*For this assignment, I went out in public and (politely) disrupted a McDonaldized process then observed the results. A McDonaldized process is one that has been standardized and routinized so that it it machine-manageable and predictable, following the business model that George Ritzer proposes was created by McDonald's.
CATA and Convenience: De-McDonaldizing Public Transportation
While waiting for the bus last Thursday morning, this assignment was swimming through my thoughts. What McDonaldized process could I possibly disrupt without making a fool of myself or weirding someone out? These anxieties stem from the fact that I have become accustomed to predictability; standing out is frowned upon on a McDonaldized society.As the route 23 bus turned the corner and started toward my stop, I recognized a McDonaldized process that I take part in every single day: riding the bus. Public transportation has not escaped the tight grip of McDonaldization; people file onto buses and subways and swipe a paper card to pay their fare often without making eye contact with the driver. The driver follows a standardized route with predetermined stops that is planned down to the minute. The system is designed to be efficient and calculable, which are two major characteristics of McDonaldization that George Ritzer describes in his book, The McDonaldization of Society. I hopped onto the bus and greeted the driver, a middle aged man who drives the 23 every morning Monday through Friday. However instead of following my normal routine and shuffling to a seat as close to the exit as possible, I plopped down in the seat closest to the driver, took a deep breathe, and I talked to him. I had thought of this idea on the spot so I didn't have much time to plan our conversation, which probably made it less of a McDonaldized experience. I started by saying “How has your morning been?” Assuming that I was attempting to make polite small-talk, he replied with a standard “Good, how about yours?” I went into a brief description of the disaster that my morning had been; I had woken up a mere ten minutes before the bus came and rushed to avoid being late to work. To my surprise, he seemed open to talking with me and promptly asked the follow-up question “Where do you work?” This started a conversation that lasted the entire remaining seven minutes of the bus ride. Though we mostly discussed work, I also learned he has two young children who he was looking forward to taking trick or treating for Halloween. Despite my initial weariness and fear of rejection, it was a pleasant conversation and I walked away feeling good. I could tell people thought it was strange. Those wearing earbuds didn't seem to notice, but I got a couple of odd looks from the few passengers who were not. According to Tim Wu in “The Tyranny of Convenience” efficiency can erase experiences that make life meaningful. My conversation with Ryan is an example of a meaningful interaction that I would have missed out on by doing what is convenient and following the standards set by McDonaldization. This being said, I do still see the appeal of McDonaldized processes; living in your own bubble where the only contact you are required to have with others has a direct benefit to you is easy. Developing routines with few surprises can be comforting, but consider what you may be missing. Up next, I’m going to try talking to the other three people who sit in complete silence with me at the bus stop each morning
Refrigerator Photo Assignment
*For this assignment, I found a stranger who let me photograph the inside of their refrigerator and analysed what these contents could possibly reveal about this family's tastes, shopping habits, income, etc. In my case, the fridge belongs to my parent's new neighbors for whom my family was dog-sitting.
If you are what you eat, are you also what you keep in your fridge?
