How Food Has Changed American Culture

Fast food has turned into a genuine fundamental of our everyday life and made a religion of establishments that reaches out to the millions of Americans across the country. The Fast Food industry in a few eyes has been one of the sharpest developments this world has seen. It has been driven by our stomachs and our wallets for 40 to 50 years it's as yet developing to this date. The man who make-believe it can be known as the best representative, this nation has ever observed. The Fast Food Industry is big to the point that it has influenced our wellbeing, changed our way of life, and misshaped our territory as far back as the very first moment.

In American culture, we typically center our food choices around american options such as burgers, fries, chicken fried steaks, and chicken tenders. However, I decided to seek out a food from a culture that differs than my American background. I sought out a restaurant that served and Indian cuisine and one that I wouldn’t usually try. I decided Indian for the reason that I love spice in food and the spice that the Indian culture uses in their food should really compliment the food. The restaurant that I found was called Taco Naan, which combines cultures and serves food that cater to Mexican and Indian cultures.

For example, Simon (2013) states, “...high consumption levels damage our health and costs billions of dollars to treat.” Simon portrays that eating a wide variety of meat is no longer healthy for individuals. Moreover, it can age and promote growth amongst individuals quicker. Some effects have even gone as far to be as detrimental as cigarette and tobacco use. As the public generally becomes more and more aware of such concerns, there are two possibilities. The first being that people decide to not change what they eat, and therefore, suffer from the costs that come along with a multitude of health problems. The other alternative, is for an individual to decide to change their diet. In turn, the businesses that function around serving meat, will have to restructure and remarket to the general

While the food given to slaves were mostly leftovers or undesirable, the style of food that slaves ate has become known as soul food and has become quite popular in today’s society.

It is human nature to fight change. We develop routines and they become second nature. Nutrition is an area where change is challenged and feared.

“The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000. You willingly feed yourself, your children, your husband/wife every day, food that’s high in cholesterol and saturated fat, it causes heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Food that contains carnitine which converts itself to a heart-damaging compound, hardening the artery and clogging your blood that could deliver a slow and painful death. Not to mention the brutality and abuse on animals, just so their suffered meat can get to your plate. We are not only killing ourselves, we’re also killing the planet.” K, Gunners (2012)

Before coming to the U.S, I had only heard people talking about the American stereotype in terms of fast food including burgers, fries, sodas, donuts etc. Everyone's focus was all on grease and fat, no matter who I talked to. After a couple of weeks in Chico, I started to recognize all of the above mentioned stereotypes. People did not look the same as back in my country, Sweden. The American people were different, they were bigger. The idea of an American, stereotypical person made me wonder; why? How come the American people could be so much bigger comparing to people back home? The urge of finding out possible questions to my answers, made my mind operate as I walked through a supermarket in Chico for the first time.

In the year 1900, scientists estimate that the world’s population was about 1.6 billion people. In 2016, researchers for United States Census Bureau approximate that the world’s population is roughly 7.3 billion. In the year 2100, researchers predict that the world will attain an astounding population of 11 billion people. As the population of our world continues to increase exponentially, so does our demand for food. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that, “[i]n 2012, the average American consumed 71.2 pounds of red meat (beef, veal, pork, and lamb) and 54.1 pounds of poultry (chicken and turkey).” While it is clear that the American diet consists of a high percentage of red meat, the majority of Americans have become desensitized

Although gang violence and the possession of firearms seem more detrimental to our society, the production of our food and how it is being genetically modified effects our well-being. Individuals know the health risk of food and the modification of it; however, the issue that revolves around this situation is that, people do not want to hear about what lies beneath the surface because they do not want to give up their addiction. Power and profit are the reasons why corporations treat living-beings as objects. American medicine revolves around treating people with illnesses, not preventing illnesses. The economic development and production of modern meat are responsible for outbreaks and the contamination of our livestock’s. The consumption of animal flesh is a prime contributor to today’s epidemic of heart disease, obesity and cancer.

The meat market is booming, yet it is harming poor countries, the environment, and the animals. It is currently benefitting rich countries, but that will change as the population continues to grow. There is not enough space to continue to house all animals that are raised for food, even if humane farming was to be put into practice. To achieve space, deforestation is occurring. On top of that, animal farming is greatly contributing to the concentration of methane in the atmosphere. Currently, water sources are being used up, which may soon result in a lack of water. The food produced through animal farming, though likely cheaper than meat produced through humane methods, is still too expensive for most. Poor countries cannot afford the food produced in countries that use animal farming. According to Nibert, the food is produced for rich countries and prohibited from the poor. There is also worry about GMOs and how long term consumption may impact one’s health; however, it is becoming less and less possible to eat food that has not been modified in some way. Most of the food being produced, is owned by only a small number of people, all of whom, attempt to achieve as great of a profit as possible. Ultimately, money is the main focus for most people in the food industry and they are willing to go to extreme lengths to increase their

Food plays a great role in our social lives. One of the universal symbols of generosity and hospitality is food. For this reason, food is found at nearly all social gathering. Food can also be used as a symbol of celebration. In America, most people celebrate their birthday by enjoying and sharing a birthday cake with friends and family. The birthday cake is a part of the birthday celebration; it is seemingly required for the nature of the social event. Food is also the cause of many social gatherings. For example, it is common for people in America to have potlucks where every guest brings a dish to share with all who attend. People go to potlucks for food and socialization. In addition, holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas also

The United States of America is a nation built upon immigrants from various parts of the world. The food in the United States resembles the history of the people that lived in certain areas. When you think of an American dish you would think of burgers and fires or fried chicken (US Food). Even though these are popular dishes to have in America it doesn’t resemble the multicultural people that live there. There are certain foods that you may consider to be American but there are also many dishes influenced by different cultures (US Food). An example of this is pasta or pizza. Many people would not consider this to be an American dish because the dish originated in Italy. Modifications to Italian dishes are commonly found in the United States

In order to prosper in the future, we must change our lifestyles. This includes the overconsumption of meat products, or anything produced by animals. We must not be foolish like the machine people were. Environmental organizations are doing a disservice not raising any awareness against livestock. Ignorance will only get us as far as it got the machine people.

It is no question that an adequate and nutritious diet is required for a high quality of life. With the world’s population on the rise, parts of the world not having access to a proper diet, it is necessary that something be done to further prevent world hunger. There is not enough room on the earth to sustain the world. Not only that, there are concerns over the environmental impacts that the meat industry will have on it. Artificial meat is a relatively new technology with the potential to be able to match and possibly replace regular meat in the distant future. The benefits could be monumental. Artificial meat would use significantly less land, the environmental impact would be minimized, and people would no longer have to breed and

For the longest, a hot topic debate has always been that regular consumption of red meat was healthy. A video titled “What is Veganism” “to think we have such a thing called a slaughterhouse. Where people are employed to grave an animal, to use electric prods to force it where they want, to jam bolts in their heads, to slice their throats, hang them from chains and watch them die as blood drops out of there throat and watch their legs kick” (“What Is Veganism”). As more factories are being exposed to the awful way of treating and feeding their livestock, people are finding alternatives to the meat these horrific places produce. The ways the factories maintain their livestock has resulted in the development of cancer to those who consume their products. To those dairy addict’s, milk, cheeses, and yogurt are not an exception. Meat consumers should be vegans because it will benefit their lives and be cruelty-free. The amount of torture put animals through is something that can be avoided. People who constantly consume meat are running in a dark room unaware of the serious consequences of consuming animal flesh. These people need to stop this tyranny by throwing away all the food in their fridge that comes from an animal and switch to a vegan diet.