Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Buzzfeed Reactions

Jonathan Lung
Buzzfeed Reactions
            After watching “Mexican people trying Taco Bell for the first time” and “People in China trying fortune cookies for the first time”, I had an epiphany about how American food is really perceived around the world. Not only were Mexican people really unimpressed by our Mexican fast food, but also Chinese people actually liked eating fortune cookie. I am genuinely shocked by this revelation.
            In the video about Mexican people and Taco Bell, the researchers gather around seven people to try Taco Bell. The participants were of all ages ranging from young teenagers to elderly ladies.  They tried five items from Taco Bell’s menu, and they are to respond their initial feelings about it. For many of the food, the elders did not enjoy it and responded negatively along with the younger teenagers. However, the middle age people responded positively and enjoyed most of the food. In conclusion, most of the participants did not like Taco Bell’s food and would not recommend it.
            The next video was about people in China trying fortune cookies for the first time. The age range of the participants was diverse, ranging from young adults to the elderlies. The participants that tried the fortune cookies were unaware about the fortune inside the cookies; one guy in particular ate the whole cookie and was unaware about the paper until the researcher told him about it as soon as he put it in his mouth. The people’s reactions were mostly positive as many of them compare to the traditional egg roll dessert dish but with less sugar and a slightly different textures.

            Out of the two reactions, I was most surprised by the Chinese people’s reaction to fortune cookies. However, I can relate to their reasoning and their experience. After trying fortune cookies and the egg roll dessert, both cookies taste very similar in the texture and taste but still differ minutely. I can also relate to first video’s reactions by trying American-Chinese restaurants and trying authentic Chinese food. The differences in both are vastly different, and, from a biased standpoint, I have to go with the authentic Chinese food. However, American-Chinese food can be satisfying at times. All in all, the reactions of these two videos are definitely a shock and informative about the food and the culture differences behind it.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Deciphering the Mysteries of Cox Hall

Jonathan Lung
Deciphering the Mysteries of Cox Hall
             What is Cox Hall? Is a place where the gods feast or is it an illusion that has overshadowed the cafeteria food? When people set food into the Cox Hall, what are they thinking? Why do they come to Cox Hall? Cox Hall’s facility, its people, or the food could clue into the mysteries of Cox Hall.
            Cox Hall is the alternative food court to the main cafeteria at Emory University. They serve a variety of food including Korean, Mexican, Deli, and much more. They differ from the main cafeteria because they are a collection of different entities that operates in a supportive yet competitive nature. The facility can hold an estimate of 200 people. Cox Hall is organized efficiently where all of the food choices are in back left corner and, with a simple turn, all of the tables and chairs are available with even an outdoor dining area. Cox Hall is conveniently located near Alabama Hall freshman dorm, Emory Hospital, and right across from all the classes. Cox Hall is painted with bright colors of green, yellow, and orange, giving a warm welcome to all of its customers.  
            The people that go to Cox Hall seems to consist of Emory Hospital employees, construction workers, upperclassmen, few freshmen, and other professional class of people. People seem to swarm between 1 to 2 p.m. during lunch hours and 6 to 7 p.m. during dinnertime. The atmosphere feels different than from main cafeteria as the people in Cox Hall socialize within smaller groups. The people also does not seem to be open to sit with new people as much as the main cafeteria; freshmen tend to show a pattern of sitting with random people more often from different observations. The employees at Cox Hall seem to be lack a community amongst themselves unlike the main cafeteria where all of the employees socialize and work as a team. This could be due to the single entity that controls the food at the main cafeteria. Cox Hall’s employees, however, appears to be nicer.
            The food quality, comparatively, has more flavors and bigger portions. However, the price seems to be the main reason that keeps many college students on their toes when they walk into Cox Hall. While they do offer many more selections than the main cafeteria, they lack a diverse change that the main cafeteria manages to do everyday by changing its menus per meal to keep the student’s interest at its peak as they wonder what food they will serve next.

            Overall, Cox Hall offers an alternative food option that is convenient, inviting, and different. With the consideration of its prices, crowded hours, and little change to the variation of food, Cox Hall still offers a unique experience for the consumers. After all, a satisfying meal is what customers are looking for, and Cox Hall delivers that.

