like the background and where the family came from, but all he said to me was I apologize, but i'm too busy... so I kind of just left that alone, guess that's what I get for going on a Friday during lunch rush hour.  Luckily, they do have a website that gave me some background.  The Mandwee family comes from the Middle East.  They immigrated to Michigan in the 1980's and started Tiffany's wine and spirits.  Tiffany's grew into one of the favorite places to go for great wine and exceptional specialties.  With the love of their store the brothers decided that they wanted to bring a Mediterranean restaurant to Kalamazoo and that's how Zooroona began.  Zooroona means "come visit us" in Arabic.

The dish I decided to order was a Specialty plate called Spiced Beef with Figs.  I chose this dish because I haven't ate a fig so I wanted to try that and also I knew I liked beef.  Therefore, if everything else was terrible at least I know I would eat the beef.  This dish also had diced apricots and its served with saffron rice.  When I got my lunch it looked very delicious I wasn't a big fan of the figs, but everything else wasn't bad.  I really liked the saffron rice which surprised me because I hadn't tried it before.   I would recommend that everyone should go and try this restaurant especially because on Saturday's they have a belly dancer! Who doesn't want to see a good belly dancer haha.   

Global Warming and food

I am happy that Allen had Dr. David Karowe come into our class to present the topic of global warming and food.  When I first found out that he was going to come to our class I wondered what exactly he would cover...  By the time he was done presenting I was depressed.  The Earth is getting warmer and warmer and that is not good. According to Dr. Karowe's slide about the January 2014 temperatures, a lot of places besides Michigan had record warming for January.  Also, I can't believe that the estimate of current warming is 95% caused by human activities!  I knew we were doing things that weren't good for the Earth, but I didn't think it was that bad!  However, I am glad that Dr. Karowe told us that there is a glimmer of hope though.  For example, he said we could start by buying a more fuel efficient car and using more solar, wind, and hydro power.  I did a speech on solar, wind, and hydro power and learned a lot about it.  We don't use these power resources nearly as much as we should. They could help save us so much energy and lessen how much fossil fuel we need to burn.  My dad has been looking at getting a smaller windmill to generate energy at our house.
                  By 2050 if things continue to get worse, the US soybean and corn may decrease by 20-25%.   Even worse, by the year 2100 they could decrease to 55-60%.  This worries me a lot.  However, like Dr. Karowe said "The future is in our hands".  Our generation can make a difference, but it will take all of us to make the change to help better our Earth.      

Video games and food

First of all I wanted to say that I really enjoyed the presentation on food and video games that Casey and Joe did on Wednesday.  The part about Grand theft auto was very interesting.  I haven't played any of the grand theft auto games before so I had no idea what to expect.  It's ironic that in the video games they have actual commercials like it is real life.  The ones about the elections were pretty funny.  Anyways, I decided to write about Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell.  Like Casey already said these two commercials are clearly making fun of Americans for our terrible eating habits and our obesity.  However, I think that the Burger Shot one is specifically on the game to show us that eating to much fast food a.k.a. garbage cause have us end up in a hospital.  The burger that is called the bleeder..... really??  and then it gets worse.. when I saw the 6lb. heart stopper my jaw about dropped.  I can't even imagine trying to eat a burger or any meal that is 6lbs.   In this commercial they show someone calling 911 because he ate so much crap he had heart problems...I wonder why?!  This commercial is a warning to everyone.. If you eat to much greasy fatty food you may have a heart attack and die!      

The Cluckin' Bell commercial was just as terrible.  This commercial bashes America for all the crap we put in/ do to our chickens to make them bigger and more juicy.  Watching this commercial made me not want to eat chicken again...Obviously that didn't happen, but I did give it some thought.  It is incredible that we put so much stuff in the chickens so that they have bigger breasts.  I think that this commercial could also be a warning to not eat so much chicken because of all the junk that gets put in them to fatten them up.  The things we do to our meat is nasty, but yet we all still eat it.   Maybe one day this will all change.... or at least I hope.

Once again good job Casey and Joe!    

