This past Saturday I went to dim sum with my girlfriend and her parents. Instead of going to china town in downtown Manhattan, we went to the chinatown in Brooklyn. Since I’ve never been to a dim sum in my life I had no idea to expect when I heard “Chinese breakfast”. I thought “well, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so it cant be that different!” When we arrived at the restaurant, I noticed that we were proibably the only, and I mean ONLY white people there. Yes, I did look around just to make sure. To me this was very new and a little intimidating but I realzed that it only added to the authenticity of the restaurant. Another really cool thing about it is that we sat in big round tables with complete strangers. The table in a way unifies the people that are seated in it in the one main thing everyone has in common: We are here to eat! Sooner or later we started making friends with the people on the table. Now this was the best part, there were little food carts going around everywhere. Basically you would stop the and tell them what you wanted, they would give it to you, and stamp your ticket. I’ve never been to anytihng like this and it was fascinating. Anoter tihng I noticed was that all of the people that were pushing the carts and serving the food were women, and the waiters and sitters were all me. Anyway, it was the first time I tried steamed pork buns, and I must say it was one of the tastier things ive ever had. The dough and the filling wre both so sweet and so savory! Another thing I should note is that the restaurant and how they renovated and catered the place made you feel like you were eating in China. I was very proud of myself because this is the first time I’ve never had to ask te waiter for a fork, it was very exciting. I finally learned how to efficiently use my chop sticks, and after a while it became pretty easy. After we left the restaurant we went to an asian supermarket. Since we were reading Omnivores Dilemma, I decided to look around and check out the ingrediants of certain prodcuts to compare. What I noticed is that almost non of the produdts use high fructose corn syrup, instead they use pure cane sugar, no additives, etc. I guess if you can’t afford farmers markets in new york city, your best bet is to shop at foreign food stores.
Everywhere I look I can’t help but notice the absurdity of what Michael Pollan describes as the “American Paradox” an unhealthy people obsessed with the idea of eating healthily. In my own apartment I see this firsthand in the choices my roommates and I make. One of them J. will take the train one stop to the gym when it’s only seven blocks away. She will also eat a bag of cheetos for breakfast and then for dinner say she’s only having a can of creamed corn because she just came from the gym and doesn’t want to “blow it.” Hmmm… I feel like if I told this anecdote to someone abroad they would laugh and simply think I was telling some sort of joke, sadly it’s not. I’m guilty of this too. I carefully scrutinize the labels of the food I buy, can be seen comparing different products in the supermarket aisle and for the most part eat vegetarian at home because I’m too worried about antibiotics, hormones and all the other scary stuff that goes into raising these animals. Then, when I go out to eat at a restaurant I’m suddenly a different person; one who orders chorizo and items laden with sugar.
It makes me come to the conclusion that the further away we are from our food, the more deluded our choices become. When I’m at the supermarket I can actually see the food in my hands and make choices based on net pros and cons. Meanwhile in a restaurant, there is an additional veil between my food and I which makes it easier to forget those certain chapter in The Ethics of What We Eat or the scene from Fast Food Nation. I’m sure it would also be true that if I grew my own food and literally saw for myself the entire process, I would be “most” conscious of my food choices.
On a brighter note (this blog has gotten way too pessimistic) this past weekend I had the opportunity to venture out to Park Slope, Brooklyn with a friend. We started off our “tour” by going to Gorilla Coffee, which our professor recommended, for iced coffee. Then we walked around the neighborhood checking out the pretty brownstones, discussing urban development and working up an appetite. For dinner we went to Chiles & Chocolate, a Mexican restaurant, that had some interesting choices on the menu. I ordered vegetable quesadillas and the aforementioned chorizo although I was quite tempted by this dish that had grasshoppers as a topping. My friend ordered chicken mole which had chocolate as an ingredient which made for an interesting earthy taste. From there we went to check out some local bars and now I’m sort of wishing Sunnyside could hurry up and become a neighborhood’s neighborhood.
