Robert Seiler
WRIT 1133-63
Professor Leake
Spring 2013
WRIT
1133 Portfolio
The purpose of
this course (WRIT 1133-63 “Our Places at the Table: Researching and Writing
Food”) is to research and write on, “what is the personal, cultural,
environmental, and social significance of what we eat,” (Leake). Additionally,
the general purpose of the course “WRIT 1133 Writing and Research” is to
enhance our abilities as academic writers to research topics more efficiently and
effectively to allow for progression in writing ability and overall quality in
any given literary work. This class serves as a steppingstone into not only the
more advanced academic world where writing is always a demand, but any aspect
of personal life as writing improves verbal rhetoric and sentence structure.
The
First piece of writing I did in WRIT 1133 really stuck out to me, as it was an
internal inquiry aimed towards discovering what you value in food and where
those values came from. It was meant to reference (to name a few) the,
“personal, cultural, social, familial, or geographical,” significances involved
with eating. At first, I had no idea how to begin because I had never really
attempted to analyze my eating habits and why I ate the way I did. While
writing this essay, I began to understand I transitioned from eating to live to
living to eat (detailed explanation in Short Essay #1) and I also noticed what
factors made me think about eating the way I did. Overall, this piece of
writing helped me understand myself and the food I eat everyday and it was a
perfect sort of introduction into Dr. Leake’s course.
For
the second piece of writing, I chose Short Essay #2 because of its focuses. The
purpose of this piece of writing was to take two relating food products and
rhetorically and physically analyzing the packaging. Being a business major, I
enjoy marketing very much so it was very interesting to understand how various
food and drink companies market their goods. I incorporated my ability to analyze
rhetoric- a skill learned from Dr. Leake in the course, WRIT 1122- and used my
business knowledge to pick apart two products and get a deeper understanding of
food, culture, and business. Overall, this piece of writing taught me a lot
about food, writing, research, and business.
The
final piece of writing I chose was Short Essay #5. For this essay I had to
research a food and report on its health effects and its various facts. Using
the academic research section of the library, I was able to compile a large
research base that allowed for an in-depth research paper. I chose to write
about potatoes and not only is the nutritional information intriguing, but the
statistics of potato consumption in America alone are astounding. Overall, this
prompt was very exciting to me as it gave way to freedom of choice while
helping me learn to navigate academic research more effectively and
efficiently.
Throughout the
course of this writing class I became a better writer through enhancing my
ability to research topics both more effectively and efficiently.
Additionally, I became a more
conscious eater by understanding where food comes from and how it is produces
as well as understanding why I eat the way I do. I consider this knowledge I
have gained as being very valuable in my everyday life.
Short Essay #1
Robert Seiler
Dr. Leake
WRIT1133-63
31 March 2013
Living
to Eat
JRR
Tolkien wrote, “ If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded
gold, it would be a merrier world.” Food has never really been the center of my
life, rather far from it to be truthful, but what transpires during meals with
close friends and family is what I really learned to cherish. The significance
of food to me is the relationships built, ties strengthened, and fun had while
dining. A good meal to me is one where I have meaningful conversations, gain
further understanding of people around me, when time stands still and all your
worries are put aside for that time. However, now that I am living in Denver to
go to school I have new friends, no family, and no familiar restaurants to go
to. This geographical change also comes with a big cultural change because
eating has always been a family and friend oriented experience.
Since
both of my parents were very poor throughout their childhoods they always
wanted to make sure I was well fed. My mother became quite a good cook, and my
father had become a very skilled griller so needless to say, we never had any
shortage of good meals in the Seiler household. However, as a child I was a
very picky eater and I really only liked a handful of foods- mostly breakfast
food, hot dogs, and macaroni to be precise. I never really appreciated the
excellent chicken, mashed potatoes, and other dishes my mother cooked for
dinner every night, but I did somewhat enjoy my father’s grilling. My parents
always used to joke about feeding me through a tube because I wouldn’t eat my
vegetables and that would make me very unhappy because at the time I could not
detect sarcasm as well as I can now. My father would always tell me, “There are
two types of people in this world- those who live to eat and those who eat to
live- you’re the second,” and this, up until my teenage years, was spot on
accurate. Food had never been a significant part of my life and since my
parents had to almost struggle to get me to eat, I never had too many
meaningful dining. Overall, until recently food had not been an important part
of my life, I simply ate to live.
In my more recent
years I have discovered the importance of food and the dining experience.
Studies suggest that while people are eating food together they are much more
sociable and kind and that is something I truly believe. Once I became a teen I
developed a greater appetite and a craving to venture out and trying new foods
and once that happened I became closer with my parents and friends on a much
deeper level. I started enjoying food much more and my mom said to me, “it’s
like your taste buds exploded over night!” I started loving my dads grilling
and my moms cooking and I soon attempted to learn how to start preparing meals.
In short, food became an actual part of my life when I was 13 years old.
