Extended Essay numero uno

The Way We Eat

The way we eat, as humans and more importantly as Americans, has changed drastically over the last few decades.  This isn’t because people have become busier and more disconnected from time (Horwitz, 42).  Technology has improved; ovens aren’t what they used to be, microwaves are more powerful, and even refrigerators are more spacious (Sobey, 77).  The kitchen is becoming bigger, and more possibilities are arising.  Even food in prison has become more sophisticated.  The ingenious preparation of spreads usually involves the use of a microwave oven, although elsewhere in the county jail system, in older buildings with limited electricity, the inmates must use hot water to “cook” their spreads (Cate, 18).  Even though food and our styles of eating have changed, it is my belief that the way we enjoy food hasn’t changed.  People have always used food as a means of socialization, why do men ask women on dates out to dinner? Why does a salesman take a client out to lunch?  If there is an enjoyable meal, chances are things will end up better.  A big part of experience of a meal comes from the atmosphere of the restaurant.  If there was a baby crying behind people dining, chances are they wouldn’t have too enjoyable of an experience.  The meal doesn’t only consist of the food; it consists of all the sensory information absorbed during this time, which helps make it more enjoyable.  Ultimately, enjoying a meal comes from a combination of the food, the atmosphere, and the sensory information recorded during the experience; those three factors, all working in unison create a dynamic food experience.

Like water, food is necessary for life; so for most humans, eating is an everyday occurrence.  Eating has become more than just a means of survival.  If people only ate to survive, there would be no variation in food, or more importantly in taste.  Food would all be uniform, and it would consist only to contain the nutrients, vitamins, proteins, calcium, and other things the body craves to be strong and healthy.  There would be no point to improving or changing the taste.  Food wouldn’t look visually appealing, or smell good.  It would probably just be some mix between a liquid and solid that a person would suck out of a futuristic tube.  It’s a good thing this is not the way the world works.  Food brings pleasure to many people, including myself.  I see food being used as a means of social interaction.  One could even say food is a large-scale icebreaker.  People might go out to eat in order to discuss something serious, something personal.  Men and women, or even men and men or women and women, go out to dinner dates all the time; it is a frequent occurrence.  During my study of a local restaurant, I observed this behavior.  This interaction does not only occur between intimates.  It occurs between friends, business clients, families, and even people who have never met before.  Food is an excuse to socialize: a means to interact.  When talking and conversing one can even take a bite to avoid answering something that wasn’t expected.  They can even talk about the food as a last resort if they run out of conversation topics.  Food is pleasurable, and in my opinion that pleasure might jog memories from deep within, that would stimulate conversation.  Having positive sensory information taken in could remind the subject of another time when they were also experiencing pleasure.  But it is not only the taste that makes a meal enjoyable; there are many other factors.

            One of these factors is the ambiance of a restaurant.  Ambiance is defined as the mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere, etc., particularly of an environment or milieu. (Ambiance, 1) One of the most important words in that definition is quality.  A restaurant with a lot of soul, one with pictures coating the walls, smiling staff, and enjoyable music, will normally be said to have good ambiance.  I speak of a restaurant that is able to take the customers to a new place, where the restaurant becomes another world.  A classier establishment, with nice tables, comfortable chairs, maybe a live music performer, leather menus, and even a wine room, would also have good ambiance.  Ambiance isn’t something only a particular type of restaurant has, but it is something that an enjoyable restaurant will more likely than not, have. 

One restaurant that comes to mind, is a place called Butch’s Lobster Bar at the top of Snowmass Village.  Coating the walls are pictures and memorabilia of the restaurant’s past success.  There are also pictures of lobster and fishing related news.  Old newspaper clippings and faded photographs cover the walls of this restaurant.  By the front desk, there is a tank with giant lobsters, counting down the days until they hit the stove.  It is sad, but they are entertaining to watch.  Butch’s has a wide variety of seafood, and other fried foods.  The food isn’t the most gourmet, but that isn’t what the customer pays for.  They pay for the experience, the unique, memorable time they will be spending in the restaurant while they dine.  When I was younger, before our food came, I could entertain myself for hours looking up and down the walls.

There is no doubt that is it possible to go out to eat, at either a new or old place, and have a bad experience due to your surroundings, factors other than the food in front of you.  It has happened to all of us.  Maybe the lights were too dim and someone couldn’t read their menu, maybe the waiter or waitress was obnoxious and talked to the customers too much, maybe the music was too loud, maybe it was just not enjoyable and didn’t fit the customer’s tastes.  The examples are endless, and no matter how good the food, a bad atmosphere can ruin any meal.  Did I forget to mention the people at the adjacent table who decided to bring their infant to dinner, so he could scream and cry the entire time?  I’m sure you remembered that one on your own.  Reasons like these are why I say how much someone enjoys a meal heavily depends on outside circumstances.  The food may be the main attraction to the restaurant, but the experience is what makes it memorable or not.  The atmosphere inside the restaurant will heavily influence if the customer really enjoys it or not.  Although having great ambiance is not the only factor in determining if the atmosphere of a restaurant helps make it more enjoyable.