Ever since I started reading Omnivore’s Dilemma, I have been looking at ingredient labels in everything I buy and eat. It has become sort of a hobby to better my diet. I have stopped eating fast food, and have not ate red meat in a week. Earlier this week at my cafeteria I was standing next to the “fame grill” which serves all your diner needs: burgers, fries, wraps, etc… While I was waiting to order, I noticed the meat that was getting smacked onto the grill was frozen, and each red disk looked exactly the same. In a way the frozen red disks embellish the industrialized food industry today: uniformity is key. So instead of ordering a burger delux, I went for the grilled cheese on whole wheat bread with waffle fries. I figured since I’m not getting the burger I could at least get the greasy delicious spicy waffle fries. When i came home I started looking through my fridge for products that had ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, corn starch, etc… What surprised me was that the V8 fusion juice in my fridge contained high fructose corn syrup. More than that, it was the second ingredient on the list before water. The list of ingredients goes from most added to least added in the supplement, which means that aside from water, high fructose corn syrup is in this “healthy” drink more than anything else. I felt cheated on and lied to. Or, maybe I should have read the back sooner. Very quickly did I stop drinking V8 and started drinking this new fruit juice that had no added sugars. Although it gave less fruit servings, I was willing to compromise for the safety of my liver. I also started drinking more water, more greens, beans, hummus, whole wheat bread, and as far as meat goes I stick to fish. I thought to myself “at least they’re not getting fed corn, not YET at least…” Reading this book makes me miss the food I indulge myself in when I visit Serbia and Montenegro.
Every year for lent I try to give up something that would be a challenge for me. Then I find that after the 40 days are over, I don’t really crave that item any more. One year I gave up peanut butter and haven’t eaten it by itself in a long time. I do, however, have a major soft spot for all things Reese’s. This year, like last year, I decided to give up soda. Unfortunately my experience with soda last year was not like the previous Lenten experiences; after the 40 days I still craved it. This year I decided to really take a stand against it, not only because it would be a challenge but because of the health benefits I would receive. After reading article after article about the dangers of high-fructose corn syrup I knew I had to cut down on my Coke intake. I decided to start my “diet” during lent because then if I cheated I wouldn’t just be breaking a promise to myself, I would be breaking a promise with God. Then I would be forever riddled with guilt (as goes the Catholic tradition).
While embarking on this no-soda journey, I decided to make some other lifestyle changes. I cut back on sweets, since the amount of sugar I intake will eventually lead to diabetes (a genetic predisposition of mine), stopped eating after 9pm (I’ve heard it’s better for digestion if you don’t eat three hours before going to bed. In addition to that I was usually eating after that time because I was bored and needed something to do), started an exercise regimen 3 days a week at the free (!) gym at school, and started eating breakfast with a glass of V-8 Fusion (thanks Ivan) to get my metabolism going . While I disguise this under the muse of self-sacrificing for Lent, it is really me trying to get my act together, take care of myself, and get a body I won’t be ashamed of on the beach.
As I struggle with my new lifestyle I look for alternative ways to quench my thirst. Ulimately water is the best choice and I even bought a reusable plastic thermos (BPA free) so I could be more eco-friendly. The only problem with that is, as I’m running around throughout the day I can’t seem to find places to fill it back up, so I’m stuck carrying an empty water bottle and forced to buy something else to keep me going. I just can’t bring myself to fill the bottle with sink water from a bathroom, I just can’t do it.
Aside from the water dilemma, I’m finding this new lifestyle relatively easy to deal with. Once I got into the routine of going to the gym, I actually wanted to go – It felt good to release some tension and I can already feel a difference in my energy level and every day little things (such as not panting when I walk up the stairs). I read an article* about how people are going about healthy lifestyles the wrong way. Most people just go on a diet to lose weight but then don’t keep up with their eating habits, therefore causing them to yo-yo. Exercising and eating healthy is also presented as something we “have” to do. It feels like a chore to most people, when it should actually be something they want to do. If people had the right attitude when approaching lifestyle changes they would be more willing to change. Diets don’t work, the way people eat and think about food has to change.
