week 7 Wednesday, Apr 18 2012 

Week Seven kmelancon 11:19 pm

In the readings, the author tells us that red beans and rice is a particularly popular dish in the city of New Orleans. Since Monday was a wash day, an activity that took most the entire day, little time would be left over for cooking. So since red beans are a meal that is easily made and requires little attention, it seemed to be the most obvious choice for the food that would be served on that particular day seeing as no one would have any real time to dedicate to a meal. Also, on Sundays, ham was a large part of the meal that was cooked. So instead of throwing away the bone, because that was wasteful, it could be used again the next day to add flavor to the Monday pot of red beans. This tradition just continued and carried on until modern times, even though washing obviously isn’t an all-day process nowadays. Although these are the reasons that most people believe red beans and rice is a Monday tradition, they probably aren’t the entire reason red beans and rice is such a big deal for the people of New Orleans. In my family, my grandmother fries chicken and pork chops every Friday, except for the Fridays in Lent. She does this because my mom and all if her sister go over to my grandmother‘s house and play cards. This is a tradition that occurs every Friday at six o’clock and every Sunday after church. I would imagine that she fried these things because they are cheap and can be eaten quickly. The faster they eat, the faster they can get back to taking each other’s money at the card table. But this, just like many other things, is just another way my family finds time to bond.

 

Why are red beans and rice linked to Mondays in New Orleans? Do you associate certain foods with other particular days? Saturday, Mar 3 2012 

Week Seven nslaton 5:07 pm

Red beans and rice are linked to Mondays because as stated in the reading Mondays were wash days.  Wash days were one of the hardest working days and families needed to create a meal that was easy to cook and that took little preparation.  Red beans and rice was the dish that was easiest to create so it became fond to make this dish on Mondays.  Another reason why it is linked to Mondays is because Sundays were known as the day when ham was cooked and the ham bone was the essential of the ham.  The ham bone was also the essential for adding flavor to the red beans and rice which was cooked on Mondays.  This is just another reason why red beans and rice are linked to Mondays because this day comes after Sunday where you would get the bone to help add that flavor to the red beans and rice.  I myself do associate certain foods with other particular days.  For example in my family I associate foods like; fried chicken, rice, collard greens, cabbage, candy yams, macaroni and cheese, stew meat, baked chicken, and chicken pot pie all with Sundays.  I do this because in my family Sundays is when we partake in all of these foods together.  I also associate these foods with Sundays because it brings my family together and gives us time to catch up on what has happened during the past week over great tasty dishes that my grandparents and uncle had prepared.

 

 

week seven Sunday, Dec 11 2011 

Week Seven thunter2 3:29 pm

Maybe he Does Have a political agenda. but i dont see it. But Eric Schlosser touched many topics about the fast food industry from the fact that so many so many fast food restaurants are robbed to the notion that so many people controlling the regulation and interests of fast food restaurants are Republicans. Schlosser further elaborates by mentioning the names of several Republicans and the companies they have stock in or are part owner of. Because these tycoons are so concerned about their revenue, they tend to take the short cuts on purchases. These politcians support cheaper prices when in many cases using cheaper companies to produce food for the fast food restaurants is very unsafe and has proved to be detrimental to many people’s health. Many have died while working in these facilities because of unsafe job practices. And others still have suffered with diseases from bacteria such as E coli due to the simple act of these politicians choosing the companies that are less pricy though in many cases the food turns out in a bad state. Schlosser discusses these crafty and coniving politicans, specifically Republicans, to allow citizens to see the reality of the fast food industry and the fact that many of these politicians only care about profit. Though the author may seem to take a position or a specific side in the subject of political afilliment, he is however not so concerned with a political party as he is with individuals being informed of the corruption in these fast food industry giants and the elected officials that support them. Schlosser’s aim is to open the eyes of those who may otherwise not realize the fact that many of our elected officials are influencing the very quality of the food we eat from McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell and the many other fast food restaurants like them that are unhealthy and morally unjust.

