Here it is. The moment we have been waiting for. Many of you have been aware of my love for macaroni and cheese for a while, as our class is related to eating and macaroni and cheese is my favorite food. Living in Atlanta for the past 3 years has given me the opportunity to try a multitude of pasta goodness. Here are my 3 favorite macaroni and cheeses in Atlanta right now, 1 being the best.
3. Majestic Diner
I've never eaten here before midnight, but every time I have, I make sure to get the macaroni and cheese. Majestic is an Atlanta landmark, and their food isn't "extraordinary", but their mac n cheese is creamy, filled with flavor, and the perfect size for a side portion. If you're an enthusiast, I'd order two. However, I wouldn't like to see how they prepare it.
2. The Porter
The porter, as a "beer bar", prides itself on masterful pairings and a drink menu dozens of pages long. The porter's macaroni and cheese is made from several cheeses and is made with spiral macaroni in a small ovular dish. I'd describe it as a "craft" (not to be confused with Kraft) macaroni due to its interesting blend of cheeses and thick consistency.
1. My Apartment
If you stop by my Clairmont apartment, you're in for a treat. I learned this recipe last summer and haven't gone anywhere else to make mac and cheese. This is the recipe for the sauce; macaroni should be prepared al dente and combined later.
1. Pour 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of flour in a hot sauce pan
2. Dice 1/2 medium yellow onion
3. Sautee for 7-8 minutes, until onions start to brown
4. Slowly pour 2 cups whole milk into saucepan
5. Bring it to a boil, then a simmer for 4 minutes
6. Add in your cheese! 4 cups minimum, any blend you'd like.
7. If your sauce is congealing too much, add more milk. If it's too liquid-y, add more flour.
8. Stir constantly until you're got your desired consistency.
9. Add in salt and pepper (I like to add in red pepper flakes as well).
10. Combine with pasta
11. Done!
Friday, April 28, 2017
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Foodie Subculture - How Small Trends Have Become Mainstream
As we've discussed in several classes this semester, food is a key part of culture and can have a cost associated to that. I've had the chance to explore culture in other classes at the business school and was very intrigued at the idea of subculture influencing mainstream culture. I think the food industry is a prime example of that right now.
15 years ago, organic, non-GMO, and gluten free food would have been words spoken at small health-food stores or co-ops. Today those are household terms. With increased use of the internet and social media, food bloggers and wellness experts are not limited to interacting with co-op shoppers but can spread messages globally within seconds. On the flip side, consumers have access to much more information about food than in the past. This knowledge transfer has resulted in generations that are much more conscious about their eating habits.
Google's 2016 Food Trends report definitely credits the digital space for the increased focus on "functional foods" - foods that have some health benefit. People are searching for foods that may bring a certain benefit (i.e. what foods should I eat for shiny hair?) or once they have food are searching for ways to cook that item. PwC reported that in 2014 alone, 47% of people 18-34 started eating healthier as opposed to just 23% of people over 55. As Generations Y and Z continue to grow their purchasing power, trends with those group will continue to start to dominate popular culture.
15 years ago, organic, non-GMO, and gluten free food would have been words spoken at small health-food stores or co-ops. Today those are household terms. With increased use of the internet and social media, food bloggers and wellness experts are not limited to interacting with co-op shoppers but can spread messages globally within seconds. On the flip side, consumers have access to much more information about food than in the past. This knowledge transfer has resulted in generations that are much more conscious about their eating habits.
Google's 2016 Food Trends report definitely credits the digital space for the increased focus on "functional foods" - foods that have some health benefit. People are searching for foods that may bring a certain benefit (i.e. what foods should I eat for shiny hair?) or once they have food are searching for ways to cook that item. PwC reported that in 2014 alone, 47% of people 18-34 started eating healthier as opposed to just 23% of people over 55. As Generations Y and Z continue to grow their purchasing power, trends with those group will continue to start to dominate popular culture.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Cultured Meat- the Meat of the Future?
I wanted to touch on a topic we haven't discussed in class that I think could make waves in the future: lab grown meat.