It also depends on whom the customer comes to the restaurant with.  “More often than not spreading is a social activity. “It’s like we bonding in here when we break bread with a spread,” says Kermit Saunders(Cate, 19).”  Spreads are a type of food developed by inmates in the San Francisco County Jail.  The restaurant stays the same, but people who eat its food and drink its wine will change.  One of my fondest memories is with my family on Christmas. It has become a tradition for everyone to gather at my grandparent’s house for a Christmas party.  My dads two brothers and their younger sister all bring over their respective spouses and children.  We set up two tables, one for the adults and the other for the kids.  My thirteen cousins and I always dine together.  It is standard for us to have ham, homemade cheddar mashed potatoes, some vegetable, cranberry gelatin, and hot bread rolls.  The rolls are everyone’s favorite part.  These hot rolls can be torn apart effortlessly as your eyes are almost forced to stare in amazement while your mouth begins to water.  Once ripped open, it is customary to apply a coat of butter for added flavor.  My one cousin Mike holds the family record of eating the most rolls.  We all love them, but he goes nuts.  Most people choose their seats based on whoever they want to sit next to, but I’m almost positive he tries to place himself closest to the rolls.  We dine in the confines of my grandparent’s house.  Handmade clocks from my Grandpa coat the walls, along with pictures and family memorabilia that is irreplaceable.  Golf is always on the television, and while it might put everyone else to sleep, my Grandpa loves it.  There is nothing more exciting to an old man that a fine game of golf.  Before dinner, we all crowd in the family room, catching up and conversing, sharing funny stories. After we eat, everyone goes away from the table for a while, during this time the women of the house gather in the kitchen to load the dishwasher and prepare for dessert.  My mother’s chocolate Texas cake is always everyone’s favorite.  We have cake with milk; everyone is shortly after put into a food-coma and retreats back into the living room to hangout. 

When I think about Christmas dinner, it is not just the delicious food that comes to mind.  Memories of spending time with all my cousins in my grandparents house emerge from somewhere deep in my mind, playing Ping-Pong in their basement, watching my Grandpa operate his model trains, opening presents in their basement, and my uncles all telling funny stories are the things I think of.  I think that due to the sensory use involved this exceptional meal, the events closely tied to it are that much easier to remember, and that much more unforgettable.  The rolls might be everyone’s favorite part, but it is because the funny story of Mike associated with them.  It is the conversation and the enjoyment of the time spent with those around you that really helps make a meal more memorable, or more enjoyable.  

If a more enjoyable meal is more memorable, what exactly makes a meal enjoyable?  It is my understanding that the absorption of sensory information will make anything more memorable.  Eating any meal, at a restaurant, or at your grandparent’s house will involve lots of sensory use.  At first someone might argue that taste is the only sense used while eating.  Actually, during a quality meal, all senses are used to their full extent.  Lets start with the most obvious, taste.  As soon as the food goes into the mouth, the then thousand taste buds in a human mouth go to work sending sensory information to the brain(How, 1).  It has also been said that 50% of taste is actually smell.  That’s another sense.  This would explain why hot food is generally more enjoyable than cold food.  Steam comes off the food, bringing with it the delicious smells of the dish.  Before the food even goes into the mouth, the nose, consciously or subconsciously, does its job in judging how it’s going to taste, by the smell.  Maybe simultaneously, the nose and the eyes work together.  From personal experience, I believe that a big part of a pricy meal at a nice restaurant is its presentation.  Judgments are immediately made of how the food will taste, based solely on its appearance.  Sushi is a food where appearance is extremely important.  If a roll doesn’t look good, chances are it won’t taste as good.  Once the food is seen, smelled, and tasted, it is also felt with the tongue.  Maybe also with the hands, depending on the eater’s manners and the food in front of them.  Temperature is a big part of this, food too hot can burn the mouth, and food too cold, or mostly drinks, can cause a brain freeze.  While the food is being eaten, it will more likely than not make a noise.  Potato chips are especially susceptible to this.  Carrots and chips will give a crunch.  Some people even judge their chips on the crunch it makes.  Or cheese by if it squeaks.  This sounds ridiculous, but it is completely legitimate and does actually happen.  By now the food has been seen, smelled, tasted, felt, and heard.  Weird to think that all five senses are used while eating, but it happens!  When these senses all experience something pleasing, there is no doubt it will cause the meal to become more memorable.  If there is a combination of good food, along with an enjoyable atmosphere, the eater will be left with more positive opinions of the meal as a whole.

