Source: Shopping for groceries at Safeway in McKinleyville around midnight on Thursday night. (no long lines at midnight!)
Relation: As said by our teacher "Anthropology is literally everywhere!" I have noticed that it really is... it just takes some time to really think about things culturally and view how they differ from things in other areas.
Description: As I walk through the grocery store, I walk past the pre-made pastas and soups. The smell reminds me of cooking in the kitchen with my grandmother when I was younger; however, there is a huge difference when it comes to cooking with grandma and buying food at Safeway. My grandma always used fresh ingredients and made sure you got the food straight from the stove and not from the microwave. She would make fresh Portuguese bread and it would be completely devoured while it was still warm. She would make potato and bread soup from the potatoes that she grew in her garden and the bread that she baked herself. She would make fried kale and linguisa from the kale that she grew and the linguisa she would order straight from Portugual. When I was younger, I use to eat all of these fresh foods and I wouldn't even think about eating a TV dinner. Being a college student has changed me dramatically. Now when I walk into safeway, I head for the frozen isle. Why do I head there? The answer is simple... it is more convenient. Instead of eating fresh foods, which were a lot better for me, I now eat mainly frozen foods, "just add water" foods, and foods that are prepared already. I have changed in order to fit in with the schedule of a college and working life.
Analysis: I had orignally intended to talk about the localization of fresh foods but then realized that my changed environment has caused me to be localized. I have lived here my whole life but I was very close to my family when I was younger and we all use to cook fresh foods together. Now I face time limits that I did not have to face before college or a job and I have "adapted" to this new setting. When Rebecca first explained localization, I thought of it as being mainly product oriented and came to the realization that I have changed in order to fit the environment in which I live.
I think that many will understand your struggle. All of a sudden when you have to cook your own meals, that top ramen looks a whole lot tastier than it did around your families home cooking. I have been struggle a bit with this as well. The trick is to not be as lazy! I know it is hard and we have a lot of stuff that we have to do, but there is nothing like a good meal after a hard meal. Try asking your family for their recipes. It is a great way to feel closer to home, while eating something delicious. You will also eat a lot healthier have fresh foods around that you have to put together, rather than frozen premade meals. Overall, I though that this was a great example of localization of an individual examining where they live to what they eat.
ReplyDeleteI think my agreeing with your analysis can go both ways. I can either agree, or disagree depending on this one thing, and that is the definition of "fresh foods." If you want to get technical fresh foods are locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables, along with beef. Locally grown is the key word here. If it is already locally grown, then it cannot be localized. However if you are talking about imported foods, are those really fresh? Considering the loss of nutirition those foods have as they travel and are imported to diffeent areas, it would make them old. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI meant the localization of foods that were originally made fresh in other countries and are now the foods in the freezer section here. My definition of fresh is foods that are prepared right before you eat it (doesn't have to really be locally grown foods). Where my dad comes from, they ate all fresh foods (mainly because they did not have a fridge or freezer). I grew up eating meals that were made my scratch and becoming a college student made ME localized. I adapted to my environment and changed my eating habits in order to fit my new schedule. Also, the in the frozen food section, you can get frozen spaghetti or frozen pizzas. In Italy, those foods were originally made from scratch and eaten as soon as they were cooked. Those foods were brought here and localized in to being more convenient for someone who wants food quickly. The whole entire frozen section in Safeway is an example of localization. It takes traditional foods that were made fresh somewhere else and turns it into something that can be stored and eaten later.
DeleteAlso, the main point of my blog was myself. How I changed from eating foods that were made from scratched then adapted to an environment that is very time limited.
DeleteI agree with you that we change our daily activities and personalities in order to adapt to the environment around us. I noticed this phenomenon when I went to college and got a job, just as you did. Moving away from my family, friends, high school, and home town has created a huge change in the way I act. Having entered a different culture I needed to readapted myself to my environment. I believe that often we don't notice the changes we do to ourselves, especially on the mental level. We sort of "localize" who we are depending on the culture around us.
ReplyDeleteThis is really neat and cool that your grandmother exposed you to such good nutrition habits growing up! It really is hard at college to even imagine having enough time to cook for yourself. Especially local and fresh food that's hard to store for a long time. I know Wildberries makes all their stuff super fresh and organic, so maybe you can try there or the Co-op instead of Safeway! Has changing the way you've eaten (since from home to now) affected your nutrition at all? Have you seen any difference?
ReplyDelete