In 2013, the first lab-grown meat burger was created. It may not taste as good as the real thing (or as good as the Beyond Meat burger), but it is an advancement in food science that could help to alleviate some of the environmental effects caused by the meat production industry. The first lab-grown meat burger cost $330,000, but cost-effective and tasty cultured meat could be in supermarkets sooner than you may think. One company called Perfect Day plans to have cow-free dairy products out at the end of the year, and another called Memphis Meats hopes to have their cultured meat products in the market within 5 years. If the trend continues, who will regulate this new food product?
According to an article by Gizmodo, "The meat industry is a huge contributor to humanity’s environmental footprint, accounting for some 18% of our total greenhouse gas emissions. And that number’s deceptively low, because it includes roughly 40% of methane and 65% of nitrous oxide emissions, which are respectively 23 and nearly 300 times more potent climate warming agents than carbon dioxide." And beyond arguments against global warming, livestock bred for meat consumption also take up a lot of arable land and consume massive amounts of grain: "livestock in the US consume more than 7 times as much grain as the American population."
Only time will tell if cultured meat will catch on enough to stimulate consumer demand. And if it does, let's hope it helps to lessen the environmental impact of the meat industry.
Sources:
http://gizmodo.com/the-future-will-be-full-of-lab-grown-meat-1720874704
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/lab-grown-meat-inches-closer-us-market-industry-wonders-who-will-regulate
In 2013, the first lab-grown meat burger was created. It may not taste as good as the real thing (or as good as the Beyond Meat burger), but it is an advancement in food science that could help to alleviate some of the environmental effects caused by the meat production industry. The first lab-grown meat burger cost $330,000, but cost-effective and tasty cultured meat could be in supermarkets sooner than you may think. One company called Perfect Day plans to have cow-free dairy products out at the end of the year, and another called Memphis Meats hopes to have their cultured meat products in the market within 5 years. If the trend continues, who will regulate this new food product?
According to an article by Gizmodo, "The meat industry is a huge contributor to humanity’s environmental footprint, accounting for some 18% of our total greenhouse gas emissions. And that number’s deceptively low, because it includes roughly 40% of methane and 65% of nitrous oxide emissions, which are respectively 23 and nearly 300 times more potent climate warming agents than carbon dioxide." And beyond arguments against global warming, livestock bred for meat consumption also take up a lot of arable land and consume massive amounts of grain: "livestock in the US consume more than 7 times as much grain as the American population."
Only time will tell if cultured meat will catch on enough to stimulate consumer demand. And if it does, let's hope it helps to lessen the environmental impact of the meat industry.
Sources:
http://gizmodo.com/the-future-will-be-full-of-lab-grown-meat-1720874704
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/lab-grown-meat-inches-closer-us-market-industry-wonders-who-will-regulate
What I Learned From This Semester in Eating Ethics
Over the course of this past semester I have had to reflect on not only my food choices but how those choices have been affected by my environment growing up and how they now affect my environment and the world as a whole. In the past, I had never really taken the time to think about my diet unless I was in the doctor's office. My diet usually gravitated towards sweet things and pasta, and occasionally a salad (but only so I wouldn't feel guilty about eating dessert later). After taking this course I've seen a huge change in the way I eat and interact with food. For starters, I actually cook myself meals now. I have to say, the only thing more satisfying than cooking your own meal, is sitting down to eat it once it's done. I've enjoyed learning to experiment with spices and different modes of cooking. I've found that the oven is my go to kitchen appliance. Most likely because my favorite dish (pie- savory and sweet) is made in an oven. I've also gotten a much greater appreciation for the food that is on my plate when I go out to eat at a restaurant. I now stop and think about all the effort that had to go into creating my meal and those of the other patrons. My diet has also changed a lot over the course of the semester. I started eating whole grain and quinoa oatmeal almost everyday for breakfast. I've also started incorporating a lot more green into my diet. Although I can't say that my aversion go squash and beets has changed, I've definitely developed a deep love for Brussels sprouts and (well seasoned) kale. The discussions we've had throughout the semester have taught me to have a healthy dose of skepticism when entering the supermarket. Now every time someone claims something is good for you because it says "natural" on the label I'm the first person to pipe up and point out the power the private sector has to control that definition. As you can imagine it hasn't made me very many friends, but sometimes the most important truths are the ones we don't want to hear.
