Journal #1: Favorite Meal; El Pastelito
The “pastelito”, or in english “small cake” consists of fried dough stuffed with various meats, and sometimes sweets. My grandmother might as well be Gordon Ramsey in the flesh while making these. The first step of making a pastelito is to take the dough, roll it around, and beat it up a little in order to make the construction of the pastelito easier. In this instance, we will say my grandmother is making a cheese pastelito, nice and easy. She takes a block of cheese about the size of half a butter stick and places it onto the flattened dough; very much like the preparation of pizza the dough is a flat circle. Then, she folds the dough over the cheese into a shape resembling a croissant. After this step, she closes the dough by using a fork along the edges of the dough. Now she pours some cooking oil into a frying pan; a very shallow amount. Then she will place the pastelitos into the pan, using a spoon to scoop the cooking oil and pour it onto the pastelitos. The cheese melts during the frying process. Soon after, the lid of the pan goes on and my grandmother will take them out in five minutes when they’re golden brown.
Journal #2: Profile Assignment
Journal #3: Art of Quoting
As soon as I started reading the first paragraph I was immediately told the significance of the quote. In just the very first paragraph the author is able to display the importance of the quote, and the affect the quote has on the reader. I feel as though when throwing a quote into any piece of writing in my experience I have not necessarily considered the influence of the quote on the reader. Instead I just worry about whether or not the quote even fits with whatever it is I’m saying; so, the opening paragraph definitely opened my eyes to that more so. When talking about “blending the authors words with your own”, the way paraphrasing was described reminded me of my paraphrasing. Often times I find myself reading something and If I cannot immediately use my own words I tend to refer to a thesaurus to jump start my thought process. Another important consideration brought upon me by the reading was how to introduce a quote. What I got from the reading was that introducing a quote should not mislead the reader. It is important to ensure the reader knows exactly who is doing the quoting, and who is the person who originally said the quote. Having a sense of what to do with a quote also stood out to me. Placing quotes should be meticulous and well thought out, rather than just throwing it in the middle of the paragraph because it has some relevance to the point. Overall, after the reading I feel like I can definitely improve how I incorporate my quotes into my writings.
Journal #4: Drafting Writing Projects
My middle school attempted to prepare us for writing essays by handing out a sheet with a template on it. The sheet would always have a bubble labeled “intro” and arrows pointing to other bubbles labeled “body”, or “details”, or “evidence”, and a final one titled “conclusion”. Basically, the draft process was putting in generic, bland thoughts into these bubbles to later then fill them in with more words and detail. This process ultimately lasted up through my freshman year of high school. I always hated having to do these templates because it didn’t really fit my writing style. Come sophomore year of high school essays become actual essays and thought needs to be produced in order to receive a good grade. At this point I had already been acknowledged by many teachers and other students that my essays were really good. That’s because I ditched the template method and just started typing them out the night before they were due. This was my new drafting process for my writing projects. I have never been able to write something up and come back to it later to “make it better”. Throughout the rest of high school I was able to continue to receive good grades on my essays. I would research and get any information needed on the topic at hand, take a bunch of notes, and just start writing. This process has yet to fail me. Once I finish typing up my essay my friend and I would exchange essays and review them for each other. Both of us knew that we could trust each other to give good un biased opinions in order to better improve our essays. When it came to peer review in the classroom I would hope to get paired up with someone who could actually provide good feedback, but that was not always the case. Regardless of who I was paired up with though, I would always check in with my teacher to get their opinions on my draft before turning it in. Once I have my feed back and it’s time for the final product, the most changes I have to make end up being grammar, or better word choice.
Journal #6: Peer Review Page
Journal #7: Charles Mann
- (Paragraph 1, pg. 2): In this paragraph Mann is expressing his concern for the future comfortability of his children. He feels that it is very unlikely for his children to be comfortable in their adult lives, and as I was reading this I said to myself: “Is he serious?”. As a parent it is one’s job and life purpose to raise, and teach their child in ways to ensure their success, and in this case comfortability. If I were to ever have a child this would never be on of my concerns because I know that I would do everything in my power to make sure my child has what it takes to make it in whatever society the future holds in store. Mann states that his concerns derive from the future state of the world, and that a majority of the population will be middle class, and that the new middle class will not be satisfied. The way I see it is just to wait and see what the new world is going to look like with 10 billion people. Hunger, poverty etc. is inevitable in my opinion no matter the global population.
