Food Journal

On Tuesday Night:

Food: rice, celery, beans, tofu, fish, chicken, drinks: apple juice, water~ oranges~

My dad cooked the food, and the food was bought from the chinatown markets. Since its all chinese dishes, I do not really know what the process in making them nor explain the words on how he does it. I ate dinner with dad and sister while waiting mom to come home but I finished before she came home. I was watching t.v. so the three of us watches t.v. unless my dad have to fix my sister's manners on her eating. The food was tasty and I was hungry so I ate fast. Also, I felt thirsty during dinner. I did not really think about how I ate it because you just eat the food, unless it's food that is really different from what you normally eat. I use chopsticks for the utensils. After the dinner, I felt much sleepier but also awake because when stomach grumbles, I cannot concentrate fully on what I am doing but after having a full stomach, I feel satisfy and then gets lazy (since the food need to digest too). Around 30 minutes before bed time, my mom cuts oranges in a bowl for me to eat. It was good oranges.~

Breakfast next morning: Skip breakfast but bought a cold milk tea. Before going out of the house, my mom would nag about me not to eat while walking since it is bad for health. A thing I notice is that a lot of Americans do that because they are busy with their work and maybe getting late to work.

Lunch: School lunch ~ I had a tray of fries, meatballs with tomato sauce, garlice breads, milk and ketchup. I think because the lunch ladies and misters always make fries, I got kind of sick of it and there was too much tomato flavor in the sauce, so I end up not finishing half of it; didn't feel that hungry for some reason. The garlic breads were tasty. I was sitting with Yu Xi, Vincent and Na Lin at the end of the table (and most of the junior asians sit). At first it was quiet but then we all started talking random things. Before lunch, I felt hungry, then I think because of how the food taste, I lost some of the appetite and then after the meal, I felt okay.

Dinner: Rice, and a mix dish of pork and a chinese vegetable that has been put in a jar with salt water, so in English, if translated its salt vegetable. My mom would fast chop both the pork and salt vegetable into tiny pieces and then put it in the pot (I'm not sure if what my parents use is call a pot), and then she stir-fry. It's very good actually, one of my favorites and with the rice, it's a good combination. I am not eating with my sister and mom (dad at work) but sitting in my room because I was busy with assignments. I ate the rice and the mix dish of pork and salt vegetable in 10-15 minutes, rather hungry today.~

Food Cultures - Home & incorporate

My way of food is if no one were at home, I would go outside to buy food for my sister, when I need to take care of her and I. I am very picky with food so if the food does not look pretty or the ingredients in there are not to my taste, I would not eat it. Because I only know how to make rice and cook the instant noodles, the healthiness is not great so my mom constantly nags me. I would just find food or buy food from the store. It is typically the same for my sister because she doesn’t know how to cook either and finds snacks at home or tells my parents or I to buy her snacks. As for my parents, especially my mom, she would always make my sister and I eat as much of the healthy dishes she makes. Since my sister and I are both pick eaters, the healthy dishes that my mom makes doesn’t appeal to us, especially me, much. Mostly, my mom is the one in the kitchen except when my father has his day off. It depends on the number of dishes and ingredients that my mom or father buys to make the meal. They would make meals that have flavor in them but not a strong flavor. I think the sauces that they were making are to balance out the flavor. However, sometimes they would make a bitter dish from this Chinese vegetable and it was for nutrition so both my sister and I have to eat it. My mom always tries to make the food to be balance for our health. For example, if there were fried dishes, she would have soup that go after the meal. There is always a meat and a vegetable dish and using oil for the basic cooking and adding soy sauce for flavor; I think the soy sauce was a main flavor that my family adds since I was little. As for take outs, my parents, especially my dad does not really like that because he thinks it is better to cook our own food than get take outs, which might be unhealthy and that it is better to taste a family member’s dishes and having family time. However, for the people in the U.S. mainstream, such as in the movies and TV, many times they would have take-outs and make different culture meals. Sometimes the meals are pizza, or Chinese food, or Mexican food or spaghetti and etc. Then in the streets, I would see people eating from fast food restaurants and the fast food restaurants have crowded places. They would eat burger; fries, soda and the ones that like eating healthy would go to the expensive places since the food are organic. Also, because the adults or teens that need to work, they have to eat faster, and if they have to wake up early, they do not have time to make their own meals. I think for those speedy meals, there is not much sacredness in there because they are only buying the food to eat and the food is convenient for them to eat while their break time is little. I think the mainstream Americans like to eat different culture food or what everybody eats such as pizza every night.

