Random and Interesting

So I was walking around the mall during my break, and I happened to come across something interesting. Borders had two books on display that caught my eye...

"What to eat, what not to eat"

"What to cook, what not to cook"

Apparently there are things we're not supposed to eat or cook?

HMm...

Reflection

A Place at the Counter: The Onus of Oneness

Mary Lukanuski

"Consequently food is prepared with the expectation that it will be shared." (113)

"He who eats alone, dies alone" (116)

One of the main points that Lukanuski brings up in her article is about eating alone. How is it that eating alone has become somewhat of a taboo in our culture? From personal experiences, I know that it is nerve wrecking to eat alone in a public place. It feels as though everyone's eyes are on you, judging you for eating by yourself. In her article, she empathizes how food plays a big role in socialization. Food is something you share with friends and family (people you find important to you). Food also revolves around holiday feasts, which again are assembled with those important people. By not having food with others, you become an outcast; assumptions are created about your social background because of your inability to eat with others (when really it could have been something you do once in a while) "That person's eating by himself...he must not have any friends," is a thought that could go through an outsider's mind. In order to avoid these negative connotations, people avoid eating by themselves. Perhaps by not eating...or going out of their way to find a partner to eat with.

SO then, I decided to Google "eat alone", to see what it would come up with. It came up with titles such as,

"Never eat alone" (a book about being successful)

"How not to eat alone, and not be a loser"

"What we eat when we eat alone"

"How to eat alone with confidence"

Interesting.

Cultural Dimensions of Discourse by Johnson

This was a bit of a complex article full of lots of information. It was a little bit hard to read, so I had to go over it twice. Since the article was a little bit long, I'll elaborate on one of the parts I found interesting.

In Johnson's article, he discusses multiple theories about the role of language in culture. Johnson creates a bit of a metaphor in his description on a theory, which was quite interesting to read and analyze. Here is the quote listed below,

Language is essentially a vehicle for transporting information and ideas. Like any vehicle, language in this view is a medium from getting one place to another. And like any vehicle, language can be improved on, made more efficient and effective, and fueled with higher quality material. (Johnson 50)

In this theory, culture is something you can learn and enhance with the help of communication. Each person is "like a vehicle" with the ability to carry information to others, whom can relay that new information to more people. People can learn from other people's experiences and knowledge they possess. Learning from others, it can change a person's perception, culture, and language. (Like Professor Freed said,) People tell stories in order to pass on their culture. People learn new lexicon based on other people's experiences as well as their own.

(The next part will be based upon my own experiences, not empirical data.)
I've noticed that within some of the younger Asian communities, frozen yogurt has become a craze. A lot of places has opened up within the last 5 years. These places serve frozen yogurt with all these toppings lined up that you can put on your dessert. What does this have to do with language? I believe that because of this craze, some terms have evolved in people's lexixon. Examples would be Fro-yo (slang, representing a shortened version of frozen yogurt), and people have used the terms Pink Berry and Red Mango to represent these stores (when really they are just names of corporate stores). Another craze within the younger Asian communities is bubble tea. It is a new thing replacing just getting coffee or tea. I think it gives them a sense of identity of belonging to the Asian community. (As not many of the older generation would know what bubble tea is.)

Again, this is just a thought, not real data.

First Entry =)

I have an obsession. It's food. I love anything and everything about food. I love cooking, I love going to restaurants, and I even love going grocery shopping. When I saw that there was a new course called, "Language and Food", I knew I had to take it. In this course I hope to learn something new and interesting surrounding the kitchen table, at a fancy restaurant, or around my Starbucks while I am working. I would also like to broaden my vocabulary on kinds of dialect or cultural differences revolving around food. Lastly, I want to learn more about Japanese culture, food, and language, if possible. (Since there were a few things that came across my mind during the class discussion in reference to Japanese culture.) All in all, I expect an interesting and "yummy" upcoming semester. ^^

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/dollarsandsense/detail?entry_id=55562

Here's a random, short food blog (article?) I came across on the internet. It basically talks about how our society is encouraging "healthy" eating, even at fast food places. It mentions places such a Taco Bell and Subway changing around their menus in order to accommodate people's wants/needs. It's interesting because it made me realize the healthy promo Starbucks is going through. We are promoting "skinny" lattes such as our skinny vanilla latte or skinny cinnamon dolce latte. It is interesting because I believe "skinny" has picked up a new definition in this so called trying to be "health"y society. At least in this particular coffee shop, "skinny" stands for nonfat (or should I say skim) and sugar-free. It is most likely that it has originated from the word skinny describing a person's body mass, but it's just a thought.