Above are two retail locations near where I live. There’s a local supermarket called Bravo Supermarket and a Target, like a block or 2 down the street. Not pictured above is a Whole Foods across from Target. I usually go shopping at Target because I believe it’s a bit cheaper and has a greater variety of foods (produce, dairy, and snacks.) My mother, on the other hand, likes to go shopping at Bravo because for her it’s more convenient since they have vegetables like plantains, yams/sweet potatoes, and squash, which she uses a lot in her cooking. However, more recently she has recognized that for 5 items at Bravo, you end up spending at least $50-70. This reminds me of chapter 4 of Will Work for Food because once a retail giant enters the neighborhood, prices of everything skyrocket. Everything has become so expensive that we can’t even buy a short food haul for when we are running low on things. The prices have caused us to make an hour’s journey to Dyckman for when we need to do a bigger food haul. Bravo has probably increased their prices to compete with Target and Whole Foods so they can afford the rent and their employees. A few years ago it wasn’t like this; things were a bit affordable, but now they aren’t, and I believe it’s because of Target and Whole Foods in the neighborhood.

Question: How does retail giants opening storefronts in marginalized communities affect access to culturally relevant food/food in general and the prices associated with those foods?

This week there has been a bit of shade thrown between the fast food giants. The McDonald’s CEO took a small bite of a new burger, or “product,” which caused people to analyze the video more deeply. Since then other fast food CEOs have been taking shots at McDonald’s, including Wendy, whose president is above cooking “fresh never frozen” beef for a burger and whose Frosty machine is working better than McDonald’s McFlurry machine. This video highlights the difference between the fast food giants’ kitchens and quality; Wendy’s is allegedly fresher/better than McDonald’s “beef.”

Question: How does knowing what is inside your fast food impact the way you eat? OR Who is the target audience of the TikTok and how are class dynamics playing into it?

Question: How does the kitchen from above and the kitchen from your local fast food chain differ?

Women Belong In The Kitchen — But It’s Not What You Think

The article above is challenging the phrase/insult most women have probably heard in their lives, “You belong in the kitchen.” The article explains why that insult doesn’t really work and helps us rethink/restructure our thinking when we hear it. The kitchen is a place that brings families nourishment, but it’s also a place where marginalized communities unite to share ideas that can change society. Mlaba writes, “The argument here is not that women actually do belong in the kitchen, but rather that women shouldn’t be underestimated. The kitchen is not the prison that the patriarchy imagined it would be, largely because the society that coined the phrase failed to grasp what women could actually accomplish in a kitchen.” This right here perfectly encapsulates what it actually means to truly belong in the kitchen; it’s not a prison but a sanctuary.

Question: Is it possible in the future that we see the reclaiming and changing of what it means to “belong in the kitchen”?

The TikTok above shows us how racism impacts the type of cuisine and restaurants available in communities with POC. He explains how the myth of the model minority and the Chinese Exclusion Act led to Chinese immigrants being able to open restaurants in Black communities, but Blacks couldn’t open restaurants in their own communities. That is so interesting to me because in my neighborhood there are about 2-4 Chinese restaurants like a block or 2 apart, showing you how prevalent it is to this day.

Question: How has structural racism limited Black restauranteurs from opening restaurants in communities of color while allowing other POCs/immigrants to open restaurants?

This TikTok talks about a new store that has popped up all over New York called Wonder. Wonder is a store trying to compete with other fast foods by controlling the food’s quality, timing, and delivery compared to others who try to control freshness. The CEO of Wonder isn’t a chef; he’s a businessman, which, to me, means his opinion and business model aren’t really about the food but money. The idea of Wonder can and will have catastrophic effects on how consumers eat. We might see higher delivery prices, fewer restaurants owned by the “small” people, and private equity controlling what’s left.

Question: Does knowing the business/money aspect of how food companies run affect your dining experience? If so, how?

This TikTok does a good job at explaining Sysco and its impact on local restaurants. The most interesting part is the local restaurateur being interviewed and how she uses local farms and people to make her dishes. This video highlights how “farm-to-table” and other labels can sometimes be misleading.

Question: How does the monopoly Sysco has on food distribution affect small/local distribution/restaurants? How can we counteract their impact?