Peer Review: Joy's Blog

As I was reading Joy's Blog, I really envied her family and friends because they were fed such a delicious meal! Joy prepared a casserole bake called "Awesome Chicken", turtle cake and green beans. I thought it was great that Joy was able to find all the needed ingredients at home because it definitely saved her the hassle of going to the grocery store. Also, it's always so rewarding to make a meal that everyone loves and enjoys, and she obviously did just that!

Joy disagrees with Michael Pollan's claims that American's have a problem taking pleasure in eating. She says that although she understands that American's are always on the go, there are always still times where they would sit down to enjoy a nice meal with their loved ones. The meal that she made did have a factor in her disagreement because her family along with herself was able to enjoy a meal without having to worry about anything, which is something that Pollan said that Americans are incapable of doing. They were also able to socialize for about an hour as a family. This proves that not all American's are like what Pollan had stated.

A Nations Eating Habits
By David E. Williams

The beginning of this article strongly supports Michael Pollan's claims on American's eating habits. It clearly states that American's barely have the time to sit down for a nice meal which leads to their heavy dependence on take-out, fast food, and easy-to-fix convenience foods. I do agree with most of what it is saying because even based on my busy college schedule, I barely have time to make a meal at my apartment. Therefore, I usually end up eating out with friends. However, it does also state that American's still do eat at home and that it is not always necessarily true that American's have abolished that "eating at home" habit. I really liked this article because it relates so well to Joy's decision toward page 54-55 in In Defense of Food.

Prepare a Meal

Before making a meal, the process behind it definitely requires many stages. The meal I had prepared for my family is Chicken Eggplant Stir-fry with rice. First thing is first, writing out a grocery list!! This usually takes about 5-10 minutes for me to write down the main ingredients I need, which in this case are:

- Purple Eggplants
- Chicken Breasts
- Red and Green Bell Peppers
- Green Onions
- Cilantro
- Oyster Sauce
- Sweet Soy Sauce
- Sriracha Chili Sauce
- Oil
- Rice

However, I do always have to keep an open mind when I shop for food because sometimes the store I'm at might not have everything on my list, so I would have to substitute other things for it.

The second stage is grocery shopping. I always enjoy this stage because only I get to decide what I want to purchase for the meal, this way it won't be so complicated. Usually, I would shop at Wal-Mart for my groceries because of their great variety of products and with the fact that I am a college student, I love their affordable prices.

The third stage is making the rice in the rice cooker. This is done before making the Chicken Eggplant Stir-fry because you would want the rice to be ready in time to eat.

The fourth stage is preparing the ingredients, such as: slicing the meat, chopping/slicing the vegetables and mixing the sauce.

The fifth stage is actually making the Chicken Eggplant Stir-fry. In order to accomplish this stage efficiently, there are steps to which ingredient goes into the frying pan first. First, pour a little oil into the pan and let it sit for about 1-2 minutes. Second, pour in your sliced chicken and cook it until it whitens. Third, add in half the sauce you have pre-made and mix it thoroughly with the chicken. Fourth, add in the chopped bell peppers, mix it and cover the pan with a lid for about 5 minutes to soften the bell peppers. Fifth, add in the sliced eggplants. Let it sit for about another 5 min without covering the pan. Finally, add in the remainder of your sauce as well as the minced green onions and cilantro. After all these steps are finished; grab a plate, get yourself a a few spoonfuls of rice and top it off with the warm Chicken Eggplant Stir-fry. You will now have a delicious meal that will fulfill you and your family's taste!!

The clean-up process was definitely not a big issue in my family because everyone was so willing to help!!

If I have not followed these stages in chronological order, my meal probably wouldn't have turned out as appetizing as it should. But because I was able to accurately and precisely pursue those stages, my meal was a great success. My family loved my cooking and look forward to me going home more often for other satisfying meals. I had a great time making this meal, for the reason that not only was I able to cook for people I love but also socialize and spent quality time with my family!!

In regards to Michael Pollan's book, pages 54-55, I do somewhat agree with his claim of why American's think processed food is so bad. Since American's are known to be the most obese people, they have learned to cut down on their bad eating habits so that they aren't always stereotyped in that way. However, something that I didn't quite agree with was when Pollan quotes Laura Shapiro because in order for someone to eat a satisfying meal, it must taste good to them. Therefore, the gratification of appetite and the sense of taste are very big factors when it comes to eating. I really don't think anyone would want to eat a meal that tastes bad. There are definitely other ways of eating healthier yet satisfying your taste in food! The meal that I made definitely did have an impact on my decision toward Michael Pollan's claims. As my family and i ate, no one was worried about eating an unhealthy meal. We were able to easily socialize and dine as a happy family!

Making Healthy Food Choices
By American Heart Association

This article talks about the importance of eating healthy and it states the kinds of food that a person should eat in order to maintain a healthy balanced meal. It definitely supports Michael Pollan's idea of processed food because it states that there are other food choices that are healthier for people.