Humans need interaction, and food helps facilitate that interaction.  It can range anywhere from a blind date to a causal lunch with a group of friends.  A good conversation will make the meal more interesting, and more enjoyable.  But remember, this can be overwritten by the inside of the restaurant and it’s workings.  A noisy environment can prevent conversation, making it difficult to hear whomever the customer may be conversing with.  It can also work in favor or the customers though; playing their style of music may make them more relaxed.  A professional, well-mannered waiter or waitress can make the experience more enjoyable, as he or she will cater to the customer’s needs or desires.  While all of this is going on the body absorbs the information through its five senses.  The ambiance of the restaurant leaves a strong impression on the customer’s memories.  The food is tasted and judged by its appearance.  The music playing is heard, and the temperature of the restaurant is felt all over the human body.  Favorable conditions will lead to more enjoyable information being received by the human brain.  In turn, this will lead to the customer thinking of the restaurant as a better place to eat.  These conditions will make their meal better.  It is because of the high sensory use that a good meal will be remembered over one that didn’t go as well.  Food may have changed, but the way we enjoy it has stayed the same.

first essay -rough rough draft

The Way We Eat

The way we eat, as humans and more importantly as Americans, has changed drastically over the last few decades.  This isn’t just because people have become busier and more disconnected from time. (cite horwitz)  Technology has improved; ovens aren’t what they used to be, microwaves are more powerful, and even refrigerators have. (find kitchen technology source)  The kitchen is becoming bigger, and more possibilities are arising.  Even food in prison has expanded.(cite spreads article)  Even though food and our styles of eating have changed, it is my belief that the way we enjoy food hasn’t changed.  Food is enjoyed and the experiences is memorable not because of what a person is eating, but who they are with, and where.  People have always used food as a means of socialization, why to men as women on dates out to dinner? Why does a salesman take a client out to lunch?  If there is an enjoyable meal, chances are things will end up better.  A big part of experience of a meal comes from the atmosphere of the restaurant.  If there was a baby crying behind people dining, chances are they wouldn’t have too enjoyable of an experience.  The meal doesn’t only consist of the food; it consists of all the sensory information absorbed during this time.  Like water, food is necessary for life; so for most humans, eating is an everyday occurrence.

Eating has become more than just a means of survival.  If people only ate to survive, there would be no variation in food, or more importantly in taste.  Food would all be uniform, and it would consist only to contain the nutrients, vitamins, proteins, calcium, and other things the body craves to be strong and healthy.  There would be no point to improving or changing the taste.  Food wouldn’t look visually appealing, or smell good.  It would probably just be some mix between a liquid and solid that a person would suck out of a futuristic tube.  It’s a good thing this is not the way the world works.  Food brings pleasure to many people, including myself.  I see food being used as a means of social interaction.  One could even say food is a large-scale icebreaker.  People might go out to eat in order to discuss something serious, something personal.  Men and women, or even men and men or women and women, go out to dinner dates all the time; it is a frequent occurrence.  The last time I went to a restaurant, I observed this behavior.  This interaction does not only occur between intimates.  It occurs between friends, business clients, families, and even people who have never met before.  Food is an excuse to socialize, a means to interact.  When talking and conversing one can even take a bite to avoid answering something that wasn’t expected.  They can even talk about the food as a last resort if they ran out of conversation topics, and have already discussed the weather.  Food is pleasurable, and in my opinion that pleasure might jog memories from deep within, that would stimulate conversation.  But it is not only the taste that makes a meal enjoyable; there are many other factors.

One of these factors is the ambiance of a restaurant.  Ambiance is defined as the mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere, etc., particularly of an environment or milieu. (dictionary.com) One of the most important words in that definition is quality.  A restaurant with a lot of soul, one with pictures coating the walls, smiling staff, and enjoyable music, will normally be said to have good ambiance.  A classier establishment, with nice tables, comfortable chairs, maybe a live music performer, leather menus, and even a wine room, would also be said to have good ambiance.  Ambiance isn’t something only a particular type of restaurant has, but it is something that an enjoyable restaurant will more likely than not, have.  One restaurant that comes to mind, is a place called Butch’s Lobster Bar at the top of Snowmass Village.  Coating the walls are pictures and memorabilia of the restaurants past success.  There are also pictures of lobster and fishing related news.  Old newspaper clippings and faded photographs cover the walls of this restaurant.  By the front desk, there is a tank with giant lobsters, who are probably counting down their days until they hit the stove.  It is sad, but they are entertaining to watch.  Butch’s has a wide variety of seafood, and other fried foods.  The food isn’t the greatest, but that isn’t what the customer pays for.  They pay for the experience, the unique, memorable time they will be spending in the restaurant while they dine.  There is no doubt that is it possible to go out to eat, at either a new or old place, and have a bad experience due to your surroundings.  It has happened to all of us.  Maybe the lights were too dim and someone couldn’t read their menu, maybe the waiter or waitress was obnoxious and talked to the customers too much, maybe the music was too loud, maybe it was just not enjoyable and didn’t fit your tastes.  The examples are endless, and no matter how good the food, a bad atmosphere can ruin any meal.  Did I forget to mention the people at the adjacent table who decided to bring their infant to dinner instead of paying for a babysitter so he could scream and cry the entire time?  I’m sure you remembered that one on your own.  Reasons like these are why I say how much someone enjoys a meal heavily depends on outside circumstances.  The food may be the main attraction to the restaurant, but the experience is what makes it memorable or not.  The atmosphere inside the restaurant will heavily influence if the customer really enjoys it or not. 