- (Paragraph 3, pg. 3): Mann takes an interesting approach of creating an analogy for Vogt and Borlaug. In this paragraph he compares both men to wizards, and prophets. Mann says that wizards (Borlaug) rely on technology to fix our problems; whereas prophets (Vogt) kind of say “whatever” and put down the idea of consequences based on our environmental actions. I found this to be a very interesting analogy. By putting it in these words I feel that I can make much more sense of the ideologies behind these men. Rather than overcomplicating the ideas they have, Mann was able to make a simple comparison which helped me further understand the reading. If I were to take a stance based on just this one analogy, I might consider Borlaug’s model, because I feel that as we move forward in time we will be able to create more technology/science necessary for the improvement of society.
- (Paragraph 2, pg. 18): In this paragraph Mann sort of sums up the entirety of what he was trying to get at throughout the article. Borlaugians want farmers to have the liberty and choice, Vogtians believe farming maintains communities. When I read this all I can focus on is the Vogtian ideal. If each and every community were to have some sort of agriculture/farming methods to produce enough food for that community, should we not start doing that? I’m not saying we implement agriculture on every street, and every neighborhood, but, we can definitely start somewhere. However, with this idea we have to also consider the best conditions for raising food. For instance, I’m from Lynn, MA. Living in New England does not constitute for around the year warm weather, and therefore, agriculture cannot be relied on all year. In reality though, after reading this paragraph it makes me want to say: “screw it lets just see what happens if we keep moving forward”, but honestly I would need to dive deeper into this concern in order to provide a better opinion.
Journal #8: Considering Peer Review
- There were many comments posted on my paper regarding some grammar errors/suggestions. When writing papers it is always difficult for me to know whether or not my grammar is correct because I tend to think of it one way, and type it out another. Having comments on my paper suggesting a semicolon, or a comma here, or a period there really aided my process in going back to certain sentences and trying to fix them. Also, there were areas of my paper which were highlighted by my group where they thought a quote would best fit in my paragraph. I purposely left out the quotes I was going to use during peer review because I wanted to hear feedback just incase another quote fit better somewhere else in the paper. By having sections of my paper highlighted specifically to add a quote made it much easier, rather than attempting to throw in a quote wherever I feel it best fits. There was plenty of positive comments on my paper as well. Even though they were not constructive, or questioned anything in my paper, having someone say “this really works” , or “good hook to start the essay” gave me closure and confidence in what I was writing.
- On one of the papers I peer reviewed I focused on making sure the person in my group was able to provide good sentence structure and variation. I found while reading their paper it was slightly bland, and each sentence was just a statement rather than a complex thought put into words. Another comment I gave was to incorporate a better, more enticing introduction to the paper. Having a solid, eye opening introduction allows the reader to really get involved and better understand what the author is attempting to state. Similar to my own paper I also gave positive comments as well. By providing my positive comments the people in my group understand there are things that need to be changed, and things that are fine just the way they are.
- Debating/sharing ideas came up during our discussion. We initially had our discussion based on our comments, but as we continued to talk we began to take these comments and further build our discussion based off of them. For example, while reviewing my paper one of the comments suggest I incorporate a quote after a specific sentence. The discussion continued on to talk about which quote would best fit. We did a lot of building upon what had already been put on paper.
- The only thing I could have asked for was more constructive feedback. My paper consisted of many positive comments complimenting my word choice, my descriptiveness etc. It is always nice to hear what works, but it is even better to hear what does not. I did have suggestions, and feedback, just a tiny bit more would have been better.
- Overall, the difference between high school peer review and this peer review was very much different. In high school it was not taken as seriously, and everyone kind of just did it in order to get it over with. However, during our peer review it felt very real, and serious. It felt like everyone was trying to improve everyone else around them. The process was also very different. From my experience in high school it was “here is your essay, and this is when it’s due”. But now there was an entire process. Multiple drafts were written, and then we also had a small discussion and preparation for the peer review. Ultimately, the difference for me was the professionalism, and making real attempts at helping each other out.
