The First 100 pages...

I just got done reading the first 100 pages of "The American Way of Eating" by Tracie McMillan. The book is about a woman who is essentially a muckraker, (there's a term from my COM classes) or an investigative journalist who works undercover in agriculture in California fields, a Wal-Mart store and an Applebee’s restaurant.

So far the first 100 pages is about her experience working alongside migrant workers in California agriculture.

Part I of the book, titled: “Farming” is jam packed with lots of information and shocking details about the conditions of their working environment and the day-to-day life that these workers go through including the laws that are disregarded. Such laws include a law that is specifically set in place by Monterey County in California that prohibits workers to work in an environment that was recently sprayed by crop dusting planes within a certain time frame. McMillian had stated this in her book, but her agriculture crew had gone out anyway.
I found myself getting almost frustrated to see these basic safety concerns be constantly overlooked. It was very surprising to see how many things were essentially swept under the rug and how these people were maybe a half of a step above slavery. Sure, they were paid but McMillian had done the math and found that at one point, during her undercover work a company had underpaid her by about $400. She also made a great point in saying that having actual people out there in the fields picking was a cheaper option than springing $600,000 on a new combine.

It was also really interesting to read that safety regulations were overlooked. McMillian showed up to work someday and one of her co-workers asked her to sign a paper saying that she had taken a safety class that, in reality, she did not take nor ever hear about.

The next section of the book will be discussing her experience at a Wal-Mart in Michigan. I worked at Wal-Mart as a seasonal associate my sophomore year of college and it was complete hell, so I’m greatly looking forward to what she has to say about her experience there.

Here's a link to a documentary I found interesting regarding Wal-Mart and its controversial modes of operation. It's a bit long and a bit outdated but it hits the nail on the head! 

Dangerous Temptation

As I’m sitting here, in the library… I’m realizing something that is really annoying me… my stomach is growling.
I’m hungry.
I skipped breakfast (that was my first mistake) in an attempt to stay on track for time. I had to drop off one of my friends at the train station, then navigate the freshly snow-powdered city streets of Kalamazoo.
As I’m driving to campus, I wonder what I’m having for lunch…
Trying to be thoughtful of the foods I eat, I decide on Subway, It’s not the greatest for you, but it sure is better than getting McDonalds.
Today is the first day of classes for the spring semester and after 2 days of torrential snowfall and canceled classes, almost every building on campus was bustling with cabin-feverish undergrads and of course, at the Bernhard Center, everyone in their brother was in line at Subway, waiting to get their lunch as well.
Being impatient, I glance at the line for Santorini Island Grill and there is only about 6 people waiting in line, so I jump in and instantly get a craving for feta fries, a delicious combination of seasoned French fries, crumbled feta cheese with some sprinkled oregano.
Yes, Subway was kicked to the side because I was too impatient to wait in line to actually wait for something that was healthier than feta fries, but as I kick myself for indulging in something unhealthy for me, I wonder if I actually was craving those feta fries all along…

Four years ago, at age 16, you would never have thought that I would be sitting in a hospital in Lansing, scared to death to ever eat anything ever again. In January 2010, my mother was hospitalized from ruptured brain aneurysm that left her in a coma for almost a full month. The doctors say that due to her rigorous lifestyle as a cop for the city of Grand Ledge, she had taken on too much stress. That, coupled with her history of high blood pressure was a recipe for disaster. The doctors at Sparrow Hospital also cited the high consumption of coffee and poor diet as another possible factor.

Not only was I reeling from almost losing my mother, but I was also heartbroken that my poor mother was only trying to keep herself going so she can do her job, so she can earn a living, so my family can continue living a comfortable lifestyle, even if that meant going through the drive through at McDonalds at 4am after a long shift or drinking 2 tumblers of coffee all night to stay up to see me get on the bus in the morning.

As I’m getting older, I’m realizing that I need to stop relying on fast food to satisfy my needs for hunger. It’s expensive and it’s unhealthy. Since I’ve started writing this post, my mind wandered at least 5 times to places around town to stop and eat at…

Maybe it’s time to take a look at what’s inside my pantry…