 

Week 7: Does the author have a political agenda? Give examples to support your claim. Saturday, Dec 10 2011 

Week Seven alexysn 11:27 pm

Yes, Schlosser had a political agenda. This was evident through the way he wrote the book. The reader could tell that he was trying to get a point across about the fast food industry. He wanted the world to be aware of all the hidden and unknown topics. The other side of the industry that was so crucial, the world had to know. He begins by writing how the industry all, innocently, started. Not much longer after fast food began to take off, the author describes the techniques and thoughts of the people in charge. He includes this to show that they were being manipulative and solely focused on the business that was coming in. Owners would hire certain people to attract a certain age group. For example, teens, they knew that hiring teens would bring in, not only that age groups business, but also their interest in working at the location. The owners only targeted this group because they knew minimum wages would please them. Also, they would add certain aspects to the restaurants to attract a broader range of people. For example, the drive thru, Ronald McDonald, or the play area, all of these were incorporated to bring in families. This work was all being done to attract people to eat food that they knew wasn’t healthy for anyone to eat. Schlosser then moved on to when the fast food industry was at its peak. The big corporations began to make loads of money, making them more powerful. At this point they were becoming overly corrupt, focusing more on quantity and not quality. Health of the food started to decline more than before, while more money went to the locations, advertisements, and companies.

 

Week 7 Thursday, Dec 8 2011 

Week Seven lakensmith 11:13 pm

I don’t think that the author does have an political agenda. I believe that Eric Schlosser just wants to see a change within the fast food industry. I think that he just doesn’t agree with the quality of food provided to the American public and all his book posses is a change. I also believe he’s out to change workers rights in these fast food industries; to provide support and health care to the immigrant workers. Schlosser isn’t trying to run for president or any type of political office. He’s just out to better our lives.

 

Does the author have a political agenda? Give examples to support your claim Monday, Dec 5 2011 

Week Seven kenyalrr 11:06 pm

In Fast Food Nation I do think that Schlosser had a political agenda. In his book he didn’t spent his time writing the book to try and make every fast food franchise look bad. Especially McDonald’s since that was his main source of attention. Instead he touches on the inside things that most people don’t pay attention to or never heard of. Schlosser talks about how fast food has become more of a convenient mode of food for most people and how these large corporations treat their employees. He talks about how the workers are mistreated and how this has been going on since the start of fast food franchises. Another topic he touches on is the many things that go into the food that is being processed and sold to the many people in the society who support the fast food corporations. He tries to focus on the things that the behind the scene people working for these multi-million dollar fast food franchises try to hide from the public. He isn’t trying to tell the people who read his book to stop eating the food from the fast food restaurants, but he is just trying to instill some knowledge of the food that people ingest daily and he is trying to get people to think about all the history behind the making of fast food so the next time they can make a smart decision on what and where they decide to eat and the treatment people have been through to maintain a minimun wage salary.

 

Week 7 Wednesday, Oct 19 2011 

Week Seven jessiejess15 2:39 pm

Does the author have a political agenda? Give examples to support your claim.

I do believe that Schlossar has a political agenda. I believe this because the title of the book alone implies that he has a politcal agenda. Schlossar isn’t bashing any of the fast food giants, he is just making people aware of what these large corporations are doing. People eat fast foods because it is more convient, a lot of times its inexpensive, and doesn’t require the buyer to cook. In the book, Sclossar discusses the issues of workers being mistreated, how corportations mistreat their workers, and certain things that they put in foods that are not supposed to be in foods. Of course, you would not expect this to happen, but it does happen. Schlossar isn’t telling people not to eat fast foods, he is just making people aware of what the fast food corporations are doing.  I also believe that Schossar does not fully believe in the fast food industry because of the ways that some mistreat their workers, and the stuff that many of the corporations put into the foods.