My First Year Cooking for Myself and My Go-To Recipes
My freshman and sophomore years of college I almost exclusively ate at the DUC dining hall. My meals would consist of granola bars that I would grab on my way to class for breakfast and then fries and an assortment of random foods from the DUC's comfort food section. I rarely made use of the common kitchen area unless it was to access the vending machine or heat up some ramen. However, this year I moved off campus and had to actually start cooking meals because I no longer had access to the DUC. My saving grace this semester were the buzzfeed pages "Tasty" and "Goodful" I followed them on Facebook so delicious meal ideas would appear right on my timeline and I wouldn't have to scour the internet for recipe ideas. One of my favorite suggestions on either page was "One Pan Dinner" ideas. Meals like these were essential not only for a college student who doesn't really have time to cook, but someone who hasn't really cooked before and wants to start off with something simple but delicious. One recipe I found particularly delicious was a "One Pan Lemon Herb Salmon and Veggies" recipe. The recipe for 2 is as follows:
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
2 pounds small red (or yellow) potatoes, quartered
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons ginger
2 salmon fillets
1 bunch (roughly 1 pound) asparagus
Prep:
1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F/200˚C.
2. Cover a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Spread out potatoes on the pan and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
3. Bake for 30 minutes.
4. Make salmon glaze. Combine salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon thyme, 2 garlic cloves, ginger, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix well.
5. Remove potatoes from the oven and push them to the top or side of your pan. Place your salmon fillets on the pan. Brush both sides of the salmon with the glaze.
6. Place asparagus on the pan and top with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of thyme on the asparagus and potatoes.
8. Enjoy!
The clean up for this recipe was also easy since you are using foil or parchment paper. Another go to favorite of mine that is also a great comfort food is a recipe for Pesto Alfredo Pasta. The recipe is as follows:
Ingredients:
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup prepare pesto
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Prep:
1. Stir half-and-half, pesto, butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together in a skillet over medium-low heat; cook until hot, about 8 minutes.
How Eating Ethics has Affected My Work With Food Banks
Every Sunday I volunteer with Campus Kitchens Emory to transport leftover food from the DUC and Cox to a local church on Ponce De Leon Ave where we prepare half the food for a meal that we will serve that day and store the rest for the church to use throughout the week. This opportunity has given me a first hand experienced with atlanta's food access problem and the solutions that urban areas are developing in order to solve the issue. One of my main takeaways is how the church can be such an integral part of a meal for those who are food insecure, not necessarily because of their faith but because of the services that churches offer. Many of the food banks and soup kitchens in Atlanta operate out of churches, and thus people from all backgrounds gather in these churches to break bread together. This course has taught me the importance of not only having enough to eat, but also eating in an environment that is conducive to both physical and mental health. Having a diverse community of people who care about your wellbeing and can empathize with your situation is something I can tell is not lost on food bank patrons. I've also had time to think about how powerful this food bank network in Atlanta has become. A few Sundays ago, the service team and I arrived in the few kitchen that morning to find no food has been set aside for us. I was instantly worried about the people at Mercy Church who depended on this meal and who I had assumed hadn't eaten since the day before. When I brought up this concern to one of my teammates he seemed unphased by our situation. He pointed out that not only were there numerous other food kitchens in the vicinity of the one at which we volunteer, but Mercy also has back up supplies from donations they receive from area residents.this instantly made me think about the how we have discussed the importance of community in the process of eating. Community is about more than just where you feel most at home eating a meal, your community is who shapes your eating habits and patterns, your community is a network that bares influence on every meal.
Atlanta's Historic Westside Garden - Combatting the Issue of Food Deserts
One my most favorite organizations that I'm involved in at school is Goizueta Impact Investors. We have a small fund that we use to invest in organizations that are working to make a difference in the Atlanta area. One of the organizations that we had the opportunity to meet with this year was The Historic Westside Gardens. It's a super interesting organization that seems like a unique way to address some of the issues that are faced in food deserts.
