Does snacking lead to solidarity?

Horwitz' piece on “Eating at the Edge” comments on how our society has changed over time and how mealtimes have become less communal due to a hectic schedule. Jamie Horwitz refers to food being an “additive to a situation, such as a cigarette would be, rather than being definitive," seeing food as a means of distraction from work or a means of multitasking (Horwitz 42). Our scheduled mealtimes of breakfast, lunch, and dinner have been skewed to meet our personal time clocks. Because our lifestyle is becoming “timeless”, food has become a 24 hour indulgence, eating for pleasure, eating while doing work, or eating out of boredom, food has become less structured and more available due to the efforts of companies and restaurants to make their products more accessible on the go.  America’s society has made it acceptable to void away from eating face to face in order to better schedule our priorities. To me, it seems Horwitz is saying that food has been DE-prioritized as a means of bonding with those around you and instead putting meals wherever they seem fit in order to satisfy other needs.

It does not surprise me this “snacking” mentality over time has lead to an increase in weight of many Americans, and I do agree as a society we have turned away from structured meal times. However, I do not always think this is necessarily a bad thing and is not always a true story. Although food has become an excuse to multitask, I personally use food as a way to socialize with people I am around. Since coming to college, food has actually gained more importance in my life because it is a way I can break free from my hectic schedule in order to enjoy time with my friends and family. My friends and I go to noodles once a week on Thursdays to all come together and socialize over our favorite meal. When I visit my family at home, we always have a meal together in order to celebrate all of us being together.

I also think it is important food is offered at all times of day to fit our personal schedules. College is fast-paced and busy and if food was not available to me at strange eating times like 3:30 pm, I would most likely starve. Mealtimes may have become more individualized, but food has always been a means of bringing people together and it still is today. 

The Most Relaxed Burrito Joint in Town

On a Friday morning at 11 AM I wandered into Illegal Petes, the iconic burrito establishment on Evans at the University of Denver. I ordered a veggie burrito with rich colored veggies, cheese, sour cream, corn salsa, and jalapenos, choosing this over a breakfast burrito because I had just missed the 10:30 AM cutoff. As I sat down, not many people were at Illegal Petes due to the awkward eating time of just past breakfast and right before lunch, but I got a late start to my morning as did many of the other people eating their meals. It is interesting to view Illegal Petes during the day because it typically acts as a popular hang out spot, bar, and music joint during week nights and weekends. While the nights are more hectic, loud, and rowdy, eleven in the morning is a great time to sit around and eat a delectable burrito bowl. The atmosphere is extremely laidback and earthy. T-shirts hang on the walls, sports are playing in the vacated bar, and electric signs buzz as people enjoy their meals.  Relaxing reggae music is playing in the background as I watch the people around me socialize while eating in groups of two or more. There is little worry and anxiety in people around me as they casually eat their burritos or enjoy the zesty queso, a personal favorite of mine. The people eating at Illegal Petes are college aged, slowly eating their meals while talking with friends. Illegal Petes acts almost more as a place to socialize than an eating establishment, although I personally believe they go hand in hand, especially in our society.

            The food itself at Illegal Petes is amazing. When I look around not one person leaves their plate even half empty, which says a lot considering the generous portion sizes consist of stuffed, overflowing burritos. The food is also fairly cheap, which comes in handy considering most customers are college kids on a tight budget. All the ingredients are extremely fresh, with flour tortillas and richly colored vegetables. According to the Illegal Petes website, “nothing comes to us pre-made. Look into a refrigerator and you will find tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, fresh meats, milk, cheese, and all the other good stuff that we turn into the fantastic salsas, veggies, meats, and queso you load into your meal.” Illegal Petes is a environmentally conscious restaurant looking to satisfy the needs of all types of customers like vegetarians and gluten free eaters, another fad in rising food culture. The food is prepared right in front of you and served in tin dishes are recyclable bowls. While the workers delicately but together your burrito, they engage in casual, relaxed conversation. Something about Illegal Petes I observed and enjoyed was their diverse, edgy work force, each with a different look and chill personality. They attract a wide audience of people. The workers were mostly male and slightly above college age, and all the employees were close knit and friendly with one another. When they were not busy cooking or helping customers they were conversing with each other and eating a burrito themselves.

Illegal Petes horderves are diverse and the restaurant’s vibe is authentic. Eating at Illegal Petes made me realize there is something unique about the attitude and culture of the Colorado lifestyle. The earthy, mountain-esque setting is what I imagine when I think of Colorado, and Illegal Petes does an exemplary job of portraying this image. I am a proud Colorado native and enjoy the environment and people I live with, and I think the workers at Illegal Petes are especially familiar with the laidback, Colorado attitude. Not only did I learn how Illegal Petes relates to Colorado culture, I learned more about the college lifestyle and how Illegal Petes is a prime habitat to observe this phenomenon. The college culture is extremely busy and exciting, and this is how Illegal Petes looks during a night on a weekend. With Illegal Petes acting as gathering place for free concerts and new artists, the amount of people that come to watch a show or enjoy a night at the bar is extreme. Illegal Petes is almost always sardine packed and you are lucky if you can find a table for you and your friends. The college lifestyle also includes a vast amount of socializing, and Illegal Petes acts as a central meeting place for many people because it is close, exciting, and is a good excuse to get away from dorm food. . With music playing by day and live music by night, illegal Petes provides an ideal atmosphere for college kids.