What are the food rituals in some of the culture? [mostly explaining about mine]

Chinese Dining: Belief and Etiquette <-- shows how the chinese eat~

For my knowledge on the chinese food rituals, when dining, especially for dinner, it is the whole family. We can not be picky about the food, and learn how to use chopsticks because it is the chinese culture. And for some reason, my mom or dad would make soup after eating the rice and main dishes for the soup suppose to nourish us. However, when we are eating with the other family members or eating with guests in a huge table, we have to show good table manners. Even the way we hold the chopsticks have to be the right way. When my family have tea, my mother and father would tap on the table when they want the tea to be stop pouring. It is also important for the younger ones to wait for the older ones to get their servings to show respect. Then during holidays such as the Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival, my parents would give a ritual to the ancestors. The important food that I remember was a whole boil chicken, a fish or two, and then we have utensils for the wine. When I was small and went to the mountains to visit the grave, my uncle would pour the wine before the grave and burn incent and coin papers to hope for wealth in the ancestors afterlife.

Korea: Korean Table Manners

Food for Korean Holidays

I think the korean ritual is almost the same as the chinese such as waiting for the elders to take their seat and serving them first before the young ones get their share. However, in the korean table manners site, unlike the chinese, the korean do not hold up their soup or bowl.

A show that I would recommend to watch that shows a lot of how the royal palace in the past work in Korea is called, "Dae Jang Geum".

Hindu: Hindu Food Rituals

Hindu treat food with respect because it was given by the God.
"Prasada is that which gives peace. Prasada is the sacred food offering of the Lord. During Kirtana, worship, Puja, Havan and Arati, the devotee offers sweet rice, fruits, jaggery, milk, coconut, plantain and such other articles to the Lord, according to his ability. After offering them to the Lord, they are shared between the members of the house or the Bhaktas in a temple." Additionally, when they offer food to the God, they would purify the place and put food on the leave?--> "in a leaf the articles of food are served". and the sprinkle water over it and repeat the verdic mantras.

British: British Traditional Food <-- One of their famous food in England is "CURRY"??!!

Birtish Food - British culture, customs, and traditions:

About their meat: The tradition has survived because the meat can be put in the oven to roast before the family goes to church and be ready to eat when they return.

Typical meats for roasting are joints of beef, pork, lamb or a whole chicken. More rarely duck, goose, gammon, turkey or game are eaten. The more popular roasts are often served with traditional accompaniments, these are:

roast beef - served with Yorkshire pudding; and horseradish sauce or English mustard as relishes.
roast pork - served with crackling (the crispy skin of the pork) and sage and onion stuffing; apple sauce and English mustard as relishes
roast lamb - served with sage and onion stuffing and mint sauce as a relish
roast chicken - served with pigs in blankets, chipolata sausages and stuffing, and bread sauce or cranberry sauce or redcurrant jelly

Any self respecting Sunday roast should be served with a gravy made from the meat juices.

List of Food in my Refrigerator [draft 2]

In my refrigerator, most of the things and food I have:

- A quart of milk jug

- 3 cans of coconut milk drink

- Apple Juice

- 2 cartons of eggs

- Fruits: oranges, apples, lemons, etc...

- Chinese ingredients, and herbs

- A bag of white buns

- condiments (mostly ketchup)

- ice-cream and popsicles

- frozen meat and frozen shrimps

- ice

- frozen beans

- cream cheese

- honey

- maple syrup

- cheese

When I think about my fridge, I think of as my mom's territory because she organizes and stacks everything in the fridge so half the time, I have no idea where things are. I think even in the fridge, there's culture in there because of the herbs and chinese ingredients that my mom and dad use to cook and make medicine from it. I don't think my relation to food in my fridge is big because almost three fourths of the food, I do not touch for it is for cooking and snacks such as the ice-cream is for the children, where mom buys the food for us. Most of the food in the fridge are all normal food that other people buy and eat, and then throw away if it is rotten or has been expired.

Free Healthcare in U.S.?

I think America should have free healthcare for all, especially for the middle and poor class. As for the rich class, because they have money, there is nothing much they can complain about their healthcare system. Like in Ali Jo’s blog, “you have to be really wealth or really lucky to get taken care of in America”. However, for the middle and the poor class, there can be many times where they have to pay high medical bills if the insurance companies would not pay for them. From watching “Sicko”, and all the people that Michael Moore introduced who was not able to get the insurance company to pay for their bills, it tells how America are ignoring those who needs help but only helping the ones who have money. The old couple that was in there went bankrupt because the heart strokes that they had and were not able to pay for their house. There was another old couple, where the old man still has to work (after the age of retirement) to pay for the wife’s medicine. If U.S. announced a free healthcare, the elderly don’t have to work to pay for the medicine and that old couple wouldn’t have to leave their house and become bankrupt.

