Reflection 1: A Table for One—On Eating Alone

The Buddha is said to have once proclaimed: “There is no joy in eating alone.” Today, that seems to be a sentiment shared by many Americans. Though day-to-day life may increasingly compel us to eat alone, Americans generally disdain solo dining, especially in public. But why? Why does eating alone inspire so much dread in people? For this reflection you must have one meal in public—alone. As you do so, consider: Are you enjoying it? Are you uncomfortable? What, if anything, do you do in addition to eating? Finally, why are Americans are so averse to eating in public by themselves—and what circumstances makes eating alone acceptable in most people's eyes?

Note: The meal you have alone needn't be anything extravagant. The point is simply to eat by yourself, be it in a cafe, food court, restaurant, or cafeteria. Also, remember that dinner is often thought by Americans be the most challenging meal to have alone. For an additional challenge, try a solo meal without the use of any electronics (e.g. phone or tablet).

Include two of the following texts in your discussion:

• "The Essential Guide to Dinning Alone" (Thrillist)
• "What’s It Like to Eat Alone in a Restaurant Every Night for a Week?" (Buzzfeed)
• "Table for One: If You Can Get Past the Stigma, Dining Alone Can be a Joy" (National Review)
• "Table for One: The Controversial Art of Dining Solo" (Salon)
• "Why You Should Go Out to Eat Alone" (Huffington Post)
• "'Where Are Your friends?' I’m Not Lonely — I’m Eating Alone to Enjoy My Own Company" (Washington Post)

Mechanics:

• 1-1.5 pages in length
• MLA Style
• Include works cited page

Due: Thu 9.6

Food News 8.28

• Too soon? Pumpkin Spice Latte's are coming early this year, as in today (Business Insider)
• YouTube's Donal Skehan takes an eating tour of LA's best tacos (YouTube)
• Eating keto is giving a lot of people diarrhea (Men's Health)
• In case you're wondering: Yes, humans still waste way too much food (Popular Science)
•  Netflix is the new and future home of The Great British Baking Show in the US (UPI)
• Also: Netflix is calling its upcoming The Final Table, a "global culinary competition" (Delish)

 

Multimedia Presentations

This semester, you and a partner (or partners) will be responsible for a 10-minute multimedia presentation.

Requirements:

• The presentation must be approximately 10 minutes in length 
• There should be 10-12 slides (including introduction and conclusion) and should contain least one video clip—absolutely no more than three minutes in length 
• On the day of your presentation, email your presentation (or a link) to me at dhdelao@gmail.com

You may utilize any presentation program you like (e.g PowerPoint, Prezi, Keynote). However, please sort out any technical issues before your presentation date (our room's projection system can be found throughout campus).

The best presentations will:

• Have an introductory slide which contextualizes the topic—very important Use words economically 
• Include visually interesting illustrations—gifs are also acceptable 
• Avoid a heavy use of animation and effects 
• Have a style that complements the subject matter and strikes the appropriate tone 
• Engage the class through a conversational style, utilizing questions and/or activities 
• Embed a relevant video or audio clip (e.g. YouTube)—ad blockers are time savers 
• Conclude with a slide that summarizes the topic—also very important 

This is an opportunity to be creative, so feel free to have fun with the visual design of your presentation.

Lower scoring presentations might:

• Begin without an introductory slide and/or fail to offer any context upfront 
• Be thinly researched 
• Allow visuals to overrun their content or lack a cohesive style 
• Fail to engage the class in any meaningful way—this is often achieved by reading an entire presentation 
• Lack multimedia 
• End without a concluding slide

Remember, you must provide your own laptop. Also, Macs will require an Apple-specific adapter to connect to the university’s projection system. Newer model PCs with HDMI-only connections will also require special adapters.

