Food, Identity and Culture

Spring 2017 Food Journal

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Although I’ve never experienced this, this is a great commentary on gender stereotypes in society. “Perhaps not.” - I love that, hehe.

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Attempt to Cut Out Meat: An Update

Since I last posted about my attempt at a transition towards a plant-based diet, I have been doing pretty well. Although I have made exceptions a couple of times (once in the context of our project for this class because I felt it would be rude for me not to eat the chicken that Doris made - my fear being interesting in and of itself). But otherwise I have been really sticking to the plan. I have yet to identify any major changes in mood, weight, or general feelings in terms of health, but am proud of my ability to lessen my animal-product consumption.

I do worry about when I go home, as my parents are not the hugest fans/supporters of my (what I consider noble/important) attempts to cut out meat. Often their peer-pressuring me into eating meat has caused my past attempts to come to a screeching halt. The last time they visited, however, they didn't seem judgmental or critical of my not eating meat, and I am hoping they are more open minded towards it now.

After all, they are paying a ridiculous sum of money for me to attend this school, and one of the most important things I have learned here is that a plant-based diet is significantly better in terms of health, ethics and environmental responsibility. I hope to continue this journey and one day (far in the future I fear) become fully vegan in both what I eat and what I consume.

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At a film festival in Nashville this week, they will be screening The Gateway Bug, an indie documentary film about entomophagy, or the eating of bugs. This topic is super interesting and reminds me of a girl who was in my environmental journalism class last semester. Every class meeting a different person would bring in a snack for everyone, and when it was her turn she brought cooked crickets. They weren't bad, and to me simply tasted like seeds and kind of like dirt. This same girl was part of the initiative to get Vanderbilt to sell flavored crickets in their Munchie Marts. She was successful, and you can purchase mocha, Sriracha, or other flavored crickets in Rand, Branscomb or Commons munchie marts. Anyway, entomophagy has become a popular topic of conversation and I think this movie will be really interesting to watch. It gets us thinking outside of our American cultural box, per se, and is a creative way of solving a lot of problems associated with food in today's world.

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I found this video a while ago, and shared it to my Facebook page. This guy made a video which uses Ed Sheeran’s song Shape of You, but he changed the lyrics to be about food waste. It’s pretty clever, and talks about an issue I think about a lot. I’ve learned a lot about waste, especially food waste through many of my environmentally focused classes, as well as in this class. It is an incredibly important issue that really should be addressed more, and I think this video is a funny and accessible vehicle to talk about something that’s actually really serious. Personally, I struggle with my food waste because I don’t eat very much and struggle to finish my meals. If taking the rest to-go or pawning it off on my friends is not an option, I end up wasting a ton of food, which upsets me. Lately, when I go to Chipotle or get on the Bowl line in Rand, I always try to ask for half a scoop of rice, or beans or whatever else I get in my order. It definitely works most of the time, and I actually sometimes get to clear my plate which is fun for me! 

Anyway, this video is pretty cool, so check it out!

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Authenticity (part 400)

This weekend, my friend suggested we go to this really great Mexican restaurant that he had been to. He said it was a sort of hole-in-the-wall type place, and that the people who worked there barely spoke English. We drove to a relatively residential area of East Nashville and stopped at the taqueria. Once inside, we kept describing it in terms of authenticity. Because the menu was all in Spanish, because the people working there barely understood any English, because there were a group of women sitting and talking in Spanish and a bunch of young children running around and playing---all of these things made the “authenticity” of the restaurant seem higher to us. 

The food was pretty awesome, and (again) seemed really authentic. Why is it that the fact that the people barely spoke English made the restaurant more authentic? I think it’s maybe because if they barely speak English, we subconsciously assume they are less influenced by American culture, or have “lost” less of their Mexican culture. And so, we think the food must be pretty true to food in Mexico, because they clearly haven't assimilated to American culture. 

Because of what we have talked about in class this semester, I was hyperaware of our experience going to this restaurant and the way we reacted to it. I am glad that I am now more critical and observant of my relation to food and the way I and others talk about things to do with food and culture.

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This could be true...