Having great ambiance is not the only factor in determining if the atmosphere of a restaurant helps make it more enjoyable.  It also depends on whom the customer comes to the restaurant with.  The restaurant stays the same, but people who eat its food and drink its wine will change.  One of my fondest memories is with my family on Christmas. It has become a tradition for everyone to gather at my grandparent’s house for a Christmas party.  My dads two brothers and their younger sister all bring over their respective spouses and children.  We set up two tables, one for the adults and the other for the kids.  My thirteen cousins and I always dine together.  It is standard for us to have ham, homemade cheddar mashed potatoes, some vegetable, cranberry gelatin, and hot bread rolls.  The rolls are everyone’s favorite part.  These hot rolls can be torn apart effortlessly as your eyes are almost forced to stare in amazement while your mouth begins to water.  Once ripped open, it is customary to apply a coat of butter for added flavor.  My one cousin Mike holds the family record of eating the most rolls.  We all love them, but he goes nuts.  Most people choose their seats based on whoever they want to sit next to, but I’m almost positive he tries to place himself closest to the rolls.  We dine in the confines of my grandparent’s house.  Handmade clocks from my Grandpa coat the walls, along with pictures and family memorabilia that is irreplaceable.  Golf is always on the television, and while it might put everyone else to sleep, my Grandpa loves it.  There is nothing more exciting to an old man that a fine game of golf.  Before dinner, we all crowd in the family room, catching up and conversing, sharing funny stories. After we eat, everyone goes away from the table for a while, during this time the women of the house gather in the kitchen to load the dishwasher and prepare for dessert.  My mother’s chocolate Texas cake is always everyone’s favorite.  We have cake and milk, everyone is shortly after put into a food-coma and retreats back into the living room to hangout. 

When I think about Christmas dinner, it is not just the delicious food that comes to mind.  Memories of spending time with all my cousins in my grandparents house emerge from somewhere deep in my mind, playing Ping-Pong in their basement, watching my Grandpa operate his model trains, opening presents in their basement, and my uncles all telling funny stories are the things I think of.  I think that due to the sensory use involved in a great meal, the events closely tied to it are that much easier to remember, and that much more unforgettable.  It is the conversation and the enjoyment of the time spent with those around you that really makes a meal more memorable, or more enjoyable.  

If a more enjoyable meal is more memorable, what exactly makes a meal memorable?  It is my understanding that sensory use will make anything more memorable.  Eating any meal, at a restaurant, or at your grandparent’s house involves lots of sensory use.  At first someone might argue that taste is the only sense used while eating.  Actually, I believe that during a memorable meal, all senses are used.  Lets start with the most obvious, taste.  As soon as the food goes into the mouth, the then thousand taste buds in a human mouth go to work sending sensory information to the brain. (http://www.homeworkspot.com/know/howmanytastebuds.htm)  It has also been said that 50% of taste is actually smell.  That’s another sense.  This would explain why hot food is generally more enjoyable than cold food.  Before the food even goes into the mouth, the nose, consciously or subconsciously, does its job in judging how it’s going to taste, by the smell.  Maybe simultaneously, the nose and the eyes work together.  A big part of expensive food at a nice restaurant is the presentation.  Judgments are immediately made of how the food will taste, based solely on its appearance.  Sushi is a food where appearance is extremely important.  If a roll doesn’t look good, chances are it wont taste as good.  Once the food is seen, smelled, and tasted, it is also felt with the tongue.  Maybe also with the hands, depending on the eater’s manners and the food in front of them.  Temperature is a big part of this, food too hot can burn the mouth, and food too cold, or mostly drinks, can cause a brain freeze.  While the food is being eaten, it will more likely than not make a noise.  Potato chips are especially susceptible to this.  Carrots and chips will give a crunch.  Some people even judge their chips on the crunch it makes.  Or cheese by if it squeaks.  This sounds ridiculous, but it is completely legitimate and does actually happen.  By now the food has been seen, smelled, tasted, felt, and heard.  Weird to think that all five senses are used while eating, but it happens!  When these senses all experience something pleasing, there is no doubt it will cause the meal to become more memorable. 