Journal #10: Michael Pollan
- (pg. 316, para. 4): Pollan explains Joel’s conception that if one thing is to change in the system, then all things in the system must change as well. The significant connection that each and every aspect involved in the overall system can be both positive and negative. From my understanding Joel wants everything to be connected in order to maintain sustainability in this new way of thinking for agriculture. However, what is going to happen when there is an unexpected situation, which happens more often than not? In that situation changes will be forced upon the owner, and because everything is interconnected, rather than solving one problem, you have to go and solve a variety of other problems all because of one inconvenience. As much as I understand the usefulness and possible betterment of agriculture through this method, I have to ask myself whether or not the risk is worth the reward. The amount of work it would take to solve every problem at once instead of fixing one singular thing involved in the process makes me wonder if it is worth it.
- (pg. 320, para. 4): Pollan opens this passage “Tuesday Afternoon” by complaining about the workload given to him. Obviously, Pollan is not used to/accustomed to farm life, but still what bothered me was his complaining about his workload based on what the animals were doing for him. Pollen says something along the lines of the animals are doing most of the work, but there still seems to be much to do around the farm. Reading this made me think “is he being serious?”. Having the animals do so much around the farm already would make me view my work as sort of a team effort. I would not be complaining about the work I have to do, especially when the animals are doing work for me that would be much more tedious and grueling. Pollen was simply moving hay bales that he described as weighing only fifty pounds. To me it makes no sense for anyone to complain about the work they have to do, when all the other work is already being done. In this case its I do my part, and the animals do their part; simple as that.
- (pg. 315, para. 4): In this passage some of Joel’s farming methods are shared with us. While reading this paragraph I couldn’t help but admire how Joel goes about his farming. He is very meticulous and thorough in his work in order to ensure that everything on the farm is going as it should be. Farming is no easy job, and the effort that Joel puts into his work greatly reflects on his success. In the paragraph Pollan provides a quote from Joel which basically shows his understanding of the farm and his animals. His attention and understanding of farming almost makes me want to learn more about it just by the way he talks about it. If we had more farmers/agricultural workers with the same ideas and comprehension about farming that Joel has the quality, as well as the quantity of groceries for the rest of society would increase. Knowing that there are agriculture workers out there like Joel makes me feel safer about what I consume, and what I don’t consume.
Journal #11: TS/IS (pg. 19-29)
The most significant take away from this reading is to constantly refer back to what they say in order to further represent what I say. The reading insists that we enter our writing as if entering a conversation. By demonstrating an understanding of what they say, making my own claim based on this understanding will make what I say much more comprehensible to the reader. More importantly, the order of how I make my claim will influence the audience’s engagement while reading. If I explain what they say, the reader is better able to make connections to my own personal claim. Without creating this mutual understanding, the audience will not be able to follow along as best as they could, as compared to creating the understanding, where the reader is able to follow along. They use the example of George Orwell, in which he is basically saying, “everyone says no, but I am going to say yes, based on what everyone said”. Essentially, the reading asserts that the best way to make your audience understand your stance, is to exhibit an understanding of their stance, and precisely state how what they say, contributes to what I say.
Journal #12: Proj. 2 Draft Process
My drafting process for the beginning of this project was like any other of my drafting processes. The first thing I did in order to get myself started was bringing out the Project 2 Handout from class. This allowed me to look over it again and grant myself a better understanding of the assignment, so that I am able to best respond to the prompt. As I read through the handout my focus was on the main prompt. Reading over this a few times before I begin typing allows me to think of multiple approaches for how I might want to answer. After reading the prompt a few times, I turn the page over to familiarize myself with the “ideas to consider”. Although these are not questions to be directly answered, reading these, and developing an understanding of how to answer them makes it so that I am able to bring in multiple ideas that I may not have considered prior. I also jot down some notes on the Project 2 handout during class, based on what Prof. Miller says, because whatever he says will surely get me a good grade on the paper. I look over my own notes before I begin typing, and I once I feel comfortable I decide to begin. The first thing I tend to do is set up the MLA format so I don’t forget. After that, a somewhat attention grabbing title is composed. Once I figure out the title I tend to look back at the handout frantically, acting like I don’t know where to start. Except, once I start typing the rest comes easily. For this process I did something a little different. I tend not to write out too much on the handout or else I begin to ramble and combine ideas that may not fit well together. So, for this project I jotted down three points which I wanted to focus on, and typed out whatever it was I felt during this writing session.