I will always
remember my favorite food at home: my father’s excellent grilling that he would
do multiple times a week back home. Since we lived in San Diego we could eat
outside year-round and we took full advantage of that. The most powerful
memories are of standing out by the grill with my dad while he grilled some
chicken or steak. The cool, sea-scented breeze gently passing through the trees
being pushed from the beautiful sunset always comforted me and gave me a
strange, yet powerful, sensation of belonging and joy. Looking across my back
yard I would see our pool complete with a waterfall and waterslide, the fresh cut
lawn where my family and I would play games, and the inviting Jacuzzi where I
spent a lot of time. While we ate we would enjoy the beautiful scenery, talk
about our days and what we planned on doing in the near future, and we would
also be told stories from our parents. Whatever had happened in the time before
eating dinner did not matter in the slightest. We would talk, laugh, and enjoy
the tasty food regardless of previous confrontation. Even with all the typical
drama, we were still a family and when close friends were enjoying life or
having issues it would be discussed and sorted out at the table. At our home,
and especially at the diner table, our friends were our family. The meals we
shared made us feel the deep love we had for each other, the overwhelming
appreciation for the lives we were given, and the people we were blessed to
shared them with.
When I left my
family and best friends for college, I also left behind the connectedness
created by eating meals together. This made my transition from high school to
college rougher for me. I started eating many of my meals alone and the food in
the cafeteria was bland and boring- and the dining environment was even more
so. I had begun to lose the love and happiness I felt back home because I did
most of my talking over meals which was, at the time, impossible. This
realization of the importance of food is very new to me- in fact I realized it
only a few short weeks into coming to the University of Denver. However, I have
been fortunate enough to gain close friends through my college journey and I
have shared many meaningful dining experiences with them, but it still is not
the same because my small piece of heaven in San Diego, California where the
skies are blue, the nights are warm, and my family is still sharing the best
home cooked meals you’ve ever had.
Until recently, I simply “ate to
live” instead of “lived to eat”. If one were to examine both options, “living
to eat” seems like it would lead to being a very portly individual, but I
believe my father meant it in a different way. I think “Living to eat” means
understanding, and acting upon, the idea that the most meaningful conversations
and deepest understandings of life can come from sharing a simple meal with the
most important things in the world to you- your family and friends.
Short Essay #2
Robert Seiler
WRIT 1133-63
Dr. Leake
07 April 2013
…And
That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbled
Businesses
have always marketed their goods and services in predictable ways and this is
because the tried-and-true methods of advertising have provided for the highest
levels of popular, and monetary, success. When we compare Mrs. Fields cookies
with Nabisco’s Chips Ahoy! cookies we see the tried-and-true methods of
marketing being reinforced. Mrs. Fields is marketed towards a more
sophisticated, somewhat more health-conscious individual with more loose money
to spend, while Chips Ahoy is marketed more towards anyone who wants cheap
cookies to satisfy themselves, or their children, without spending much money.
This distinction is illuminated simply by the packaging each business uses to
market their products.
Based on the packaging, Mrs.
Fields cookies are marketed more towards a health-conscious individual that has
more excess money to spend on goods. If one were to look at the packaging of a
Mrs. Fields cookie he or she would notice many things. Primarily, each cookie
is individually wrapped and sealed in a bag, which shows an elevated level of
care, dedication, and pride. The business makes sure you know this information
by having it printed on the top of the packaging. The top reads, “Moist &
chewy cookies INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED for freshness. This shows that they are
trying to market their cookies as being of a much higher quality, resulting in
a much more flavorful and enjoyable experience. The next level of text says
Mrs. Fields in cursive writing, which gives the product a homier, classic
appeal- almost as if Mrs. Fields who “lives next door” prepared these cookies.
At the center of the packaging is a picture of very delicious looking cookies.
This is all done intentionally by the business to evoke the strong sense of the
superiority of this cookie. On the bottom right of the package “0g Trans Fats”
is written. This shows that this cookie is not only delicious, but it also does
not contain the harmful additives that other, cheaper cookies have. This is
done to show the potential customer that Mrs. Fields understands what you want-
a delicious tasting treat that doesn’t make you feel as bad for having. This
helps justify the higher cost of Mrs. Fields cookies by asserting that it is a
“moist and chewy” treat that is not entirely bad for you. This, coupled with
the overall appeal of the packaging, is a great example of marketing to a specific,
but large, socio-economic group.
Nabisco’s
Chips Ahoy! cookies are marketed to the vast majority of the population. Before
analyzing the packaging of Chips Ahoy! cookies, more must be known about
Nabisco’s various business endeavors. Nabisco has the largest bakery in the
world, has more than 1,500 workers, and produces more than 320 million pounds
of snacks annually. Some of these products include Oreos, Ritz Crackers, Fig
Newtons, Wheat Thins, and more. Their marketing strategy is the opposite of Mrs.