  

End of Nectar in a Sieve

The rest of this book was pretty good.  Nathan is approaching 50 and gets rheumatism with high fevers which make him weak.  Nathan is unable to tend to the land leaving Ira and Ruku to do the best they can.  Unfortunately, they don't do nearly as much work as Nathan did.  Kenny the doctor watches over Nathan, but he says he is only getting weaker because he doesn't eat much.  Somehow Nathan starts to make a miraculous recovery, but then things take a turn for the worse. Rukmani comes home to Sacrabani hiding in a corner looking at Nathan who Rukmani thought he had just had another one of his attacks again.  However, it wasn't an attack Sivaja had made a surprise visit to tell them that their land has been sold to the tannery.  Selvam says he will take care of his sister Ira and nephew Sacrabani, but he doesn't have anything to offer to his parents.  Rukmani and Nathan have no other choice but to leave.  They leave the rest of their family behind.  They only have 16 rupees

and get on the bullock cart until it can't take them any farther.  When the cart stops they are faced with three streets to chose from and have no idea which one will lead them to their son.  They find someone to ask about where their son is and unfortunately they are 15 miles away from the road they need.    After walking for several miles they get directed to a temple that provides food and shelter.  They are relived that they will actually have a nice place to rest for the night.  When they wake they begin to walk again and Nathan wants to splurge and use their money to buy food.  Rukmani finally agrees and goes to grab the money tied to her only to find that it is gone.  In a panic they return to the temple where they had laid to rest, but they money is not there.  They have no choice but to continue on their journey.  With help from several gracious people somehow they finally make it to their sons house.  However, when his wife answers the door they are informed that he left her about two years ago and never came back.  Things get worse, they become regulars at the temple and get used to the cruel words that are spoken of them.  Nathan ends up dying which was devastating for Ruku.  I couldn't imagine losing my spouse after everything they had endured together.  Somehow Ruku still manages to pull the pieces of her life together which amazes me. This book really showed me how intense life could be and how easy I have it.  

Nectar in a sieve continued

As I continue reading things Rukmani is facing even more problems.  At this point in the book she is worried that they won't be able to harvest the season's rice because they are so weak from having no food.  The paddy won't be ready for another three weeks which makes things even worse because they don't even know if they can make it that long.  Their sixth son Kuti has a rash all over his body that Rukmani worries about.  Luckily, somehow he gets better and she finally is able to sleep at night.  Unfortunately, while Rukmani is sleeping she wakes up to hear an intruder (or so she thinks) most likely coming to steal what littlle they have left.  Rukmani goes outside in a rage to try and see the intruder.  Rukmani is so tired and hungry she just loses control and starts beating the intruder.  Nathan comes outside and pulls Rukmani off the intruder and starts yelling at Rukmani because the intruder was actually their daughter Ira.  Most of Ira gashes came from the glass bangles she was wearing which worries Nathan and Rukmani because a piece like this usually come from prostitution.  When Nathan gets home from the fields one night he sees Ira all dressed up ready for the night, ready to sell her body.  Kuti leaves before the rice season which is unfortunate because this year the harvest is splendid.  The family not only has enough food for themselves, but also to sell.  We get the happy news that Ira is pregnant.  However, although the news is happy she has no idea who the father is since she has been selling her body.  Her mother tries to defend Ira to Kenny, but Kenny said he knew that she would turn to "streetwalking" so the news of this didn't surprise him.  Nathan

doesn't really seem to give much input on this matter except for a baby is a baby. Sometimes I think the way we view children varies quite a bit from people like
Nathan and the rest of their village.  For example, a baby in their village would be another mouth to feed, but also another worker for the harvests.  Still at the end of this section Rukmani has a positive attitude.                

