The Ethics and Chemistry of Food and Cooking
Reflection:
The food ethics and chemistry of food project was a very in depth look into the makeup of what we eat, and the industry behind it. In Humanities, we looked at food from an ethical perspective, from reading “The Omnivore's Dilemma”, to developing our own food ethics. We worked on researching the way that our society treats eating, and how it is processed in order to meet these standards. Starting this project, I had already been a pescatarian, and so getting an intricate look into the meat factories and processing really solidified my reasonings. We learned about the economical issues that are arising because of our unsustainable food system, and the devastating effects on our climate. Then,we learned about alternative solutions to our crisis and how we can be a part of the change. Beyond studying in the classroom, we went on field trips to farms and ethical slaughterhouse’s, and got to see first hand what it takes to get our food on our plates. This went hand in hand with chemistry, where we sought to understand what calories were and how they played a role in our health. We used calorimetry, stoichiometry, and observational labs to gain a deeper understanding of the microscopic makeup of our food. We then took our research and understandings to a practical use and created a food item with changing variables in order to take a look physically at the relation between science and food.
I think that looking at food from a broad and all encompassing perspective really gave me a grasp of the way food exists in my life in an entirely different light. I was able to know from a scientific standpoint how food is turned into energy and why certain foods are unhealthy. I always knew which foods to stay away from but never acted on it because I didn’t know why. Learning about the process of farm to table and how much fuel and energy it takes to shop out of the local economy really altered the way I view what I eat. I read every label now, and try to eat organically. I also think now that I have such an intricate understanding of food and ur societies beliefs around it, I will be able to educate other people as well. I definitely found myself at the dinner table spewing facts and experiences that really affected me, which is the first time that had happend to me this year, meaning this project had an intense impact on me.
My main takeaways academically from studying food are that the government controls what is accessible, and affordable, and how food is grown and processed, and it is basically up to the consumer to break that cycle, and not be a part of that system. I also took away that the majority of crop in America is corn, and it is in almost any processed food, and is definitely not good for you because processed corn contains no fiber or important nutrients. I learned the way that animals are treated in large factories, and how they are inspected, revealing the low quality meat in anything processed, which disturbed me. I also learned the way that calories are transferred into energy through combustion, and that was very interesting because I always wondered how what we eat powers us. Basically, I think before I eat now which is both a blessing and a curse. Although I love being educated and aware of what I am consuming, it is obvious now how blind I was. I feel so much more sensitive to the food I eat now that I am aware, and this means I am consciously eating healthier, but also it is difficult to feel good about what I eat daily.
The food ethics and chemistry of food project was a very in depth look into the makeup of what we eat, and the industry behind it. In Humanities, we looked at food from an ethical perspective, from reading “The Omnivore's Dilemma”, to developing our own food ethics. We worked on researching the way that our society treats eating, and how it is processed in order to meet these standards. Starting this project, I had already been a pescatarian, and so getting an intricate look into the meat factories and processing really solidified my reasonings. We learned about the economical issues that are arising because of our unsustainable food system, and the devastating effects on our climate. Then,we learned about alternative solutions to our crisis and how we can be a part of the change. Beyond studying in the classroom, we went on field trips to farms and ethical slaughterhouse’s, and got to see first hand what it takes to get our food on our plates. This went hand in hand with chemistry, where we sought to understand what calories were and how they played a role in our health. We used calorimetry, stoichiometry, and observational labs to gain a deeper understanding of the microscopic makeup of our food. We then took our research and understandings to a practical use and created a food item with changing variables in order to take a look physically at the relation between science and food.
I think that looking at food from a broad and all encompassing perspective really gave me a grasp of the way food exists in my life in an entirely different light. I was able to know from a scientific standpoint how food is turned into energy and why certain foods are unhealthy. I always knew which foods to stay away from but never acted on it because I didn’t know why. Learning about the process of farm to table and how much fuel and energy it takes to shop out of the local economy really altered the way I view what I eat. I read every label now, and try to eat organically. I also think now that I have such an intricate understanding of food and ur societies beliefs around it, I will be able to educate other people as well. I definitely found myself at the dinner table spewing facts and experiences that really affected me, which is the first time that had happend to me this year, meaning this project had an intense impact on me.