The mission of the organization is to organize food production by the community, for the community to remove barriers to access fresh, healthy food and promote self-determination, individually and collectively.
The organization was founded in 2010 and began with one garden on Elm Street and put 10 residents of Vine City through a 60 day training in urban agriculture, self-help, and entrepreneurship. In 2013 another garden was added at Delbridge St. and Vine St. and in 2014 a third garden was launched at Odyssey Villas apartments which spurred the development of GLEN - Garden Links Empower Neighborhoods.
GLEN consists of multiple levels - home gardens, clusters of home gardens, neighborhoods, and the entire west side. Each level involves different resources and programming to address the community needs.
The saddest thing to me about last week's class discussion was how the lines between classes and race are so clear when looking at the locations of food deserts in Atlanta. A 2015 article in VICE interviews Ron Finley, who convinced LA City Council to allow fruit and vegetable plots on public parkways. He views urban gardening as a model for local business. "You're showing someone life skills, you're showing them how to take care of themselves, and you're showing them how you can grow resources. We've been taught all our lives that money doesn't go on trees—but it does. Billions and billions of dollars grow on trees every day. We need to have people realize that this apple you just grew is currency. It's not about being frivolous and getting your hands dirty—it's about changing people's lives and employing people. This is a way you can be self-sustaining. "
I think that's what's so amazing at HWG. They go beyond just teaching residents to grow food and help show them how it can be turned into money as well through farmers markets. It seems like a small act but this can actually create real results. An 8-year old girl in LA transformed her garden from a way to help her family eat better to actually paying bills. Learning business skills along with improving access to food is a valuable lesson that can influence generations to come.
The mission of the organization is to organize food production by the community, for the community to remove barriers to access fresh, healthy food and promote self-determination, individually and collectively.
The organization was founded in 2010 and began with one garden on Elm Street and put 10 residents of Vine City through a 60 day training in urban agriculture, self-help, and entrepreneurship. In 2013 another garden was added at Delbridge St. and Vine St. and in 2014 a third garden was launched at Odyssey Villas apartments which spurred the development of GLEN - Garden Links Empower Neighborhoods.
GLEN consists of multiple levels - home gardens, clusters of home gardens, neighborhoods, and the entire west side. Each level involves different resources and programming to address the community needs.
The saddest thing to me about last week's class discussion was how the lines between classes and race are so clear when looking at the locations of food deserts in Atlanta. A 2015 article in VICE interviews Ron Finley, who convinced LA City Council to allow fruit and vegetable plots on public parkways. He views urban gardening as a model for local business. "You're showing someone life skills, you're showing them how to take care of themselves, and you're showing them how you can grow resources. We've been taught all our lives that money doesn't go on trees—but it does. Billions and billions of dollars grow on trees every day. We need to have people realize that this apple you just grew is currency. It's not about being frivolous and getting your hands dirty—it's about changing people's lives and employing people. This is a way you can be self-sustaining. "
I think that's what's so amazing at HWG. They go beyond just teaching residents to grow food and help show them how it can be turned into money as well through farmers markets. It seems like a small act but this can actually create real results. An 8-year old girl in LA transformed her garden from a way to help her family eat better to actually paying bills. Learning business skills along with improving access to food is a valuable lesson that can influence generations to come.
What It's Like to Take an Interdisciplinary Class at Emory
When I first entered business school I remember reading an article about a class that would be offered that fall called "The Ferguson Movement - Power, Politics, and Protest." I remember being surprised that the university offered a course that could easily become controversial but was impressed that such a space to learn about issues not typically discussed in the classroom existed. I assumed that this was something in the law school or the political science department and was even more surprised to find that it was an interdisciplinary seminar. I hadn't heard anyone mention such offerings when I was recruiting at Emory and I had definitely not seen anything like that at my undergraduate institution. Though I was disappointed to see that the Ferguson class wasn't on the course slate every semester or year, I had already decided I needed to keep an eye out for another course that brought together students from multiple backgrounds.
