The Pleasures of Eating – Wendell Berry
“If they think beyond that, they recognize that they are passive consumers. They buy what they want – or what they have been persuaded to want – within the limits of what they can get. They pay, mostly without protest, what they are charged. And they mostly ignore certain critical questions about the quality and the cost of what they are sold.”

“The passive American consumer, sitting down to a meal of pre-prepared or fast food, confronts a platter covered with inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, dyed, breaded, sauced, gravied, ground, pulped, strained, blended, prettified, and sanitized beyond resemblance to any part of any creature that ever lived” (2).

Fast Food Nation – Eric Schlosser
“The typical American now consumes approximately three hamburgers and four orders of french fries every week” (5).

The Eat Right For Your Blood Type Diet - Peter D'Adamo
"Peter J. D'Adamo, ND, the author of Eat Right for Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight, believes blood types affect the digestive system and that some foods good for people of one type are "dangerous" for another" (1).

Like our religious beliefs, our diets are often based on a personal choice. For some who were raised on a vegetarian diet, the choice was made for them at an early age by their caregivers. For others they've made a conscious choice to eat this way. Still others throw "caution to the wind" and eat as they damn well please.

For me I enjoy my protein in the form of meat. I've been raised in a family of "meat-eaters" and never gave it much thought until now. After viewing the movie Food, Inc. and reading materials that I've researched, my views on a vegetarian diet have changed tremendously. I suffer with acid reflex that at times can't be controlled. After reading the research stating that your blood type can effect your digestive tract I'm beginning to think it could be a possibility. For me this has been an eye-opening experience and one that will leave an impact on my personal life.

For our oral history project our research topic focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of being a vegetarian. To find this out we conducted two interviews, one with a health food store owner and another with a dietitian. Melissa Pickell, R.D is a registered dietitian who owns her own practice in Stockon New Jersey. Her main focus is weight loss, special diets, and health coach. Our interview was conduct at the home of Melissa Pickell in Flemington New Jersey on April 12, 2011 at 6:00pm. Our interview consisted of questions about her being a vegetarian, cures for illness/diseases, different types of food, and the diet of a vegetarian. The goal for our interview was to get knowledge from a professional perspective regardless to vegetarianism. Mainly we stayed on topic, but there was one incident when Leo, Melissa’s cat interrupted during the interview. Overall the interview was successful and we completed the necessary task. 

Our second interview was conduct with a health food store owner, Dorothy Boody, one of the co-owners of Health Now, a health food store in Vineland New Jersey. The interview was conduct on April 9, 2011 at 4:00pm in the setting of her store at a table near the entrance.  She spoke about her experience as a vegetarian and her family's experiences with eating healthier food.  In particularly we were interested in the blood type diet. We wanted to ask questions since we knew she supported the idea. Dorothy explained that blood type diets feature heavily in her food philosophy, and as a result, she believes blood type A's are more likely to successfully live a vegetarian lifestyle. Many of her comments on ethics, today's food industry, and keeping fruits and vegetables in the diet speak to meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. Overall our interview went well but some segments may require an explanatory text slide before, but in general, most sound bites should stand alone as independent comments and/or stories. 

First interview with Melissa Pickell, R.D. [Sarah’s mother]:

Dietitician:

1. How can vegetarians get the essentials fats and nutrients only found in animal products?

2. How can you tell certain processed foods are guaranteed vegetarian?

3. What are some health disadvantages vegetarians have?

4. Are there any diseases or conditions that call for a strictly vegetarian diet?

5. Can vegetarianism be used to cure certain illnesses? 

Generic:

1. Do you find that you do not eat at fast food places as a vegetarian?

2. Is there any specific reason you chose to be a vegetarian? Religious? Moral? Health?

3. Do you know a lot of people who are vegetarian? If so, what are their reasons?

4. If you are one of few vegetarians that you know, is it hard to interact socially with others? (bbqs etc)

5. Is being a vegetarian a lifetime commitment for you? an experiment?
 
6. Are there any diseases or conditions that call for a strictly vegetarian diet?

7. Can vegetarianism be used to cure certain illnesses?

Dietitian/Health Store Questions: 

1. Describe a day in a life of a vegetarian. Are there challenges? What are your meals like?

2. Do you maintain a healthy weight?

3. Do you think restaurants do a good job serving vegetarian? What is your favorite restaurant and why?

4. Do supermarkets do a good job making foods products accessible?

5. Do vegetarians live a healthier lifestyle?  

6. How many calories a day are an appropriate amount in order to maintain your present body weight?

7. How do vegetarians receive the daily allowance of protein since they do not consume meat products?

8. Are vegetarians healthier overall because of their preferred choice of diet?

9. Do most vegetarians have low cholesterol?

10. Are vegetarians more or less susceptible to various infectious diseases? 

11. What is a vegetarian?

12. What are the typical reasons behind people's becoming vegetarians?

13. Are there different degrees of vegetarians? If so, what differentiates them from one another?

14. What are the health benefits of being a vegetarian?

15. What are the health shortcomings, or issues that require attention, for vegetarians?

16.  Why should, or should not, people become vegetarians? 

17. How can vegetarians get the essentials fats and nutrients only found in animal products? 

18. How can you tell certain processed foods are guaranteed vegetarian? 

19. What are some health disadvantages vegetarians have? 

20. Are there any diseases or conditions that call for a strictly vegetarian diet? 

21. Can vegetarianism be used to cure certain illnesses? 

Here are my questions for Sarah's mother [dietitian] . . . 

