Quality vs Quantity.

During this last unit called Birth, I learned about how technology influences what and how we eat since the Industrial revolution, which improved technology and transportation with food. I also learned about fresh vs industrial food, fast food companies and how they control over half of our dairy and meat products. For this last Action Project I had to determine whether there is a difference in taste between fresh and processed food. I chose to eat at Panera bread, which I think is an okay fast food restaurant. When I made my homemade meal it was fun to make something different. I made the dish for lunch for my Mom and I, which I usually do because I like to cook a lot. This unit has changed how I think about food. It influenced me more to eat healthier, which I have been doing for a little over 6 months now. I really love to keep my body healthy and watching what I put in it as well. I like to eat a lot and try different foods, but the more you eat healthy the more you will feel better, and notice a change. Over all I really enjoyed this whole unit, it taught me so much!

Photography JV "Panera Bread" 2014*

The restaurant that I chose to eat at was Panera Bread. The reasoning for choosing this restaurant was because I think the food is not as bad compared to other fast food restaurants. The dish that I chose was the Mediterranean Veggie sandwich because it is one of my favorites at Panera Bread. Once the dish arrived at my table it smelled like basil, onions, and cucumbers. The appearance was bright and colorful. It looks like a summer dish and really full with all the vegetables in it. When I picked up the sandwich to take a bite, the soft slightly toasted bread touched my fingertips. As I was taking my first bite, I instantly tasted the hummus, which was sweet, yet bitter, and a little spicy. The vegetables were crunchy as they hit my tongue, feeling cool and a little damp making a loud noise while chewing. The dish appeared fresh because the vegetables were still wet and had water drops on them, but the sandwich looked really perfect and clean.

My homemade dish, however, was completely different. I switched up the recipe a little when I made the homemade version. Instead of using basil bread, I used 100% whole wheat bread that was USDA Organic, which means the bread is made with 100% organic ingredients. I spread basil pesto and hummus inside the slices. I used my taste and visual senses I saw a lot of color, so I tried using that while making the sandwich. I used cucumber, red onions, spinach, tomatoes, and a yellow bell pepper. The sandwich came out really good, and tasted just like the Panera one. The sandwich was really colorful and bright. It was also really compacted with all the vegetables that were in it as well. It smelled like basil, that smelled spicy; cucumber that smelled sweet; and the onions, that smelled bitter. The texture of the bread was soft, while the texture of the veggies in the sandwich was crunchy and a little damp. While eating the sandwich it made a lot of noise while chewing, because of all the vegetables that were in it. The sandwich was also bitter, yet sweet, and a little spicy cause of the red onion.

Photography JV "Homemade" 2014*

The sandwich is small but it fills a person up so fast because it is filled with vegetables. The sandwich relates to a Michael Pollan's reading that my classmates and I read in class, when he talks about how fast food is quantity vs quality and how people over eat too many bad foods. I think my sandwich is definitely quality vs quantity, because the veggies that are in the sandwich has so many vitamins and nutrients that our body gets fuller so much faster. That makes us not want to eat so much because we are eating a lot of greens. If we are eating high quality of foods, we won't need to eat a high quantity of foods. I think that people should keep this in mind, because eating healthy and right is so much better for your health, rather than eating fast food with no limits, which causes high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease. I think that people should realize that fast food isn't really food, it is actually food science that is made by scientists. Scientists make those kinds foods so customers can buy them. Industrial food is made with loads of sugars, and salt, which your body would want more of. That is why people have cravings for bad foods. I know that fast food is easy and cheap and can taste good, but it is really bad for your body. Try to cook good and healthy homemade meals, that taste better than eating out. Then fast food can be more of a treat once every few months rather than eating it weekly. 

Overall I would recommend the homemade sandwich, because it is super easy to make and cheaper than buying it at Panera Bread. Most of the ingredients will probably already be on hand, and it is also really healthy and tasty. The organic bread that I used had a lot of fiber and vitamins, rather than the basil bread that has more sugar and salt in it, and less fiber because it is white bread. The homemade sandwich is really different and gives your taste buds something different to try which is nice. 

Olive's Neighborhood Garden Profile by JV

The purpose of this MDG's action project was to choose an organization that focuses on Millennium Development Goal target 1 which is to Eradicate World Hunger.The topic I chose was to help lower the number of people who suffer from hunger. The organization that helped with this problem was, Olive's Neighborhood Garden who donates their garden-grown food to local food pantries. Olive's Neighborhood Garden works with the Jefferson Park area which is really close to my neighborhood. They have a large staff and are really friendly to their customers. Olive's neighborhood garden has flexible hours so I can volunteer.

BRECKLIN, Andy (2013) Untitled. Olive's Neighborhood Garden.

The topic I picked was Target one the proportion of people who suffer from hunger which is target 1 which is to Eradicate World Hunger.The organization that I chose was Olive’s Neighborhood Garden (Garden for the Hungry).The Garden distributes food grown by neighborhood gardeners to local food pantries. The reason I chose this target was because I think Olive’s Neighborhood Garden knows what they are doing they will help decrease the amount of people in hunger.This Garden addresses to my target by distributing their garden-grown food to people who do not have access to it.To me access  is food which every human being needs in order to survive. The Jefferson Park community also works with the garden. They can donate foods,and clothes to local food pantries too. Olive’s Neighborhood Garden takes care of trying to end hunger. Which would go under the Maslows physiological needs. How many people work at they Olive’s Neighborhood Garden is a staff more than a dozen, plus the community and Facebook helpers. Olive’s Neighborhood Garden opened in May 2008 it is also an award-winning Garden in Jefferson Park. The purpose of the organization is to help people in need for food.

The Garden does grow.Over time they expand more they donate over 215 vegetables and fruits to the local food pantry. I talked to Andy Brecklin who is the leader of Olive's Neighborhood Garden. I asked him a few questions about the organization to get a better idea of it. I ask him why he wanted to work in this kind of environment? Andy said “I grew up in the country so I like growing planting". Another question I asked was,"do you like the community that you work in"? Andy said, “I like this community because they have great delivery. The community really helps us out!” Another question I asked Andy was,"how many staff members do you have"? Andy’s response was “Haha that's funny,we have over a dozen plus the community people who volunteer it’s a whole lot!” Olive’s Neighborhood Garden is really inspiring because they help people in need. They spend their own time helping one another. Olive’s Neighborhood Garden is related to Growing Home because they both donate their garden grown foods to nearby pantries.They both have very small and welcoming staff members.The two organizations are very small but well known.

I learned a lot from this project,I learned that even in the Chicago area there are people without jobs,without food,which is really sad because there are many more in the same situation around the world. I just have to realize all people are not like my family and me. They do not have the basic human needs to survive which is so hard to think about. I think if we all work together as a whole we can help and really make a difference.

BRECKLIN, Andy (2013); Untitled, Olive's Neighborhood Garden

BRECKLIN, Andy (2013); Untitled, Olive's Neighborhood Garden

REFERENCES:

Olive's Neighborhood Garden. (2013) Pictures on Facebook Page. Internet: Facebook.

Pictures used with the permission of Andy Brecklin, garden leader.

Brecklin, Andy. Personal Interview. 16 Sept. 2013.