Blog post 4 on hungry planet paper For my paper, I chose images 16 and 18 with a Guatemalan family and an English family. The main difference between the two was that the English family had a diet high in processed food, but had variety, almost nothing was purchased in bulk. For the Guatemalan family, they had a diet high… Read more »
A major reason for the difference in the American diet, and the rural Chinese diet is the great disparity in wealth. The wealthier a nation is, the more complex their food supply chains become, capitalism forces the drive for cheap food. This is happens for a few reasons. First, the migration of developing nation’s population from rural areas to cities,… Read more »
Reading the chapter “Cheap Food, Hunger, and Obesity” from Michael Carolan’s The Real Cost of Cheap Food was particularly eye-opening with regards to the obesity epidemic in the U.S. Living in Spain, I hear plenty of commentary about “fat Americans” and their propensity for eating Big Macs. This behavior is typically blamed on individual laziness and a need to want… Read more »
While reading about the cause of the Irish and Indian famines this week which killed millions of people, I continually asked myself, “How could they so brazenly end these people’s lives?” How could a few powerful people so apathetically decide the fate for millions of innocent people. As I wondered about this question something struck me and I wondered, is… Read more »
When we think of the types of exports that, in this modern 21st century day and age, significantly shape or change the course of a nation(s), food is not at the top of the list. Most attention, especially in common news media, focuses on the big post-industrial power markets of things like oil, gold, coal, copper, diamonds, weapons, electronics and… Read more »
We seldom think about where our food comes from. We enjoy chocolate because of its sweetness, its rich flavor, and its overall appeal as our guilty pleasure. What we fail to realize is the hard work that goes into the chocolate-making process. This makes me reflect on how we abuse animals for our personal consumption. In this story; however, the… Read more »
Just grapes and sunshine–that’s all that Sunmaid Raisins claim go into their humble boxes of dried fruit. This declaration comes at the end of their advertisement, after insinuating that eating raisins will also make you a celebrity, just like all the fit and healthy Hollywood locals. This is called lifestyle advertising, a more recent trend in marketing. Rather than make… Read more »
Unlike other assignments where I had to focus and concentrate, the contemplative practices were about taking a step back to see where I stand from the world. If I must pick one among all, the third lesson with the video clip of Ivory Coast Cocoa Farmers was the most memorable contemplative practice for me. Chocolate is one of the most… Read more »
For the love of coffee, I thought I would never compromise my daily habits. I sheltered myself away from the knowledge of clear-cut forests for its sake. Then I tried not to consider the workers who processed the bean for my morning ritual. Ultimately, I found a sustainable and affordable alternative, which assuaged my guilt of privilege. I would not… Read more »
I have a precarious relationship with hunger as a physiological and mental phenomenon. Because of my past experience with and ongoing feelings around hunger, I live my life in such a way to avoid encountering this sensation. Hunger creates tremendous panic in me. It’s the harbinger of certain and impending loss of safety, stability, and control. I developed anorexia in… Read more »