Reading+Responses


 * Reading Responses ** **__Fast Food Nation__ Chapters 1 & 5 **

**Chapter 1:** During the mid 1900's there was a huge change in American lifestyle. Automobiles became a part of every day life and people were constantly on the go. Of course, "on the go" type people need "on the go" energy. The way people ate was changing! People wanted to eat out, and fast. Carl N. Karcher was a "fast food pioneer". He opened up a Drive-In barbecue restaurant and this started a craze for others across the country to open drive-in and eventually drive-through restaurants. The purpose of this chapter was to inform and entertain American fast food consumers, and anyone interested in the fast food business, in a generally neutral way, how many popular fast food chains such as McDonalds, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dunkin' Donuts, and more, got started. Also, to provide readers with more information on the food they consume all the time. The opening chapter made it very apparent how culture and lifestyle changes the way food is made and eaten. The role of food is different to consumers than it is to producers. Producers want to make money and are willing to do just about anything to ensure that there product is the very best. Consumers attitude towards food is constantly changing. People used to care about health and quality but now that time is changing, food is chosen by whatever is quicker and easier to get access to.

The role of food, in the eyes of the producer, isn't really taken that seriously. Apparently, not all consumers care about the quality either! Food has become something that people go to strictly for the taste--and not the nutritional facts. People look for things that taste GOOD and they don't care how it gets that way.
 * Chapter 5: **Chapter five, entitled "Why the Fries Taste Good" is an informational chapter that informs fast food consumers about the great lengths fast food companies will go to just to make sure their products are the "best". Regardless if this means making them unhealthy. This paragraph differed from the first in the sense that it did not have a neutral tone. It was still geared towards American fast food consumer, but for a different purpose. The author writes with a more manipulative tone and the goal is to inform and maybe even disgust the readers about french fries that consumers go crazy for. The point is to evoke an emotion. He also uses jargon in this chapter with "fancy" words for chemicals that the average person would not understand at first glance. Through telling us how much of the fast food industry has changed readers can understand why human bodies are changing as well--and not for the better!

"Ghosts of Taste" is a nostalgic piece which is aimed towards people who see food as "just another necessity". Particularly, it is aimed at those who have had a long experience with food. According to Edna O'Brien, food is very special and it will always bring back memories. The purpose of this essay is to inform the audience about the changing roles of food over a persons life. She creates credibility by sharing her own personal experiences with food as a child, an adolescent, and an adult. O'Brien also uses an asyndote, "food was pleasure, food was reward, and food was substitute...". This was done to emphasize the many roles food plays in ones happiness. Another technique used is personification. "Touch has memory, but taste has more so" was said to highlight the impact food has on peoples lies. "Ghosts of Taste" was an interesting yet informative piece to read. It made me realize that food is a way of life and regardless who you are or what you do, you'll always need food. Food brings people together and brings back memories regardless how much time has passed. Taste is perhaps the strongest of the five senses.
 * "Ghosts of Taste" Edna O'Brien **

** "The Queen of Mold" Ruth Reichl ** "The Queen of Mold" is a funny yet informational piece. This essay suggests that everyone is different--therefore everyone will have different opinions about how food should be eaten and cooked. More specifically, Reichl focuses on her mothers crazy cooking. When speaking about her mother, the author uses a loving tone regardless how embarrassed the reader can really sense she is. Reichl's writing is simple and she tells most of the story using dialogue. Reichl also uses a metaphor to describe her mother. She compares living with her mothers cooking to living with a mother with a "handicap". In addition, the author uses imagery to paint a vivid picture of these not-so-pleasant scenes in the readers mind. The role of food, in this essay is portrayed as something that differs from family to family. Every one can tell their own stories about the infamous family dish and regardless how awful (or how great)" the cooking is, cooking will always be something that brings people together as one.

Warwick Sabin discusses the sad truth about what food is doing to some people in his essay "The Rich Get Thinner, the Poor Get Fatter". The authors brutal tone informs the readers that the outrageous pricing of food is what is leading to obesity in America. He discusses the absurdity of the fact that you can get a greasy hamburger for far less than you could an organic head of lettuce and a few tomatoes. Sabin includes statistics and facts to carry out his argument. Also, he appeals to the audiences emotions when discussing obesity and how this rate is increasing due to the mindless choices American's make on the daily. This article portrays food as something that should be taken far more serious. Food, in this case, can be seen as an enemy. Food is something that will always be part of human life and there for it should not be overlooked. Food is something that people should be able to have choice with without having to put a serious dent in their wallet for.
 * "The Rich Get Thinner, the Poor Get Fatter" Warwick Sabin **

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 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">"Voting With Your Fork" Michael Pollan **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">media type="custom" key="11814218" //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">They Say/ I say // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In recent discussions of Adam Gipnok, a controversial issue has been wheter cook books should be granted praise or not. On one hand, some argue that cook books are a way of life. From this perspectie, these people choose to follow recipes and hope for a perfect result. On the other hand, however, others argue that cook books are unrealistic and don't serve any real purpose. According to this view, though a "recipe is only a blue print" and a way to create a "false summoning of a living process that can be handed on only by experience" people still "continue to turn down their pages". <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">My own view is similar to that of Adam Gipnoks. People should be more willing to step outside of the pages of cook books! Though I concede that cook books can sometimes be entertaining and useful, I still maintain the idea that great cooking can only me mastered by taking risks and following the steps that you create yourself. For example, if you have a check list on how to do a math problem right by your side during a test, you will never really know how to solve the problem yourself. Although some may object that guidelines keep things safe and orderly, I reply that sometimes risks just need to be taken in order to create something fabulous. The issue is imporant because cooks should stop following other peoples rules. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">//Multiple Choice// <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">1. Which best describes Gopnik's tone in the opening paragraph? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">a) confused <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">b) curious <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">c) sarcastic <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">d) demanding <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> //e//) challenging <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> 2. When Gopnik writes, "We say, 'What's the recipe?' when we mean, 'How do you do it?'" what is he saying about people?  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> a) People want cookbooks to give them more information <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> //b//) In today's society people would rather someone else do the work than do it for themselves <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> c) People are very dependent <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> d) People look to cookbooks for answers <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> e) People often mean something other than what they say <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> 3.What does "Clarified butter... once used it like holy water" mean? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> a) Clarified butter was used in religious meals <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> b) It was rarely used <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> //c//) It was used quite often  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> d) It was used only on the days people went to church <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> e) It was only used in small doses  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> 4. What rhetorical device is often used in both paragraphs 5 & 6?   <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> a) alliteration <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> b) personification  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> //c//) interruption <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> d) simile  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> e) rhetorical question <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> 5. What is the purpose of repeating rhetorical questions throughout the article? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> a) To annoy the reader  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> //b//) To emphasize that cookbooks do not have all of the answers <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> c) So that the reader will remember to answer the questions after the reading  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> d) To make sure the reader keeps the questions in mind throughout the reading <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> e) So that the reader can look for the answers in cookbooks  <span style="font-family: f87,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: f87,sans-serif;">  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">What's the Recipe? Our Hunger for Cookbooks" Adam Gopnik **