Trying to eat healthier requires effort, advanced planning, and know-how, the frankly most people don’t have the time to put in. One would think that since we eat so often and everything we put into our mouths has an effect on our overall well being we would be more interested in tkaing the time out to make smart choices, as opposed to spending that extra half hour watching television. But we can’t prioritize for everyone and ultimately it is up to the individual to make the decision for themselves.
*I searched for the article but could not find it again 
I will keep looking.
Recently, I’ve been reading a lot about behavioral economics which revolves around the concept that people don’t always make rational decisions. When it comes to food choices, I feel that this holds to be especially true. If people know oreos and chicken nuggets are not good for them, why do they continue to eat these foods? We can argue that they lack the nutritional education, access to healthier alternatives, and/or the means to actually purchase higher-quality food. Despite these challenges, I feel I can offer a tiny solution.
While analyzing the neighborhood health comparison map available through epiquery, I quickly scanned the list to find my own neighborhood and instinctively compared it to the others. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the class who did this. And that’s when it hit me. What if people living in “high food risk” neighborhoods were given a “bill” that compared their household’s health statistics with that of another neighborhood. Would seeing that your family only eats fresh fruit twice a week while a family in the Upper East Side eats that same amount in one day make you implement any changes? Would seeing that your children weigh 20% more than their children have any effect on your shopping list? I’m willing to bet that it would.
I understand that this scenario is an oversimplification of a larger issue. But really, aren’t smaller solutions like this technically more viable?
Last Monday, in my Latin American and Caribbean Political Systems class we discussed Brazil and the fact that it has the world’s highest income inequality. While this nation is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, the elite’s gated communities sit a stone’s throw away from the favelas where many of the poor live without access to running water or electricity. Then on Wednesday I went to my Food, Self, and Society class and learned that approximately 3 million New Yorkers live in food deserts. I guess you can say I had a very “enlightening” week at school, and you’d be right. I started looking at things very differently than before. I started thinking about the neighborhood where I live now and the one where all of my family still lives, Sunnyside and Bayside respectively. I wanted to learn more about how access to food and health differs between these two localities. In particular, I set about to learn about what alternatives there were to the industrial food supply. The following is a list of my top 3 for each neighborhood:
Sunnyside*:
1) Sunnyside CSA: 26 weeks of local, organic veggies will set you back $515. Which comes up to less than $20 a week. This year they are expanding their offerings to include fruit, grains, beans , herbs and even coffee. I want a membership and wish you could pay-as-you-go.
3) Go Natural Health Foods and Juice Bar: Sells mostly dried goods, vitamins and has a tiny fresh section. They also sell prepared foods and fresh squeezed juices. The people who work there are really nice but the last time I went in I just bought almonds, banana chips and dried rosemary and it came up to $10 so can’t say I’d do all of my shopping here.
Bayside*:
1) Health Nuts: Always passed by, never went in and don’t know anyone who actually does all of their food shopping here.
*As you would have noticed by now there were not enough alternatives to round out the “top 3″ list and I did not have the heart to name it my “top 2″ or worse my “top only.”
Conclusion: The borough of Queens may not necessarily be a food desert but it can definitely be compared to a food prairie; bleak with not much variety.
As I was doing some research for one of my other classes I stumbled upon this NY Times article and thought I would share it with you. It’s all about the children of this generation and their constant snacking. At the bottom of the article there are also some very interesting articles on similar topics: obesity, teenage weight loss surgery, the affect of tv on eating, and a shift in kid’s eating trends. I didn’t want to link all of them and seem a little overzealous but I thought you guys would enjoy it and it will give us some interesting things to talk about in class if we choose to.
So here it is!
