Cooking And Coping Among The Cacti Ethnography Analysis

One of the biggest problems facing American families today is the inability to afford fresh, nutrient filled food. In the United States today over 13 million families don’t have the money to buy fresh food and have to live on unhealthy diets. In the essay Prudence or Cruelty, author Nicholas Kristof talks about how much of a danger malnutrition is to poorer American families. Kristof mentions that the sole reason for such a high rate of malnutrition in poor U.S citizens stems from the lack of money to buy fresh goods. The price of fresh goods is too much compared to the amount of money these families are making. With multiple mouths to feed and a limited budget, going to the grocery store for these families is almost unheard of. These families

It is a known fact that every human being communicates through language, but perhaps a little known fact that we communicate even through the food we eat. We communicate through food all the meanings that we assign and attribute to our culture, and consequently to our identity as well. Food is not only nourishment for our bodies, but a symbol of where we come from. In order to understand the basic function of food as a necessity not only for our survival, we must look to politics, power, identity, and culture.

Neither life nor culture can be sustained without food. On a very basic level, food is fundamentally essential for life, not simply to exist, but also to thrive. A means by which carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, nutrients, and calories are introduced into the body, food is a mechanism of survival. However, on a more abstract level, food is also fundamentally essential for culture by establishing its perimeters and dimensions and in shaping its authenticity and character. Food becomes the

One does not necessarily expect books about food also to be about bigger ideas like oppression, spirituality, and freedom, yet Pollan defies expectations. Pollan begins with an exploration of the food-production system from which the vast majority of American meals are derived. This industrial food chain is mainly based on corn, whether it is eaten directly, fed to livestock, or processed into chemicals such as glucose and ethanol. Pollan discusses how the humble corn plant came to dominate the American diet through a combination of biological, cultural, and political factors. The role of petroleum in the cultivation and transportation the American food supply is also discussed. A fast-food meal is used to illustrate the end result of the

For most Americans, the word poverty means insufficient access to to housing, clothing and nutritious food that meet their needs for a healthy life. A consequence of poverty is a low socioeconomic status that leads to being exposed to poor nutrition. Since food and dietary choices are influenced by income, poverty and nutrition go hand in hand. There are many important factors that threaten the nutritional status of poor people. The number one factor is not having enough money to buy food of good quality and quantity. Not having enough money can have a profound impact on the diets of low-income people. Limited financial resources may force low income people to make difficult decisions about what kind and how much food to buy. Limited

Food is essential in sustaining good health and strength. However, this was a major concern for the Sanchez family. Consequently, this family existed in a more modern time when so social workers and welfare embraces a more modern systematic nature. However, if one should picture this said family in a different era such as the centuries below 19. This family would have fallen into the

There is a growing link between food insecurity and the increased prevalence of diabetes in the Latino community. Food insecurity has been shown in the literature to lead to increased diabetic prevalence among the Latino community. According to Fitzgerald et al, food insecurity is defined as “the limited ability to acquire nutritionally adequate and safe foods in socially acceptable ways.” (328) Food insecurity is seen in the form of skipping meals due to work and other obligations. Typically, Latinos have jobs that pay minimum wage and require more hours than a typical nine to five job. It is with these working conditions that lead to shorter lunch breaks and poor food choices. Fast food chains and cultural foods often

Nearly one of four Hispanic households are considered to have food insecurity, meaning the amount of income they depend on is limited and not enough, therefore making it impossible for these families to obtain the adequate healthy food

The Hispanic member of the interview expresses maintaining health as eating often with immediate family and frequently with close relatives. Main dishes include rice, beans, enchiladas, tortillas and other recipes custom to their culture. They pray often to maintain spiritual health. Thin is a sign as a problem and they would rather be more obese then skinny. Objective data concludes both parents and children are all obese. They protect health by having God Fathers and Mothers who help to watch out and take care of their children. They are involved in the Catholic Church and state that they attend weekly as a family and participate in sacred ordinances that allow them to grow mentally, spiritually, and physically. Birth control is seen as unacceptable. Seeking medical attention first from health care is not their first option, they state they would rather seek help from parents, grandparents, or friends for remedies or treatments before seeking help from a medical professional. They were familiar with the term curandero which is a holistic healer, but they did not state having ever used such services for their family in particular.