Nectar in a Sieve (1-15)

The story starts out with a woman talking (Rukmani) about the present although her story will be in the past. She talks about how she wishes her husband was still alive and with her.  She has three children, but technically only two of them are actually hers.  She had a daughter and a son named Selvam.  The other child is a boy named Puli who has no fingers.  Her son Selvam works in a hospitcal with a man named Kenny.  She is now an old women and talk about how her father was a headman in her village which his job became less important when the "collector" began to change things in the village.  She was the youngest of four daughters.  Her parents didn't have the money to afford good dowry

so they best they could do was marry her to a tenant farmer.  Even though she was matched with the farmer she says that she is happy with him.  She got married at the young age of twelve.  Nathan is her husband and he is described as caring and gentle.  As the story goes on she tell us how she helped Kunthi give birth to her child.  Rukmani returned home to her husband who was mad at her because she herself was pregnant and shouldn't put herself or the baby in danger.  Since she is pregnant she now has the time to do non work like read and write which is something her gather taught her.  Her husband finds Rukmani clever because she can read and write.  She gives birth to a baby girl named Irawaddy.  They love their daughter very much and so does Rukmani's mother.  Her mother even makes the long ride just to see her. This is before they have their son.  When Irawaddy turns six Nathan and Rukmani start to worry that they will only have one child.  She prays with the women of the village that she will have another baby Around the same time her mother gets sick and starts to die from consumption.  After learning about several other sad events that have occurred in the first 15 chapters I am surprised with Rukmani's positive attitude she still has.  I look forward to reading more :)          
  

about the games

For those of you who read my last post which it looks like none of you did because I have no comments, I read the syllabus wrong and thought the last blog post was supposed to be about the rest of the book.  Therefore, I am sorry if i ruined the ending of the book for you :( Anyways.... I want to focus more about what happened in the games.  First of all I didn't think Peta would join up with the careers.  Granted, I am pretty sure he only did it to help protect Katniss, that way if they did find her he could try and save her.  When Katniss was trapped up in the tree with the careers beneath her I thought it was very helpful of Rue to tell Katniss about the tracker jacker nest.  Later, I was impressed that Katniss stumbled upon Peta who was perfectly camouflaged with the scenery around him.  I didn't think Peta was that good with disguising himself, but I guess he had to in order to stay alive.  This is where it gets really interesting.... When Peta and Katniss find the cave Peta's love starts to really show.  We learn that both people from the same district are alive at the end they both win.  Therefore, Peta and Katniss work even harder to keep each other alive.  Once Peta heals up they are faced with another creation

of the games...some crazy savage dog like things are put into the field.  Katniss and Peta try to run to higher ground which is the cornucopia and almost die.  The dogs get a guy from another district and that leaves Peta and Katniss victorious... or so we think.  An announcemnet is made that there has to be only one winner so Katniss decides that this isn't right and convinces Peta to eat poison berries and they will die together.  Once again, this gets reversed and they both get to live.

HuNgEr GaMeS

This book is very inspiring to me.  The brave, caring, passionate, intelligent, and fearless girl on fire Katniss never ceased to amaze me.  I felt like the whole time she was fighting for her life in the games she was really fighting for her loved ones back back in her home of District 12. I don't think I would have lasted even half of the time that she did in the games, but because of the passion she had for her family, it kept her on the right path.  When Rue and Katniss became allies I really thought things would get better for them both. I found it unique that Katniss took Rue under her wing almost like she was her little sister Prim.  After planning out a strategy to get to the cornucopia there was a mishap and resolves with the death of Rue.  When I read this I felt like I could cry.  Katniss shows her true colors once again when she surrounds Rue with flowers trying to give her a proper burial.  I admire Katniss in more ways than one.  She may have been weak at times due to everything going on in the games, but she never cracked under the pressure and I applaud her for that.  She also shocked me at the end when she failed to abide by the capitols standards and almost killed herself and Peta rather than crumbling under their feet.  Katniss made an impact on all the districts by how she acted and carried herself in the games.

 The less fortunate will always fight the hardest in my opinion because they have nothing to lose.  Yes, Katniss did have loved ones to lose, but other than that her life in District 12 wasn't very bright.  She was always hungry and looking for food.  In the end she endured the games and was able to go back to her family in District 12.