This spring, the opportunity presented itself with Eating Ethics. Having grown up helping out my father's restaurant business and planning to go into the food industry upon graduation, this class definitely was in my wheelhouse as far as interests go. I was excited to come class and see students from Oxford campus, the nursing school, the law school, and what we at the bschool call "big Emory."
The first few classes, students primarily clung to their classmates from their programs. As we continued through the course and people began to get to know their teammates (and through some prompting from the professor), people began to branch out and get to know those around them.
I really felt as though the multiple perspectives in the room created such deeper thinking. As we discussed innovation within the industry, I would be amazed at something while others offered their criticisms. For example, as we discussed Amazon Go, I was thinking, "Wow, they are really transforming an existing market, that is so cool!" While one of the law students responded, "This is a slippery slope, if consumers get comfortable with facial recognition at grocery stores, who knows where facial recognition could be deemed acceptable."
The opportunity to leave the business school bubble and meet people from all different background was also amazing. Everyone at Emory is so impressive and has such different aspirations in life. In the bschool it is pretty predictable - people want to be consultants, i-bankers, or brand managers. In this class I had the opportunity to meet aspiring chefs, food entrepreneurs, real-estate lawyers, and OB-GYN nurses.
This semester has been a truly unique experience in my time here at Emory and one that I'm not likely to forget. Though I have a love for food and am biased towards this class, I would definitely recommend that everyone try to take at least one interdisciplinary seminar.
This spring, the opportunity presented itself with Eating Ethics. Having grown up helping out my father's restaurant business and planning to go into the food industry upon graduation, this class definitely was in my wheelhouse as far as interests go. I was excited to come class and see students from Oxford campus, the nursing school, the law school, and what we at the bschool call "big Emory."
The first few classes, students primarily clung to their classmates from their programs. As we continued through the course and people began to get to know their teammates (and through some prompting from the professor), people began to branch out and get to know those around them.
I really felt as though the multiple perspectives in the room created such deeper thinking. As we discussed innovation within the industry, I would be amazed at something while others offered their criticisms. For example, as we discussed Amazon Go, I was thinking, "Wow, they are really transforming an existing market, that is so cool!" While one of the law students responded, "This is a slippery slope, if consumers get comfortable with facial recognition at grocery stores, who knows where facial recognition could be deemed acceptable."
The opportunity to leave the business school bubble and meet people from all different background was also amazing. Everyone at Emory is so impressive and has such different aspirations in life. In the bschool it is pretty predictable - people want to be consultants, i-bankers, or brand managers. In this class I had the opportunity to meet aspiring chefs, food entrepreneurs, real-estate lawyers, and OB-GYN nurses.
This semester has been a truly unique experience in my time here at Emory and one that I'm not likely to forget. Though I have a love for food and am biased towards this class, I would definitely recommend that everyone try to take at least one interdisciplinary seminar.
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Christian Pulgisi, Relae, and Sustainability
I recently bought a cookbook called Relae that is based on a restaurant in Copenhagen that recently won both the 2015 and 2016 sustainable restaurant award presented by World's 50 Best Restaurants. I thought the book was inspiring and wanted to share some of the thoughts and works expressed by the executive chef and owner Christian Pulgisi.
Pulgisi started cooking at a young age and worked around Europe traveling and staging with some of the best chefs and restaurants in the world. He worked at Le Taillevent in Paris, El Bulli in Girona, and finally ended up at Noma, Copenhagen, where he worked as the sous chef to Renè Redzepi, thought to be one of the greatest chefs in the world/of all time.
Pulgisi doesn't believe that the current or popular idea of sustainability within restaurants is what it should be. He states that the goal of a restaurant should not be total or complete sustainability, but rather how to fit the ecology of the surrounding environment best to the practices of the individual restaurant. Moreover, Pulgisi is reworking the idea of fine dining and haute cuisine and how a creative and high end kitchen doesn't necessarily have to be expensive: "The weakness of Italian quality and fine dining restaurants, is the fine dining concept. Why should progressive, modern and creative kitchen remain closed in the fine dining experience kind of restaurant, or the super expensive restaurant? You talk a lot about crisis in Italy… but where is the problem to open a restaurant that is not that expensive?! Does this mean that you cannot make a high quality and interesting kitchen?! No!"