Illegal Petes is unique to Colorado, with stores only in Denver and Boulder. This originality and authenticity is what makes it different from larger fast food “burrito joints” like Chipotle or Qdoba. The style is earthy and ecofriendly, something that in my mind pertains especially to Colorado and youth.  Illegal Petes’ goals for their restaurant and motive are in fashion yet special in that they are health conscious and want their customers to have the best while still providing a unique experience in their restaurant. The food and atmosphere of Illegal Petes show more about the people and lifestyle of Colorado, which is a wonderful state if I do say so myself.

http://illegalpetes.com/menu  

Illegal Petes and Colorado Culture

http://illegalpetes.com/menu
The Illegal Petes website discusses the history and originality of Illegal Petes as a restaurant. It also shows their mottos, goals, design, and events and how they all related to Colorado culture in Denver and Boulder. Because Illegal Petes originated in Colorado, the vibe and atmosphere are similar to that of Colorado: laid-back, mountainy, and earthy.

Rustication and Rudimentary

Food has the capability to act as a coping mechanism or can be used to nostalgically identify with history or times of the past.. In Cate’s article, handmade creations called spread are used as a unifier among prisoners. With what prisoners can afford, multiple ingredients are generated to create a plethora of late night snacks and pies, each with a personal taste depending on who makes it. Each dish is so complex and detailed and almost unrepeatable except by the creator. Not only is this “spread” a filling meal, it also reminds prisoners of life outside the cell. What I found interesting is that spreads and mealtimes are all hierarchical and racially stratified, with some spreads being given to ringleaders as a gift of respect. The hand made spreads are a way for all prisoners to remain free from authority because it is something they can do that is not chaperoned and their genius creations act as something to bring a jail community closer together.

In the vastly growing town of Shenzen, simple foods obtained through hard labor are appreciated by Old Shenzheners and act as a memory device for those growing up in a time where food was provided by the government and hopes for the future were utopic. With the shift from socialism to capitalism in China, food rations and food consumption were altered entirely. During times of socialism, long days were spent in fields in order to obtain your designated ration of meals like cornbread and gruel, but with the rise of capitalism, the communal dining and basic foods have been replaced with diverse meal options and business driven food establishments.

What was also interesting about this article is how food is analogous to a parable contrasting Northern socialists and Southern capitalists in China. The consumption of beef represents the North with idealisms like honesty and morality in economic equality. The use of fish as a primary source of food resembles trickery and corruption, but more food for all in the grand scheme of things. Shenzen is a prime example of transitions occurring in China and both old and newcomers to Shenzen are all fighting for a better living, but food in the community resembles HOW each separate party wishes to moves towards this common goal. 

Comparing Food Advertisements

http://mouthfuloftext.blogspot.com/2012/04/tomayto-tomahto.html
An aspect both Sydney and I talked about is the idea of a body-consious, image concerned consumer. My Macdonald's ad and Sydney's Heinz pasta sauce ad both discuss the importance of all natural ingredients. Also, our posts correlate when we discuss the observation of a simplistic, straightforward advertisement with plain white backgrounds and bold, richly colored vegetables.
http://foodiesnotwelcome.blogspot.com/2012/04/gatorade-vs-crystal-light.html
Both Dani and I also discussed how certain advertisements are geared toward specific audiences, discussing targeting certain genders in particular. While I focus more on the looks of the advertisement and how this targets a male audience, she discusses both the authenticity of Gatorade as well as the male athletes who are drinking the performance drink. Both of our observations are similar in that we both cue in on what are deemed as attractive to men and what is considered masculine in advertisements, being either fonts and quotes or sports and the male athletes that play them.
http://chirekos.blogspot.com/2012/04/rhetorical-appraoches-to-society.html
While Andrew and I both touch on how advertisements reflect on our society's culture, Andrew talks about great deals on meats and the concept of indulging on something for almost nothing at all. I on the other hand talk about the luxury associated with foods, like the designer ice-cream for example.

Couture Icecream and Manly Cheeses

The social norms created by society cause people to look to products in order to acquire commodities like health, luxury, or masculinity/femininity. Advertisers’ job is to carefully consider these ideals and to manipulate products in order to target a specific audience, which is done in more ways than one. Because of the creativity and keenness of the advertising world, products like alcohol can be made to be portrayed as healthy and gourmet cheeses can be appear to be masculine.

