Take-Home Exam

1. The Geography of Food

It is well-known that different scholars are researching the food in the fields of different areas. Geographers have their special understanding of food and use their own field concept to describe it. In this part, there are three famous geography views of food will be expounded and give people more knowledge about this special field.

Firstly, in the readings, William G. Moseley said that “There is a growing body of scholarship on the linkages between global climate change and food insecurity.” So his point can teach us that with the change of climate, the food will be influenced deeply. For example, the climate change as a serious geography issue can lead many problems for the environment. More and more climates issues happen all over the world and lead to flooding, drought and so on. These aspects influence the food planting a lot. So William’s this point can be chosen to prove that why the climates changes become an important issue in geography because it has a close relationship with food now.

Secondly, another geographer Guy M Robison thought “Food production is influenced by two main drivers: the physical environment (especially climate, water availability and soil type) and human capacity.” In this part, people can find easily that the physical environment can influence the food a lot, and it is also the key aspect of geography. Climate influence means that different countries or areas have their special climate character, that’s why different countries have their local food. Water availability and soil type can decide that the environment of plantings. So the food at these different conditions can be varied. So Guy’s point shows the basic requirements of food planting and has the value for researching.

Lastly, it is easy to find an interesting point from reading, “to a broader account of the universal significance and symbolism of Rice and Beans as a cultural cornerstone amidst forces of globalization and nation-building.” Rice and beans are the basic food in many places, in other words, the common food is connection link between the different food culture and life characters all over the world. So it plays an important role in the globalization and globalization is one aspect of geography. Therefore, choosing this example can show that food is an important part in the research of geography.

The geography of food has a lot of meaningful and interesting aspects to be researched, and there is no doubt that geography and food have a close relationship in a way.

2. How does eating shape us and enable us to identify as individuals, members of a family, community, and nation

As is known to all, different individuals, families and communities or even counties have their special food characters. This food and eating characters are shaped not only because the different places but also because the different culture characters. Food becomes identification of people in a way.

For example, in my hometown, we have our local food, and they are different from other cities. When the strangers or my friends come to my home from other cities, my family always prepares the local food for them and introduces the characters of these foods. That’s not only the politeness but also a manner of culture exchange. This situation also happens in different communities and nations. Because the geography and culture are different, foods in these communities and nations have their characters, so different foods also are the symbols in the communities and nations. If you can visit other places and you can find the special food easily, and you will remember this place easily with the help of food.

What’ more, everyone has his eating and food habit. For example, some people like sweet food and others dislike, or I eat food fast, but he eats slowly. So it is not difficult to find that different people have different eating and food habit. Food enables us to identify as individuals and show our characters to others.

In the article Me in Place, and the Place in Me, there is a sentence give me the feeling that eating and food has the special meaning for a person or a family, it is said that: “The family’s quest for the “food of home” highlights the centrality of culinary practices in their lives, and the relationship between food and ideas of home and belonging.” So the eating and food is the important part in people’s life, it gives the special character for every person, family, place or the nation.

3. How can food insecurity impact an individual throughout their lifetime

In our daily life, it is easy to find many people who are overweight, but they are not healthy, in other words, they are malnourished. The reason for this problem is the food insecurity. There is a special phenomenon that people can also be both overweight and food insecure. And food insecurity includes many aspects.

In the reading Food Security, Poverty and Human Development in the United States, food insecurity is described like this “Food insecurity influences health and development through its effects on nutrition and as a component of overall family stress. The condition of food insecurity includes both inadequate quantities and inadequate quality of nutrients available.” It can help us understand that the main aspects of food insecurity, and among these, inadequate quality of nutrients available should be paid attention to it. Because it is a key point which influences people’s health and also is the answer to explain the phenomenon that people can also be both overweight and not healthy.

For example, a lot of fat people just like eating some meat or beef as their dinner, and most of their food are only this kind; they never eat some vegetables or other organic food. Of course, they will be fat and looks like having a big stomach, but in fact, they are not healthy because they are a lack of vitamins and other nutrition. Their food is too single.

The similar situation is fast food and other junk food. There is no doubt that this kind of food can make people feel full and met some people’s requirement of food, however, they can’t meet the requirement of nutrition, in other words, they are bad for people’s healthy. What’s more, some junk food has another problem—health issue, and unclean food is most serious problem of food insecurity.

In short, overweight and food insecurity can exist at the same time, and people should pay attention to the food and keep healthy at the first step.

4. Food Wasting

There is a serious issue about the food all over the world; it is food wasting. Although a lot of people in the world face the dilemma of food insecure, the amount of food wasting is astounding. The reasons of food wasting are different throughout the world, and they can be described in several aspects in the article Beyond the throwaway society: ordinary domestic practice and a sociological approach to household food waste.

Firstly, food can be wasted during the harvest or immediately after harvesting on the farm. This is the first period which food is wasted. And in many counties, this problem can’t be solved well, in other words, it can’t be avoided in many farms. What’s more, food also can be wasted after produce leaves the farm for handling, storage, and transport. This aspect is not the most serious one but also can be not ignored.

Secondly, food can be wasted during the period of industrial processing and packaging. There is no doubt that many kinds of food is produced by crops. So the raw materials are wasted a lot when they are been used, and after producing, the packaging also makes the food loss.

Thirdly, food wasting will happen during distribution to markets, including losses at wholesale and retail markets. Many foods will go bad during this period or loss during the process. At last, food can loss in the home or business of the consumer, including restaurants. That’s easy to be understood because the most wasting is the last step. People discard the food which they can’t eat up or threw the foods away which go bad.

Food wasting is becoming the global issue because it happens not only in one place but also all over the world. If this problem can’t control quickly, people will face the food lacking in the future.

5. My thought

Through the studying in this class, there are many new ideas impact on me deeply. For example, the food insecurity impact an individual throughout their lifetime, this topic makes me understand that fat not means healthy, and the matters need attention about the food. Many topics change my thought and teach me how to improve my life and treat the food carefully. The topic of food wasting gives me a lesson, because when I study the readings about this, I understand that the food lacking has become one of the most serious problems of life all over the world. Although there are many aspects lead to this situation, we should do our best to change the life habit and save food during the daily life. As for me, I should also pay attention to the food wasting and tell the people around me to save food in the future.

This class also opens up my eyes and offers many interesting readings for me. I learn so much knowledge about food and know the different information in other countries, so it’s most valuable asset for me. I like many readings in this class. For example, Rice and Beans, it shows me the special meaning of common food. I in Place and the Place in Me tells me the true meaning of food characters in different places. Food Security, Poverty and Human Development in the United States is powerful; it attracts me in my unknown field. And the Beyond the throwaway society: ordinary domestic practice and a sociological approach to household food waste gives me a lesson and encourage me to do my best to save food in the future. These readings are the most interesting ones for me, and I will study them again after leaving this class. This class not only teaches me the knowledge about the readings but also helps me treat my life rightly.