I think this outlook on the restaurant industry is unique and will be something that expands in popularity in the coming years. However, the movement for this must be lead by chefs and celebrity chefs around the world. Using molecular gastronomy, fine dining, and other forms of high end cuisine will form the next generation of gastronomic advancement that helps to benefit more issues than just taste and the performance of the dining experience.
Pulgisi started cooking at a young age and worked around Europe traveling and staging with some of the best chefs and restaurants in the world. He worked at Le Taillevent in Paris, El Bulli in Girona, and finally ended up at Noma, Copenhagen, where he worked as the sous chef to Renè Redzepi, thought to be one of the greatest chefs in the world/of all time.
Pulgisi doesn't believe that the current or popular idea of sustainability within restaurants is what it should be. He states that the goal of a restaurant should not be total or complete sustainability, but rather how to fit the ecology of the surrounding environment best to the practices of the individual restaurant. Moreover, Pulgisi is reworking the idea of fine dining and haute cuisine and how a creative and high end kitchen doesn't necessarily have to be expensive: "The weakness of Italian quality and fine dining restaurants, is the fine dining concept. Why should progressive, modern and creative kitchen remain closed in the fine dining experience kind of restaurant, or the super expensive restaurant? You talk a lot about crisis in Italy… but where is the problem to open a restaurant that is not that expensive?! Does this mean that you cannot make a high quality and interesting kitchen?! No!"
I think this outlook on the restaurant industry is unique and will be something that expands in popularity in the coming years. However, the movement for this must be lead by chefs and celebrity chefs around the world. Using molecular gastronomy, fine dining, and other forms of high end cuisine will form the next generation of gastronomic advancement that helps to benefit more issues than just taste and the performance of the dining experience.
Monday, April 24, 2017
Wendy's and the Fight for the CIW Fair Food Program
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/corporate/about-200-march-on-south-tampa-publix-wendys-to-protest-farm-worker/2318497
Wendy's tomato sourcing has been a topic of hot debate the past several years. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) began food worker reforms in the Florida tomato industry after harsh working conditions for Immokalee, FL laborers were challenged. The development of a Fair Food Program in 2011 brought promising reforms to the treatment of food workers in terms of wages, working conditions, and sexual harassment. Although publicity pressured most major food corporations and distributors to join the program, including Walmart, Trader Joe's, and McDonald's, Wendy's refused to join, purporting that it was not its job to pay a higher wage (the program includes an increased $0.01 per pound of tomatoes purchased), but rather the responsibility of those who hire the laborers. On top of that, that specific Wendy's franchise in Tampa changed where they bought their tomatoes (Mexico) to claim that they follow the Fair Food Program, as CIW is specific to Florida
This brings up a topic that we haven't talked about in class. Although we have discussed briefly the sort of economic enslavement that corporations can force food growers and farmers, workers' rights is an issue we did not bring up. I'm wondering what you all think of this - is it the responsibility of Wendy's? Is the CIW targeting the wrong group? Also, is there a better method of going about these types of changes, as our "Eating Animals" lecturer from Compassion in World Farming discussed?
Wendy's tomato sourcing has been a topic of hot debate the past several years. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) began food worker reforms in the Florida tomato industry after harsh working conditions for Immokalee, FL laborers were challenged. The development of a Fair Food Program in 2011 brought promising reforms to the treatment of food workers in terms of wages, working conditions, and sexual harassment. Although publicity pressured most major food corporations and distributors to join the program, including Walmart, Trader Joe's, and McDonald's, Wendy's refused to join, purporting that it was not its job to pay a higher wage (the program includes an increased $0.01 per pound of tomatoes purchased), but rather the responsibility of those who hire the laborers. On top of that, that specific Wendy's franchise in Tampa changed where they bought their tomatoes (Mexico) to claim that they follow the Fair Food Program, as CIW is specific to Florida
This brings up a topic that we haven't talked about in class. Although we have discussed briefly the sort of economic enslavement that corporations can force food growers and farmers, workers' rights is an issue we did not bring up. I'm wondering what you all think of this - is it the responsibility of Wendy's? Is the CIW targeting the wrong group? Also, is there a better method of going about these types of changes, as our "Eating Animals" lecturer from Compassion in World Farming discussed?