Fields. They do not attempt to seem homey, classic, or high quality- they gear
their advertising towards generally families and lower-income audiences. The
packaging illustrates this point very clearly. Firstly, the packaging used is
flimsy plastic in a rectangular, efficiency oriented manner. This is due the
volume Nabisco is producing and a more expensive and delicate form of packaging
would be illogical. The package comes with roughly 60 cookies in them all of
which are small and packed together tightly. The cover reads “Chips Ahoy!” in a
generic font which contrasts Mrs. Fields aim towards a classic look. In smaller
letters is written “real chocolate chip cookies”. This is aimed towards parts
or adults who do not have very high standards, most likely due to financial
restriction, who want ingredients to at least be “real”- quality is not called
into much question as there are no minor health facts on the front of the
packaging like Mrs. Fields. A neat feature put on these packages in the
re-sealable flap that keeps the cookies “fresh” even though they have enough
preservatives in them to probably last many days without getting stale. The
packaging also includes a cookie with a face on it who is the sort of mascot
for Chips Ahoy! This marketing strategy is aimed more towards parents with
children who want a fun treat to give to the kids. Since they are “real
chocolate chip cookies” the parents do not have to worry too much about the
product and can focus on other priorities. Overall, Chips Ahoy! cookies are
marketed towards a lower income market that does not demand a classy,
high-quality product as the general audience for Mrs. Fields cookies does.
Businesses
have always marketing their goods and services to various audiences in order to
survive and generate profit. Mrs. Fields markets more towards an upper-class
market that generally enjoys a quality product with a healthy twist, while
Chips Ahoy! is marketed towards a middle/lower class that demands cheap prices
and decent ingredients.
Short Essay #5
Robert Seiler
Dr. Leake
WRIT1133-63
15 May 2013
Potatoes:
The Controversy
It
is no surprise that potatoes and various potato products were around the top of
the list for classmates’ food consumption. In America, the potato is one of the
most commonly consumed foods but is it healthy to eat potatoes on such a
regular basis? To put it bluntly, yes potatoes are actually very healthy for
your body and mind. However, unfortunately most Americans consume potatoes in
the form of deep fried French fries or greasy potato chips. This complicates
the discussion of potatoes but the objective truth is that the potato itself is
a very good source of many vital nutrients.
In the discussion
of potatoes, specifically here in America, a basis of understanding must be respected
in order to understand the truth behind this food. The North Carolina Potato
Association reports that the average American eats 142 pounds of potatoes a
year. That weight amounts to is almost 365 potatoes, which means that the
average American eats about one potato per day. However, this association fails
to tell you how the average American consumes these potatoes every year. On
average, an American will consume 96 one-ounce bags of potato chips per year-
equivalent to 6 pounds per year and we consume a whopping 29 pounds of French
fries in a year. To continue off this, 95% of all frozen potato products sold
in America are French fries. Finally, Americans consume over 4.5 billion pounds
of French fries, 6.7 billion pounds of potato chips, and 750 million pounds of
potato chips in just 365 days.
Potatoes are
considered by many to be the number one vegetable crop in the world, but they
are not for everyone and there are risks involved. WH Foods placed potatoes on
their top 10 controversial foods list because they belong to the nightshade
vegetable group, which can have negative effects on the body. This group
includes tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and potatoes to name a few. Doctor Ora
Smith, considered in his field to be one of the top potato researchers,
released his findings on the nightshade family of vegetables. His major
discovery is that nightshades can be attributed to arthritis, which is a
problem that most humans face at some point in their lives. His studies on
mammalian species including rats, sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs, and chicks
showed that these various nightshade products caused calcinosis, which is the
animal version of osteoarthritis. Shockingly, nightshades also contain a small
amount of nicotine, which is the addictive chemical in tobacco and there have
been numerous studies showing that these vegetables cause inflammation. This
can cause problems when rehabilitating from a bodily injury. Though these
findings may seem disturbing, especially since the Average American consumes
142 pounds of just potatoes alone, when consumed at an appropriate level,
potatoes can be a valuable and nutritious addition to your diet.
Potatoes come in
many varieties and they are packed with nutritious elements and they wont make
you gain a ton of weight. A single potato can provide you with many of your
daily food values: 27.6% Vitamin C, 27% Vitamin B6,26.4% Potassium, 21.8%
tryptophan, 19% manganese, 15.2% fiber, and contains 160 calories which is 8%
of your daily need. Potatoes also contain various phytonutrients that act as
antioxidants. WHFoods states, “Among
these important health-promoting compounds are carotenoids, flavonoids, and
caffeic acid, as well as unique tuber storage proteins, such as patatin, which
exhibit activity against free radicals.” Additionally, geneticist Roy Navarre
identified 60 different phytochemicals that compete with Broccoli- considered
by many to be a “super food.” Potatoes have also been found to lower blood
pressure, build cells, support brain cell and nervous system activity, keep
your heart healthy, and increase athletic performance. This plethora of health
benefits show that potatoes have the potential of being a superior addition to
your daily food intake.
Potatoes are, no doubt, a complicated
discussion in America. Due to the unhealthy ways most Americans consume
potatoes they received a bad reputation that has been mended in recent years.
It is safe to say that, even though there is some minor risk involved in
consuming too much potatoes, if eaten responsibly potatoes can benefit your
mind and body like many “super foods” we have commonly accepted here in
America.
Works Consulted
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