While taking a break from writing my final paper, I decided to watch the latest episode of one of my favorite shows, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. This show is based on Jamie Oliver's (a British chef) mission to change the type of food we eat in America. I really recommend checking this show out here because it will present you with staggering facts about the terrible food the majority of Americans eat. The moment that hit me the hardest was when Sophia, a seventeen year old student at a LA public school, told Jamie in tears that both of her parents and her ten year old little sister all have type II diabetes. I immediately realized that this relates to the topic of my final paper (inequality between the classes).
Though food doesn't necessarily seem to relate directly to the disparities between class, when you look a little deeper you can actually see the connection. In both seasons of Jamie's show, he has worked to change the food in school districts located in primarily low-income areas. Many of the people he spoke with admitted that they only eat fast food and unhealthy frozen food because it was easy and affordable. For example, many of these people could not afford shopping at Whole Foods (or "Whole Paycheck" as some people say) every week. Because they don't have money, they are limited to eating fast food that is terrible for their health and the health of their children. Jamie is making a huge effort to change this and I think his mission is amazing, but he surely can't do it alone. What do you think Americans as a whole can do to improve this gap and make healthy food attainable to everyone?
Ellie, I wrote about a similar topic on my blog. The post is titled "Is Wall-e Our Future?". I explored how the cost of a salad at Mcdonalds is so much less than one at Whole Foods. I agree that cost is one reason why parents choose to feed their children fast food. In my post, I discussed how it is a lot easier for working parents to pick up the food on their commute home, rather than taking more time out of their schedule to cook a healthy meal. Anna wrote about eating disorders for her Junior Theme and she discovered that they are typically found in the upper class. I find it interesting how eating in the two classes oppose each other.
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