Sociology Course: Analyzing Concepts & Reflecting on Readings

This assignment delves into several key sociological concepts presented in various course readings. It begins by examining Duruz's 'Floating Food,' exploring the cultural nuances of 'Asian' cuisine in Western kitchens. It then analyzes Cohen's 'Consumer's Republic,' focusing on the politics of mass consumption in postwar America. The assignment further discusses Pollan's 'Omnivore's Dilemma,' addressing the technological aspects of food production and the choices consumers face. Brumberg's 'The Appetite as Voice' is analyzed, highlighting the biomedical issues related to eating disorders and cultural perceptions. Lastly, the assignment explores Roster's work on food insecurity in Australia, examining its causes and potential solutions through child and family services. The second part of the assignment discusses the importance of maintaining good health with reference to an article on food on Australian TV.

Running head: ARTS
Arts
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Part - 1
Floating Food
The article “Floating Food" written by the author Jean Duruz is an article in which the
author of the article talks about the various kinds of food which the author and his family had
come across during their travels in the worlds and experiencing the different types of food
which the human beings must have for themselves as well as the reason why the diets in the
different countries of the world have been referred to a s the floating foods of the world itself.
This is what the readers will discuss the in the essay written by themselves (Duruz 2010: 15)
In the article, it is clear to the readers themselves that the author in the article had
mentioned about the various kinds of foods which are available to the readers themselves in
the restaurants in the country of England as well as in the country of Australia itself. The
readers are told by the author about the differences in the quality of the food being made in
the countries itself. This will help the readers to understand the subject matter of the concept
of floating foods and the way the floating foods are being used in the markets of the country
itself. The author in the article itself provides an account of the journeys undertaken by the
British born character named James Maitland and his adventures in to the countries of
England and Singapore and trying out the various kinds of food which the protagonist of the
article found in the different countries which he had visited upon (Duruz 2010: 16).
The article by the author also tells the readers about the particular food named
OtakOtak and how this particular food is very popular in the marketplaces of Singapore and
the other countries of the world itself. The author also goes on to state the various facts about
the other kinds of food which are available to the tourist and the visitors in the markets of
Singapore ad also the other countries of the world itself and describes the various ways in

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which the chefs in these countries of the world prepares these foods for then tourists and the
visitors who visits the country themselves. The author also draws special attention to the
concept of the floating foods or the mobile food markets which are available in these parts of
the world so that the people of the world can come here and try the food for themselves
(Duruz 2010: 10).
Consumer’s Republic
In the article named “Consumer’s Republic”, the author has talked to the readers
about the subject matter of the massive amounts of consumption which takes place in the
country of America itself. The author in the course of the essay itself had stated to the readers
about the subject matter of the essay itself. In the essay, it can be stated that the author of the
essay, using her various instances and the examples for herself, had led to the problems of the
mass consumption of the food in the country of America itself. This is what the essay written
by the author will talk about in the essay itself (Cohen 2004: 18).
The author starts the essay by stating the facts that the country of America had
suffered a lot during the times of the Second World War and once the war was over, the
American Government, took it upon themselves to improve the amount of economy present
in the country itself. This weak economy could only be boosted by the production of the food
in the country. Therefore the country’s main aim at that time was to improve the economy of
the country at the tomes so that the country and the people would be able to get mote food for
the country to be prosperous again. This is what forms the basic analysis of the country and
its economic conditions at the end of the Second World War itself.

