New Environment, New Diet

Topic: Food

Source: I went through my mini refrigerator in my dorm room that I share with roommate on Saturday, January 28th.

Relation: In the past week we had an activity that dealt with food.  We were given a list of foods and then had to say if we would eat them or not.  If you chose to not eat one of the foods then you had to explain why.  For this first blog entry I chose to analyze the food in my refrigerator and the ways in which it is a cultural construct.

Description: When I opened up my refrigerator, I noticed that it was fairly empty.  Between my roommate and I we have one jar of Smucker's Special Recipe Strawberry jam, four chocolate flavored Muscle Milks, one bottle of Heinz Tomato Ketchup, one bottle of Best Foods Real Mayonnaise, a Mango Arizona Iced Tea, a orange flavored Gatorade, a grape flavored Gatorade, a revive flavored Vitamin Water, an essential flavored Vitamin Water, one half pound pizza flavored Hot Pocket, one BBQ chicken flavored pizza from California Pizza Kitchen, and one Real Time Cafe sausage egg and cheese biscuit.

Commentary/Analysis:
From observing and looking at the foods that are kept in my refrigerator, I realized that my environment here at college has a correlation with what foods I eat.  Since I live in the dorms I am restricted to having a mini refrigerator that can only hold so much.  I have to be careful and think about what foods I can get that will not take up to much space.  I usually do my shopping for food at the cupboard or market place since I live on campus.  I try and eat healthy but the places I go shopping for food often carry quick microwaveable foods.  As a college student those kinds of foods appeal to me because I am often on the run and need food that is quick and cheap.  Some examples of these foods would be the half pound hot pocket, microwaveable pizza, and the sausage egg and cheese biscuit.  I believe that these foods are made and designed for appealing to college students.  When I am back at home, I find that I do not eat these same foods because I have more access to other varieties of food and I am not always busy like I am here.  Another way the food options in my refrigerator reflect my culture has to deal with a big part of my life, soccer.  I play on the soccer team here at Humboldt and an important part of being an athlete is drinking and eating the right foods.  The Muscle Milks that are kept in my fridge are used for after we have a hard workout.  Muscle Milk is used for post workouts as it helps your muscles recover fast and helps build muscle mass.  Similarly, we also keep a lot of gatorade and vitamin waters which are used for hydrating and recovery as well.  Due to the fact that I am a college athlete and most of my time out of class is spent around soccer, it is a must that I keep drinks such as Muscle Milk and Gatorade.

The foods that are kept in my refrigerator are a result of the environment that I live in at college and the lifestyle and culture of being a college soccer player.  I believe that your surroundings do have an impact on the food you eat.  Living the college life in dorms has changed my eating habits to eat more food that is quick and easy to make compared to eating homemade meals from my mom.  The life style of being a college soccer player also determines what foods and drinks I keep it my fridge.  It is important to receive the right nutrition and protein, so I keep drinks like Gatorade and Muscle Milk in my refrigerator.