In The Fridge
10/6/21
This was probably the most challenging assignment I have ever done. I had such a hard time finding a stranger to take a picture of their refrigerator, but eventually my cousins friend came around. The general information that I know about this person is that they’re a 20 something year old living in the southwest end of lower Michigan. I do not know their gender or even their name, but I can make some assumptions about the way they eat by evaluating their fridge. The first thing I noticed about their fridge is all the containers of which I am assuming are leftovers. This is slightly surprising because according to An Economic History of Leftovers by The Atlantic leftovers are not nearly as common today as they once were. This also leads me to believe that this person probably cooks some of their own food. They also have a lot of condiments which could just be used as what they are but could also be used in some dishes, for example the soy sauce. I also noticed some beer which makes me assume they are hope fully over twenty-one, however there isn’t much beer which probably means they don’t drink a lot, or they drank the rest recently.
I notice things that include dairy products like sour cream and milk which means they are probably not lactose intolerant. I also notice a lot of drinks, juices, and pop. This makes me believe they probably fall under the trap of the ‘bliss point’ of sweetness as talked about in Michael Moss’s work, The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food. I can’t make out any fruit, but there does look to be prepackaged lettuce in one of the drawers which probably means they don’t eat a lot of this kind of stuff, or they used canned items. I also notice what looks to be meat, bacon specifically which probably means they are not vegetarian. I also notice what looks like to be coffee creamer which means they are most likely a coffee drinker. Overall, I would say this person probably cooks, but indulges in pre-packaged food sometimes. Considering they take the time to put their leftovers in containers they probably even eat them. I would say it’s safe to assume they are pretty food secure as well with the decent number of things in their fridge. I would say they eat semi-healthily, with cooking they’re own food but also having some pre-packaged things. However, I can’t make out what they cooked very well so I can’t really assess the ‘health’ of their food. It does seem like they enjoy sugary drinks, and they don’t have much fruit or veg in their fridge, which leads me in the opposite direction of a totally healthy diet. This assignment was challenging, but overall, a fun experience. It really shows you how different food and taste preferences can be and that’s really interesting.
10/6/21
This was probably the most challenging assignment I have ever done. I had such a hard time finding a stranger to take a picture of their refrigerator, but eventually my cousins friend came around. The general information that I know about this person is that they’re a 20 something year old living in the southwest end of lower Michigan. I do not know their gender or even their name, but I can make some assumptions about the way they eat by evaluating their fridge. The first thing I noticed about their fridge is all the containers of which I am assuming are leftovers. This is slightly surprising because according to An Economic History of Leftovers by The Atlantic leftovers are not nearly as common today as they once were. This also leads me to believe that this person probably cooks some of their own food. They also have a lot of condiments which could just be used as what they are but could also be used in some dishes, for example the soy sauce. I also noticed some beer which makes me assume they are hope fully over twenty-one, however there isn’t much beer which probably means they don’t drink a lot, or they drank the rest recently.
I notice things that include dairy products like sour cream and milk which means they are probably not lactose intolerant. I also notice a lot of drinks, juices, and pop. This makes me believe they probably fall under the trap of the ‘bliss point’ of sweetness as talked about in Michael Moss’s work, The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food. I can’t make out any fruit, but there does look to be prepackaged lettuce in one of the drawers which probably means they don’t eat a lot of this kind of stuff, or they used canned items. I also notice what looks to be meat, bacon specifically which probably means they are not vegetarian. I also notice what looks like to be coffee creamer which means they are most likely a coffee drinker. Overall, I would say this person probably cooks, but indulges in pre-packaged food sometimes. Considering they take the time to put their leftovers in containers they probably even eat them. I would say it’s safe to assume they are pretty food secure as well with the decent number of things in their fridge. I would say they eat semi-healthily, with cooking they’re own food but also having some pre-packaged things. However, I can’t make out what they cooked very well so I can’t really assess the ‘health’ of their food. It does seem like they enjoy sugary drinks, and they don’t have much fruit or veg in their fridge, which leads me in the opposite direction of a totally healthy diet. This assignment was challenging, but overall, a fun experience. It really shows you how different food and taste preferences can be and that’s really interesting.
Fuel Your Body
9/13/2021
Living on my own for the first time has really put a hole in my diet, especially as a full time college student. I always feel like I don't have enough time to make proper meals and when I go grocery shopping I often grab the less expensive items, which just so happen to be the less healthy items. This project was jarring and made me rethink the choices I have made to my diet recently. On day one I ate as I normally do, chips and ramen are a staple in my current diet. I have never considered myself 'addicted' to any kinds of food even though I have them often, but after reading Michael Moss's work on addicting food I've kind of opened my eyes to it a little more. I'm a snack person, I like snacking on good tasting food, which often means I'm snacking on unhealthy food. In Moss's article he talks about all of the different ways companies make you want to eat more and after paying attention to what I'm eating, I definitely believe I fall victim to these. The mouth-feel and the bliss point are just too alluring.
Another goal I had with this assignment was to eat three meals a day. Normally I only really eat a meal during the middle of the day and I almost never eat breakfast and never really have a substantial dinner. So on the second day, I focused not only on trying to eat whole foods but also trying to have my three meals a day which included setting aside time to cook. This time was needed because I didn't have the ease of just putting processed foods in the microwave or oven, I actually had my own ingredients. This was especially difficult because I've never had a schedule with eating, I always have to remind myself that I should probably eat lunch now. I also had to go grocery shopping for this assignment, I really wanted to give this my best shot. I noticed after the second day my body felt more fulfilled than normal, I actually felt really good about what I ate that day and I didnt go to bed hungry or wake up hungry. I even tried my hand in cooking homemade mac n' cheese instead of pulling the Kraft Mac N' Cheese out of my cupboard. I felt more of a satisfaction cooking my own food than just using the prepackaged stuff, much like the housewives of the Something From the Oven article. I am not a housewife but I can kind of understand how they felt. There is just this pride that comes with cooking something yourself, and I felt that. I can understand how cooking was their favorite chore and how they didn't want that taken away from them by using pre-packaged food.
Overall this was a very interesting and difficult assignment. It's kind of embarrassing to expose your awful eating habits, but you can change them! It made me open my eyes to how bad I eat on a normal basis and it's given me a some inspiration to start changing the ways I eat. In the future I want to buy healthier items to have at home and to actually put time aside to fuel my body. It's a lot easier and simple than you think it is, just start out replacing a few things and go from there!
DAY ONE
Coffee with soy milk and vanilla creamer
Three small tacos with mexican cheese and spanish rice
Chicken Flavored Ramen with a fried egg
Barbeque chips
3 or 4 Starburst
Water
DAY TWO
Two scrambled eggs
A cup of soy milk
A Salad
Homemade Mac and Cheese with wheat noodles
A Banana
Water