Blog Entry 15 Food Culture

          Over the past two decades, people's eating habits have changed since the fast food culture developed and extended all over the world. In "The Meatrix" film, the maker shows us how the big corporation took place and controlled most of the animal farming industries in America. Since the fast growing businesses need a tremendous amount of meat supply in the market every day, they have changed the natural way to produce their unlimited meat supplies. People might not realize that the food culture has changed since they are busy all the time and enjoy eating out. I deem that we are changing ourselves by following the change of the food industry, and are forgetting the natural way of eating.
           In the old days, people used to cook with fresh natural food. I remember when I was a kid in China, my mom used to bring me with her to buy food. There are many small food markets in my hometown; people there only sold fresh food like raw meat and vegetables. When we got back home, I would give my mom a little help with washing the vegetables. Then I would watch my mom cook. When I first came to America, I felt so excited when I shopped at the supermarket because there were no supermarkets in my hometown. Now, supermarkets are everywhere in China. Shopping at the supermarket is very easy and convenience because everything is either in cans or in boxes, you just pick what you want. Also, a lot of foods are ready to eat, you can just put the ready food into a microwave, few minutes later, your lunch or your dinner is ready on the table. See how easy for people to forget about the fresh food since those can and box foods are convenient to buy, easy and ready to cook, and the most important reason is save time.
          In the modern day, people have changed the way they eat. Preparing a dinner at home takes a lot of time. First, you need to shop for the materials, then prepare and wash them, and finally cook. After dinner, you need to do the last part by washing the dishes and cookware. Today, most people are busy at work and are tired to cook. So, eating out becomes people's habits. Not so many people can afford to eat in an expensive restaurant. However, since fast food restaurants supply cheaper food and are open everywhere for long hours, people like to eat there all the time. People might not realize when they enjoy their meal, that they are eating all the salt, sugar and fat. I watched a film called "Supersize Me" where a guy who ate McDonald's for a month almost died. This is a warning for everyone. We all have the choice to either eat fresh, natural food or junk food.
          With the growth of the fast food culture, America has become the fattest nation in the world. For me, I have combined both the Chinese and American food culture in my life. Most of the time I like to cook at home, but sometimes I like to enjoy eating out in different restaurants including fast food restaurants. I believe we have to realize that what we are eating now is not the natural way anymore. "The Meatrix" shows us the truth. We know that we are all involved in "the meatrix" world, but it is not too late to make a change.