             

ALL OF THE ABOVE

I am choosing to write my blog about The Jungle, the visit to the slaughterhouse, and The Huger Games and maybe more too like our guest speaker!  First off, I give major props to everyone who went to the slaughterhouse and witnessed all that went on in there because I am pretty sure that I would not have lasted more than 5 minutes.  I can't stand terrible smells and all the blood would most likely have made me pass out (knowing my luck I would have passed out in the knife room and gotten slashed) so I dodged a bullet on that one.  I really enjoyed having the guest speaker (whose name I forgot) answer all of our questions and tell us his own person experiences/ views of working in the slaughterhouse.  Having a real person present and not just reading about it in a book really gives me a whole new perspective on slaughterhouses.  For example, S(the speaker) said that he loved working in the slaughterhouse because he was a good worker and was treated good.  Also, by working hard he was even able to get promoted all the way to supervisor and he knew how to do every job in the company.  The one thing that kind of made me wince was when he said he loved the smell of blood... I found that just a bit discomforting, but hey we are all different.  He also mentioned several things that were ironically similar to The Jungle especially since that book is like a bazillion years old, but yet still is somewhat accurate in today's time.

Are you ready to fight for your life for entertainment?  If not too bad because you will die quickly in the Hunger Games.  I just read this book last semester in another class so I am just going to mention a few things so hopefully I don't spoil it for anyone.  The Capitol got this messed up idea of the Hunger Games to help all the districts realize that they basically own them and not have a rebellion.  Katniss, her sister Prim, and her mother live in district 12 the cole miners district.  Her father died while working in the mines in a terrible accident.  Katniss then has no choice, but to step up to try and feed her family because her mother basically becomes docile for a while.  She becomes friends with Gale who helps her hunt and practice more with her bow.  Each district is part of a reaping in which one male and female of a certain age range (children) are chosen from each district.  That's all I am going to say for now.      

Jungle 6-13

The section of the Jungle I had to ready for Monday was chapters 6-13.  During these chapters the family continues to struggle.  They worry about losing their house due to a lack of money that Jurgis is making.  As an immigrant, I think it would be very tough to come to a new country and start a new life like Jurgis and Ona's family did.  I feel this way because even today WE take advantage of immigrants.  Granted, things have improved since the Jungle, but still it is definitely not easy.  I can't imagine moving to a new country and having to find a house and a job.  In chapter 8 the wages of the workers get discussed and  I was disgusted with how the workers got screwed over time and time again.  For example, if the workers came to work early they did not get paid until they were supposed to clock in, but had to work anyways and if you were late to work you didn't get paid for that hour.  Finally, if you left early like say @ 2:50 you don't get paid for that hour because you left ten minutes early.  That is such crap, I wouldn't put up with that especially coming into to work early and not getting paid for it.  However, I guess if you are working to provide for your family you'll put up with anything like Jurgis did.  I don't understand how people can treat others this way.  For the wages the slaughterhouse workers get, I don't think it is nearly enough for the conditions

they have to work in.  For example, it mentioned that some workers' nails wore off from pulling hides off.  When I read this I instantly looked at my nails and couldn't fathom them being worn off.  I really admire Jurgis and what he did to try and make a better life for Ona's family and himself.

Welcome to the Jungle

Jurgis wasn't intimidated by all the the talk about breaking men down in the stockyards of Chicago, he actually laughed about it.  Jurgis was the type of boy that the bosses wanted to get a hold of...trouble. One day he met Ona at a horse fair who he married later on.  Jurgis hadn't thought he would get married, in fact he laughed at the idea.  When Ona's father died they decided to all go to America because Jonas said he heard one of his friends became rich there.  They decided to leave the following spring.  When all twelve arrived in Chicago they walked around utterly lost the first day.  They avoided the police as much as they could, but when nightfall hit they were taken to the station where an interpreter taught them the word stockyard and off they went. On the way to the stockyards they noticed several changes like the grass wasn't as green and it grew darker and darker outside.  What were they getting into? Jurgis began working in a slaughterhouse and when he first walked through it he didn't wince or anything.  I'm sure he just looked at the slaughterhouse as a job and a way to bring in money.  I couldn't imagine working in slaughterhouse especially on the super hot days like Jurgis described.  I admire the family so far in the fact that they have remained somewhat positive with the whole situation especially since there home has already been broken into twice.  Also, I was a bit surprised with the overall tone of the first few chapters.  I thought for sure that the family would show more emotions then what they had so far.  But hey their positiveness is probably what is keeping them going.  I look forward to hearing about the rest of the book from the class besides the part that my group is going to read.  I hope that the rest of their time in America is what they hoped it would be.    

