Sociology of Food and Eating. Food Analysis-Hamburger. Social Essay

I will attach word doc containing rubric for grading and specific intructions. Please use only scholarly sources as references and in addition to them, include all 5 of mine.

Food Analysis: It’s more than what’s on your plate

Choose a dish or a food item that is meaningful to you. Your task is to tell the story of the dish, or the main ingredient(s) used to make the dish, and then explore this food from a sociological perspective. Even though you are writing about a food that you have a personal relationship with, your essay must draw on academic sources that you cite properly. This is a scholarly paper as opposed to a personal essay. 

You will use this assignment as an opportunity to answer questions like: Where does this dish/food/ingredient come from? How have social forces like colonial trade, slavery, migration, war, contemporary international trade deals, and/or other factors, shaped this dish/ingredient? How is this food produced in the industrial food system and what are its environmental impacts? What politics are bound up in this food today? Whose labour does this food require? Who benefits from the production of this food and who loses in out? In what ways? How is gender, race, indigeneity or class produced through this food? While this is a scholarly work and not food memoir, I nevertheless want you to explain why this food is meaningful to you. Make sure to include a short paragraph in your essay (no more than 250 words) in which you describe the food and explain its importance to you.

* Note that you do not need to answer all the questions in this paragraph in your essay.
The assignment was divided into 2 parts. STEP 1 was me creating an outline and a research question for my essay (STEP 2). Main goal is to create a 1000-1200 words essay about the above described with incorporating what I have included as my first step along with more sources.

This was my STEP 1 assignment:
*please use these sources and some of these ideas need to be incorporated as well as other sources in the essay.
*please ONLY use scholarly sources for all the sources.
*please construct a better research question based on the one I have already provided in step 1 of the assignment and incorporate my professor’s feedback below:
Research questionà How has the history of the fast-food Hamburger in the United States had an impact on society, and how did it become the modern-day family dinner?
*******My professor advised me to improve and construct a better thesis question than the one I have written above^, and advised me to formulate my new thesis question by focusing on: how the industrial food system shaped the American family dinner and the role of the hamburger in this.

This was the first step of the essay I completed:
-research question
-summary of main points and idea of the essay: Since the 1950s the epitome of an all-American meal has been a hamburger and French-fries (Schlosser, 2001). The food culture in America has changed more in the last couple of years than it has in the last thousands of years (Schlosser, 2001). The fast-food industry has contributed to modern culture and society. Many books and articles revise how social forces have shaped this meal and in turn how this meal has shaped the economy and society. The hamburger is a modern-day quick, cheap, and satisfying meal option (Howse, Hankey, Allman-Farinelli, Bauman, & Freeman, 2018). What was served in diners, has now become franchised and available to the mass (Hurely, 1997). However, Freund and Martin, explain the negative environmental impacts of today’s eating habits. Food such as a McDonald’s meal hamburger has become the staple of a contemporary lifestyle. The consumption of such meals has become oversaturated (Rogers, 2008). This poses a threat to the future of food culture and a healthy society.
-Annotated Bibliography
Freund, P., & Martin, G. (2008). Fast Cars/Fast foods: Hyperconsumption and its health and

environmental consequences. Social Theory & Health, 6(4), 309-322. doi:http://dx(dot)doi(dot)org(dot)ezproxy(dot)lib(dot)ryerson(dot)ca/10.1057/sth.2008.10.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
This article presents an economic outlook on fast-food. The authors discuss the ecological cost of fast-food industry production and consumption. Freund and Martin describe the negative impacts of fast foods and emphasize on the ecological footprint left due to the consumption of such goods. They criticize the relationship between the fast-food industry, environment, and public health. Hence, this article allows me to argue how fast-food consumption is largely represented in the modern era, and the many threats of fast-food franchising and the industrial food system.

Howse, E., Hankey, C., Allman-Farinelli, M., Bauman, A., & Freeman, B. (2018). ‘Buying salad

            is a lot more expensive than going to McDonalds’: Young adults’ views about what

            influences their food choices. Nutrients, 10(8), 996.    

            doi:http://dx(dot)doi(dot)org(dot)ezproxy(dot)lib(dot)ryerson(dot)ca/10.3390/nu10080996

This article provided research on dietary behaviors and factors influencing food choice.                  the authors investigate ecological and economic reasons behind young adults deciding on a McDonald’s meal and not a healthier option, such as a salad. The participants of the research share notions behind their unhealthy dietary choices and greatly attribute their decisions to cost and enjoyment of food. This research will serve for me to conceptualize McDonald’s as a modern-day meal and the reasons behind its popularity.

