2nd entry for 4/26/11

10 topics I may choose from for final research paper:

1)Weight Watchers Program & food

2) laws keeping your own livestock and chickens

3) food stamp regulations

4) pet food regulations

5) school breakfast and lunch regulations nationwide

6) hospital food programs

7) senior and adult living facilities food regulations

8) weight loss programs regulations

9) food pantry regulations

10) soup kitchen regulations

Class entry for or against soda being banned from food stamps allowance 4/26/11

I'm in agreement with Tom Laskawy who blogs on food policy for Grist.org and Beyond Green. Mr. Laskawy states, twice in his article," Food stamp benefits should be reserved for whole, nutritious foods - meats, grains, dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables." I am in agreement  for a couple of reasons. One is because of what the words in "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" means. Supplemental means added, extra, and additional. Nutrition means nutritious. Assistance is aid, help, support, relief and accommodation.  Program is a plan of action to accomplish something.  Put together, to me, Food Stamps (SNAP) is a plan of action for additional, nutritious, help for the low income so they can eat wholesome good food.  Where does sugary soft drinks fall under that category? Another reason is because the Food Stamp Act of 1964.  This law was put in effect to provide improved levels of nutrition among low income households.  One of the major provisionsof that law was that you were not allowed to purchase soft drinks with food stamps.  It's no good for you.  It's not about telling you what to do, it's about having something healthy to drink instead.

300 Word Personal Response to the Documentary "Super Size Me" & Chapter 2 from the book "Fast Food Nation"

As an overweight person with a serious addiction to food, especially fast food and soda, the documentary "Super Size Me" knocked me out of my state of denial.  I have many of the health problems they mentioned in the film such as fatty liver, pre-diatbetic/hypoglycemic, kidney stones, etc.that I just haven't dealt with. Due to my issues with being over weight, I have had a hysterectomy in September of 2006 and my gall bladder removed March of 2010.  I got so shaken up by what I saw, I have made up my mind never to go to McDonalds ever again.  I will go back to Weight Watchers  for help and hopefully this time I will stick to the program.  They show a gentlemen having laproscopic surgery for weight loss and that scared me too because I had the same type surgery for my gall bladder removal.  It took me a long time to recover and I don't want to go through that again. When I got home from school Thursday after seeing this film, I cried and thanked God He used this film to wake me up.

With chapter 2 of the book Fast Food Nation, I saw the greedy side of McDonalds.  How they go after the kids to make their empire grow is awful.   Just like it says in chapter 2, they centered everything around the children.  They use toys included in the happy meals, playgrounds located in or right outside of the restaurant, and commercials.  It's all about the money they can fill their pockets with.  Never mind the impact of the french fries, hamburgers, and sugary sodas have on the children's and adults bodies. They just don't care.  I remember growing up in the early 70's with a "Hamburgular" doll and going to McDonalds once a week as a family outing.  I would see the commercials on TV and hold on to my doll and ask my mom could we please go and of course we would. I am so glad I stopped going there.

Peer Review 4/6/11 (Self)

1. The writer states what we will be looking at right away, but one thing the writer looked at was missing in the intro.  The first sentence does need to be shortened and cleaned up.
2. The thesis statement is "We will be looking at how my grandparents back in 1911 got their poultry, eggs, and meat compared to how I get them now in 2011.  Then we will look at how we can change the way we get our food today." The writer needs to put in there "goat milk," it's mentioned in the essay & it's not the same as meat, poultry, and eggs.
3. The writer starts to compare how her grandparents got eggs, chickens, goat milk, and meat in the first part of the essay.  Then she goes into how we can get fresh food today.  The writer needs to go into more detail about how different it is now in 2011 than 1911 the way livestock is farmed.  The conclusion is stated clearly - "We need to go back to and raise farm animals for food like they use to in 1911."
4. The first sentence needs to be cleaned up, it's too long.  The writer uses the word "they" too much, through out the essay, needs to clarify "who" they are talking about.  This is a formal essay.
5. The resources the writer mentioned are her grandparents, New York Animal & Control, and the book "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser.  The writer paraphrases the information but needs to make a list of refrences at the end of the essay.    
6. The writers main ideas in each paragraph are cllear and consise. 