Humans need interaction, and food helps facilitate that interaction.  It can range anywhere from a blind date to a causal lunch with an aunt or uncle.  A good conversation will make the meal more interesting, and more enjoyable.  But remember, this can be overwritten by the inside of the restaurant and it’s workings.  A noisy environment can prevent conversation, making it difficult to hear whomever the customer may be conversing with.  It can also work in favor or the customers though; playing their style of music may make them more relaxed.  A professional, well-mannered waiter or waitress can make the experience more enjoyable, as he or she will cater to the customer’s needs or desires.  While all of this is going on the body absorbs the information through its five senses.  The food is tasted and judged by its appearance.  The music playing is heard, and the temperature of the restaurant is felt all over the human body.  Favorable conditions will lead to more enjoyable information being received by the human brain.  In turn, this will lead to the customer thinking of the restaurant as a better place to eat.  These conditions will make their meal better.  It is because of the high sensory use that a good meal will be remembered over one that didn’t go as well.  Food may have changed, but the way we enjoy it has stayed the same.

Hortwiz eating analysis

Hortwiz started off his examination of food with a personal reference.  A student eating food in her class, and his story of when teachers used to smoke in class.  Little did I know, this was very relevant to the point she was trying to make.  She then talked about how it’s not just people, but the whole market of food has shifted towards individualistic styles of eating.  Campbell’s “Soup at Hand” was his example.  "Despite its emphasis on portability and one-handed con- sumption, Soup at Hand shares some attributes with that amazing 1954 invention, the Swanson tv dinner."(Hortwiz 44)  Then she talked about TV dinners and how astronauts typically eat alone.  She discussed how especially American astronauts eat alone, and American people in general.  Hortwiz started off with a reference he could relate to, then talking about one that the reader could relate to.  This made me agree with the point he was trying to make more.  After she related to the reader he gave more examples and evidence to back up his claims.  She then gave strange or obscure examples, to show the extent of his claim; that society has shifted towards more individualistic lifestyles and habits of eating.

I agree with the point Hortwiz makes.  During my examination of the Tavern called Crimson and Gold, I noticed how there were a ton of televisions.  Even though people go to this place to eat and drink together, some people must still feel the need to watch a television show, or more likely, a sports game.  I understand that they would be watching this game together, and most likely rooting for the same team, giving them more in common.  But I think this goes to further prove what Hortwiz argues.  Society has become more individualistic and disconnected.  Watching TV while sharing a meal with someone else, really only draws away from conversation, eye contact, and the whole idea of eating together.  Together but separate is the mentality that many Americans seem to have now a days when it comes to sharing a meal.

Crimson and Gold

 I went to Crimson and Gold Sunday at about 6 o’clock.  This is a pub style restaurant with a bar and then a couple tables to dine at.  We went there during the happy hour, even though I am not 21, I was still able to get fifty-cent wings and a discounted slider.  My friends and I were one of four groups of people eating at this time.  It was pretty dead.  The other customers consisted of three older people, having a meeting for what appeared to be business related.  There were two men grabbing a beer along with some burgers, and two young lads with a female friend at the bar sipping on a couple beers. 

As we walked in a server at the bar told us that we could sit wherever we saw fit.  Right from the start, we could feel the laidback, relaxed atmosphere of Crimson and Gold, also known as C&G.  We choose a booth in the back of the restaurant, as to not interrupt anyone else’s meal.  My friends and I were there for the food, but the other customers seemed to be more into their drinks, and the hockey games on the T.V.  There were at least 5 televisions all playing sports.  If I had to guess, the other customers were, on average, in their late 20’s or early 30’s.  The two men grabbing beers and a burger each sat at a booth, talking, eating, drinking, and watching the hockey game.   The three people who seemed to be having a business-like meeting consisted of a older black woman, a younger white male, and a woman whose age was probably in between her two companions.  They were all dressed in business attire, nice clothes and shoes.  It seemed like maybe they had just come from work, to get some drinks.  The three people at the bar were definitely the youngest aged people in the tavern.  They were not eating unlike the others, only drinking while watching the television above the bar and conversing. 

  Our waitress came up, introduced herself, and asked if we wanted anything to drink.  I got a coke, Conor and Jameson, who was my prospective student, stuck with water, and Ryan got a old fashioned.  After, we ordered our food, we played two games of shuffleboard.  Along with shuffleboard we could have played a game of arcade-style basketball, but nobody was really feeling it.  Our waitress was very personable, and made us feel comfortable.  Ryan, Conor’s older brother, made a few jokes with her, and she seemed at home talking to us while discretely working for a better tip.