Two advertisements that appeal to the health-conscious consumer is this McDonalds advertisement for a veggie burger and Skyy Vodka’s ad for a “natural” pineapple-infused flavored drink. The McDonald ad has vegetables arranged in the shape of a cow,  with carrots as appendages, a freshly harvested potato as a body, and a red pepper as a head, contrasting the difference between a meat burger and the new addition of a vegetarian meal. This ad appeals to emotions and the desire to be healthy and environmentally considerable of the treatment of animals. Also, this makes McDonalds appear to be a company striving to improve the health of its customers, even when this establishment is iconic for selling products like a Big Mac. While I personally only go to McDonalds to satisfy my craving for a juicy burger, overly salty fries, and a thick vanilla milkshake, McDonalds is now advertising healthier, more natural options. As a country, health is a prominent subject and being unhealthy in remotely related to laziness and a lack of motivation, another aspect enforced in our society, the desire to be driven and successful. People value healthy food with natural ingredients.

Another “food movement” that has swept the nation is the idea of all natural, organic products. Even high carb drinks like alcohol have made the switch to “natural” products. Skyy Vodka claims to use natural pineapple instead of a manufactured additive. The picture of the pineapple is even larger than the actual product, showing the advertisement’s extreme dedication to expressing the health of this alcoholic beverage. Even luxury items like wines, teas, and alcohols are promoting all natural ingredients. However, what is even stranger about our food culture is items typically meant for enjoyment and taste are being altered so that “eating something is really like eating nothing.”

I also found an advertisement for Kaptiti Designer Ice Cream. I never even knew ice cream could be considered couture, but this just shows how simple, basic, enjoyable foods like ice cream are being altered to be luxurious, exotic treats. Our society is based around the “American Dream”, and the more lavish correlates with higher class status. Like in the article we read observing labels on potato chips, this ad is a way advertisers create further separation between classes by targeting a higher income audience. In this ad, an expensive watch is “melting” into ice cream, showing how money and status is related to selling designer ice cream.

Advertisements also target specific genders and male and female characteristics. Advertisements geared towards men make ads seem more masculine, tough, and rugged while ads specifically for women create a feminine, soft image. Also, in terms of food advertising for genders, food ads for men focus around “gaining weight” or “bulking up” while food ads for women include slogans like “slim down” and “lose a pant size in two weeks!”

As I mentioned earlier, even cheese can be portrayed as manly simply thorough the use of wording or shape of font. This Canadian cheese company uses the words “Strong. Bold. And a Touch Nutty. SHOW US WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF.” The font is all bold, almost in an intimidating manner, like a challenge to eat their cheese. The way the ad is written is targeted towards men, down to the contrast, font, and simple, impactful wording.

Advertisers have mastered the art of connecting with people in order to promote messages often enhanced my media in our culture. They latch on to concepts like history, health, tradition, and convenience. Just through the slight altercation of a logo, a product, or a phrase, certain audiences can be targeted through ads’ affective use of rhetoric and manipulation. Although they are all creative advertisements, something all these ads have in common in their simplicity and lack of words. Imagery is emphasized in order to get the point across, and a majority of the ads are conducted in similar fashions, because most of the time, a majority of ads are attempting to promote the same ideals for completely different products. 

Classic, All Natural, Since 1896...

Both Freedman and Jurafsky focus a great deal on how advertising relates to socioeconomic status. The mere language and packaging of potato chips further creates separation between classes in America.

Freedman and Jurafsky placed importance on complex language, health, and authenticity and how it relates to higher/lower class audiences. While expensive potato chips often include more educated languages and more words in general, inexpensive potato chips tend to be more basic and straightforward.

Another concept that interested me was the relationship of health to status. On every expensive potato chip bag in the article, each package included the word "natural", showing how health conscious upper class is, even with something as simple as a potato chip, something usually regarded as unhealthy.

However, the most shocking point from the article I noticed was how both expensive and inexpensive advertisers use authenticity to attract its buyers. Although, the main goal of advertisers is to use authenticity with different meaning in order to still further differentiate classes. Expensive advertisers relate authenticity with the uniqueness of the naturally of ingredients and the processing of these ingredients into a final product. Inexpensive advertisers instead relate authenticity with family, history, and tradition.  The little subtleties in advertising and packaging provide so many meanings that can easily be overlooked when staring at a bag of chips at the grocery market. But now, thinking back on what chip I usually choose, I deem this evidence of selective advertising true.

Another interesting thing to review using Freedman's and Jurafsky's would be how restaurants as a whole target certain people with particular socioeconomic status. All restaurants have certain pricing, atmospheres, and locations to target particular audiences. With further research, I think evidence of class targeting in restaurants would directly parallel the criteria used in potato chip advertising.