1] How many calories a day are an appropriate amount in order to maintain your present body weight?

2] How do vegetarians receive the daily allowance of protein since they do not consume meat products?

3] Are vegetarians healthier overall because of their preferred choice of diet?

4] Do most vegetarians have low cholesterol?

5] Are vegetarians more or less susceptible to various infectious diseases?

Here are my questions for a vegetarian . . .

1] Why do you prefer to be a vegetarian?

2] What are some advantages of being a vegetarian?

3] Are family members also vegetarian or did you choose this diet based on other circumstances?

4] What store brands would be recommended for a person who is just beginning a vegetarian diet?

5] Since vegetarians choose this diet to live a healthier lifestyle, do they still consume alcoholic beverages?

1] How accurate are food labels?

2] Why are healthy foods so much more expensive?

3] Why are young children in this generation so over weight?

4] Why is the government not more involved when pertaining to what we consume?

5] Are the chemicals that are injected into the animals harmful to the consumer?

6] How can fast food restaurants promote healthier food choices?

7] Why do people choose to become vegans?

8] Do financial difficulties have a direct impact pertaining to body weight?

9] As a consumer, how do you truly know the product is organic?

10] Are grade schools truly promoting children with healthier food choices?

What Is Oral History?

Oral history is a way to record and preserve your historical information pertaining to personal experiences or events that have occurred. It is a means to collect knowledge from past events in order to preserve the information for future reference. As stated in the article, What is Oral History,? “it is used to refer to formal, rehearsed accounts of the past presented by culturally sanctioned tradition-bearers; to informal conversations about ‘the old days’ among family members, neighbors, or coworkers; to printed compilations of stories told about past times and present experiences; and to recorded interviews with individuals deemed to have an important story to tell.”

I personally feel it is important to remember past events since it provides information from the past that we were not able to witness or experience ourselves. We tend to take the spoken word at face value, however, due to “the absence of audio- and videotape recorders--or digital recording devices--necessitated reliance on human note-takers, thus raising questions about reliability.” I’m sure for the most part the note-takers were jotting down exactly what was happening, however, should we always just assume what we read throughout a book holds true? It is pretty interesting to really think did all of this truly happen or did someone else add his/her own twist. . .

Conducting the Interview

While reading “Conducting the Interview” I found it very informative by providing assistance how to gather information through an interview. I feel it is beneficial to have the opportunity to speak with someone face to face in order to gain a true sense of their past by building this connection with one another. You are able hear the tone of their voice, view their facial expressions, make eye contact, and gain a true understanding of their story. When given the opportunity to interview someone for a project is completely different as if you were to read it out of a book. You are able to gain a better sense of that individual during a particular time period of their life. 

In Narrative Inquiry by Clandinin and Connelly, they speak of  a few examples to help support their ideas and reasoning of what narrative inquiry really is. As the reader, it was a very interesting piece in which one could display a connection with. The following are three quotes that I found most desirable when reading this article. 

1.] "With this sense of Dewey's foundational place in our thinking about narrative inquiry, our terms are personal and social (interaction); past, present, and future (continuity); combined with the notion of place (situation)" (Clandinin & Connelly 50).
As individuals, our past, present, and future help shape us into who we are today. We are able to gain a broader sense of ourselves and how we interact not only personally but socially as well. 

2.] "Telling stories of ourselves in the past leads to the possibility of retellings" (Clandinin & Connelly 60).
When speaking of past stories leads to the hopes of retelling by others in which it will continuously keep moving on.

3.] "As narrative inquirers, we share our writing on a work-in-progress basis with response communities" (Clandinin & Connelly 60).
As part of an requirement for Writing, Research, and Technology, we are consistently sharing our work with classmates to gain some feedback to help provide direction and guidance in our work.


Situating Narrative Inquiry by Clandinin was a lengthy article that was hard to gain my interest at first. With the anticipation of having to read thirty pages was dreading. Though I do feel the content of this article could have been shorter without having to drag out so much more information. The following are three quotes that I found most desirable when reading this article. 

1.] “The four turns are a change in the relationship between the researcher and the researched; a move from the use of number toward the use of words as data; a change from a focus on the general and universal toward the local and specific; and a widening in acceptance of alternative epistemologies or ways of knowing” (Clandinin 1).
There are different strategies and techniques that individuals use in order to gain some understanding. It is important to realize that not all may go about the same way to reach the necessary information needed when using narrative research.

2.] "Narrative inquiry, in both the collection and presentation of the data, allows clear arena for addressing questions of the trustworthiness of the data and their interpretations" (Clandinin 21).
When obtaining or presenting narrative inquiry, it allows others to decipher if the information is clear and concise. It also provides others to question the information and see if all makes sense. This well help bring clarity to those who may not be able to grasp the information at first.

3.] "The challenge now is to enter conversations with the rest of our communities to develop a method - a way of talking and asking and answering and making sense - that will allow narrative to flourish in this congenial moment for stories" (Clandinin 30).
It is important to effectively communicate with one another to gain an overall sense of unity. Without this, it would be very difficult to accomplish a task in order to create a narrative. It is important to try and help establish a form of communication in order to obtain narrative research.