Journal #13: Revisiting DFW
One thing I did not consider during the first reading which came to mind this time around is the idea of honoring the animal before killing/eating it. This is something I believe is common among Native Americans, and or tribal civilizations. From my understanding it goes to say that animals are sacred, and that by killing the animal/eating it, we must honor the animal for providing its body for our own nourishment. Obviously, this is something which seems to be strictly cultural, but it is an ideology I would not mind accepting. Something that has stuck with me throughout these discussions is: “just because we can, should we?”. Like anything else there are two sides to this, and I can’t seem to choose between them. I feel that if we are granted the ability to do something, then we have the ultimate choice, and free will to decide whether or not we go through with it. Except, there seems to be other factors which I may not have considered before, such as: how does it affect others, the environment, etc? But still, I feel that because we have this ability of free will, we should be able to make any decisions we want, regardless of the consequences.
Journal #14: TS/IS (pg. 82-93)
The reading begins with describing an author’s concern on forgetting to address certain parts of their argument, causing concern that those with opposing views will blow right through the author’s side of the argument. It then goes to say that in remembering these points that were previously not included, the writing has only begun. This is something that struck me immediately as I was reading, because when I write I tend to attempt to view the overall topic in every way that I possibly can. In doing so I am able to address all the points that the majority of readers would also attempt to make, making my piece of writing extremely strong/convincing. By seeing all of the possible variations of the argument, there usually is no basis for others to form their argument on. However, the reading also mentioned that when an opposing argument is made, it is not always best to completely disagree with it. Rather, we should consider, or try to understand part of their argument, in order to best explain your own point of view/why you disagree. By challenging only what you disagree with, the reader/audience will not be offended but much more understanding. When demonstrating your understanding of the opposing side, it is important explain in depth that way you are giving both sides a fair opportunity. These are all things I heavily acknowledge in my writing, and after this reading I feel that this makes much more sense to me than before.
Journal #15: Project. 2 Peer Review
Justyn: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PeNyjWH12azFcjI4n43EPEwhg6BN728rUHkW0pFkHBQ/edit
Eliza: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BcYJRKxFXgn4mJBlacVcVySWsUNckl62NbaGUxh0dko/edit
Journal #16: Project. 2 Possible Revisions
During peer review I was given a handful of suggestions to improve my essay. One concern brought up by my group members was a lack of explanation of the Maine Lobster Festival, and some other topics as well. I am going to attempt to work towards better explaining the areas of my essay which need it so that my essay is easier to understand for the audience. A few suggestions were made regarding a few sentences that need to be tweaked so that my paper flows better. What I took from my peer’s suggestions was that some of my sentences could just be shorter, or even broken up into two sentences. By breaking up my sentences, or being more concise I presume, the reader will likely not have to keep on reading the same thing over and over before they understand what I wrote. The biggest revision I am going to make is finally incorporating a second source. By adding my second source my paper will look much different as now I must construct some Barclay paragraphs. Overall, my revisions consist of: elaboration, focusing on making certain areas more concise, and including a second source in order to create my Barclay’s paragraphs.
Journal #17: Project. 2 Revisions
Journal #18: Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch
- (pg. 1 paragraph 1): While reading the beginning of this article my thoughts about how I will approach Project. 3 came flooding. Immediately in the first paragraph Pollan describes how his mother was inspired by Julia Child to cook. Pollan even claimed that Julia Child had bettered their living situation, and overall home life. The first paragraph also portrays how cooking/food brings people together, as Pollan and his mother would watch Child’s television program together. Something that I do as well with my mother with a variety of television series/movies. That first paragraph is extremely relatable and perfect for the topic of project. 3.
