"Body ritual among The Nacirema"
Industrial Food Diary
For this assignment, you will keep two day-long food diaries, recording everything you eat or drink for two twenty-four hour periods. On the first day, eat roughly as you usually do, whatever that means for you.
On the second day, however, make your very best effort to avoid highly processed foods. This may be a real challenge, but do everything in your power to eat as many “whole foods” and as few highly processed foods as you possibly can.
You will create two "diaries" -- lists of what you ate on each day. Then you'll write two to three paragraphs about the experience in your class notebooks. Reminder: Incorporate at least two class readings!
On the second day, however, make your very best effort to avoid highly processed foods. This may be a real challenge, but do everything in your power to eat as many “whole foods” and as few highly processed foods as you possibly can.
You will create two "diaries" -- lists of what you ate on each day. Then you'll write two to three paragraphs about the experience in your class notebooks. Reminder: Incorporate at least two class readings!
Refrigerator Photograph Assignment
For this assignment, you will find someone willing to send you a photograph of the interior of their refrigerator -- ideally a spontaneous picture, without any cleaning or curating beforehand. The person you find should know what you're doing with the photograph and why you're doing it, and you can assure them that they will remain anonymous. Here's the catch: the person should not be someone you already know. And the person should not be a Michigan State student. After you take the picture, think about what the contents of someone's refrigerator can potentially reveal. For example, you might be able to glean information about tastes and preferences, shopping habits, income levels, alcohol consumption, dietary concerns, and more. You should also think about what we can't necessarily assume based on one photograph of one moment in time. Then you'll write two to three paragraphs about the experience in your class notebooks. Reminder: Incorporate at least two class readings!