       

Migrant workers

Cajas de carton by Francisco Jimenez starts out by telling us how his family emigrated from Mexico to California where they worked in the fields.  When it was time for one season to end and another to begin they would have to pack up everything they had into their vehicle and drive to try and find work.  When strawberry season ended his family had to back up and head to Fresno to hopefully find work picking grapes.  The first labor camp they arrived to did not leave work, but luckily the foreman told them to try another house down the road.  This labor camp had work and the foreman told his family that they could stay in the garage and they would have work all season long.  The garage was not very clean and needed a lot of work.
 While the boys were working in the field they would have to hide when the school bus came by so that they did not have to go to school.  The conditions in the fields were rough.  It was 100 degrees out and if you drank too much water you would feel sick.  Being a child I couldn't imagine working in conditions like this.  I know I wouldn't last long at all.  It wasn't until the grape season was over that the children went to school.  When Francisco got to school it took him time to get the English words to come out of his mouth.  He struggled to read and his only friend was his teacher.  He was just starting to get comfortable and even began learning how to play the trumpet.  He was so excited to tell his parents when he got home that day. However, when he did arrive home he saw that everything was packed up and they were moving again.  This is so sad because Francisco was finally starting to feel happy at school and he had something to look forward to, but unfortunately it was time for him and his family to move on.  The life of a migrant worker is no joke.  They work hard in terrible conditions all day long with little breaks.  I think we all should have to work a day in the field to see what they have to endure to get us our fruit and vegetables.    

I Propose.....

As time has passed our society has done nothing, but go downhill.  A lot of people are poor and even more are struggling to get a meal.  Everyday in America we throw away and/or waste way too much food. For example, after reading The American Way of Eating   I realized that grocery stores such as Wal-Mart will throw such things like a whole bag of grapes or carton of strawberries just because one is bad.  How wasteful is that? Why are we so picky?  In America I think that we have it made because in other countries like Africa a majority of their population are starving.  Granted I know that their are plenty of people in the USA that are hungry as well, but nothing like in Africa. We need to stop being so stingy and enjoy the luxuries we have.
I'm not sure if I have told anyone in this class yet, but I am in college so I can become an elementary teacher.  That being said my proposal is based on helping provide students with a sack dinner to bring home at the end of the day.  Unfortunately, some children only get to eat when they are at school because their parents or guardians may not have a lot of money to provide a dinner or may be working when they get home from school so they can't make a meal for themselves.  I have seen situations like this time and time again.  While I was doing my pre-internship at a school I noticed a kid who would eat as much as they would give him for breakfast and lunch and I always wondered why.  Later I found out that child did not get a regular dinner every night so they were eating as much as they could to help if they didn't get dinner.  What is my point in all this?  I propose that students who are on any type of food assistance in school not only get free breakfast and lunch, but also get a take home dinner.  How will this all work?  Well I don't know if anyone pays attention to the lottery, but in order to pay for this we will raise the price of a mega millions ticket from $1 to $2 and 1/4 of the money spent on a mega millions ticket will go to funding my proposal.  But wait it gets better... Not only will the money go just to buy the food it will also be used to help in the process of taking food that is thrown away at the end of the night (but still good) from groceries, cafes, and restaurants to schools to be used for the take home dinners.  So not only will this help make sure students get a dinner to eat, but it also will cut down on all of our food waste.  I did some research on this and found out that someone is basically already doing something to my proposal which I think is awesome.  CHECK IT OUT!