So because of the recent snow storms, my family has been relying on the local Gristedes for food. We don’t usually shop at Gristedes because they overprice and we like to buy in bulk. There is a Costco right off of Vernon in Astoria that we go to for our food needs. Let me tell you, Costco is like god’s gift to mankind. They have everything you could possibly need in there. Food, clothing, household appliances, liquor store, electronics, etc. The list goes on. It is the third largest retailer in the United States, and ninth in the world. Fun fact that i did have to look up: Costco is the largest retailer of fine wine in the world, now that’s pretty amazing. My mom and I took a trip this weekend to stock up on food. My favorite activity when I am there is to sample food. On most corners and turns in that store, they have people giving out samples of anything, be it yogurt, burritos, cheese, the list goes on once again. Here’s the most amazing part of this store: they carry their own brand. Kirkland Signature is Costco’s store brand, and most of their products are by that brand. Of course, they have major brands, but they also have the Kirkland brand more most items which costs less. What I noticed last time is that customers prefer the store brand rather than the popular brand, and I asked one shopper why, and he said “because its the same quality, but cheaper, I feel like i’m robbing this place every time I leave!” Of course i was also thinking about the reading that we had for this week. Would Costco be able to survive in a low income neighborhood? I would imagine so, because not only do they sell bulk for discount prices, but as of 2009, they also started accepting food stamps. This is a store that you go to with the intention of buying a large amount of food, so that you don’t have to go back for I would say weeks, or maybe once a week. I find myself indulged in everything the store has to offer. Once you’re done shopping, you can stop by their pizza shop and grab a slice. I think to myself, this is ridiculous, how many people do you need to run a store this massive? And that made me think about how many jobs it could give residents in low income neighborhoods. There is a high demand in jobs and money, and food. not to mention workers get discounts in the store. The problem with Costco is that it would never survive in an urban setting, it needs to be somewhere in the open. Warehouse stores can’t be build on level because of their size. This is the first time I have thought about Costco in this way, because usually i’m there eating away at the samples. After leaving Costco it made me realize how lucky I am to have a car to be able to drive to Costco and buy large amounts of food.
As I braced myself for the “blizzard” that was coming on Friday I couldn’t help myself but to wish that schools would be closed. When I went to bed on Thursday they were open, and then, at 6:30 Friday morning my mom came into my room and just whispered, “Schools are closed!” I turned to her and went “Yessssssssssssssss!!!” This meant that I wouldn’t have to go to student teaching that morning and it was probably too bad to make it into work. I slept until around 11:30 and looked out at the mess on our street. I called work and said I wouldn’t be able to make it in (I wasn’t trudging through that to sit around for a couple of hours!), and they understood. It was wonderful I had the whole day open.
So, what to do first? I was hungry, since I’m trying not to eat after 9pm I woke up with a rumbly tummy. I had plenty of time to actually cook some breakfast and didn’t have to rely on my usual on-the-go bag of mini-muffins. I decided to make pancakes (one of my favorites) and they came out delicious! I forgot to put my usual cinnamon on them, but they were still great. I didn’t use all the batter because I couldn’t possibly eat all those pancakes by myself! After some lounging I was still a little hungry so I thought about making a sandwich. Then I remembered it was a Friday in Lent, and therefore could not have a ham and cheese, or even a grilled cheese with bacon because I couldn’t have meat. So I decided to make some more pancakes. While I was making them my mom was making homemade Rice Krispie treats, so I decided to be somewhat inventive and put some marshmallows in my pancakes. It has promise, but it will take some more development. Pancakes like that are more of a treat, like a dessert than breakfast. Sort of like dessert crepes.
I like to play around with my food, but I tend to focus more on desserts. I have a hugee sweet tooth so when I feel like cooking I usually make cookies, cakes, brownies, cupcakes, etc. Then I put things I like in them, like peanut butter, chocolate, marshmallows – nothing even relatively healthy like fruit. It’s pure sweetness. 
