Viewers choices..

            This wasn’t the first time I saw the documentary, Food Inc. but this time definitely made a different impact on me.  I think this time was different from the first time because of the people’s reactions.  I watched the movie the first time on my own by myself, I was definitely shocked but didn’t let it impact me that much.  Watching the movie with other people and seeing their reaction made me look at the movie differently.  I came to realize how gross the documentary actually was.  The way that so few companies control one aspect of how food is made is shocking.  Also, the way that they quickly mass-produce food is gross.  It makes me worried about the kinds of food that I am putting into my body.  I disregard checking food labels and eat out from time to time and I don’t even think twice about it.  I am so uninformed about the foods I eat. 

After watching the movie I am really convinced that I need to eat organic foods.  I want to help the little businesses and by doing so I am more informed about the foods that I am eating.  I can make healthier choices and eat less processed foods.  I also wish Wal-Mart would stay out of the organic market.  I know they just want to make money but it makes me sad that they have to get involved in an industry that can be run on their own.  Overall, I thought the movie was really intense and maybe too intense for a class roommate setting.  People should be more informed about what their eating but make their own choices about what they’re watching.  

Chick Flick?

          As Melissa McCarthy hosts Saturday Night Live for her second time this past Saturday, it sparked my interest to write a blog about her and women in comedy.  As an overweight woman comedienne, she constantly uses to weight to get a laugh from people.  On SLN this weekend she did a sketch where she plays a woman interested in starting a business for eating people’s left over pizza.  This sketch would not have worked had she not been an overweight actress.  In Bridesmaids, her weight adds to the comedy as she plays an overly sexual woman.  Her part works well and it can be argued that she is the best part of the movie.  With Bridesmaids in mind it brings me to my next point, are women funny?  In another class of mine we have to act out a movie or tv show where there is a conflict and then figure out a way to solve that conflict.  When Bridesmaid was brought up the boys immediately shot the idea down saying the movie “wasn’t funny”.  As soon as that statement was made I started quoting the movie and the boys starting cracking up.  So if the quotes are funny then why don’t they think the movie’s funny?  I actually went and saw Bridesmaids with one of my guy friends and he also said the movie wasn’t funny and that it was a chick flick.  Now this is something I don’t understand.  A movie with all women as the lead roles is a chick flick and not funny.  I don’t know about everyone else but when I think of a chick flick I think of The Notebook or Dear John.  Movies where there is love, romance and crying, not a movie like Bridesmaids.  Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy kill it in Bridesmaid and on SNL.  I think they deserve more credit than they actually get, women ARE funny.

Group Project: Superheroes

Group Members: Lauren Kruger-Patchin, Allyson Burger, Dylan Miller, Lauren Rich, Dana Baele

Topic: Superheroes

Argument: They've changed and it can negatively affect children.

http://youtu.be/U7YpjUCtnGU

Troubled Ties with Twitter

              I was really intrigued by the article titled “Tall Tales, Truth and My Twitter Diet.”  As an avid hater of Twitter, I can’t help but be fascinated by this use of social media.  Many people use Twitter to inform others about their lives, find news or keep in contact with their friends but this is a new idea. 

The author, Brian, uses Twitter to help himself along his weight lose journey.  He uses it rather as a tool to keep himself accountable for his diet.  He keeps track of what he eats and even posts about different times he struggles. He can use this social media to report his success to his followers and in return, they can provide their encouragement for him.  He said at first he struggled but the more followers he gained the more responsible he felt to keep with this diet. 

Through this Twitter diet, he was able to connect with people he didn’t even know.  One woman named Victoria said she had also lost 50 lbs. along with him.   He also inspired his brother to track his weight loss as well.  I was really impressed by how he was able to use this social media site for something other than it’s basic use.  I too feel inspired by this story to use Twitter in an unconventional way.  It opened my eyes a bit to the possibilities of Twitter and the multiple uses of the site.  I would be interested in finding more Twitter users that have taken advantage of the site in a similar way.  For once, I found some attractiveness to Twitter, #winning.

Web Food

            Finally a topic I can get really excited about, Food.  I am qualified to discuss the topic of food because of the many hours I spend watching the cooking channel, my independent food photography posted on Instagram and of course, a consumer of food.  Now that we understand my superb qualifications, I’d like to discuss the article titled “How the Web is Changing the Way We Eat.” 

There were a few lines that caught my interest.  The first was talking about how “eating is no longer just about privately savoring a meal… Taking picture of our food and posting them online.” This made me think about the many pictures of food I have personal posted on the Internet.  It’s not just about enjoying a meal anymore; it’s about sharing that meal with people over the Internet and almost bragging in a sense about what you’re eating.  Which leads me to my next point, another point made in the article.  It states,” is not necessarily going to be judging restaurants by their culinary merits, but they’ll be judging restaurants based on a social experience.”  This reminds me of my favorite restaurant back in Indianapolis.  People focus more on the social aspect of the restaurant.  I don’t think the restaurant would have grown in popularity had it not been all over the Internet.  It seems that daily I will see a picture from one of my friends at home posting a picture of their wonderful plate of food. 

In conclusion I do believe the Internet is changing the way people eat.  It has a large impact on the places we visit and can also play a very beneficial role for the restaurant.  It serves the people as a way to review a restaurant and can also act as free advertising.  I think the web will continue to impact the way we eat.

Funny People

Women aren't funny? Since when aren't women funny? Some of my favorite funny people are women but maybe that's because I am a woman! As I was reading the first two articles, it made me think of a time I was involved with a situation with a friend who didn't want to see a movie because it was a "comedy for girls".  The movie, Bridesmaids was mentioned in the third article.  This movie is one of my favorite movies of all time! The lead actors are women and they do a wonderful job at being funny.  When I first suggested seeing this movie to my friend he was reluctant and argued with me about seeing it.  He laughed throughout the whole movie but still to this day he tells me it wasn't funny.  I'm not understanding that.  Is it a guy thing? Can guys not enjoy movies where the funny people are women?  From what I see on television women comedians are becoming more popular.  You can see more of them on SNL or comedy central and they are even the leads in popular shows like 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation.  I think people need to be more accepting of the changes that are happening in television and movies.  Women can be just as funny as men. It makes me happy when I see my favorite funny people, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, getting the recognition that they deserve.  They were able to light up the stage at the Golden Globes with their hilarious one liners.  I hope these women and others can help change the face of comedy.