My main takeaways academically from studying food are that the government controls what is accessible, and affordable, and how food is grown and processed, and it is basically up to the consumer to break that cycle, and not be a part of that system. I also took away that the majority of crop in America is corn, and it is in almost any processed food, and is definitely not good for you because processed corn contains no fiber or important nutrients. I learned the way that animals are treated in large factories, and how they are inspected, revealing the low quality meat in anything processed, which disturbed me. I also learned the way that calories are transferred into energy through combustion, and that was very interesting because I always wondered how what we eat powers us. Basically, I think before I eat now which is both a blessing and a curse. Although I love being educated and aware of what I am consuming, it is obvious now how blind I was. I feel so much more sensitive to the food I eat now that I am aware, and this means I am consciously eating healthier, but also it is difficult to feel good about what I eat daily.
Labor Project
Project Description:
We began this project on Labor by researching the industrial revolution and the historical texts from this time. To understand the current state of labor and its issues, we looked at how past labor issues and shifts were resolved. We then took a look into globalisation and how that is affecting America and it’s labor force. Once we read essays created by scholars on the subject of globalisation, we moved on to the current state of labor. My group create a presentation for our class about Migrant Workers and how they affect the economy, and their personal stories. Finally, we began to research for our podcasts, and our group chose to make ours about Automation and education, and the way they play into our labor force, and the direction it is moving. As a whole, we learned through research, presenting, essay creation, and a project, the complexities of labor.
We began this project on Labor by researching the industrial revolution and the historical texts from this time. To understand the current state of labor and its issues, we looked at how past labor issues and shifts were resolved. We then took a look into globalisation and how that is affecting America and it’s labor force. Once we read essays created by scholars on the subject of globalisation, we moved on to the current state of labor. My group create a presentation for our class about Migrant Workers and how they affect the economy, and their personal stories. Finally, we began to research for our podcasts, and our group chose to make ours about Automation and education, and the way they play into our labor force, and the direction it is moving. As a whole, we learned through research, presenting, essay creation, and a project, the complexities of labor.
Podcast Discussing Automation:
Project Reflection:
The greatest challenge for me in this project, was leaving for a full week to go to Mexico. We had just started developing our project, and creating our podcast, and interviewing our guests. I felt like I wasn’t able to contribute enough in the beginning, and because I worked with my friends, I felt terrible for leaving. On the second day of my trip I realised my computer had broken, and tried everything to fix it, I even took it to apple support in Mexico, and was not able to revive it. So I did the majority of my research on an ipad, which was another struggle. When I returned to Durango, the podcast had not been worked on very much, so I was able to edit most of the podcast, and record my full part. When I was in Mexico, I worked on my research, and my script, so when I came back, I was ready to record. We overcame this problem by working on our free time to complete the podcast.
If I could go back and do this project again, I would definitely record a couple more interviews, because they are very interesting, and create a more dynamic podcast. I also think we should have scripted out our podcast more, because the amount of editing we had to do to cut it down from an hour to twenty minutes was unreasonable. There was a day where we recorded for almost an entire period because we wanted a conversation style audio recording, and ended up almost cutting all of it because there were so many pauses, and mess ups. I would go back in time and rewrite our script to be more detailed, planned and exact, so that we would be able to easily record what we needed, and only what we needed.
The greatest insight I gained from this project relating to the state of labor issues today was that the labor force is changing at a rapid pace. Whether it be globalization and the flattening of the playing field across the globe, or economic equality; The labor force is quickly shifting. Taking a look all the way back to the Industrial Revolution, and the issues they faced as factory work became dominant, the issues we are facing today are not much different. As the steam engine was introduced, work that was hand created shifted to easy repetitive tasks to coincide with machinery. And as we look forward, we see a similar shift taking place where the unskilled workforce is vanishing. Basically, labor is much more complicated than I could have ever imagined, with a rich history, and even richer future.
I am most proud of the editing skills I learned during this project because they are applicable to the editing I use in my music outside of school. During the recording process for this podcast, we did not have a stable sound system so our levels were inconsistent. So I decided to learn how to adjust levels, and single out certain sound waves in a recording, to bring them forward and eliminate background noise. Sometimes I get very inspired to create music when I am not in a particularly isolated place, and background noise is prevalent. I think I will be able to take this skill into the future and apply it to what I am really passionate about.
I think I grew the most as someone who is able to persevere through challenges. I am someone who considers myself a master procrastinator and it is a habit I am desperately trying to break. During this project, because I missed the first week, I had to buckle down and work on the podcast for at least three hours a day. There were times where we had a break that I would completely ignore, and continue to work. I think just generally as a group participant, I grew to the capability of being able to collaborate on a piece that was edited on one computer, with one pair of hands at a time. This was extremely challenging because we wanted to work at the same time, and edit our podcast more efficiently, but we had to split up our time wisely and create a schedule. I will bring the ability to discern forward with me, as it will help me in any collaborative piece.