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Rip Esselstyn on the Forward Podcast
As I mentioned in my last post, I
have a dog. She’s a three-year-old lab
mix with a lot of energy. I also don’t
have a fenced in yard. This means I
spend a reasonable amount of time walking my dog around Midtown. To help pass this time, I often listen to
podcasts including the Forward Podcast hosted by Lance Armstrong. While Lance’s interviews can be a bit clunky
at times, he normally attracts pretty impressive guests* that make for an
interesting listen. This week’s guest
was Rip Esselstyn who is a well-known health and food activist. Lance and Rip have known each other for
years, as Rip was a veteran on the triathlon circuit when Armstrong made his
pro debut as a teen. They also still
train together as part of a masters swimming program in Austin, Texas.
Rip’s appearance was part of a tour
to promote his new book, the Seven-Day Rescue Diet (this tour also included a
stop on Emory’s campus earlier this year).
Their whole conversation is worth a listen (http://theforwardpodcast.libsyn.com/rip-esselstyn)
but I’ve highlighted a few of the parts I found most interesting below.
·
Rip mentioned several flaws in the typical
American diet including the fact that 94% of our nation’s calories come from
refined process foods, meat or dairy.
These are all items with limited or no fiber and he believes this is a
root cause of a lot of our nation’s health problems.
·
He also suggests that many people’s efforts to
eat healthier are misguided. For instance
some people focus on eating chicken or fish which they believe are healthy
protein sources but these items have a similar amount of cholesterol as red
meat and contain high levels of saturated fats.
He also points out that eating vegan doesn’t necessarily mean healthy (French
fries, jelly beans, etc. are all vegan).
·
Finally, he also mentioned a movie project
called The Game Changers. It is a
documentary that hopes to dismantle the notion that real men eat meat by
showing high performing individuals that follow a plant strong diet. As part of that effort, Rip will attempt to
break the American record for the 200 meter backstroke for his age group later
this year.
*Guest on the Forward Podcast have included Jimmie Johnson,
Bo Jackson, Seal, Ben Harper, Rahm Emanuel, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Malcolm
Gladwell, Bill Burr, founders and partners in Zico Coconut Water/Patron
Spirts/GoDaddy.Marquis Jet, among others
Friday, April 21, 2017
Shopping for twenty-two people, on a SNAP budget, in an Atlanta food desert
Shopping for
twenty-two people, on a SNAP budget, in an Atlanta food desert
This was the theme for our final eating ethics class.
Surprisingly, we didn’t have to travel very far out of the Emory area to find a
food desert. Our starting point is 300 Northern Ave., Avondale Estates, Ga. As
you can see by the map below this location is part of a grouping of census
districts that are all considered low income and low access which are the
components that creates a food desert.
Our challenge was to shop within walking distance of this
location because not all constituents have transportation at their disposal and
this can greatly affect access. We found that a Dollar General and Texaco were
about a 9-minute walk from our location (0.5 mile). But before shopping we did
what is called a windshield survey to assess the initial resources a community
has or lacks. Below is a picture to show what the walk to the Dollar General
would be.
What you can see is that there is lo ng stretches of road
without much, and very little commercial businesses. Occasionally there is sidewalk, b ut it is inconsistent and there are no bike lanes. As far as public
transportation goes, there are close Marta bus stops and the closest Marta
train station is the Kensington Station (26-minute walk). At the Dollar
General, we found that they do accept SNAP and that they have an expanded food
section. Below you can see what the food section looked like.
As you can see, most of the food is processed ho
This is an important experience for me to have as a future primary care provider to have because when I am treating patients with chronic diseases that relate to malnutrition. It will be important for me to evaluate their food access and incorporate this into their care plan.
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