Prepared Meal

Two weeks ago, I went home for the weekend, and I prepared a meal for my girlfriend and myself. She was very skeptical because she knows my cooking skills (or the lack there of). I went to her town's grocery store. It's very basic. When I say her "town's" grocery store, it consists of about 6 aisles total (she lives amongst 700 people).

The meal consisted of spaghetti, garlic bread, and Caesar salad. I bought the necessary items at the grocery store and my total came to $24.53 after purchasing the sauces and dressings.

We set up at the house, preheating the oven for the garlic bread and boiling water for the spaghetti. I took the spaghetti out of the package and added it to the water once it was boiling. In the meantime, I buttered the French bread and heavily salted it with garlic seasoning. It was then put into the oven for crunchiness and browning.

I washed the head of lettuce and took off the outer part of the head and discarded the off-colored pieces. I then stripped pieces off of the head and put it into a big bowl with croutons, tomatoes, and cheese. Once I had the amount of lettuce I wanted, I continued to stir in the dressing to give it a uniform coat.

My girlfriend prepared the table, since I did the cooking for once. While she did that, I took the spaghetti out of the pan and strained the water into the sink. I then mixed the Ragu sauce in with the spaghetti and later took out the garlic bread.

Once everything was on the table we finally began the homemade meal. I got a surprisingly good review, and we had plenty of time to eat the meal and just talk.

Michael Pollan says that many Americans typically don't enjoy their food anymore. I agree with him that we live in an "eat-and-go" society. I coach freshman baseball, and I am a perfect example of what Pollan describes. I often grab something quickly and eat it while walking to my moped. I very rarely get to sit down and just enjoy a meal. Making this meal actually made me realize how much I missed supper time at my house.

I usually hate making food, but this wasn't actually that bad. I feel like when I get out on my own and can maintain a sustainable income, I will be able to do this sort of thing more often.

The American mentality of eating out has become an "essential part of the working diet," and many people think it's cheaper to eat out then stay at home. I feel that many people are taking the easy way out. In many cases, you don't have to spend that much to get a decent home-cooked meal. Oftentimes you can reuse the items you buy for one meal for another meal later in the week. I feel like the amount of laziness in America also contributes to the lifestyles we lead.

I agree that in some cases, fast food and eating out may be cheaper and more convenient, but it is nowhere near the healthiest option for Americans.

Peer Response to Purple Cow: Health Care Reform

Ivan wrote about the newly passed legislation on Health Care Reform. He first discusses those who are in favor of the bill, the progressives. He looked at the article written by the NAACP. He did a good job in stating their beliefs that the bill will benefit the middle class and tax the upper classes. I feel that there are many more groups than just the NAACP that are all on the same boat in this regard.

The middle class is finally getting their cut in my opinion. Many people of the middle class cannot afford the pricey health care provided as of now, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions. Many people walk around without insurance, and when tragedies strike, their families are forced to bite the bullet.

Ivan later goes on to talk about the conservatives point of view on the bill, extensively discussing Rick Crawford's take. Crawford thinks that Democrats have given the illusion to the American people that costs will be cut for the middle class, when in his opinion they will not be. He also feels that it isn't right to tax a single group of people (the upper class) during this recession that we are trying to get through.

I disagree with Mr. Crawford thoroughly as he's trying to protect his voters who often are of upper class status. His reasoning for his statements don't carry much weight in my opinion, as the upper class can handle a tax raise. Even in these tough times, upper class members can still keep their lifestyles going, so they can afford to pay more for a good cause and for their fellow countrymen.

I am very progressive when it comes to this matter in that the taxes for the upper class should be higher regardless of the health bill, simply because it's common sense. If you make x amount more money than someone who makes 40,000 dollars a year, you should be able to dip into your paycheck for more tax.

I agreed with Ivan's view and felt that he did a good job in projecting different articles on a highly controversial topic in today's news.

Two Comparison Articles

Issue: Abortion
-Pro-Life article
-Pro-Choice article

I am choosing to discuss a very controversial subject: abortion. I have two articles posted, one in favor of pro-life and one in the opposition.

The pro-life article discusses the moral judgments one has to make when deciding to get an abortion. It also talks about the many side effects that come with getting an abortion. Some side effects and other risks include blocked fallopian tubes, scarring of uterine wall, and many other complications. Having an abortion may also disallow women from conceiving again, or at least leaving open to the possibility of miscarriages, stillbirths, and premature births in further pregnancy attempts. Finally, having an abortion may lead to the development of breast and uterine cancers.

In the pro-choice article, the author gives real-life accounts of doctors who have performed abortions. One anecdote tells of a young woman, 16 years old, who consistently picketed outside the abortion clinic that the doctor worked at. The doctor then tells us that that same girl came in six months later and got an abortion performed without complication, and within a month after her pregnancy was aborted, ran right back to the picket lines.

What I took from this article is that many woman of many different religions and backgrounds can make the stand to be Pro-Life, but when they are faced with an unwanted pregnancy, the Hippocratic mindset often comes into play.

I believe that the pro-choice article is more convincing because it gives detailed accounts and facts as to the effects of abortions. It doesn't just give the possible side effects and complications. Childbirth in itself is always a risk, so I feel as though the pro-life article was just bringing up the what-ifs and didn't give real-life stories.

My personal opinion is very complicated on the topic. I was born and raised a Roman Catholic, so this right away brings many factors into play. My mother is a strong, 100% conservative when it comes to abortion, but our views differ in this category. I have friends that have been sexually assaulted and have had unwanted pregnancies due to said assaults. To ask a 17-year old girl to keep a child simply because it's morally correct when they have just went through the most traumatic event in their life is an outrage in my opinion.

My friend had this happen to her. She had trouble at home, so she moved in with one of our friends and her dad. The dad was over forty years old and had four kids at the time. He sexually assaulted her for over three months while she was living there. She was a mess when she came to school, and we all wondered what the problem was. She was an amazing track athlete, but she quit about a month after moving in with her friend. She tried to go home, but she wasn't welcome.

She later found out she was pregnant with her friend's dad, and then she ended up moving in with her aunt. She soon had an abortion. I realized this story is quite extreme, but it happens to many young girls. Someone in her situation should not be looked down upon for any reason. This story really changed my thinking on the issue, and will forever remain an eerie realization of what happens to young women every day.