Also:

• You must present from a downloaded version of your presentation (e.g. PowerPoint, Keynote); DO NOT present directly from Google Docs online 
• Presentations without an introduction and/or conclusion cannot score higher than a C 
• You may be docked for a lack of preparedness

Topics:

1. Starbucks: Inside the Empire 
2. Aphrodisiacs: The Myths and Realities 
3. The Irish Potato Famine of 1845 
4. In the Mess Hall: What Soldiers Eat 
5. A History of the American Breakfast 
6. The Foods of Colonial America 
7. On Your Marks, Get Set, Bake: Inside the Great British Bake Off 
8. Food on Film: Four Iconic Scenes 
9. Tailgating: The Essential Guide 
10. So You Want to be a Chef? 
11. Food of the Gods: Five Holy Foods 
12. Just One of the Guys?: Understanding Women and Alcohol 
13. A Brief History of Cannibalism 
14. The Six Healthiest Foods You’re Not Eating 
15. The Rise (and Fall) of the Gourmet Cupcake
16. Dining at the White House: State Dinner Protocol
17. Nachos, Mozzarella Sticks, and Fortune Cookies: How America Transformed Mexican, Italian, and Chinese Foods
18. Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill: Knowing Basic Food Safety
19. Cooking 101: Five Techniques Everyone Should Know 
20. A Brief History of Dessert
21. The Foods of Fairy Tales
22. BBQ: An American Love Affair
23. All About Food Trucks
24. Chocolate 101
25. Now on Sale: The Psychology of Supermarkets 

Dates:

Sec. 2: 

Week 6: Tue 9.25/Thu9.27

1. Jerry Y., Vicky H., and Paola G. - A Brief History of Cannibalism 
2. Connor M. and Timmy M. - A Brief History of Dessert

Week 7: Tue 10.2/Thu 10.4

1. Victor N. and Eric N. - In the Mess Hall: What Soldiers Eat  
2. Stacy P. and Adelaida M. - Dining at the White House: State Dinner Protocol

Week 8: Tue 10.9/Thu 10.11

1. Timothy V. and Bao P. - The Six Healthiest Foods You’re Not Eating 
2. Julianne E. and Mariah F. - Chocolate 101

Week 9: Tue 10.16/Thu 10.18

1. James U., Julio A., and Christian R. - Food on Film: Four Iconic Scenes 
2. Nikolle A., Maelee R., and Prem D. - Just One of the Guys?: Understanding Women and Alcohol 

Week 10: Tue 10.23/Thu 10.25

1. Sara D. and Carmen C. - The Rise (and Fall) of the Gourmet Cupcake
2. Rafael V. and Alex W. - The Irish Potato Famine of 1845 

Sec. 8: 

Week 6: Tue 9.25/Thu9.27

1.  Peter M., Aaron E., and Alexander C.- BBQ: An American Love Affair
2. Risha (Dhirtitapa) R. and Adeline M. - The Foods of Fairy Tales

Week 7: Tue 10.2/Thu 10.4

1.  Marina B., John B., and Yarisel H. - A Brief History of Cannibalism 
2. Amanda P. and Kayla P. - A History of the American Breakfast

Week 8: Tue 10.9/Thu 10.11

1.  Bryan M. and Marcello M. - Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill: Knowing Basic Food Safety

Week 9: Tue 10.16/Thu 10.18

1.  David C. and Evalina M. - Food of the Gods: Five Holy Foods 
2. Emmanuel Z., Vijay S., and Nancy Vo - Now on Sale: The Psychology of Supermarkets

Week 10: Tue 10.23/Thu 10.25

1.  Erica L. and Abigail E. - All About Food Trucks

Week 11: Tue 10.30/Thu 11.1

1.  Charles Y., Kelly P., and Montserrat S. - Nachos, Mozzarella Sticks, and Fortune Cookies: How America Transformed Mexican, Italian, and Chinese Foods

Week 13: Tue 11.13/Thu 11.15

1.  Justin Y. and Danielle M. - The Six Healthiest Foods You’re Not Eating