When Michael Moore bought the group of people that did not have healthcare to Cuba, and the woman that spoke Spanish and I think had bad asthma (from the 9/11 incident) was angry that the medicine that she had to buy in America was so much less, in that Cuba pharmacy, it was only around 3 or 5 pesos but in America, it was around $200 dollars. Big difference! Additionally, the doctors in Cuba in the movie was very nice towards the group and the doctors gave them the treatments they need that U.S. would not give them because they do not have enough money to pay for it. Even though Cuba’s country is small and the welfare is less too, their care towards the people and the lack of technology they have are still better than U.S. If U.S. adopted a health care system that is like Cuba, the middle and poor class do not have to suffer as much. For my family, only my parents need to pay for the medicines but compared to Cuba’s currency, the price on the medicine is still larger than the price of medicine in Cuba. I do not think socialized medicine is a bad health care for all (although maybe bad for the rich) but since the majority of people in U.S. are in the middle and poor class, why can’t U.S. make the healthcare system for the majority?

In reading about the health care system in Cuba in the wikipedia, it seems that because of the U.S. who embargo against Cuba, half of the doctors left the country to go to the U.S. but before that, the mortality rate was the third lowest in the world and has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the region. As well as in the article in New York Times, it talks about the pros and cons of Cuba’s healthcare system. Cuba is different than America because “the Cuban system emphasizes early intervention. Clinic visits are free, and the focus is on preventing disease rather than treating it… ‘Because they don’t have up-to-date cars, they tend to have to exercise more by walking… And they may not have a surfeit of food, which keeps them from problems like obesity, but they’re not starving, either’ (said b Dr. Robert N. Butler)”. There is also “more than 45 million Americans lack basic health insurance” while the Cubans “have at least minimal free access to doctors” in the article. 45 million Americans is a lot! However, since U.S. is a big country, it is hard to change ways, but if it is able to change to somehow be similar to the Cuban’s healthcare system, isn’t that better? And maybe having not a lot of cars, people would start to walk more and the obesity rate wouldn’t go high, so the obesity people do not have to go to the hospitals (having to pay for the medical bills if it is serious) every so often?

After meeting the Danish people and knowing about the system, and how healthcare system is free because the government is paying for it, I think it gives a sense that the government is not abandoning anyone. Even though the tax rate is high, the people that came to the class to talk about their country seem to be satisfied with how the government is treating their people. The people do not need to pay for the hospital pay and has free Medicare. But they also “help” pay for medicine, glasses, and hearing devices. Very nice of them but in U.S. it doesn’t look like there’s much helping out going on. The middle and the poor class have to look out for themselves and their families but what does the rich people do to help? Or is it fake help that they are giving if they do give to be looked at as the good citizens? 

List of Food in my Refrigerator

In my refrigerator, most of the things and food I have: 

- A quart of milk jug

- 3 cans of coconut milk drink

- 2 cartons of eggs

- Fruits: oranges, apples, lemons, etc...

- Chinese ingredients, and herbs

- A bag of white buns

- condiments (mostly ketchup)

- ice-cream and popsicles 

- frozen meat and frozen shrimps

- ice

- frozen beans

- cream cheese

- honey

- maple syrup

- cheese

Family Insurances and Healthcare

After having a conversation with my mother, I found out we have a easier insurance company than others that are in the Sicko movie or just living in a better situation with the insurance company. My family's insurance company (as my mother says in the conversation, translating from Chinese to English) is Fidelis. For my sister and I, we do not to pay for the doctor's visits, or the medicines since we are still kids. However, for my parents, they need to pay $5 for each visit, pay $3 or $6 for the medicine but not for the surgeries. My mother explained that unless the insurance company does not approve of the surgery, my mom would have to pay. Then she explained the lower the income the family has, the less they need to pay but higher income, where my mother said around $80,000, the family have to pay with their own money. 

I don't think my family has big issues with the bill because there was not a lot of emergency cases or surgeries. However, there was a time when there was a bill that came back saying my mother did pay for the surgery she had but actually she did. It was not a big commotion and after two or three times of telling the hospital or whomever, it was solved. I think my mother had told the insurance company to go and tell the hospital that she had paid the bill (with the insurance company). 