Guatemala and Me

After reading the articles about Guatemala I didn't realize how selfish I am.  I rarely think about how a ton of people and children are starving every day.  The last time I thought about all the children who are malnourished was when I was at the gym last week and a commercial came on about donating to help feed starving children.  I really liked The Family article because it was told by a person who actually experienced everything themselves and not just witnessed it.  Rigoberta Menchu lived in the mountains, so their would have to walk a long ways just to get to their neighbors.  Her parents worked in the fincas to make money.  When she was five she remembered picking coffee and cotton.  When she was eight she became ill and her family had to return back to the Altiplano.  Here, it rained a lot and they were hardly comfortable because they were always wet and had no clothes.  I couldn't imagine living like this which once again goes back to me being selfish.  When I have a bad day and use some expression like (FML) I need to stop and realize that I have it made.  I have a roof over my head, I'm not starving, I have several luxuries, and I have a decent job that doesn't entitle me to work all day and all night to make some tiny wage.  The women in Guatemala usually have nine to ten children and of those children Rigoberta said that only three or four would be healthy and caould survive.  The remaining children would have bellies swollen from malnutrition and most likely would die.  I don't know how the mothers can cope with knowing that some of her children will die because of malnutrition.  Just reading this hurt my heart because I wish there was a way to just make this all stop, no one would be hungry and we could all be healthy.  Too bad it's not that easy :(     

Babies...?

When I first found out that we were going to read A Modest Proposal  by Jonathon Swift I wasn't sure how I felt about it.  I had been told by several students and friends that it was a bit disturbing.  I had no idea what they meant by this until I got to the part about eating infants in a roast.  I don't know how anyone could think that eating babies would some how change poverty and hunger. I don't understand how anyone could even suggest eating a baby.  I don't have a baby of my own, but I have a nephew and the thought of someone eating him makes me want to vomit. Swift talked about beggars plumping up their one year old babies to sell them to rich Irish men.  He also discussed how he thought this would resolve several problems in the Kingdom of Ireland.  What is with this?  How would buying a baby to eat solve problems in the Kingdom of Ireland? I think that this would just make things in the Kingdom worse and not better. What is up with this "I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust."  Talking about a child being put in a stew or roasted....?     Thinking about eating any part of a human being is revolting to me, but a baby really? I am excited for class tomorrow because I am really looking forward to seeing how this relates to our class discussions.      

After having class on Monday and rereading The Modest Proposal I have a different view on this.  I caught the satire the first time I read it, but after reading it the second time it is much more apparent.  Also, I read the historical context and I realize that Swift just was proposing this to improve the conditions in Ireland and it wouldn't happen.  

Hunger Free Community

In 1982 a group of churches got together to create this wonderful organization called Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes to help stop local hunger in Kalamazoo.  As time went on more congregations joined and the food distribution sites expanded.  What does KLF do?  KLF works with others to provide prepared meal support, senior commodity programs, agency food support, food packs for kids, and other

 community food programs.  KLF is the largest charitable food distribution system in Kalamazoo county.  I have always wanted to become more involved with the community and help people who need it.  I used to volunteer all the time back home in Coloma MI.  I have volunteered for the salvation army and soup kitchen.  I loved the feeling I got from volunteering, it just made me feel like I made a difference in someone's life even if it was just a minor thing.  
I really liked reading about their mission and vision and I especially liked their values : Respect, Diversity & Inclusion, Stewardship & Accountability, Integrity, Collaboration, Urgency, Service.  Also I really value their commitments: To provide

 high quality food, to develop high quality client access and support, to nurture our volunteer base, to market our services and our mission, and to improve our efficiency and effectiveness.  I think it is really important to have commitments like this because yes, the people that they are helping may be less fortunate than us, but they still deserve the best.  

How does KLF work?   Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes works with local partners like the Food Bank of South Central Michigan to procure low-cost foods. This relationship allows them to stretch food dollars further, securing a multitude of food resources at a minimal cost.  I really like writing about KLF because it helped me remember that their still are good people in the world.  

Can I have one of everything?

