Little Dixie Analysis

She subtly suggests that cultural identity can be lost, if not guarded and ritualized. Indeed, this story could even be read as a cautionary tale for Arab Americans heading the wrong way. Food as a marker of Arab or Arab American identity is an unmistakable theme in new world food literature. Its central aim is to proudly claim and assert Arabness.

“Under “Eat food”, the writer proposes some practical ways to separate, and defend, real food from the cascade of food like products that now surround and confound us, especially in the supermarket. Under “Not too much” the focus shifts from the foods themselves to the question of how to eat them, the manners, mores, and habits that go into creating a healthy, and pleasing, culture of eating. Lastly under “Mostly plants” he dwells more specifically, and affirmatively, on the best types of foods (not nutrients) to eat” (Pollan,

The book is divided into three sections with each section focused on the major players in our diet in terms of where they come from. The first section (consisting of the first seven chapters) would, of course, focus the industrial food chain. The second emphasizes alternative foods, mainly organic foods and the last section is based on hunter-gatherer foods. Each section ends with a meal that he consumes and gives us his thoughts on such.

Despite almost a century separating two publications on the meat industry in the United States, the works of Upton Sinclair and Eric Schlosser contain eerily similar accounts in attempt to expose the dangers behind our food. These shocking revelations exposed by Sinclair and Schlosser have forever changed the way our nation views its food. Sinclair 's The Jungle and Schlosser 's Fast Food Nation discuss the topics of factory conditions and their safety, prevalence of immigrant workers, the conditions of animals and their health, and the corruption behind large corporations and the federal government. These overwhelming similarities have caused Schlosser to be compared to his predecessor Sinclair. Although each reading contains many similar elements, Sinclair and Schlosser had different intentions for the public reaction to their works.

It is hard to imagine that there was once a time when meat and meat-like products were butchered and processed in unsanitary conditions, but there was such a time and it was so bad that Congress had to pass the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 to stop these unsanitary conditions. In this paper I will argue why the passage of the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 was such a good idea.

Food is used in different circumstances in life represents a culture, but can also reflect one's personality, lifestyle, and socio-economic

In Jessica Harris’s “The Culinary Season of my Childhood” she peels away at the layers of how food and a food based atmosphere affected her life in a positive way. Food to her represented an extension of culture along with gatherings of family which built the basis for her cultural identity throughout her life. Harris shares various anecdotes that exemplify how certain memories regarding food as well as the varied characteristics of her cultures’ cuisine left a lasting imprint on how she began to view food and continued to proceeding forward. she stats “My family, like many others long separated from the south, raised me in ways that continued their eating traditions, so now I can head south and sop biscuits in gravy, suck chewy bits of fat from a pigs foot spattered with hot sauce, and yes’m and no’m with the best of ‘em,.” (Pg. 109 Para). Similarly, since I am Jamaican, food remains something that holds high importance in my life due to how my family prepared, flavored, and built a food-based atmosphere. They extended the same traditions from their country of origin within the new society they were thrusted into. The impact of food and how it has factors to comfort, heal, and bring people together holds high relevance in how my self-identity was shaped regarding food.

Pollan first establishes his ethos by citing nutritionist Joan Gussow. This shows us that he has done his research in the field and provides his reflection to her speech; this makes him appear more as an equal peer talking to us about why food should be redefined. He continues to draw the reader in by bringing a pathos aspect; bringing up your great grandmother. Pollan explains, “We need to go back at least a couple of generations to a time before the advent of most modern foods” (107). He continues to encourage the reader to imagine grocery shopping with your great grandmother. Pollan brings an emotional aspect to making the reader reminisce about great grandmother’s cooking and possibly remorsefully reflect how grandma would complain about how unhealthy food is today. Then he tells us to avoid foods she would not recognize as a food that contains familiar ingredients, no extra additives

My earliest memory of food is lentils and rice cooked in a pressure cooker. Lentils were cooked at least three days a week. Other days we had different vegetable curries, curd and more rice. This was what I took to school as my lunch every day. As I grew older and started caring more about my social life and people around me, I started noticing what my classmates brought for lunch from their homes. I started understanding how food reflected different cultures and communities. One day, in our

Food, has a specific meaning to all of us; for some it is a form of nourishment, for others it is a cultural act,

Ellison, the author, writes; "I downed the acid drink, proud to have resisted the pork chops and grits. It was a an act of discipline" (178). It is vital to note that several of the foods mentioned-- especially grits-- have already been recognized as racially-charged. In addition to this, the fact remains that African Americans of this time were generally not of high economic standing, and thus had to prepare foods that fit their means. This idea of low-income or typically “black” food continues throughout the novel. While in a majority African American neighborhood, Harlem, the narrator observes the following scene; "...Withering fruits and vegetables. I could smell the stench of decaying cabbage. A watermelon huckster stood in the shade beside his truck, holding up a long slice of orange-meated melon, crying his wares with hoarse appeals to nostalgia, memories of childhood, green shade and summer coolness." (460). This scene that the unnamed narrator is describing to the audience fits under the description of a common concept known as a “food desert”. That is, the area is so incredibly impoverished that individuals living in the area have a very little amount of nutritional options. The people residing in Harlem are too poor to even afford fresh cabbage, much less more substantial foods, such as meat or bread. In another scene, during a riot, the foods that are stolen

Thinking about the importance and significance of food respective to our health, ethnic culture and society can cause cavernous, profound, and even questionable thoughts such as: “Is food taken for granted?”, “Is specialty foods just a fad or a change in lifestyle?”, and even “Is food becoming the enemy.” Mark Bittman, an established food journalist, wrote an article called “Why take food seriously?” In this article, Bittman enlightens the reader with a brief history lesson of America’s appreciation of food over the past decades. This history lesson leads to where the social standing of food is today and how it is affecting not only the people of America, but also the rest of the world.

Whether it was a cold winter night or a hot summer day, I was greeted with the lingering smell of a home-cooked meal from my grandmother’s neutral colored kitchen. I would always be sure to take my shoes off before crossing the decades old brown tile. Walking into the kitchen, I already know that the special of the day or rather the special of the years at my grandmother’s house was a boiled hot dog with a side of buttered egg noodles and a dill pickle quarter. As far as I can remember, my grandma would always fill my request to serve this meal, not only because it was a personal favorite of mine as a child, but because it was a simple yet pleasing meal. At the drop of a hat, grandma would rise from her pink Lazy Boy chair from the living room, and shuffle in her slippers to the kitchen when lunch time came around. The hot dog was a more than satisfactory meal as a child for me and the cravings for this entrée is instilled in me. As grandma would boil the link of meat while hovering over her stove, I, along with my cousin who was just as accustomed to this meal, would wait at the each end of her kitchen table. While grandma would rather make my cousin and me a healthier meal, she always chose to fill our requests to satisfy our hunger.

Every family story and origin is unique to the members of the immediate group, while including the traditions passed from generation to generation. From the scent of their house and clothes, special holidays, vacation spots, memories, what they eat and how it is served; all of these elements of life are distinct to a family. These elements are incorporated into what is viewed as normal life in a way that we don’t see how our lives differ from those around us, until we are faced with a situation where things are done differently than us. Many families contain multi - cultural backgrounds, therefore providing generations with traditions that include folklore from different origins. One of the biggest elements of culture how dishes are served and prepared. If you ever travel, one of the biggest attractions to a new environment is the food that is served in that area. Some food traditions are difficult to explain and don’t make sense to outsiders, but to the family or local group it is a sense of definition and unity through foodways.

“Food is an important part of cultural observance and spiritual ritual for many faiths… The role of food in cultural reasoning and religious beliefs is complex.”