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bagels bagels bagels

As I incredibly rapidly approach graduation, and my return to home in New York, I have barely had time to think about what it'll be like after gradation (because finals etc.). One thing I realized today, however, is perhaps one of the most significant implications of my return to NY and residence there for the foreseeable future of my life, is that I will now go back to a life that is rarely if ever missing good bagels. Time in Nashville has been great, don't get me wrong. But there's nothing like a really good bagel, and you simply cannot find that here. Or really anywhere but New York and the surrounding tri-state area (us, CT & NJ). Anyway, I can't wait. It's been hard living without good bagels, as they are a huge part of life at home for me. (My parents and I eat bagels on the weekend and have since I can remember). Freshman year here my mom actually froze and then mailed me a huge bag of bagels. Which was awesome while they lasted. God, I love a good bagel :)

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LOL. This reminds me of the time I opened the oven and it was so hot that my contact immediately fell out of my eye and shriveled up... Only a little concerning!

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Let’s just talk about the Unicorn Frappuccino for a second. This past Wednesday, Starbucks unveiled a limited edition Unicorn Frappuccino. Although only appealing to me in a I-loved-Lisa-Frank-as-a-child way, this drink caused a stir around the nation. I’m not sure how many instagram posts this weekend focused on it, but certainly a lot for a beverage. I read about what’s actually in the drink, and it turns out there are 59 grams of sugar packed in there. Thats wayyyyyy more than the recommended sugar intake anyone is supposed to have in a whole day! It’s about a third more sugar than a can of Coke has in it (which is already a lot).

Interesting story about the Unicorn Frapp: On Saturday I was with some friends and my one guy friend was asking my girl friend if she was free the next day to go to Starbucks with him. Essentially, he wanted to try the drink but didn't want to be the one to order it, because it didn't fit with his ideals of appropriate masculinity (he didn't quite phrase it like that). The next day I was at Starbucks and offered to get him one and deliver it to his apartment building. He said yes, and asked me to get 2 because his other guy friend wanted one as well. Unfortunately, they were all sold out by the time I got there, and my friends were very disappointed. 

It’s so interesting how this plays so nicely into discussions of gender and food. It is a good example of a theme we’ve seen throughout this class- that food becomes about way more than just food.

I personally did not venture into the Unicorn taster-world and passed on the drink. I wonder if Starbucks will bring it back at any point in the future. 

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Professor Ross screened Babette’s Feast for us on Wednesday. The film, although confusing at parts and hard to understand because of the language barrier, I really enjoyed. One part that has stuck with me is one specific ingredient for Babette’s authentically French meal. (There’s that idea of authenticity again!) Anyway, they brought in from France a huge, live sea turtle, which was used for the soup. This was pretty appalling and disgusting to me, and many of the other students who were at the screening laughed and made ew-type noises when they saw that she was going to cook this turtle. It is always interesting to see how certain foods are taboo in our society but completely normal in others. 

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Boot the Braids

For the past week on campus, a group of students led by the organization Vanderbilt Food Justice, have been protesting with a goal of getting Vanderbilt to take Wendy’s off the Commodore Card. The main reason for doing this is because Wendy’s is one of the only fast food restaurants not to agree to participate in a program which requires *basic* human rights for its tomato growers. They probably have not signed it because they realize their farmworkers are treated poorly. In this class we have talked about the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, which has made some big noise about farm conditions specifically in Florida but around the country as well. I think this is a noble cause, and if Vanderbilt were to take them off the card, it would be a big nudge to Wendy’s to make a move towards the right thing. One student apparently has gone a full 6 days without eating in support of this cause, which is incredibly. I am honestly not sure I would be able to fast for even a day, let alone nearly a week. I am so impressed by this group who feels so passionately about this issue. 

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As I am thinking about my final paper, which is about Thanksgiving Day at my house, I am reminded of this video, which I found in a BuzzFeed article a couple Thanksgivings ago. The title of the article was something about if your parents freak out before company comes over, this is the video for you! As my mom gets very anxious anyone comes to our house, especially because we are a naturally messy family, I was immediately interested. The video is hilariously on point with what it is like in my house. I showed it to my mom (hoping she wouldn't be offended) and she laughed so hard she cried. She thought it was great. Even if you can't relate, it is just incredibly funny to watch. Please enjoy.

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“Grandma’s cooookies!”

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I just found this picture I took of some peppers we had out as an appetizer on Christmas day this year. It’s a pretty good photo I think. I had gotten the new iPhone 7+ which has an especially good new camera and so I wanted to test it out. The colors are so vibrant!!

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Gourmet Edible, Bakeable, Customizable Cookie Dough! Try this delicious NYC treat today!

I am SO excited to go back to New York so I can go to Do, a new safe-to-eat cookie dough shop. I love cookie dough and so does my cousin and we’ve already planned to head into the city to try this. I can't wait :)