The refrigerator featured in the above photos belongs to my parent’s neighbors, a family composed of two middle-age parents and a teenage son. My knowledge about this family is very limited; I know that they recently moved to Michigan and they are presumably upper-middle class judging by their home. Other than these small details and the contents of their fridge, their lives are a mystery to me. When I first opened the refrigerator, I was surprised to see a nearly empty shelf. Both when I was growing up and still to this day, my refrigerator was always overflowing with leftovers and produce and a wide variety of packaged foods. Seeing that barren shelf made me think, why is the fridge not full? The simplest explanation is that they are a family of three versus my family of five; less people need less food. It could also say something about this family’s shopping habits. I like to go grocery shopping less frequently because of my busy schedule, but it is possible that this family shops much more frequently and only picks up a few items at a time rather than going on one large monthly grocery haul. The emptiness of the freezer could also be explained by regular trips to the grocery store as the biggest advantage of frozen foods is that they don’t go bad- someone who goes to the store three times per week probably isn’t worried about spoilage. The abundance of half-used bottles of various condiments in this fridge also suggests this family shops based on what they need for each meal. Maybe the primary shopper for this household should read “How to Be Your Own Italian Grandmother” by Chelsea Fagan, who suggests keeping a few basic, staple ingredients around the house at all time rather than planning your meals around complex recipes. This empty shelf might also imply something about this family’s socioeconomic status. Under first consideration, one might assume less food in fridge means little money to spend on food. However, some of the other items in the fridge, such as the name-brand Chobani Greek yogurt, Sabra hummus, and organic eggs suggest this is not the case. Multiple weekly shopping trips would mean that one of the parents has ample enough free time to grocery shop frequently, which implies that the family is in a financial situation that only one parent needs to work full time. I also noticed there was only one lunch packed, located in the plastic tub on the top shelf. This backs up the theory that only one parent works full days and needs to bring food from home. Finally, the general lack of convenience foods (aside from the frozen pizza, Texas Toast, and takeout box) suggests someone in this household prepares meals each night. Laura Shapiro explains in her book Something from the Oven that convenience foods tend to be a staple for modern working families, and the lack of them in this fridge indicate someone regularly cooks.
Industrial Food Diary
*For this assignment, the goal was to keep record of everything I ate and drank for two days. During the first day, I ate the way I normally do. However on the second day, the goal was to eat as little processed food as possible following Melanie Warner's definition of processed food: make yourself.
9/17/18
Breakfast:
Coffee with a splash of chocolate nut milk
Aldi-brand chocolate almond protein bar
Lunch:
Dinner roll with peanut butter and jelly
Peanut butter crackers
Unsweetened applesauce
Dinner:
Leftover breakfast casserole (eggs, potatoes, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, cheese)
I know what you're thinking: a Jimmy John's sub is definitely not a whole food. Though I am acutely aware of this, I had few other options. On Tuesday my last class ran late, so the time I normally would have spent eating dinner at home before work was spent frantically changing into my uniform and rushing out the door. Working from 6:00pm to 12:00am, my options were either skip eating dinner altogether or order food. This excuse is something many people have mentioned in class discussions and something I stand by as a valid reason for my food-diary failing; sometimes I just don’t have time to put together a healthy meal. Despite this slip-up, I showed enough self-restraint to not order my usual Coke and potato chips with my sandwich. Partially for the sake of this assignment, and partially due to the convincing argument made against these products in "The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food" by Michael Moss. Now that I am aware of the vanishing caloric density of my favorite salty snacks, I don’t feel as satisfied eating them. The most eye-opening part of this assignment for me was how many connections I was able to make between the strange ingredients Melanie Warner discussed in Pandora’s Lunchbox and those I saw on the labels of my food. I have a slight lactose intolerance that makes many milk-based products indigestible for me, so every morning I pour a splash of Silk chocolate protein nut milk into my coffee instead of milk or sugar. While looking at the label for this product, I was surprised by many of the ingredients. What was gellan gum for? Or the soy lecithin and wheat flakes in my favorite protein bars? I can’t help but wonder what chemical and mechanized processes some of these ingredients have undergone. Additionally, the final three ingredients on my beloved-nut milk were Vitamin D2, Ascorbic Acid, and Vitamin E. I now know that it is more than likely these are not naturally occuring vitamins, and that they may not really be giving me the nutritional benefits I expect them to. Overall, this assignment has made me want to try to consume less processed and additive-ridden foods. I made my own almond milk on Monday night during a sudden surge of motivation and it was much easier than I expected. Though I always knew processed foods were “bad”, I assumed they were healthy enough to eat based solely on the fact that they are allowed to be put in food. Warner eliminated my assumption that there was some regulation to which additives can be put into my foods, and I now feel as though I need to take responsibility for what I am putting in my body.