After reading this I was amazed with how much food was made and eaten in one day.  As soon as I thought the dinner was over....there came more food.  Food and wine, that's the life of Trimalchio.  When I read the part about the pig getting cut open and all the blood and guts I wanted to puke.  The amount of food that was brought out for one meal was more food then my whole family made on a typical holiday gathering like Thanksgiving or Christmas.  I get that he was trying to show off his wealth, but seriously you could have probably fed two football teams with the amount of food at his feast.  Why did he have to have all that food?  Yes, it was a feast, but come on there is no way all of that food was eaten/needed.  But hey I guess the saying goes "If you got it flaunt it".  Might is well let people know that you are "stuffed" with riches.
Did anyone else think Mr. High and Almighty was rude?  He seemed so snobbish like everyone was beneath him. At least that's what I thought.  I don't understand how Trimalchio could have the younger life, like he did and then grow to be some rich prude to flaunt his wealth in everyone's faces.  Grow up... oh wait he did and became even more of a snob.  I didn't like how he treated his servants when they did something wrong.  We all make mistakes and usually most of them are unintentional, but yet they had to be punished.  I get that mistakes need consequences, but his were a bit extreme if you ask me.  Overall, I found this reading to be interesting especially because I never thought a meal could have that many courses.  I hope that if I ever become rich unexpectedly I will be humble with my wealthiness and remember the "middle men".  

     

   

Topics for Essay 1

I will admit I am kind of doing this backwards since I have already written my paper.  However, I would like to share with you what some of my main topics were in my paper.  I start out by going back to my childhood and remembering how I was an extremely picky eater.  Although, I haven't out grown my picky eater syndrome I can gladly say that I am much less picky today.  One of my main issues that caused me to be so picky was my texture issue.  Until this day I won't eat a peach or apple unless their is no skin on it.  Yes, I know I sound like a 3 year old but oh well that's just how I am.  You think that's bad?  I used to not even grapes, strawberries, or blueberries just because of the texture.  So basically everything that was healthy for me I didn't eat.

Another area I focus on in my paper is how most of the time I will make a meal that doesn't take me long to prepare instead of spending the time to make a fresh one.  However, I have been making a conscious effort to take the time I need in order to prepare a better meal.  Lastly, I discuss in my paper that people who dumpster dive for food should come to my dumpster because I waste a lot and for no reason.  I have problems eating things when they are past their expiration date and usually just throw the food in the trash. :( I don't know why I am so wasteful because my mom has told me that she has made me a meal using something that was expired and I was just fine.  This paper made me set goals for myself to not be as picky and not be wasteful!    

Dive in!

One of the films I watched was Dive by Jeremy Seifert.  When I first saw this film written on the board in class I wasn't sure what it was about, but after watching the first ten seconds of it I knew when I was diving into.  Dive is about a second chance for food.  Did you know that we throw away 96 billion pounds of food a year?   By trowing away all this food it just adds to our

landfills.  I never knew dumpster diving could be so competitive that it had three rules: 1. The first one to the dumpster has first dibs. 2. Never take more than you need. 3. Leave it cleaner than you found it.  

One man from this film pulled out a dozen eggs that had been thrown away just because one was cracked.  Throwing eleven eggs away just because one is cracked is ridiculous I don't care who you are! This film also focuses on a family who literally almost gets all their food from the dumpster.  The mom is pregnant and having a baby shower and all the meat for the shower is from the dumpster.  She says that all of her friends know that they get all of their food from the dumpster and that they seem to be okay with it.  I don't think I could ever eat a meal that was out of the dumpster, but that is because of the lifestyle that I have been blessed with.  I am fortunate that I don't have to worry about whether I will have something to eat for dinner tonight or the next day.  However, like the films discusses, a large percent of the food throw

n away is still very edible.  854 Million people go hungry in the world, but yet the US throws away 96 billion pounds of food THAT'S MESSED UP!         DON'T WASTE FOOD!  