The food was pretty good.  My buffalo wings were delicious, kind of spicy, but that’s how I like them.  The barbecue ones were okay, but the buffalo were undoubtedly better.  Like all wings, they came with carrots and celery with ranch.  To finish off my meal I ate through the slider, savoring every bite.  For three dollars and fifty cents, it kicked White Castle’s butt, price set aside.  My friend, Conor, and Ryan, split the C&G platter.  It consisted of a ton of fried food, some of which was “mediocre,” and some not so good.  Ryan said that the poppers were pretty unconventional, and did not compare to the ones from Arizona.  Jameson got a five-dollar happy hour burger, and then a slider after seeing mine.  The total of my meal was about $12, I figured this was an alright price.

It seems to me that at this time, late afternoon on a Sunday, a couple people come into the pub to socialize.  There is no heavy drinking, and the food is mediocre tavern food.  It is all pretty greasy, but I wasn’t expecting anything more.  Happy hour saved us all a couple dollars, as a regular entre was just over ten dollars.  My article that I previously linked to was also about a tavern.  To quote it “Another popular choice is the grilled pork chop, seasoned and charcoal-grilled for $10.95.“  This seems right on par with the price level of Crimson and Gold, but the tavern in that article was more well known for its history and food.  It wasn’t a college bar, located less than a block away from campus.  The main focus at C&G is probably to gain revenue through alcohol sales, not by selling cheeseburgers.  The relaxed atmosphere makes for an okay spot for a business meeting or more likely, a casual drink.  I can safely conclude that at this time, mid-evening on a Sunday, the only people who are interested in coming to a tavern, or more specifically C&G, are those whom are middle-aged and probably just got off work.  It is also my realization that people go to this place to drink, not to eat.  That would probably explain the mediocre quality of our food.  Sure some parts of our meal were good, but I would have rather eaten somewhere else. 

tavern linkagery

Heres the link to an online article about a tavern.  I found this relevant because I ate at a tavern as well.  It talks about the atmosphere and the food served.  It will be interesting to compare this to the tavern I went to, Crimson and Gold -a local DU bar/restaurant.

http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/332331379

Look at the full text below the small preview of the article.

Heres an online profile of the tavern
http://milehighfeedback.blog.com/2011/04/26/profile-of-the-crimson-and-gold-tavern/

P4 Jail food and China

 In Cate’s article, spreads are a way of life.  They help the inmates escape from the confines of the jail.  It is said that the food they are served has enough nutrition for a balanced diet.  My guess is that is just fits the bare minimum.  Their food is bland, so spreads incorporate spices and real flavors.  Spreads represent freedom for them, something that inmates desperately seek.  Spreads are inclusive, and exclusive, they form groups of people who they share their treasure with.  Higher-class members of the jail system, those who are the top dogs, are able to use the best ingredients in their spreads, or to eat them with.  Cate said tortillas are a message of status, only the veterans of the jail, those who run it, are able to use them to eat their food with.  I assume that the lower class members would have to give them their tortillas.  They use their spreads to deviate from the uniform life of jail.  Their food provides something unique.  It if full of flavor, something the standard food lacks.  It makes them exclusive, you only share your spread with your crew, not everyone is privileged enough to eat your tasty spread.  They can only wonder what it tastes like. 

In O’Donnell’s article, food is used as more of means to represent culture.  What you eat in China represents the divide between the North and the South.  It is the split between cattle and fish, the split between the different social classes of the city.  Food symbolizes culture, just as it does in the article about “spread” in jail society.   O’Donnell’s article was more about politics, while Cate’s was about social class and structure.  Despite these differences, on the surface, they were both about food.

I found Cate’s article the most interesting.  Learning about jails, as weird as this may sound, is always fascinating.  One of my favorite movies is “The Shaw Shank Redemption,” which is a prison story.  Hearing what life on the inside was like and how the inmates make it day to day was interesting.  I can also relate to their terrible food.  Sodexo is pretty bad but it probably isn’t as bad as jail food.  With that being said I still like to complain.  In the dining hall I survive by making crazy combinations of food to find something delicious.  This is what they do with the spreads in jail, take the good ingredients and combine them to make something delicious. 

ad post comparison

http://sodexoisnotgreat.blogspot.com/2012/04/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-ja-x_09.html

At the end of my last post, I concluded that the more simple an ad is, the better.  Maybe this is different because I did print ads while this person used videos, but they decided that the more complex ad was better.  Coke-a-cola has an extremely complex ad, it is an enormous Rube Goldberg machine that shows the process behind preparing each can of Coke.  This animation must have taken months, or even years to make.  It is extremely complex, and sells Coke as being some great product that will bring happiness to anyone.  After watching it, I agree with the message this ad sends, and I think I have to rethink my view of which types of ads are successful. Maybe it was just different because my ads were pictures, and the others were videos.  My only conclusion now is if I were to make more assumptions generalizing ads I would need to study more of them.