Musical Chairs 1&2, distribution of wealth on poverty and wealth in u.s. [draft 2]

In the five bar percentile of the shares of wealth and using 20 chairs, with around 20 classmates to represent it was understandable of what the chairs shows me. Below the 60% percentile, and shown in the chairs, which was around 6 or 7 chairs, and the students sitting in their representing the people that is in 40-60% and lower was really compacted. Those people were struggling to get enough space for them to sit in and that shows how people have to struggled in real life to be in that percentile and not go down any further but rise up. With the compeititions, like fighting for a chair, everybody in that percentile is having a difficult time to raise themselves higher. However, with percentile higher than 40%, the people all get their own chair or shares of wealth they own. They do not have to struggle or worried they might lose it in the example with the chairs. But I think in the real world, those people still have to worried about keeping their shares of wealth and not do anything wrong to the people that has a bigger shares of wealth because if they do something wrong like fight with the richer people, the rich people can strip them off of their shares of wealth. And of course, the people have to be smart to get in the percentile they wanted. I think the people in the lower than 40% is still in that percentile or going lower is because they do not have the courage to fight back to the rich people. The rich people have power over them and the poor people can only admire them from below and not think of a way to over throw them although I think it is hard for them to do anything unless they are serious about it. 

When the class played the musical chairs the first time, and the song was played, I think many people was in a state of tension because they never know when the music would stopped and when they might get kicked out. The ones that are competitive would nudged and push others away so they would get the chair and not lose. Similarly, in the real world, people have to pushed through the others however way to get to the top and have to be the competitive type to win. Then when there were names on the musical chairs, and only the people can sit turn out to be unfair because the people with the names don't have to worry about getting kicked out unless all their chairs are gone. However, I think there is always going to be a chair, or a spot in the real world because things have to be balanced out in the world so it is not like everybody that has no name is going to lose. There is always the ups and downs of getting rich. In the game, if the chairs are gone one by one, there would be more poor people and then they would start taking over. But unless it is a large amount of people, I don't think there would be a fight because we are taught in school to not touch others' things without permission. I think the game would be more realistic if there were times where the chairs are taken away and then put back plus more chairs to show more panic and competitiveness in the people. 

I think it is both the poor people's fault and not their fault because it is a mix or it depends on the situation they were put in that made them became poor or poorer. It is the poor people's fault if they are the ones that made themselves became poor such as using all their money on useless things. I think competitveness is one of the strengths that the poor people lack because they can compete with their needs, like getting the food and clothing at a cheap price in a race against the other poor people. However, with their class status, they cannot argue or fight back with the rich people because the rich people has the power to defeat the poor people. I do not think it is the fault of the poor people that they become poor because there is also the environment issues and the economy issues that affected them and then they become poor because of reasons such as losing money from stocks or had to be fired forcefully. Similar to the chairs, if the poor people have a sense of and the stubbornness to not lose then they might be able to add back the chairs they lost and add more. I think the chairs also represent the number of people that is becoming poor like the chairs disappearing after each round because there's always a person that loses. 

Musical Chairs 1&2, distribution of wealth on poverty and wealth in u.s.

In the five bar percentile of the shares of wealth and using 20 chairs, with around 20 classmates to represent it was understandable of what the chairs shows me. Below the 60% percentile, and shown in the chairs, which was around 6 or 7 chairs, and the students sitting in their representing the people that is in 40-60% and lower was really compacted. Those people were struggling to get enough space for them to sit in and that shows how people have to struggled in real life to be in that percentile and not go down any further but rise up. With the compeititions, like fighting for a chair, everybody in that percentile is having a difficult time to raise themselves higher. However, with percentile higher than 40%, the people all get their own chair or shares of wealth they own. They do not have to struggle or worried they might lose it in the example with the chairs. But I think in the real world, those people still have to worried about keeping their shares of wealth and not do anything wrong to the people that has a bigger shares of wealth because if they do something wrong like fight with the richer people, the rich people can strip them off of their shares of wealth. And of course, the people have to be smart to get in the percentile they wanted. I think the people in the lower than 40% is still in that percentile or going lower is because they do not have the courage to fight back to the rich people. The rich people have power over them and the poor people can only admire them from below and not think of a way to over throw them although I think it is hard for them to do anything unless they are serious about it. 

When the class played the musical chairs the first time, and the song was played, I think many people was in a state of tension because they never know when the music would stopped and when they might get kicked out. The ones that are competitive would nudged and push others away so they would get the chair and not lose. Similarly, in the real world, people have to pushed through the others however way to get to the top and have to be the competitive type to win. Then when there were names on the musical chairs, and only the people can sit turn out to be unfair because the people with the names don't have to worry about getting kicked out unless all their chairs are gone. However, I think there is always going to be a chair, or a spot in the real world because things have to be balanced out in the world so it is not like everybody that has no name is going to lose. There is always the ups and downs of getting rich. In the game, if the chairs are gone one by one, there would be more poor people and then they would start taking over. But unless it is a large amount of people, I don't think there would be a fight because we are taught in school to not touch others' things without permission. I think the game would be more realistic if there were times where the chairs are taken away and then put back plus more chairs to show more panic and competitiveness in the people. 