 

week 7 post Tuesday, Oct 18 2011 

Week Seven kmelancon 4:30 pm

I honestly don’t believe that the author has any type of political agenda.
Partially because the book doesn’t seem like it has a specific set of
underlying motives. The other part of me vaguely remembers Mr. Schlosser
saying, in his speech on September 19th that he didn’t have a political agenda.
I believe he said something like “I just refuse to give these people my money.”
When saying this he was basically saying that he didn’t want to give his hard
earned money to people that didn’t care about the well-being of their
consumers. He doesn’t want to pay people that will do anything to make a
dollar. I honestly believe that the author is only telling the readers the cold
hard facts that are usually hidden and letting them judge for themselves what
the best thing to do would be. Now, admittedly, when someone gives facts like
“there’s shit in the meat” one would believe that the author was maybe trying
to persuade his readers not eat at fast food
restaurants anymore. Technically, this argument could only be used if
the author was not telling the truth and using falsified information to
persuade the readers to do what he wants them to do. Obviously, all of the
material in the book is true because we get first-hand accounts of the
experiences the author encountered. Overall, the author doesn’t have any
underlying motive. He is just trying to educate the American people about the
fast food industry and he is allowing them to make their own choices when it
comes to eating the “food.”

 

Does the author have a political agenda? Tuesday, Oct 18 2011 

Week Seven jmeyers2015 3:10 pm

I think he does have a political agenda. I do not think you could write a book like this and not have one. He uses the personal stories of real people that he has met to do so. Like the story of Kenny Dobbins. He described the hardships that he had to go through for that one job. He revealed how badly he was treated so it would be safe to assume that other people were treated as such. By showing this to the audience he shines light on the horrendous acts of some slaughterhouse companies. How they do not take good care of their workers. The fact that they only care that the job gets done and the people who work for them are expendable. Uses the story of Helen Steel and Dave Morris and how they fought a huge corporation. Other people may do this too but it is different when it is McDonald’s.  He describes there long battle with the huge corporation. Most importantly he revels how McDonald’s cheated there way to winning the case. All the bribery that they did just to make the problem go away. He also talked about how Dave Morris is living now. He is poor and trying to survive for his family and all because of the time and money he put into trying to fight McDonald’s. Another instance is how he talks about the farmers and ranchers whose businesses are going south because big corporations are taking over. Not only are they taking over but they are using unfair tactics to get what they want from the farmers. In turn families are having a hard time living pay check to pay check and having to take second and third jobs just to provide for their family. Schlosser uses all of these examples to get the people on his side and fighting for the little people against these huge corporations.

 

Does the author have a political agenda? Give examples to support your claim. Tuesday, Oct 18 2011 

Week Seven anicole22 8:37 am

I do think that that author has a political agenda. I think he is trying to warn us about the many fast food restaurants and what is happening at most of them. Fast Food Nation is the book to tell us about what exactly is going into our food. It’s also telling is what we are putting in our bodies. An example of this is the E.Coli cases that are mention in Chapter 9. Lee Harding is one of the cases mentioned in Chapter 9. He said that he got chicken tacos from a Mexican Restaurant. About a hour later, he started suffering from bad cramps and also had diarrhea. It continued through the whole weekend. He then went and checked his self into the emergency room. He was then tested positive for Escherichia coli or E.Coli for short. This is a lethal foodborne pathogen. There are many cases around the United States about many pathogens just like E.coli. These pathogens are extremely dangerous and can cause food poisoning. Many foodborne pathogens can cause many of diseases. It can precipitate long-term aliments like heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, neurological problems, autoimmune disorders and kidney damages. The author tries to tell us through chapter nine about these harmful pathogens. There are many other names within the chapter like Campylobacter jejuni, Cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Listeria monocytogens and Norwalk like virus. Many deaths that happen in the United States that are food related are caused by pathogens that are probably not identified. Many of these pathogens are carried and shed by health animals. The author warns us and tries to tell us to be careful about what we eat. We also need to make sure that we clean our food that we cook and pay attention to cook food that we buy from fast food restaurants

 

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