short essay #2

I picked four advertisements, two of which are from fast food restaurants, and the other two from a more upscale ones.  Subway, Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Red Robin were my choices.  Each ad shows a mouth-watering sandwich, or burger.  Along with this beautiful display of their showcased food, there is some text.  I wanted to be able to contrast fast food advertisements with those for “sit down” restaurants.  Surprisingly the Subway and Arby’s ads had a higher word count.  Arby’s had 18, Subway was at 48 not including the small text.  While Buffalo Wild Wings was at 15 and Red Robin only at 11.  This is surprising since, as we learned from the potato chip article, the bags with more words were typically more expensive.  Each ad undoubtedly tries to lure in potential customers with the pictures of their food.  It is almost sad how good the food looks in these ads because everyone knows there is no chance that is what they will actually serve.  The accompanying words only strengthen the message that the pictures send.  “8 Great Subs,” “The Burger Done Better,” and “So Juicy and Delicious It’s Hypnotic.”  All of these catchy phrases only make the pictures seem even better.  They grab the viewer’s appetite and trick them into believing the food is actually that good.

            It seems like the cheaper “fast-food” restaurants are more concerned with being health conscious.  Subway’s motto “Eat Fresh” says that their food is always fresh.  Fresh food is typically healthier, and undoubtedly tastes better.  They also used to always advertise how Jared lost over 200 pounds on the subways diet.  The message they want to send is that Subway is fresh, healthy, and therefore okay to eat.  They also try to market that their food is cost effective, “$5 dollar footlongs are definitely affordable, and give you bang for your buck.  Like Subway, Arby’s also wants to say that their food is healthy.  “Never fried. Never greasy.”  It is well known that fried food will make you fat.  That is why a dieting person will choose a grilled chicken over a fried one, that is, if they are smart.  Grease is something that comes with almost all food, but fast food is known to be especially greasy and unhealthy.  Arby’s is trying to untie that stereotype.  They are trying to set their food apart from that of other fast food restaurants.  By saying that their burgers are never fried or greasy, they are wittingly avoiding saying “our food is healthy” but it is being implied. This is because unhealthy food is fried, and unhealthy food is greasy; so if food doesn’t have those two qualities, it must be healthy, right?  The fact that these two lower-grade food ads have more words about their food being healthy tells me that the people who eat at these restaurants are more health conscious.  Fast food is known for being unhealthy, so by saying that their food isn’t things that are known to be unhealthy, it is then thought of as being healthy.  This probably isn’t true because a cheeseburger can only be so healthy, but to give them some credit it is smart marketing.  These ads will appeal to many people but mostly those who are middle to lower class, since they want to be cost effective, and still eat healthy. 

            If the lower class customers are more health conscious, then what draws in the people who are willing to spend more money on their meal?  Since the Red Robin and Buffalo Wild Wings ads have few words, I believe they are lured in more by how the food looks or tastes.  Along with the taste the customer must consider the atmosphere of the restaurant, would this be an enjoyable place to dine?  In both ads the burgers glisten, begging to be eaten.  The Buffalo Wild Wings ad is definitely geared towards a male audience, the bold text and words about the weight of the burger are two masculine qualities.  Saying your burger is a half-pound does not attract female customers, who typically like to eat lightly, compared to many men.  The Red Robin Banzai Burger does not look like your average burger.  There is something that looks like grilled pineapple on it, but the text saying “Tummy Feng Shui” backs it up.  Feng Shui is classy so this burger must also be.  If the burger is classy, how would it taste bad?  Both ads do not concentrate on saying that their food is healthy, but instead talk about how tasty it must be.  This shows that customers with more money to spend are less concerned on how healthy it is, but more concerned with how much they will enjoy their food.  Unlike the potato chips, in these ads, simpler is better.

P3 advertising on food

 Freedman and Jarafsky noticed a connection between social class and different types of food advertising.  People of different classes undoubtedly eat different foods.  Apart from price, there are other factors that steer one person to buy a certain product and another person to buy a different one.  The more expensive foods use sophisticated language to draw in consumers who have received a higher education, lower class customers simply can’t relate to this language as well.  They discovered that the higher-grade chips more commonly said what they are not than what they are, compared to the lower-grade chips.  For example the lower-grade chips might say fat free while the more expensive ones talk about how they are not made with MSGs or other harmful chemicals. 

On top of these tricky marketing techniques, the more expensive chips had more average words per bag than the less expensive ones.  They also made more of a point to talk about how healthy the chips were. I find it interesting how the more expensive chips pointed out qualities that the cheaper chips also had, but didn’t bother to talk about.  These qualities were almost always related to the healthiness of the chips.  The more expensive chips tried to point out things that would draw the eyes of higher-class customers.  It seems that wealthier people are more health conscious than those of lower classes.