So this time I substituted marshmallows in place of chocolate chips in my pancakes. I think maybe having both would have made them extra delcious. Maybe for the next snow day 
I’m personally a “summer” person and generally do not care much for the winter. However, this past weekend I layered up, packed a duffel bag with warm clothing and on a 4-hour notice went skiing with my friend Yaji and her coworkers. On the car ride there, we stop for food at Wendy’s. I personally try to avoid fast food and haven’t had any in probably over a year. Yet, somehow I convince myself that I shouldn’t make a fuss and just go with the flow and order something. After all, at age 21 I don’t want to be “that” person preaching about health and being uptight. I order a chicken Caesar salad and muse about the fact that none of these salads are any better than the hamburgers as they are loaded with creamy dressings, fried chicken and an assortment of crunchy toppings. Whatever, I eat and drift in and out of sleep for the entire ride. In addition to having eaten rubbery tomatoes and wilted lettuce, I am suddenly struck with the realization that I have become an anticlimax to myself. Usually, I’m the boisterous one on road trips, singing out loud, laughing and being ridiculous and now I find myself fighting the urge to take out my book on Latin American political history and just reading. I’m not sure where and when I starting becoming so lame, I’ve always been a self-professed dork but even this was too much. I blame it on the winter even though its more realistic to assume it’s the combination of school, work, volunteering and extracurricular activities that’s weighing down on me.
I push all my responsibilities to the back of my mind and think of skiing and nothing else. The next morning we set out to the slopes after a hearty breakfast at McDonald’s (haha) and I’m ready to hit the bunny slope! I haven’t gone skiing since high school and I’m even scared of the chair lift (bad experience in the Andes mountains) still when I go down the tiny hill, I gain confidence and soon I’m zooming around small children and sloppy adults. After a few times, I convince my two friends who opted for skiing versus the cooler snowboarding, to join me on an intermediate hill. I asked around and was told there was no intermediate hill but that I could just “take it easy” on an advanced one. I thought sure why not and took the long chair lift ride up, telling Ricardo, a first-timer, that he would do just fine. Well long story short, I went too fast and opted to crash into a tree instead of zooming down the steep hill and into oblivion. I hit the trunk with full force and was mangled in my skis. I just kept saying “OWWWW!!” and a kind stranger came over and helped release me from the scene of the crash. With my thigh bruised and my back feeling dislocated , I chose to walk down the hill which took 45 minutes with Ricardo and Yaji who after watching my accident before their eyes did not feel like taking too much risk.
Once on solid ground, I buy deep-fried oreos because sugar makes everything better. Besides, after McDonald’s and Wendy’s my food morals have gone out the window. We meet with the rest of the group and since the sun is setting and we’re all starving we head to a diner. We sit at the table and the first thing I notice is that there is literally a flat screen TV on our table! Bewildered, I look around and see that every single booth-style table in the diner is outfitted with a television set. This feels so wrong and yet so American that I am not surprised as much as disappointed. I turn to gauge the public opinion at my table but everyone is too excited yelling out channels and ordering food. I tell Yaji that this is crazy and she says “No, its genius, it’ll keep kids quiet.”
Keeping kids quiet or not, I feel that dinner time should be family time or at least time to talk with the people who are joining you at the table. It’s one thing to watch television while you’re eating alone but quite another to do so when you’re actually in the company of others. I kept stealing glances at the many families dining, eyes glued to the screen while routinely forking food into their mouths. There was no exchanging of jokes or stories about their day, in reality the only talking done was to ask for the salt or another condiment. Maybe, I was so intrigued that I began to over-analyze the situation, but I couldn’t help but wonder about the role of technology in today’s society, whether it was bringing us closer or driving us apart. It’s funny how we think other people’s customs, say taking an hour to prepare an obento-style lunch for a 5-year old is plain crazy, and yet fail to notice the absurdity in our own way of life.