Hurley, A. (1997). From Hash House to Family Restaurant: The Transformation of the Diner and          Post-World War 2 Consumer Culture. The Journal of American History, 83(4), 1282- 1308. doi:10.2307/2952903                                                                                                            This article describes the historical transformation of American consumer habits due to                changes in American society that influenced where and how people ate their meals.                     Hurley describes a shift in consumer culture due to a new daily living pattern. He argues             how a major point in history, such as World War 2, transformed not only society but     much more. The article presents a prime example of integrating sociology with food and      eating as there are mentions of food distribution and class inequality. The author focuses on how societal changes promoted the transformation of the diner industry, specifically, and so the food manufacturing market. In this article, Hurley shares surveyed observations which allow me to converse about the obvious food market changes shaped by historical and societal factors.
                                                                                             
Rodgers, S. (2008). Technological innovation supporting different food production philosophies           in the food service sectors. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality           Management, 20(1), 19-34. doi:10.1108/09596110810848541                                         

Rogers reports on fresh food and fast food production technologies and philosophies.               The author describes and compares the nutritional value and quality of these opposed                    foods. She presents an introduction to the foodservice market revenue and describes                 the benefits of both fresh food and fast food production. This information allows me to                  argue who benefits from the production of this food, in which way and what politics             promote its ongoing success and future development.
Schlosser, E. (2001). Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-american meal Houghton Mifflin.

This book offers a historical focus on the ultimate American meal, known as a hamburger and french fries. The author provokes thought of the ingredients in the rarely questioned food, many Americans consume at least three times a week. He emphasizes how fast food is now a fact of modern life. This article allows me to argue how the fast-food industry has influenced many social aspects, and thus, how it has largely contributed to transforming the American diet along with the economy. I will further use this information to challenge whether fast food is a mere manifestation of popular culture or personal choice.

STEP 2:
Building on the research you did for the outline and annotated bibliography, write a 1000-1200 word essay. This is a short essay so you will have to focus your thoughts and choose only a few points you wish to make. Make sure to provide scholarly research that is properly cited to back up the arguments you will make. You are expected to have done more research since you handed in the essay outline in October. If this research has changed the way you approach the topic, that is OK. Do not worry if your thesis has shifted because of what you have learned.

 
Essay structure
Introduction checklist:
- Thesis statement (your argument, your theory about the case, what you are trying to prove through your writing)
 - Define the scope of your paper (What are you going to be writing about? Metadiscourse will help you lay it out clearly. For example: “In this paper, I will argue that the growing popularity of quinoa has disrupted gender roles in Bolivia for three reasons.”
- So what? Why is this important? In the case of your assignment this will either be your personal connection to the food or the reason why this is an important issue to you or to society.

The body of the essay:
Structure your argument in such a way that you support your thesis statement in every section (don’t get distracted by irrelevant--but interesting--material)
Argument structure: CLAIM (your point)
REASON (what your point is based on, drawing from your research)
EVIDENCE (why does this particular piece of evidence, generated from your research, support your claim?). This can include recognizing counter arguments or evidence that doesn’t support your thesis.

What is evidence?
Evidence supports your argument, showcases your research, and convinces the reader of your point. All evidence must be from reliable sources, it must be cited correctly and it has to relate to the point you are making. Types of evidence include: quotes from your sources; case examples that you paraphrase; statistical information; historical examples; original sources like cookbooks, recipes, news reports from credible sources. All evidence must be cited with in-text citations. These citations must then be listed in the bibliography or reference list.

How to write a paragraph:
1. Main idea: Every paragraph needs a topic sentence that fits in the scope of the paper’s topic, as set out by your thesis.
2. Main idea of this paragraph: this develops the HOW or the WHY that you are arguing in your paper.
3. Evidence: this can be a quote or, better yet, paraphrased material from your research.
4. Analysis: Here you explain why this is evidence and how it is supports your main point.
5. The last sentence will wrap up the paragraph and set up the transition to the next idea.
***ONE point per paragraph that connects to the thesis!***

What do I put in my conclusion?
Here you will paraphrase your argument (thesis) and concisely explain to the reader how you have supported your argument. You can revisit the question that you asked in your introduction and explain to the reader again why this is an important topic. Some work will include a reflection in the conclusion of what questions this work raises and where future work might focus.

DO NOT:
1.Do not tell the story of your food. But rather analyse HOW it came to be, WHY it is like this, WHAT are the social implications of this.
2. How nutritious a food is, what its health properties are, etc are not relevant to the course.
*Yes, you can use the first person singular, “I,” in your writing. I will argue that...

The marking rubric is attached in a separate document.