W10: Synthesis

For this week's post, begin by choosing either Myers ("The Moral Crusade Against Foodies"), Fedoroff ("Genetically Engineered Food for All"), or the website, cornsugar.com. Your blog post should be a response to one of these readings and it should utilize the ideas/perspectives of at least two other composers that we've encountered this quarter. Everything is fair game for the other perspectives--films, assigned readings, and Moments of Zen. You're also welcome to include additional perspectives (i.e. other outside sources) but you need to work with at least 2 people that the whole class has read.

W9: Open Topic

Choose your own topic (relevant to our course work) for this week's post.

W8: O'Betty's Review

Write a review of your dining experience at O'Betty's on Union. Feel free to discuss any aspect of the restaurant (i.e. not just the food) that you observe.

due to your Personal Blog by 2/29.

Pollan Response 2

Now that you've read about half of the book, what arguments do you see Pollan making here? Second, how does Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms view his own farm in relationship to "Industrial Agriculture" and "Organic Agriculture"? 

W7: Food Inc. & the Persuasive Power of Film

What do you find most persuasive (or unpersuasive) about Food Inc.? Consider the stories told, the credibility of the testimonials, the role of experts, the features of the filming, and the use of elements like captions or transitions.

Now I'd like you to write about whether and how you were persuaded by the film.  Can one film actually persuade us to change our lifestyles? How does the persuasive quality of a film compare with other one-off acts of persuasion (i.e. attending a lecture, reading an editorial)? Feel free to draw on your viewing of Supersize Me or other documentaries in your answer as well.

Pollan Response 1

For your first response on Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, you should address these three questions.

1. What is Pollan's project here?  What is he trying to accomplish in this b ook?
2. What have you learned so far about America's food chains?
3. How would you respond to Pollan's argument?

due in class 2/15/12

W6: Open Topic

Craft your own food-related post for this week's blog.

due 2/20 to your Personal Blog--I'm giving you a couple of extra days on this one, but your W7 post will still be due on 2/22.

W5: Our Fast Food Nation (Winter '12)

For this week's post I'm interested in your own "fast food story" but then I really want you to move beyond that and do some thinking about why America is such a fast food nation. I've traveled quite a bit and I know that many of you have too. Nowhere else in the world does fast food like America does fast food. In developing countries, places like McDonald's are luxury items. When you walk inside you'll see a pretty wealthy clientele. In other developed countries (say, in Europe) fast food tends to be relegated to freeway rest stops and a few locations "downtown".


What is it that makes fast food so American? (And, what have you seen fulfilling this role in other countries if you've traveled? How are those foods different from fast foods?) 

 

due to Personal Blog by 2/8

Food Histories & Mysteries

What have you learned so far about some of America's iconic (?) foods?  Be sure to demonstrate that you've read the material from this week. Next, choose one food that remains a mystery to you and do some research on it (e.g. Velveeta cheese).  Tell us a bit about the history of your food mystery.

due in class 2/1/12

Supersize ME Response

Spurlock uses a variety of strategies, especially visual ones, in order to make his argument. What is his argument and what strategies did you find most effective or striking? What strategies were ineffective in persuading you?

due 2/1 as a response to the Course Blog

W4: "American Food" (Winter '12)

Here's your task for this week's post: You get to design the menu for a new "quintessential American restaurant" in, let's say, Russia. What foods best represent "America" and why? At a minimum, your post should list the menu items and the rationale. But no burgers, fries, or pizza. Those are a given--let's dig deeper.

due 2/1 to your Personal Blog

"Southern"

What is the role of our “southern associations” in Paula's Home Cooking? What associations (and stereotypes?) does Deen draw on for her show?  Why?  To what effect?

image credit: pauladeen.com

Julie & Julia as Memoir?

Given what we've read and discussed about memoir in the last few weeks, how does Julie and Julia (the film) function as a memoir?  Does it feel authentic?  Does it have an appropriate scope?  What common experiences are examined?

Post as a comment in class on 1/23.

W3: Teachers (Winter '12)

As we're transitioning into the next section of the class, we'll be talking about cookbook authors, bloggers, and television hosts--people who, in part--are trying to teach us about food and cooking. Who have been the "teachers" in your life? Who has taught you about cooking and food (and what did they teach you)?

If you don't like or know how to cook, feel free to get creative with this prompt. What do you know (even if you don't feel like it's a lot)? For example, I'm remembering the friend who taught me to make grilled cheese without the stove, enabling a new after-school snack. She would put the bread in the toaster and then butter it, add the cheese, and microwave it to make the cheese melt. My best friend Jenifer taught me that peanut butter and jelly was even better if you grilled it (butter = better). She would make her sandwich, butter it, and then grill it just like grilled cheese. And now that I think about it, on that same visit she introduced me to the fried hot dog--a hot dog pan fried in butter with a little worcestershire.

Now none of these is haute cuisine. None is going to win a prize. But both of these people did teach me something about food. So if you need to expand your definition of "teach" for this post, then have at it.

And in honor of one of America's best known food teachers, I give you: The Chicken Sisters!

Post to your personal blog by 1/25.

W2: Family Food Cultures

As I read through the first couple of chapters of The Language of Baklava Abu-Jaber's memories triggered dozens of memories for me--memories of school lunches, of family recipes, and of family gatherings. For this week's post, write about a family recipe that represents your family--something like Abu-Jaber's shish kabob, Wizenberg's french toast, or Janzen's warmer kartoffelsalat.  Or if something else about this week's reading triggered a stronger memory, feel free to go with that.

Post to your personal blog by 1/18.

Powell/Shapiro Response

Shapiro is a biographer while Powell is a memoirist.  Use what you've been learning about memoir to analyze the personas of Powell and Child (as represented by Shapiro). 

Consider: What kind of opinion does Shapiro want her readers to have of Julia Child?  In your response, include some evidence from the reading to support your answer.  How is Powell representing herself in this chapter?  Again, include some evidence. What is at stake for Shapiro and for Powell in these chapters? 

Finally, which text struck you as having a more authentic persona and why?

due by class on 1/18; 300 words minimum

Ciezadlo Response

What does tashreeb represent to these men? Did your view/preconceptions of them change as you read the piece?

homework due 1/11/12; 300 word minimum

Janzen Response

What did you learn about Mennonites from reading this piece? In your opinion, which food had the most graphic description?

due in class 1/9/11; 300 words minimum

W1: Remembering Home (Winter '12)

What foods remind you of home? Are those foods sources of pride, or like Janzen, do you have some shame-based foods hiding in your closet?

Post a response to your personal blog by Thursday, 1/12/12. Remember that this is a formal writing assignment. 300-500 words

Your Food Cultures (Winter '12)

Your Food Cultures

"Tell me what you eat: I will tell you what you are."
~Brillat-Savarin

What food cultures do you belong to? Most of you are part of the student food culture (pizza, burgers, burritos and beer) and you no doubt belong to some kind of regional food culture as well (e.g. midwestern meat & potatoes). Does your ethnic or religious identity connect you to particular foods or food rituals? Are you a foodie? A vegan? Post your response (at least 300 words) here. And feel free to otherwise introduce yourself to the rest of the class while you're at it.