What's Behind Fridge Number 1?
For my refrigerator "experiment" I traveled to the far land of Okemos to photograph my teammates neighbor's fridge. It belonged to the elderly couple of Nancy and Ben who were 67 and 70 years old respectively. I had no idea of what to expect of their fridge but I found it packed to the brim with different packages and containers. They were very inviting into their home and told me they used to love eating out but it's so much easier for them to eat at home. Nancy told me they love cooking at home and it's a way her and her husband can spend more time together, that's why their fridge is always full.
In the main body of the fridge there were many prepackages of salad which leads me to believe that they like to eat mostly healthy, I also did not happen to see any red meat . The combination of those two makes me think that Nancy and Ben are worried about their health in their older age since red meat is linked to Alzheimer's and dementia late in life. I asked Ben if they cook much meat at home and he revealed to me that Nancy has been trying a vegetarian diet recently and all the meat they have is frozen premade meals like chicken tenders which can be found in the freezer. All those packages made me think about what sort of pesticides could have been used on them like those described in Warning Signs: How Pesticides Harm the Young Brain. Even if the couple is not young all the pesticides that could be used on those greens cannot be a healthy build up over time. Another thing I noticed was that they really enjoy a variety of condiments and sauces since the door was absolutely full of them. I counted three bottles of soy sauce all of which were mostly empty. The freezer did not contain much but besides the two tubs of ice cream it had a few bags of vegetables and precooked chicken tenders. The ice cream (which they always have according to Nancy) leads me to believe that even thought they try to eat healthy Nancy and Ben can have their cheat days too.
The fridge reminded me of the Hungry Planet project with all the products laid out on the table. It gives you a better understanding of how someone lives without ever even talking to them. I asked the couple how much they spent on food monthly and they said between $650-$700 a month which totals to about $8,000 a year on food alone! That is almost $3,000 more than the national average on food. The packaged food they eat also made me think of Pandora's Lunchbox and how even though the couple believe to be eating healthy they may not be. All the food they have that comes prepackaged might not have all the health benefits that it claims it has on the package. The nutritious meal they're eating might not be so, even with all the money they put into the products they're buying. I learned quite a bit just from looking into someones refrigerator, without ever knowing someone I learned their eating habits, they way they like to spend their money on food, and the things they worry about in their food. All of which I would have never even thought about before this course.
In the main body of the fridge there were many prepackages of salad which leads me to believe that they like to eat mostly healthy, I also did not happen to see any red meat . The combination of those two makes me think that Nancy and Ben are worried about their health in their older age since red meat is linked to Alzheimer's and dementia late in life. I asked Ben if they cook much meat at home and he revealed to me that Nancy has been trying a vegetarian diet recently and all the meat they have is frozen premade meals like chicken tenders which can be found in the freezer. All those packages made me think about what sort of pesticides could have been used on them like those described in Warning Signs: How Pesticides Harm the Young Brain. Even if the couple is not young all the pesticides that could be used on those greens cannot be a healthy build up over time. Another thing I noticed was that they really enjoy a variety of condiments and sauces since the door was absolutely full of them. I counted three bottles of soy sauce all of which were mostly empty. The freezer did not contain much but besides the two tubs of ice cream it had a few bags of vegetables and precooked chicken tenders. The ice cream (which they always have according to Nancy) leads me to believe that even thought they try to eat healthy Nancy and Ben can have their cheat days too.
The fridge reminded me of the Hungry Planet project with all the products laid out on the table. It gives you a better understanding of how someone lives without ever even talking to them. I asked the couple how much they spent on food monthly and they said between $650-$700 a month which totals to about $8,000 a year on food alone! That is almost $3,000 more than the national average on food. The packaged food they eat also made me think of Pandora's Lunchbox and how even though the couple believe to be eating healthy they may not be. All the food they have that comes prepackaged might not have all the health benefits that it claims it has on the package. The nutritious meal they're eating might not be so, even with all the money they put into the products they're buying. I learned quite a bit just from looking into someones refrigerator, without ever knowing someone I learned their eating habits, they way they like to spend their money on food, and the things they worry about in their food. All of which I would have never even thought about before this course.