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Omnivore Paradox
In the book The Omnivore’s Dilemma by the author Michael Pollan, the author
Michael Pollan, had talked to the readers of the book about the technological factors which
goes into the making of the food for the human beings to eat for themselves. The author also
had laid down the various rules and the regulations about the basic needs of the human beings
themselves with the mention of the various foods that the humans should be having for their
lunch, dinner as well as the breakfast of the people of the country itself.
The author goes on to state the important facts in the book itself, in which the author
talks about the problems of the technologies in the country of the United States of America
itself, and what are the various ways in which the manufacturing of the foods of the country
ca be improved so that the humans can get the better quality of the food for themselves and
their family members as well (Pollan 2006: 23).
Thus, it is in this book by the author himself that the audience gets to know about the
subject matter of the crops in the fields of the United States itself and the various ways in
which the crops produced in the United States of America can help the country to overcome
the problems which it faced in the dilemma of not being able to produce the adequate amount
of food produced in the country itself. Thus, it is from the article itself that the readers get an
actual idea about how the foods are being produced in the country itself and how the people
of the country can decide for themselves what they want to eat for themselves during their
lunch or dinner time (Pollan 2006: 28).
The Appetite as Voice
In this article named The Appetite as Voice, the author by Joan Jacobs Brumberg has
brought out the usefulness of the food in the different countries so they can highlight the
biomedical issues in this scenario (Brumberg 1997: 16). In cases of mental illness, the

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cultures of the sufferers do not have to be criticized in a particular manner. In this article, the
author has discussed the emerging mental illness named anorexia nervosa and the several
cultural aspects of that nineteenth century. The cognitive and emotional disorientation should
have to be given proper focus in this section. The author has stressed on the fact that the
reason for these diseases is not cultural ideas of that time. In the medical literature of that
period, very few mentions have been found about the anorexic diseases during that time.
The complexities of etiologic and historical study limitations will have to be found in
this article. The author has therefore discovered the fact that this disease anorexia nervosa is
mainly a multidimensional disorder (Brumberg 1997: 15). The author is a historian and he
can do very little about the biomedical factors in this concern. The habits of food eating in the
Victorian society has been underlined and discussed over and over again by the author. As
per the author in this article, some somatic complaints had been noted about the gastric
discomfort by the anorectics of the Victorian era (Brumberg 1997: 28). Therefore, it is quite
clear from the text of the author that many researches had already been done by the
biomedical specialists and historians about the source of this discomfort. The Anglo-
American physicians of the Victorian period were not able to explain the proper causes and
solutions for this disease. Apart from that, the cultural milieu of the nineteenth century could
easily be connected with that of the nineteenth-century historians.
Food insecurity in Australia: What is it, who experiences it, and how can child
and family services support families experiencing it?
This website article has been published in the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
Kate Roster has written it in the year 2011. The proper reasons have been examined and
researched correctly in this article as to why the people in Australia suffer from the insecurity

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of food (Roster 2011: 10). These people suffer from a lack of resources in their regions. One
of the main reasons for the food insecurity in this region is the lack of financial resources.
This has been a significant concern for the child and family services of the Australian
Federal Government. The transport issues have also caused some problems in the delivery of
food in these regions. In this website article, the author has expressed her opinion that the
child and family services have an extraordinary responsibility here to mitigate the problems.
They will have to improve the condition of the people by increasing the supply of food in
these circumstances (Roster 2011: 19). The people who mostly suffer from food insecurity
are the indigenous people, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people and people
who are socially separated.
According to the author, some probable causes will have to be found out because they
will only be able to mitigate this situation when they can identify the real factors behind it
(Roster 2011: 10). The food insecurity problems will have to be curbed among single parents,
unemployed people and low-income earners. This is why proper actions should always be
taken to make some adequate contributions to this matter. They have to ensure that enough
food is available in the stores. The price and quality of food should be scrutinized among the
people in these regions.
Part – 2
A bitter pill to swallow: Food on Australian TV in Small Screens,
This article has been written by Clare Monagle and it had been published in the year
2016 (Monagle 2016). The importance of maintaining good health has been discussed over
here for various reasons. The mention of Michelle Bridges has been done here, and it is a
matter of discussion about how she got pregnant at the age of 44 by maintaining health

