1.
“Since organic products cost more than processed foods or
pesticide-laden products, this could be considered a case of Better
Health for the Well-Off. Low-income families are in poorer health
because of more exposure to industrial pollution because of the jobs the
adults do and the poor quality housing.” Evaluate these statements
using course readings or additional sources. What proposal could you
make, and who would you make it to, to redress this disparity in quality
of foods available?
2.
Compare various definitions of overweight and obese: compare US
government definitions vs. the social construction of obese. What
clothing size is a Plus size for men and women? How are overweight
people portrayed in the media; what characteristics do these characters
share? What is the research on how overweight people are treated? What
are their experiences of discrimination and verbal abuse?
3.
Chef Samuelson is ethnically Ethiopian but was adopted and raised by
Swedish parents and grandparents from whom he learned Scandinavian
cookery. What is known as International Fusion Cuisine includes
components of two or more distinct cookery traditions. Some hail this
development. Others bewail the loss of cultural integrity that they fear
will occur if the fusions “crowd out” the original distinctions of the
“less powerful” culture’s cuisine. Thus we have a political power
struggle played out in cultural terms, in this case, food. Provide one
solid, logical argument, based on the hegemony theory you have learned,
in favor of EACH point of view. Provide one solid, logical rebuttal to
each argument.
4.
What do Harris and others suggest as a hypothesis to explain patterns of
people-eating and insect-eating? Why is it more common in certain
societies than in others? References required.
https://tubitv.com/movies/494714/bugs-on-the-menu
Category: Food and culture
Obesity is not relegated to low-income
people, but it is most prevalent there. As discussed in Week 6,
low-income people have many reasons for their weight problems. Eating poor quality food because they can’t afford healthy fare is the #1 reason.
This then points to a societal structure as the cause, and therefore
societal power structures as the source of the solution. Poor people
need more money to spend on good food. The Scientific American article discusses
the connection between food stamps and obesity. One creative solution
that helps make healthier foods more appealing and affordable for
low-income families is the idea of “With a swipe of a food stamp debit
card on a handheld credit machine, shoppers at the Harvest Home Farmers
Market receive a stack of wooden tokens worth a dollar apiece. And for
every five they cash in for bananas, lettuce and the like, they win a
two-dollar Health Bucks’ coupons” to buy more.”
Obesity in both sexes is seen as a
failure, by the person and by their culture. Overweight children are
frequently targets of bullying and overweight adults are routinely
passed over for promotions. Obesity advocates refer to discrimination
against, and hate speech directed at, overweight people as the only
remaining “acceptable contempt” in American society. This is especially
cruel because, medically-speaking, the difference between
healthy-weight and overweight people is more than simply willpower. New
behaviors and having healthy food available is important. In some
cases, there are metabolic problems that contribute; diseases such as
depression, hypothyroidism and SAD, among others, include processes that
depress normal metabolism, and increase the hunger-stimulating
hormones. Asking people to be ravenous 24×7, while working and
parenting, is not viable. Geneen Roth and others have pointed out that
those with adequate financial resources, successful careers, happy
families and low stress not only have joy-based lives, but their
biochemistry makes healthy eating easy. These characteristics are less
likely to be present in the lives of less-powerful people: minorities,
women, the disabled, low-income.
Watch the following video on food and health ( https://youtu.be/7OP9qFD7tFU?si=H_ehrRrcU9kqWSWh ). How can we combat issues such as obesity in the U.S.? What effect does the media have on food selection and health?
Discuss
the factors that influence childhood obesity. In your discussion, be
sure to address the adjustments/shifts needed in order to remedy
childhood obesity. Be sure to explore notions of food quality, quantity,
access, and other lifestyle factors that shape this condition.