- (pg. 5 paragraph 1 & 3): In the first paragraph of this page Pollan demonstrates how Julia Child incorporates a sense of comfortability during her program. He states that even when she makes mistakes, she is not instilling fear into the audience, but instead, saying that it is okay to make mistakes in the kitchen. This ties into the later paragraph on the page which talks about how Child really puts in the effort, and gains the true pleasure from cooking. This can work with the project because both Child and Pollan are showing us that food is not just something we eat. It is an art, something which provides pleasure and comfortability, both physical and mental.
- (pg. 7 paragraphs 1 & 2): The first paragraph on this page talks about how food and cooking is, and has been redefined in many ways. Pollan describes how there are a lot more shortcuts, buying of products, etc. and not as much cooking from scratch. He ties this into the next paragraph by saying most meals today would “roll their grandmother in her grave”. A rather bold claim, but extremely true. I might want to tie this into my essay by explaining the traditions and origins we have, and used to have. I feel that this will connect very easily with the FMEs I will end up using.
Journal #19: Proj. 3 1st Draft
Justyn Lopez
Eng. 110
Prof. Miller
x xx xx
Penne for Your Thoughts
Often, relationships are simply thought of as serious, deep bonds between two people. Sometimes, we even consider relationships with objects, or non-material items. However, what many people neglect to acknowledge is our relationship with food; and the various processes that go into making it. Asking what exactly is food to individuals will result in a large diversity of answers. Some will answer with a cultural, homemade dish, while others will reply with a boring remark such as fast food. The relationships we have with our food differentiates within each and every one of us walking the earth. Except, there has to be a common ground–a gray area in which a majority of people can agree upon what food really is. That common ground lies in the history behind our food, the way we consume it, and how we go about making it.
Cultural values, beliefs, and ideologies play an imperative role in determining one’s relationship with food. In a majority of cultures, homemade meals are essential to daily life. Whereas, in other cultures it is much more common, and acceptable, to dine out, or even purchase fast food. With such differences in cultural values, families all around the world have separate definitions of what it means to cook and dine out. Italian culture is infamous for creating their food straight from scratch; preparing pasta from dough and eggs, and even handcrafted sauces. This is not an occurrence that randomly happened one day. Instead, it is a result of countless generations passing down recipes, teaching nieces and nephews, and of course, the occasional kitchen arguments. To live in such a culture impacts one’s relationship with their food. The intimacy and passion of an Italian family for their food is much greater due to the fact that they are essentially getting to know their food on a deeper level. To compose complex recipes requiring raw materials, then to actualize a final product based on assorted ingredients, demonstrates an enhanced relationship between food and person.
Food is timeless. Since the dawn of existence every single organism has had to consume nutrients in order to survive. Food can be a gazelle, a pan seared steak, an earthworm, and a grilled cheese sandwich. To all, food is something different; but, food is much more than the nutrients which we receive from it. It is also the process, the origins, and emotions which go into obtaining it. Societies are built upon individual choices, which evolve into societal norms, turning into struggles, but also benefits. Hunters and gatherers made way for all that is observed and conducted today. Without hunting we would not know how to capture animals for their meat, or shear fur for warmth. Without gathering we would not know of agriculture, and farming. History has made way for all the independent choices we make to decide our relationships with everything. Without history, tradition would be lost. The origins of which our relationships are built upon would be completely non-existent. To build a true, meaningful relationship with what we consume, I feel that it is necessary to understand the history supporting our traditions.
Journal #20: Project. 3 Peer Review
Journal #21: Project. 3 Possible Revisions
While working on peer review I received suggestions on quotation placement. Seeing that I have yet to include any quotes into my essay, my peers gave me viable feedback on where might be some good places to use our sources. On top of that, the final paragraph of my essay as of now is a little icky. Both of my peers stated that the attempt of what I was trying to get at makes sense, but I just need to better connect it with the rest of the paper. I agreed completely as I was the one to ask their opinions of said paragraph. Similarly, making more, understandable connections throughout my essay is going to put it in a place where it needs to be. Already my essay flows nicely, but once I go back to revise some of the connections I make, there will be great improvement. While working on the unity of my paper, I will also focus on trying to stay on singular topics. In most peer reviews I notice that sometimes my audience can get confused as I include a lot of information, and opinions in my essays. By being more concise with my thoughts my essay will become easier to read and understand.
