The food project we have been working on for the past couple months has had the purpose of taking a look into how we relate with food and how we identify our food ethic. To start off, we read a book called the Omnivores Dilemma. We read this book so we could get a look into the backstory behind where are food comes from. At about midway through the project, we introduced the chemistry aspect into our project. With this we learned about the chemistry of food and how chemical reaction happen during the process of cooking. For our final piece of this project, in groups of 5 we made a meal and served it to invited guest. During the meal, we each individually explained a science experiment that we did concerning food and how we define our personal food ethic.
For our meal we decided to make orange chicken. It was indeed a complex meal to make, however it turned out very good and well worth the effort. For the main course we followed a recipe off the computer. When all said and done it took about three hours to prepare. Our side dishes consisted off salad cheese cake and lemonade. To experiment with flavor, some of the food we made was non - organic, and some of the food was organic.
I would say this project definitely had an impact on my learning style. I learned about how food has so much chemistry behind it that I would have never thought about originally. What was really interesting though was learning about my own food ethic. Finding out my true relationship with food was a very interesting and fun part of this project.
I have many takeaways after doing this project positive and negative. I would say one of my biggest takeaways was how my relationship with food changed.I have always been a relatively healthy eater, but I never really thought about what was in my food and where it came from. For instance, I never thought of the grocery store as being a place where basically everything even the dry wall is corn. Once I found this out I was always looking to see if there was corn in the food that I eat. Another big takeaway from this project was learning about where meat comes from.I am not vegan now, but after seeing how animals are treated, I always wonder what the animal that provided this meat went through. I now want to try and eat more meat that comes from well treated animals.
Food Ethic Essay
What Is My Food Ethic? An Ongoing Question
John White
So what is my food ethic? This is a question I have not been thinking about for a very long time, but as of the start of our project I’ve been thinking about it quite often. In this essay I will describe the factors of my relationship with food. I will describe what I eat, how I try to eat, how marketing affects me, and my relationship with food. With this in mind, I can narrow down these factors to bring out the food ethic I have always had. Now, I have always thought about what I should eat and what I should not eat. However, this does not define my “food ethic”.
Let's start off with what I eat. I have always tried to be a healthy eater. However, I do drink energy drinks, which aren't healthy. Anyways, I enjoy many varieties of salads and I love meat. I do like to eat fast food, but I don't eat it too often. Most of the food that I eat is organic and some is local, aside from some snacks. Overall, I would say that I am a relatively healthy eater. The factor that influences my food ethic most would be my athletic lifestyle. My eating style plays a big role in athletic ability. I usually try and eat food with high protein content and lower sugar. I drink energy drinks to give myself a kick of energy. My friends and family have basically the same food ethic that I do.
Overtime I have been exposed to many advertisements with the intent of selling food, healthy or unhealthy. So just how has the food marketing industry affected me? Well, I would definitely say that I have been affected in some ways by the modern food industry. As a kid like every other kid, I would see some flashy food item right at my eye level and then beg my parents to get it. However, fortunately for me, my parents knew not to fall into the food industry’s trap. Therefore, they have always limited the unhealthy foods I eat; as a result, today I know what I should and shouldn't eat. That does not mean though that the food industry media does not still have an impact on me. I still am tempted by fast food and soda commercials and do sometimes buy food products based off of commercials.
As an eater, I have a simple yet unique relationship with food. In simple terms, the experience of eating for me is eating so I stay alive and can get fuel for my athletic lifestyle. This doesn't mean I don't like having social meals, it just means that I don't think of eating as an amazing unique experience. Eating is an essential part of being a living organism. As of thus far in this project, I am confident that I have found my personal food ethic. To start off, I choose to eat local and organic as much as possible with the exception of fast food and sugary drinks here and there. The purpose of food is not to come together in a social gathering, but to function as a human with a bonus of good taste and social gatherings. So my food ethnic is to eat healthy, eat organic, eat local, and take advantage of the opportunities food brings you.
John White
So what is my food ethic? This is a question I have not been thinking about for a very long time, but as of the start of our project I’ve been thinking about it quite often. In this essay I will describe the factors of my relationship with food. I will describe what I eat, how I try to eat, how marketing affects me, and my relationship with food. With this in mind, I can narrow down these factors to bring out the food ethic I have always had. Now, I have always thought about what I should eat and what I should not eat. However, this does not define my “food ethic”.
Let's start off with what I eat. I have always tried to be a healthy eater. However, I do drink energy drinks, which aren't healthy. Anyways, I enjoy many varieties of salads and I love meat. I do like to eat fast food, but I don't eat it too often. Most of the food that I eat is organic and some is local, aside from some snacks. Overall, I would say that I am a relatively healthy eater. The factor that influences my food ethic most would be my athletic lifestyle. My eating style plays a big role in athletic ability. I usually try and eat food with high protein content and lower sugar. I drink energy drinks to give myself a kick of energy. My friends and family have basically the same food ethic that I do.
Overtime I have been exposed to many advertisements with the intent of selling food, healthy or unhealthy. So just how has the food marketing industry affected me? Well, I would definitely say that I have been affected in some ways by the modern food industry. As a kid like every other kid, I would see some flashy food item right at my eye level and then beg my parents to get it. However, fortunately for me, my parents knew not to fall into the food industry’s trap. Therefore, they have always limited the unhealthy foods I eat; as a result, today I know what I should and shouldn't eat. That does not mean though that the food industry media does not still have an impact on me. I still am tempted by fast food and soda commercials and do sometimes buy food products based off of commercials.
As an eater, I have a simple yet unique relationship with food. In simple terms, the experience of eating for me is eating so I stay alive and can get fuel for my athletic lifestyle. This doesn't mean I don't like having social meals, it just means that I don't think of eating as an amazing unique experience. Eating is an essential part of being a living organism. As of thus far in this project, I am confident that I have found my personal food ethic. To start off, I choose to eat local and organic as much as possible with the exception of fast food and sugary drinks here and there. The purpose of food is not to come together in a social gathering, but to function as a human with a bonus of good taste and social gatherings. So my food ethnic is to eat healthy, eat organic, eat local, and take advantage of the opportunities food brings you.
Chemistry Reflection
Chemistry of Food and Cooking
John White
Food is something that satisfies our taste buds. It keeps us alive and healthy (depending on what you eat). However each food has its own chemistry background far greater than what you would think. When you cook food, you are putting it through a some kind of chemical transformation. For starters we decided to cook orange chicken. At first the chicken was raw. As we started to cook it, it went through a process called the maillard reaction. This reaction occurs when proteins recombine with the sugars present. That is what gives meat its "meaty" flavor. When marinating our meat for instance, the three oils used in marinades are generally acids, oils, and herbs. The acids partially denature the meats proteins. This basically opens up tunnels in the meat in which flavor seeps in.
So how is cooking and science similar or different? Well science is similar to cooking because the both involve a recipe. For example, science experiments require a series of steps in order to get the wanted outcome. In relation, you need a step by step recipe to cook a meal. I think about in a way where a food scientists experiments with certain recipes to come up with a good tasting food. On the other hand, a chef does the final test by following the recipe in order to prepare the food. So basically science and food depend on each other.
So how is cooking and science similar or different? Well science is similar to cooking because the both involve a recipe. For example, science experiments require a series of steps in order to get the wanted outcome. In relation, you need a step by step recipe to cook a meal. I think about in a way where a food scientists experiments with certain recipes to come up with a good tasting food. On the other hand, a chef does the final test by following the recipe in order to prepare the food. So basically science and food depend on each other.