Wealth & Poverty in the United States - Questions and Internet Research

1. How much and what are the wealth or assets percentage does the middle class people have?

The percentage for the middle class's major assets are 84 percent which is their home, checking and savings accounts, CDs and money market funds and pension accounts. (http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2003/03may/may03interviewswolff.html).

2. What percent of white and black people are living in poverty?
The black people is 24.3 percent and the white people is 8.2 percent, the black people live three times in poverty than the white people. (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20070829-85300/36.5_million_live_in_poverty_in_United_States_--_report)

3. What is the median family income in the past 12 months by family size in New York?
New York
Estimate($) Margin of Error
Total: 62,138 +/-364
2-person families
52,891 +/-633
3-person families
62,882 +/-1,081
4-person families
75,513 +/-1,080
5-person families
72,803 +/-1,830
6-person families
71,810 +/-3,075
7-or-more-person families
68,267 +/-4,133
(http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/medincsizeandstate.html)

4. What is the poverty rate and number for the children under age 18?
The poverty rate increased from 16.7 percent in 2002 to 17.6 percent in 2003. The number in poverty rose from 12.1 million to 12.9 million. (http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/002484.html).
And one in six children would live "in official poverty at any given time". (http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3172).

5. What are some programs that are allowed for the poverty?
Department of Health and Human Services:
◦ Community Services Block Grant
◦ Head Start
◦ Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
◦ Community Food and Nutrition Program
◦ PARTS of Medicaid (31 percent of eligibles in Fiscal Year 2004)
◦ Hill-Burton Uncompensated Services Program
◦ AIDS Drug Assistance Program
◦ State Children’s Health Insurance Program
◦ Medicare – Prescription Drug Coverage (subsidized portion only)
◦ Community Health Centers
◦ Migrant Health Centers
◦ Family Planning Services
◦ Health Professions Student Loans — Loans for Disadvantaged Students
◦ Health Careers Opportunity Program
◦ Scholarships for Health Professions Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds
◦ Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals
◦ Assets for Independence Demonstration Program
• Department of Agriculture:
◦ Food Stamp Program
◦ Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
◦ National School Lunch Program (for free and reduced-price meals only)
◦ School Breakfast Program (for free and reduced-price meals only)
◦ Child and Adult Care Food Program (for free and reduced-price meals only)
◦ Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program
• Department of Energy:
◦ Weatherization Assistance for Low-Income Persons
• Department of Labor:
◦ Job Corps
◦ National Farmworker Jobs Program
◦ Senior Community Service Employment Program
◦ Workforce Investment Act Youth Activities
• Department of the Treasury:
◦ Low-Income Taxpayer Clinics
• Corporation for National and Community Service:
◦ Foster Grandparent Program
◦ Senior Companion Program
• Legal Services Corporation:
◦ Legal Services for the Poor
"Major means-tested programs that do not use the poverty guidelines in determining eligibility include the following":
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and its predecessor, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) (in most cases)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
• State/local-funded General Assistance (in most cases)
• Large parts of Medicaid (69 percent of eligibles in Fiscal Year 2004)
• Section 8 low-income housing assistance
• Low-rent public housing
These programs are programs that gives the poor people a fixed amount of money that is appropriate for each year. (http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/faq.shtml).

6.What is the 2009 federal poverty guidelines? (Poverty Guidelines is to determine the financial eligibility for certain federal programs)
The 2009 Poverty Guidelines for the
48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia
Persons in family Poverty guideline
1 $10,830
2 14,570
3 18,310
4 22,050
5 25,790
6 29,530
7 33,270
8 37,010
For families with more than 8 persons, add $3,740 for each additional person.

2009 Poverty Guidelines for
Alaska
Persons in family Poverty guideline
1 $13,530
2 18,210
3 22,890
4 27,570
5 32,250
6 36,930
7 41,610
8 46,290
For families with more than 8 persons, add $4,680 for each additional person.

2009 Poverty Guidelines for
Hawaii
Persons in family Poverty guideline
1 $12,460
2 16,760
3 21,060
4 25,360
5 29,660
6 33,960
7 38,260
8 42,560
For families with more than 8 persons, add $4,300 for each additional person.