Friday, September 23, 2016

Global Feast Party

Jonathan Lung and Justin Nguyen

Global Feast Party
            The theme of our party is international food feast. The four dishes we will make today are Peking ducks, special fajitas, and lamb shawarma.
            Peking duck requires: a roasted duck from a local butcher, Asian buns, scallions, and hoisin sauce. Usually, roast duck costs about $20, while the accompaniment usually cost 15 dollars for 24 possible servings.
            Special fajitas usually require beef and chicken, with red and green bell peppers and yellow onions. Then it’s usually drenched in melted cheese, which we’ll get from a pre-mixed shredded cheese packet. The protein will cost all together dollars for the chicken and 16 dollars for skirt steak. Then the vegetables cost together 10 dollars with 4 more dollars for the cheese.
            Finally, we need lamb, red/black pepper, cilantro, green onions, hummus, and flatbread. We will go to a local restaurant in Atlanta to buy a pre made meal so it will be easier than cooking it because of the complicated processes.
             First step, we cut the chicken into strips along with the skirt steak in about the same shape. Then the vegetables must be cut into similar strips like the protein. We now sauté all the ingredients together for the fajitas, and when they’re all cooked, we stuff tortillas with the mix. After that, we top the fajitas with cheese and put it in the oven to heat up. DONE!
            Meanwhile, we will be preparing the pre-made shawarma that was ordered from a nearby restaurant that conveniently priced the same way as making it fresh. We then cut the shawarma into 16 servings for our wonderful 16 guests. If you cut the shawarma in a fancy way, the eating experience drastically changes. DONE!
            Lastly, we will gather the ingredients from the roast duck to create a mini sandwich. We cut the duck into pieces and put it in the buns with hoisin sauce. Then we top with scallions. DONE!
            We will go to the Buford Highway Farmer’s Market. The market itself holds many international flavors and styles.

·      We would include the time to prepare certain dishes.
·      We would also include the type of rice, price, and the process of cooking rice that we would include since most of the dishes need rice to accompany it.
·      We would also include another dish (a dessert) and the process of making it with the ingredients.


Justin and Jonathan collaborated with this project.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Why is local food better?

Jonathan Lung
Why is local food better?
            Buying and eating local food from a farmer’s market creates a satisfying and enriching feeling of not only eating healthier provide a healthier alternative it also helps with sustainability as we use less artificial material and use more of the natural world the way we had been for so long. When my family and I went to the farmer’s market every Saturday morning, I always enjoyed tasting the fresh honey dripping from the spoon or the sweet smell of oranges that was picked the day before. To compare the supermarket and local products, it is hardly a competition. People in the 21st century are eating worse than we could have ever possibly imagined: eating artificial flavored food, manufactured can goods, and processed meat. While the low cost might be an incentive to buy all of the supermarket products we have now, there is no price to our health and well being.
            When comparing food products from a supermarket to a local market, it is noticeable the difference in taste. One example I personally attest the difference in is lobsters. When we wanted lobsters, we would always get it from the stores. However when we visited Florida’s coastline, my parents brought several live lobsters that were caught not from port. Not knowing any difference between store-bought food and fresh food, I questioned my parent’s logic, wondering why they would deal with a live lobster when a cleaned out, prepared lobster was next door in Wal-Mart. After eating the fresh lobster, I finally understood the differences between the lobsters in Wal-Mart and the lobsters from the fishing boats. The enriching flavor sticks with every bite from a freshly caught lobster, a quality that a store lobster lacks.

            We live to eat so why not eat the best possible food available to us? 

Friday, September 16, 2016

Compare and Contrast Sources of Evidence

Jonathan Lung
Compare and Contrast Sources of Evidence
            When you compare the James Hamblin’s Purity Through Food: How Religious Ideas Sell Diets to Sandip Roy’s India's War On Biryani Mixes Caste, Religion, Cow-Avenging Vigilantes, both articles utilize secondary sources to support their claims and provide detail evidence. However, Hamblin’s article differs by adding primary sources through the form of an interview. He also uses sources from a historical perspective and his personal experience where “[he] recounts a confrontation at a farmer’s market, where he asked a vendor whether her juice was processed” and ended with an epiphany on how people see things in a limited perspective. On the other hand, Roy uses secondary sources such as statistics as his evidence. One of the stats he uses is how “In 2015, the state government passed a law that punishes the slaughter of cows with up to 10 years in prison. Over 20 Indian states forbid either cow slaughter or beef eating or both.” Despite the different types of evidences, they effectively support their claims, and the reader is left without a doubt of the author’s intention.  
Work Cited

Hamblin, James. "Purity Through Food: How Religious Ideas Sell Diets." The Atlantic.            Atlantic Media Company, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.

Roy, Sandip. "India's War On Biryani Mixes Caste, Religion, Cow-Avenging Vigilantes." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.