I feel like this method of food advertising analysis being applicable to advertising for electronics such as cell phones.  Sure, most phones now-a-days come with cameras, but some companies make sure to point out the amazing picture quality while others don’t.  Maybe cell phones are a bad example.  I think drugs would be a better one.  Cigarettes and booze are both perfect examples.  More expensive types of alcohol are advertised less but it is known that they are “better.”  They don’t necessarily talk about how people have more fun while drinking it, but they talk about how it was made in perhaps the Swiss Alps, or some foreign place.  I don’t smoke, but I think more expensive cigarettes would contain more text on their boxes than cheaper ones.  This text would probably contain bigger words, that made the product unintentionally sound more classy.  Cigarettes and alcohol are definitely two applicable products but there is no doubt that the examples are endless.

christmas dinner SE#1

Food, like air and water, is necessary for life.  That being said, I don’t think the main reason I eat is to survive.  Although it is true that when I get hungry I am more prone to eat than when I am not; but I believe the main reason I eat is for enjoyment.  Why do so many people complain about the dining hall food at DU, because it isn’t enjoyable.  It tastes bad.  Having the same hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches everyday really starts to suck.  If someone ate at a different restaurant everyday, I highly doubt they would complain about the food.  I now wonder, what exactly about food is so pleasurable?  As I have talked about before, eating uses almost all of the senses.  When the food is being made, or first presented, the person about to eat it will first study and examine how it looks.  Before they have even tasted it, judgments are being made.  Next, depending on the type of food and its temperature, they will smell it.  This sniffing can be both intentional and unintentional.  These two actions happen in fractions of a second.  Commonly the eater, or in this case myself, will dive right in and begin chowing down on the meal.  As the first bite enters, flavor spreads throughout the mouth like wildfire.  This is when they really decide whether they enjoy the food or not.  Apart from the actual taste, there are many other factors that can skew the way the eater rates his or her food.  Ambiance is a huge factor the setting of the restaurant forces you to use your ears and eyes, as you try to get a feel of the place.  If I am at a restaurant with crying little kids surrounding me, there is no chance I am going to enjoy my food.  To contrast that, if I’m at a restaurant that is playing music I enjoy, at a comfortable volume where I can still talk to those I am sitting with, chances are I would enjoy my food more. 

I believe that I use food as a means to socialize and interact with others.  It is common for me to ask someone to get lunch, or even dinner, who likes to eat alone?  Food is used as a means of being social.  This can range from eating with a group of friends, to eating with a significant other, or even to a strictly business meal.  My favorite type of meal is probably that shared with my family on Christmas.  It has become a tradition for everyone to gather at my grandparent’s house for a Christmas party.  My dads two brothers and their younger sister all bring over their respective spouses and children.  We set up two tables, one for the adults and the other for the kids.  My thirteen cousins and I always dine together.  It is standard for us to have ham, homemade cheddar mashed potatoes, some vegetable, cranberry gelatin, and hot bread rolls.  The rolls are everyone’s favorite part.  These hot rolls can be torn apart effortlessly as your eyes are almost forced to stare in amazement while your mouth begins to water.  Once ripped open, it is customary to apply a coat of butter for added flavor.  My one cousin Mike holds the family record of eating the most rolls.  We all love them, but he goes nuts.  Most people choose their seats due to whoever they want to sit next to, but I’m almost positive he tries to place himself closest to the rolls.  We dine in the confines of my grandparent’s house.  Handmade clocks from my Grandpa coat the walls, along with pictures and family memorabilia that is irreplaceable.  Golf is always on the television, and while it might put everyone else to sleep, my Grandpa loves it.  There is nothing more exciting to an old man that a fine game of golf.  Before dinner, we all crowd in the family room, catching up and conversing, sharing funny stories.  Come to think of it, the golf game might be the only reason that there is such good conversation outside of the game.  After we eat, everyone goes away from the table for a while, during this time the women of the house gather in the kitchen to load the dishwasher and prepare for dessert.  My mother’s chocolate Texas cake is always everyone’s favorite.  We have cake and milk, everyone is shortly after put into a food-coma and retreats back into the living room to hangout. 

When I think about Christmas dinner, it is not just the delicious food that comes to mind.  Memories of spending time with all my cousins in my grandparents house emerge from somewhere deep in my mind, playing Ping-Pong in their basement, watching my Grandpa operate his model trains, opening presents in their basement, and my uncles all telling funny stories are the things I think of.  I think that due to the sensory use involved in a great meal, the events closely tied to it are that much easier to remember, and that much more unforgettable.