Who's the Boss here?!?

I took a little detour in my readings and snagged The Devil Wears Prada at the Big Book Sale hosted by the SFPL.  I'm obsessed with the writing and my ability to follow so well with the flashbacks and backtracks.  For those who do not know,  the book is about a girl working as an assistant to an impossible, demanding editor-in-chief of a major fashion magazine.  Needless to say, it's a treat to delve into another world for a few hours a day to escape my very scary reality of unemployment.  At this point, I would do anything just to have something to do outside of the house and be paid for it.  I'm crossing my fingers for the next internships I applied for and the first one back in...early August? Wow.

Trying not to let the little things get me down.  But I still need to shed a healthy stress-relieving tear sometimes.  I'm striving to remain positive and optimistic about the bleak future ahead.  With personal dilemmas and non-existent work stories, I feel staying motivated might stop me from sinking into depression and a few prayers never hurt either.

TOPIC:  Conspiracies of the food industry and control in your life

I feel I would like to have more control over my life; we all know realistically that we do not and cannot control every little detail.  So who is really controlling what you are eating?  Who has control of your decisions?  Is it you? The industry? Advertisers?  Marketing people?  Are these really your independent choices?

Of course the answer to that is YES.  It is ultimately your decision.  I don't understand why we even need to discuss this.  I've read over cases especially where nutrition is concerned like lawsuits against McDonald's for causing obesity.  Blame goes to the company because they "forced" the product onto the consumer.  To be honest,  I'm on the company's side.  They're just doing their job to survive in a free market economy.  The fact that they persuaded you to buy their product is just evidence of effective marketing.  You can always say no, you know?  There is a new bill in debate that will place the NLEA nutrition label in the FRONT of packaging.  This is in hopes that consumers are more aware of what they are buying and can make healthier choices.  Then what's the point of PDP (principal display panel), saving the marketing and design for consumers to see?  Is it really that hard to turn a package around and check out the calories?  No...plus you lose a couple more calories from exerting the energy to lift and turn the package.  Bravo to you.

So who is the boss? YOU.  And don't you forget it.  Happy grocery shopping!

No class schedule; your Major, your Life

This is so weird.  The fall quarter has started at Cal Poly and I have no class schedule.  I don't have to wait for SLO transit to slug down the street at its snail pace.  I don't have to deal with crowded hallways.  I don't have to suffocate in a cement library.  And most of all, I don't have to run up and down the hilly campus to get to those darn microbio labs on the fourth floor of Fisher. lol.
Don't get me wrong.  I totally miss the busy-ness of school. And the close community of friends.  I miss the craft center too.  I think my brain is melting from lack of use. Geez. This will have to be a short entry as I have to prep for my job interview. I have no idea what to wear. Goodness.

So I finished reading "Complicated" and found it rather enlightening.  I was hoping for more case studies but he gets heavy into the ethics of surgery and the patient/doctor dynamic.  It's one of those books that question protocol and why things are the way they are.  Like...why do you need to ask this question? Is it going to do good or harm?  Fascinating book all the same.

I was perusing my first food science textbook I bought freshmen year.  The professor said it would be a good reference.  And it cost me an arm and a leg so it had better. lol. The first chapter is about why you should major in food science, the job prospects, etc.  I have to give you a quote because it is hilarious.
Q: Will food science students be immediately employable after completion of a B.S. degree?
A:"Yes. Most students have no difficulty obtaining employment throughout the food industry..."

HAHAHAHA. Clearly the book didn't take into account a changing jobless economy. Oh well. I'm starting on Marion Nestle's Food Politics and super stoked. Next entry I'll cover food industry consumer ethics and a common trend we will notice in today's packaging: reducing sodium. Laters!

Sociology section smells weird

I was just at the SF Main Library because the best dorks still read books FOR FREE.  That's right. I was perusing the sociology sections looking for Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers and Blink when I smelled something nast.  I figure it must be the sweat and tears sociologists shed when trying to solve society's problems, of which most are impossible.  Tear. So escaping that area quickly, I found two new reads to occupy my unemployment hours: 

Food Politics- Marion Nestle  & Complications- Atul Gawande

 

 

Marion Nestle was a guest speaker at Cal Poly for one of our agriculture panels.  I never got a chance to listen or speak to her but many of the professors were putting up a hellavaloo about her coming to campus.  For the good and bad reasons, this woman brought a lot of controversy.  I haven't started on that book yet but I'll definitely keep you up to date on the "corruptions of the food industry."  Funny. As much as I love the SLOWfood USA movement and other sustainable causes, it doesn't seem feasible in our country.  Plus, all the technology the industry utilizes to ensure safe food and a long shelf life. Yum? It would be if we actually did something good like invest in research on how to create a product for those in impoverish countries to maintain a STANDARD nutrition level.  But that's just my stance on the whole industry thing.

Moving on! There was much talk about the book Complications at the local art center I was volunteering at this past summer.  And I have to admit here my slight obsession with the medical field from watching a lot of House M.D. and Grey's Anatomy.  I'm not sure why I never got into the field. Wait, I remember! Takes too long to learn all that and I have no money for med school. Whoop! Still utterly fascinating.  This book makes you doubt doctors and the whole "what is medical school for exactly?"  Completely terrifiying, stomach squirming details of true story events that go on in a hospital.  Reading is like crack.  Start and you can't stop. I'm enjoying this book so far.

Today has been mildly productive.  Still checking my email every 5minutes expecting at least an acknowledgment email from employers.  I was complimented on my outfit by the nice librarian.  And another extremely nice librarian FINALLY fixed my barcode on my very old, very sentimental library card.  I can't seem to let go... 

Yes sir! I've had this for 17years and counting now. Wowza!

So to continue my productive day, I am making a trip to the dreaded phone people.  Boo for hidden charges in phone upgrades. Lovely. Until another day, happy reading.

To be or not?

It took me forever to settle on a blog name because the one I truly wanted was already taken.  But I have finally made a blog to tell you all about the awkward in-between when you have a four year degree but no job. Yay? Yes, YAY!

I graduated with a B.S. in Food Science but with a flair and knack for marketing.  No surprise since I thought every lab report should have been a marketing proposal and I spent more time on drawing and designing the cover than the actual data and analysis. Tsk tsk.  Thank goodness for professors who can acknowledge creative talent and provide an outlet of which I can excel at.  So while I play the waiting game with job-prospects, I shall entertain you with all the knowledge I know about food and what I actually learned in four years. Because yes, you can graduate close to honors in four short years with some knowledge in your head.  Or at least I think so.

This is not your average Alton Brown "Good Eats" type of conversation here.  Though it is nice to know what goes on inside your kitchen pot.  In addition to information like that, I will delve into the secrets behind your scrumptious chicken-pot-pie..from a box. Yes! The world of food manufacturing!  It is all around us and even though the world wants to move towards greener pastures (Oh I'm so witty. lol), we cannot ignore how the food industry has made an impact in our lives.

In conclusion! This blog will cover kitchen science, food manufacturing science, food explorations, art design and random crafty projects.  I hope you are as excited as I am! Get ready, 123go!