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standards. A fit and well preserved body will always help the people to be confident in both
their personal and professional lives.
This is why critics have said that it has always been a problem for mid-aged people to
conceive in such difficult health circumstances. Critics have also noted that the food is
essential for the people in Australia (Monagle 2016). It is essential for keeping up excellent
health standards, and this is also shown on the television as well. The main reason is the fact
that people all around the world will be able to see the food habits of Australian people.
Therefore, food works as solidarity for the entire nation. Through the various comments of
Bridges, I have noticed that the cultural and moral factors are very much inherent as well. It
has also been stated in the article that ’cook from the heart’ (Monagle 2016).
It shows the importance of cooking good food for the household people. It has been
noticed across the suburb areas that many outlets of fast food exist. Therefore, it is of quite
important that the number of health-food stores will be increasing. This is the very reason that
better opportunities for keeping a good health should be found indeed. I think that people
should not indulge in eating unhealthy foods. It is because their span of life would decrease
by these kinds of foods. The show Biggest Loser has brought out some of these personalities
that have catered to the needs of society in a better manner. In my opinion, the practice of
eating unhealthy food should be stopped as it hampers the physical wellness in a healthy way
(Monagle 2016). The case of the fraudulent blogger Belle Gibson has also been discussed in
this paper. The political factors have also been taken up by the author. I have liked this issue
when she says that eating good food brings out the good side of the politicians.
A blogger like Gibson has expressed her opinion that taking good food will surely
erase cancer from her body. Gibson had used social media to depict the critical things over
social media. The evil deeds done by Gibson could reflect on her activities mainly. The

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events of public shaming by Gibson could be reported in the different activities that she had
done in the previous years. I think it is also very critical to analyse that Gibson had been
called as a fraud (Monagle 2016).. I should also put the light on the fact that the social media
culture should be pointed out as the main reason for this kind of exploitation of beautiful
women in the society.
You've put yourselves on a plate: The labours of selfhood on Masterchef Australia
In this article, the author has discussed the reality television shows. I have understood
from this article that the confrontations or clashes regarding the classes of people have
become one of the most crucial points for the understanding of the society. The examples of
class confrontation between Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody have been given in this article
(Lewis 2011). The politics regarding the class of people has been regarded as one of the most
important matters. These clashes are indeed so much essential to show how divisions in the
ranks still exist.
There are many political overviews about these reality shows. I think people only
show their culture when they confront with the other participants of the reality shows. I
would also like to highlight the fact that the television operators and the producers of the
programs look to present the class conflicts in their presentations. Many political debates
have also arisen in these matters (Lewis 2011). This is why it is quite evident that the show of
class and culture should be among one of the most necessary things for the depiction of the
social system.
Therefore, it is quite clear from the discussion that the serious discussions about the
class of people have become the trending factors in the society, both in the domestic and
international sections. This is how the proper class divisions within the community can be
presented through these reality shows to be precise.

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Reference List
Brumberg, J.J., 1997. The appetite as voice. Dlm. Food and culture: A reader, disunting oleh
C. Counihan & PV Esterik.
Cohen, L., 2004. A consumers' republic: The politics of mass consumption in postwar
America. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), pp.236-239.
Counihan, C. and Van Esterik, P. eds., 2012. Food and culture: A reader. Routledge.
Duruz, J., 2010. Floating food: Eating 'Asia'in kitchens of the diaspora. Emotion, Space and
Society, 3(1), pp.45-49.
Lewis, T., 2011. 'You've put yourselves on a plate': the labours of selfhood on MasterChef
Australia.
Monagle, C., 2016. A Bitter pill to swallow: food on Australian TV.
Pollan, M., 2006. The omnivore's dilemma: A natural history of four meals. Penguin.
Roster, K. (2011). Food insecurity in Australia: What is it, who experiences it and how can
child and family services support families experiencing it?. [online] Child Family
Community Australia. Available at: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/food-insecurity-
australia-what-it-who-experiences-it-and-how-can-child [Accessed 4 Jun. 2019].