The American Way Of Eating Part 2

As much as I loved the first 100 pages of The American Way Of Eating by Tracie McMillan I enjoyed the following 100 pages even more.  It was extremely interesting to get the inside scoop on what goes on in Walmart.  Even more interesting was the fact that this Walmart was in the Kalamazoo area!  I also found it cool the this is where Tracie's sister was living at the time as well.  I never realized that their are so many steps and training that is mandatory before you can actually become an employee.  For example, Tracie discusses she has to watch Produce operations in which she learns that :produce is a living commodity rapidly approaching demise, and the produce section is nothing less than an expansive life-supporting system."  (pg 145)  Tracie then watches food safety 1 and food safety 2 which included preparing and handling the food.  The last video she has to watch is food safety and handling.  I am happy to see that stores such as Walmart have their employees do this training.  However, how do we know that the steps in the training video are always followed?

 I'm sure if their was an easier and less time consuming way of preparing or stocking the produce some employees might take the easy way out.
One thing I found very disturbing was how much food waste Walmart has.  We have so many starving people in the world, but yet we waste so much food.  In one of the side notes in this book it states that at another small chain store averaged 800 pounds of food they threw away a day!  That is just mind blowing to me that we can just throw all that food away.  I don't understand why more of this food can't go to local homeless shelters.  To be continued....  

   

Farm Fields, Walmart, and Applebees

When I first picked up The American Way of Eating By Tracie McMillan I wasn't sure that the book would really interest me.  However, once I read through the first chapter I just kept reading and reading.  So far I have gathered that this book is about a college student who leaves her New York style life to become a field worker, supermarket stocker, and worker at Applebee's.  I know that I am way too comfortable with the lifestyle I have now to just get up and leave to try a whole new style of living.  For example, I am way too attached to the following:

• Family 
• Friends
• Cats
• Dog
• Boyfriend 
• Apartment
• Job

I give Tracie major props for what she did because like I said, I couldn't just uproot my life like she did.  Working at Applebee's I could handle just fine especially since I have been serving at a restaurant since I was 14 years old.  I currently am a bartender at Wings Etc. in Portage and Benton Harbor so I know the restaurant life pretty well.  Working in a field however, I don't think I would last very long unless I was driving the farm equipment or something.  

In Tracie's book she talks about how she struggled for a little to find work until she lucked out and began working in a grape field thanks to Pilar.  Pilar lived in the trailer next to her and in exchange for helping her find work; Tracie was to help her learn English.  When Pilar asked what she knew about grape harvesting she was ashamed that she didn't know much.  She had no scissors, leather gloves instead of cotton, and no idea of how to tie a bandanna.  Luckily, Pilar was kind to her and gave her the supplies she needed and taught her what she needed to know.  It is very refreshing to know that their are still people in the world that are willing to help someone out and not just turn them away.  In my opinion we all need to pay it forward as much as we can because you never know when you will be in a situation that you require some help.

         

The Polish Way

I grew up in a small town in Michigan called Coloma.

 My grandma lived right down the street from me not even a mile away.  Her parents were from Poland and they taught her several different Polish recipes that she has perfected.  I have found that to me Polish food is delicious and I have her to thank for all of the wonderful foods that I have eaten and now make for myself.  For example, one of my favorite dinners that she has prepared for my family and I is Polish sausage with potato dumplings and sauerkraut.  It is an on going joke that whenever we go to my grandma's house for dinner that we will most likely be eating something that she made a while ago and froze.  Since she lives alone she saves everything and will freeze it to make later.  Another thing that my grandma did besides bake was to have tea parties with me which is by far one of my fondest memories from my childhood.

My family and I love food, I mean who doesn't, but I will admit we eat too much of it.  One thing I eat too much of is pizza.  I could easily eat pizza for every meal of the day and be just fine with it.  

Favorite foods     

• Manicotti
• Lasagna 
• Pizza
• Chicken 
• Mashed Potatoes
• Chips 
• Frys
• Polish sausage
• Tacos 

Those are just of few of my favorite foods (notice that not one of them is healthy).  However, I have been working on eating healthier and exercising more since last Summer and have noticed some positive results! It has not been very easy to say no to all those yummy foods, but as time has passed each day becomes that much easier and I know I am heading in the right direction.