The Deadly Migias Healthy Cooking Program and WIC program although have very different approaches in the way they are implemented, have very similar goals for the participants. Both programs are aimed at women participants, focuses on native/ indigenous communities and aim to influence better food choices and increase the health status of their participants. They are both utilising ways to ensure they are developing knowledge in women, who due to socioeconomic status have a lack of education, and both programs are using different techniques to expose them to healthy diets and healthy lifestyles. However, the WIC program identifies that these Native American women have insufficient money to pay for these healthy foods and are providing them

Hispanic Americans have a strong tie to their culture and display it in their cuisine. Rice and beans are staples to la familia, together they provide a complete protein, and are inexpensive. Spicy peppers and hot sauce provide antibacterial and digestive health qualities that were imperative to provide healthy meals in Mexico because the water supply isn’t guaranteed to be safe for drinking. Historically, many tomato products were introduced to the United States by Mexico, including burritos, tacos, other Mexican cuisine and even ketchup (Sowell, 1981).

Even in developed country like The United States of America food security is a major problem. In the article “Association of Household and Community Characteristics with Adult and Child Food Insecurity among Mexican-Origin Households in Colonias along the Texas-Mexico Border” author Sharkey et.al supports that over population of Mexicans, living in colonies along the Texas - Mexico border causes food insecurity. Because of the Overpopulation on the texas-mexico border there is low availability of healthy food, causing people to eat junk food which lacks of nutritional value, and has high amount of sugar, fat, cholesterol.

Since 1965 many people have immigrated to the greater Los Angeles area than anywhere within the United States. These immigrants have rapidly and profoundly transformed the city’s ethnic makeup and spared heated debate over their impact on the region. Unfortunately within many areas of Los Angeles there are those who have been pushed out of their homes, which have been passed through generations of ethnic minorities in other areas due to gentrification. These gentrified areas have been renovated by the city to allow for a much more comfortable living experience. One specific way this has happened is by allowing an ease of access to mainstream markets that provide “necessary” measures for their lifestyle. However those of this community are not the only communities that wish to adhere to this lifestyle. Many Angelinos, although living within a community that is seen as poor and unhealthy, actually care about the food that they put within their bodies. The resources that are readily available in the gentrified location in Los Angeles, but not to other parts force them to eat from local markets and convenience stores close where the quality is unhealthy.

One of the families assessed for this assignment was a first generation Mexican American family originally from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The family consists of a young couple and two young children. Religiosity plays a big part in the lifestyle of this Mexican American family and this was evident in the rosaries worn by the couple. The couple regularly attends a local Roman Catholic Church for spiritual renewal and to pray for good health. Like other Catholics, they believe sickness is a sign of spiritual weakness and whenever individuals are sick members of the family pray for them (O’Brien, 2011). The family strongly prefers to prepare its own food, and its favorite dishes are traditional Latin American cuisines such as Chile, tamales and tortillas. Latin American cuisines are high in calories, high in salt, cooked in grease or deep fried, and contain lots of flour. When the family cannot cook they usually eat out, mostly in Mexican restaurants. Mexican Americans have a strong attachment to their families so they talk to their parents and siblings on an almost daily basis. Members of the family interviewed also communicate with their cousins, uncles, and aunts back in Mexico through online social media such as Facebook and WhatsApp. Communication between the couple and with other family members is almost always in Spanish.

More and more health-conscious individuals are scrutinizing the source of the food their family consumes. However, even the most conscientious consumer is not fully aware of the exhaustive efforts and struggle to get a juicy, ripe strawberry or that plump tomato in the middle of winter, even in Florida. These foods are harvested and picked mostly by seasonal and migrant farm workers. Migrant workers hail, in large part, from Mexico and the Caribbean, and their families often travel with them. Migrant farm workers must endure challenging conditions so that Americans can have the beautiful selection of berries, tomatoes, and other fresh foods often found at places like a farmer’s market or a traditional super market. Seasonal and