Demo speech self evaluation.

Who is that handsome kid in this video I stumbled upon, oh wait that's me attempting to teach the class about bass guitars. Man, I probably should have planned the order of my speech out a little bit more. The whole section where I describe the differences between bass guitars and guitars was definitely supposed to come right after my intro. Also I look pretty awkward up there, swaying back and forth like I don't know what to do with myself and waving my hands around like some kind of fool. I also highly doubt anyone in the class could play me happy birthday if throw a bass guitar at them during my birthday bash, but maybe a few could stumble through it. Maybe I should have put a few more steps into the process instead of just playing it and saying "yep that's how to play it".
On the plus side I feel I made eye contact at appropriate times, and talked at a reasonably loud volume. My visual aid is just awesome too, I mean come on it's also an auditory aid which is just double the fun. I guess I dressed appropriate for a speech about playing bass, considering most bass players are laid back and enjoy comfortable clothing such as that 100% cotton shirt I was rocking. The blue hair also aided a nice rock n' roll touch in my opinion.
Overall I think it was a fun, slightly informative speech. If your sharp and really paying attention to me, I bet you could play me some pretty sweet bass lines, and by pretty sweet bass lines I mean happy birthday.

Responce to Jessica's Real vs Fake Food

In her post, Jessica talks about her personal experience with raw milk vs what we probably all drink today. Up until I was about 10, every summer when I visited my grandparents in Wisconsin, my mom would take us to the McCabe farm owned by her uncle. There I would play with barn kittens, feed the calves, and drink the raw milk. Coming from the east coast, I feel milk is just not as big a part of my diet and I drink much less of it then most mid westerners, but I would never turn down a glass of milk fresh from the farm. I completely agree that processing mostly reduces the natural, wonderful flavors of food and destroys the integrity of the food. The human body evolved for hundreds of years eating natural foods, so that is what it is suited to eating.
While the body evolved eating this food, this also doesn't change the fact that we are removed from where our food is made, meaning it will require some processing so that is still in a consumeable state when it arrives to our table. I would much rather have a slightly unhealthier version of milk then a cup full of bacteria and other microorganisms just waiting to make me feel like I got hit by a train.
While theoretically I agree with everything Jessica said in her post, I would never put the effort into getting raw milk unless someone offered me a glass, partly because I'm really lazy, but also because I feel the processed foods do good enough for me. This is why I don't have to put much effort into getting myself a nice cup of milk when my mom sends me a box of girl scout cookies.

I Made a Meal!

Yes it's true, I can cook. While I do not have the normal amenities every cook needs, like a kitchen, I feel i can make a pretty satisfying meal. For this I decided to cook myself some delicious sweet and sour chicken. How did I cook this in my dorm room without a stove you ask? Well obviously it was a store bought, processed, sweet and sour chicken mix. While this isn't exactly what I meant when I said I could cook, I'm working with what I have.
Okay so back to the sweet and sour chicken. I opened the package, poured it in the one bowl I have in my dorm room, and cooked it in my microwave then sat and enjoyed it. Obviously I would have enjoyed actually cooking an elaborate meal that I could savor, this would do for a Wednesday night. The chicken was tender, and the sauce was made perfectly-not to sweet.
In his book, Pollan argues that Americans do not enjoy eating. I definitely do not agree with this, mostly because I love eating and enjoying the complexity of all foods. This guy here also agrees with Pollan and states how us Americans scarf down food left and right, but I really feel differently. The fact that the food we generally consume isn't right off the farm does not make it not food, but instead just a different kind of honestly quite unhealthy food. American cuisine may be processed, unhealthy, and in reality pretty disgusting, but man does it taste good and is still definitely food.

Responce to Austin's in Defense of Pollan

In his post, Austin starts out by agreeing with Pollan about food being more then just chemical energy to people, but also a pleasure. I personally love all aspects of food: cooking, presentation, the complex tastes, and how it brings people together. The majority of Americans do not appreciate food for all it can be, which is why we are content with the food we currently eat, which isn't particularly good in most senses.

I also agree that food is getting less nutritious, whether it be from extensive processing or just that we eat more unhealthy food. Austin also brings up that proper exercise and lifestyles will allow for more "wiggle room" in your diet, which is completely true. One double stacker from burger king isn't going to kill you if you exercise daily and generally eat healthy. It's also true that eating healthy at certain stages of your life, especially college, is extremely hard, but there are definitely ways to maintain a healthy diet in college.

Austin presents Pollan's arguments clearly, and he elaborates with his own opinions on both of the issues brought up. The link to the blog about nutritious eating supports the fact that it is harder then Pollan's simple advice to actually change your diet and start eating that way. If it was as simple as replacing a burger with a salad, that cost the same and gave the same enjoyment from eating, we would't have a problem with obesity in America

Real vs fake food

If there's one food I love with my whole heart and will eat at any time, it might just be beef jerky. Man, I love beef jerky. It's the perfect food; filling, delicious, and easy to make. Back in Delaware, I would go to a local farmers market and buy some beef jerky from a local butcher. It was delicious, spicy, and complex. It cost about $10 a pound and was simply my favorite snack. Now I go to Carson's carryout and get what is processed, mediocre tasting jerky. It's bland, has to much salt, and the spiced varieties simply taste like they threw some garlic powder or barbecue sauce on the jerky before they packaged it. Why can't they just marinate the meat like they're supposed to? The only reason I do not buy better jerky is I don't know where to get any. The day i find a good, relatively cheap, and convenient place to buy beef jerky I will start getting jerky once again.