5 things I will be using for my revision of my 700 word essay 3/29/11

1 - New York Animal Care & Control, www.nyacc.org/nychealthcode
      - States the laws regarding having "livestock" in the city now in 2011

2 - "Fast Food Nation," by Eric Schlosser
      - Gives a detailed look at how America's farms have been industralized.

3 - Urban Agriculture: Raising Chickens in New York City, http://www.thekitchn.com/
      - Story about how to raise chickens in New York City

4 - The stories my mom told me about my grandparents when they were young.

5 - The stories my grandmother told me (when I was a teenager) about when she and my grandfather were young.
      Numbers 4 & 5 are stories told to me growing up.  I was always told how it was back then. 

Just a little note: Both my grandparents were born in the 1890's.  My grandfather is a World War I   Veteran and he passed away in 1966, just after I was born.  My grandmother passed in 1982, when I was 16.

3/23/11

Making Lamb shoulder chops, rice, and having a huge salad tonight for dinner.  Uks, my dog will have some, too =)!!! Any left over greens will go to the guinea pigs. Take care.
Louise

Here is my first 700 word essay!!

Louise McGuire

Eng 101.0772

Dr. Elizabeth H. McCormick

It amazes me how different it was in 1911 to have and get meat, poultry and eggs than how it is now in 2011.  Back in 1911, everybody had their own livestock in their yards.  Farms were either down the block or in the next town over.  We will be looking at how my grandparents back in 1911 got their poultry, eggs and meat compared to how I get them now in 2011. Then, we will look at how we can change the way we get our food today.

In 1911, my grandparents raised their own chickens for food and eggs.  The chicken coop was in the yard and they had a healthy diet of bugs, worms, and grass.  When they wanted to have chicken for dinner, all you had to do was go out in the yard and get one, kill it, pluck it, and cook it.  For eggs, you just got them out from under a hen in her nest.  Now, in 2011, I have to go to the supermarket and get my eggs and chicken.  The chicken meat and eggs arrive on a refrigerated truck from an industrialized farm out of state.  The eggs have been gathered days ago and the poultry has been killed days ago.  They have been pumped with hormones, antibiotics, and some have been sitting in chicken broth to keep them fresh looking.

In 1911, my grandparents had their own goats for milk.  Like the chickens, they were free to run about their yard to eat the grass, they were not kept in a cage or stall.  If I want goat milk, I have several choices at the supermarket.  I can get it in a box, a can, or in a powered form from a company that processes it out of state.

When my grandparents wanted beef, pork, or lamb in 1911, they got it at the local butcher.  The local butcher received the meat the same day or the day after the animal was slaughtered and it came from a farm just out of town.  They too, roamed freely and ate a natural diet.   Now, in 2011, I purchase lamb imported from Australia, beef from California, and pork chops from Kansas.  These farms are also industrialized and the animals are fed corn and soy and are not allowed to run freely.

I would love to raise my own farm animals like they did in 1911, but now in 2011, laws prohibit us from doing so.  According to the New York City Health Code, listed on the Animal Care & Control web site, you cannot have certain animals in your house or roaming around your property.  You can have chickens, but if a neighbor complains, the authorities can take them away.  In 1911, practically everybody had his or her own chicken and nobody complained about it.  It was the only way to eat back then. 

Remembering the stories my grandparents told me and reviewing the book “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser, I am looking at how I can go back to the way my grandparents ate in 1911.  Instead of going to the supermarket, I will go to the greenmarkets they have in the city.  These places have farmers from the tri-state area that sell meat, poultry, and eggs that are organic and pasture raised.  They still may not be as “fresh” as they had it in 1911, but I believe it will be just as good and healthy. 

In conclusion, this comparison was a real eye opener to what is going on with the meat and poultry industry.  We need to go back and raise farm animals for food like they use to in 1911.    

Louise’s Chicken Soup

This is my version of a recipe that has been in my family for years.  It’s perfect for when you feel a cold coming on or if you have one.  There’s no added salt, spices, herbs, or oil.  If you choose to add some, you can do so when it’s done.

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Thighs

4 Chicken Drumsticks

3 – 4 Medium Onions sliced

1 – 2 Heads of Garlic, all the cloves crushed

1 – 2 Peppers sliced (red, orange, or yellow)

Put all the ingredients in a large pot with enough water to just cover everything. When the water starts to boil, put a lid on the pot and lower heat to simmer.

Simmer for an hour and a half

Then take lid off and turn the heat on high and cook uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with crackers or hot crusty bread for dunking!