Resource #5

Obesity is a trending disease that has been going on especially in the 21st century.  Our BMI has been decreasing because even back in the twentieth century during the 1920's women of that size are the girls that were in the bars back then and the pole dancers were alot heftier than the ones today. 

Flegal. "Overweight and Obesity in the United States: Prevalence and Trends, 1960-1994." UK Pubmed Central. Print.

resource #4

     American Obesity is a problem especially for this young woman who refuses to get a weight loss surgery.  She states that she would try to lose weight on her own without the surgery but eventually failed by gaining 30 pounds in eight months.  She eventually did the surgery.

Hartocollis, Anemona. "Young, Obese, and in Surgery." The New York Times [New York] 7 Jan. 2012. Print.

Resource #3

In this book it shows many areas and cultures and explains the different kinds of foods.  In asian culture there are many kinds of things that are mixed into the foods. In chinese culture they like to make stir fried noodles by using a large mix of vegetables saute'ed in miso sauce, this allows the consumers to get the right ammount of nutrients for their daily diets.  In Malaysian cuisine they have a dish fcalled Nasi Lemak, this dish is a small portion of rice in the center of the plate while having other small dishes like curry chicken on the side.

Albala, Ken. Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.: Greenwood, 2011. Print.

Resource #2

Many Believe that Chinese food is a very bad kind of fast food in the western hemisphere; they have a bad reputations that are mainly about high carbs especially in the rice.  However it is possible that Chinese diets can stop obesity in many areas.  According to studies the chiense eats 30% more calories and are less active than the US but the only difference is the kinds of calories.  The americans tend to eat empty calories such assugar and saturated fats that are in French fries, burgers, and pizza.  The chiense tend to get their calorie intake from more vegetables and leaner meats like fish.  

 "Use Your Noodle: The Real Chinese Diet Is so Healthy It Could Solve the West's Obesity Crisis." The Independant 22 July 2008. Print.

resource #1

In one article they made a reference to soybeans in Japanese cuisine that is high in nutrition without having an overabundance of calories, this national research lab shows the statistics of the soybean.  Foods that are made from soybeans in Asian culture are Tofu, miso, natto , tempeh, soybean sprouts, and soysauce.  By  using this healthy kind of food in things like tofu, it is possible that many people can get their daily servings of protein every day without having to consume more calories than needed.  Another good alternative to many things is soymilk. This allows lactose intolerant individuals to gain the vitamins they need like calcium.  Since it was made of soybeans in the first place the nutritional value like protein iron and vitamin B will be added in as well.

 "National Soybean Research Laboratory." NSRL : About Soy: Soybean Nutrition. Web. 09 Apr. 2012. <http://www.nsrl.uiuc.edu/aboutsoy/soynutrition.html>.

the stuff

Kevin Lim

Leah Benedict  

English 201        

3/6/12

                                                                                The Stuff Essay

                “The Stuff”  by Larry Cohen is a horror movie from the 80’s that show how the Food and Drug Administration is not doing their job properly and allowing the public to eat something that might not be exactly safe for them to consume.  This movie also shows how many of the manufacturers of the product know that this dessert is very dangerous and addictive but still they sell it so they can make a large profit.  This product ultimately led to many people to go under the mind control that this dessert put on majority of the people.  However this is also the fault of the Food and Drug Administration because of their lack of awareness and their lack of strictness when approving products.

                When we think of food today we don’t necessarily think about why we eat it.  Most of the time it is to just fill the rumbling in our stomachs but if we had a choice would it be for pleasure as in taste value or in nutritional value.  In this movie we saw that in many instances it was for both purposes.  In the advertisements seen in the movie it shows that this dessert was low in calories and also tastes great.  In todays world that is like a dream since many of the things that we eat that taste very good, or of course very bad since it would contain an excess of fat and sugar.  In the beginning of the movie the parents of a boy named Jason urged him to try it because of the great taste while having a great nutritional value.  However, this was also due to the mind control that the dessert had over them at that point in the movie. 

                This film actually doesn’t make much sense in terms of the eaters.  This is because during the whole movie many of the population was addicted to “the stuff,” it was like their life depended on consuming this dessert constantly.  There was a scene in the headquarters factory of the Stuff where the head manufacturer says that the workers sometimes had to be stopped so they don’t eat the product.  It shows that they were addicted to this substance.  Also, if too much of the dessert is eaten then it takes on the life of its own and controls the body’s movements and actions.  IF the body is no longer useful then the stuff can literally just leave through the mouths opening and travel to a new host.  This was basically like a parasitic virus that was going around being sold to people on the markets.  The way that the movie is made actually makes the viewer like myself feel sorry for them.  This is because it wasn’t like consumers knew what they were eating since it was assumed to be safe since the food and drug administration approved it.  According to one of the characters from the movie that was and administrator of the FDA they were able to pass it immediately because “it’s not a prescription drug, it was a dessert, just like frozen yogurt or ice-cream.” However at the end of the movie when they told the public that it was dangerous, they actually listened.  If someone was so addicted to a substance, in my own opinion, I wouldn’t believe that they would be able to stop consuming it due to just one warning with no proof to back up the claim.

                This product is definitely a dangerous product that threatens the social order and safety of humanity.  Throughout many scenes of the movie it shows how it takes over the minds of many and  they control the host to make the loved ones be just like them so they make them eat it by force; this is seen through Jason’s household in the beginning of the movie.  This movie definitely shows that this is a very dangerous product mainly because it has a mind of its own and it can move from host to host in the matter of minutes once it is done with its previous host.  Just like in one of the last scenes when “Chocolate Chip Charlie” was talking about how the Stuff transfers out of the body, he claims that it leaves through the opening of the mouth in a large goop form. The stuff also leaves the carcass since it is considered dead and useless to it already, 

                It is also very interesting how the FDA does things in this movie, in terms of getting products approved.  As said before the FDA does look at products but it was mainly with things such as drugs or things that have a very complex formula.  However with things such as sweets or desserts they apparently just approve it right away since it shouldn’t have any dangerous substances or materials that would make it addictive.  Of course the FDA today doesn’t do that but I was surprised to hear the words from him even though I know it is just a movie but im sure it represented the FDA at the time.  In the movie I guess it was a mistake that this backfired on them since according to the movie, “The officials who approved it all died or resigned;” proving that this was due to the stuff killing off the officials after they approved it so no one can get to the truth.

                It is also interesting how they advertised this, of course the company had no idea that they were selling off dangerous products but they were using seductive women in very sensual swimsuits eating the stuff.  Of course this advertisement aims towards the demographic that is trying to get fit with the convenient caloric count that is in the stuff.  At that time I’m sure it was also impressive to see advertisements with such color and graphics so many people would be easily impressed with it.  Throughout the movie I saw many advertisements that was constantly showing off the product.  Especially when an older looking woman decided that she would rather eat the stuff then eat normal food like steak that was already in front of her.  There are also many small things like many people in the back just holding the cups.  Advertisements that just pop out are naturally attractive to the people and that’s what makes them buy a certain product.  Unfortunately that is still the case for today, as long as they see it on TV then they will buy it, also when one person buys it , all the other people will want it.

                The stuff  is a great movie that showed how bad the FDA was especially their ignorance.  It shows how they would care about releasing a product that could be potentially dangerous just because they think of it as an easy way to approve of a product.

Junniper tree

Very good folktale that shows how karma goes around.  This is especially in the case of the mother who deliberately killed her step son just because she was jealous.  The act was more vulgar when she decided to feed the son to his own father who was lied to.  These vulgar acts eventually lead to the mother being killed and the family forgetting about her entire existence.