Essay#1

1/15/2016

                                                                         American Artifact

In my time as a little kid, my most memorable family moments was seating down for dinner. My friends and I would play in our apartment's parking lot until we hear our mother's yell out our name. It felt like 5 pm was the normal feasting time for my family and all of our neighbors. In the apartment of thirty six filled household building, I could smell the different culture types of dinner plates waiting to be eating by every growling stomach. Growing up in a multi-culture complex, was an experience i will never forget, each race had their own ways of living. However, the one thing that all of the kids agreed on which food they liked to eat, was the "hamburger" typically from Mcdonald's. The hamburger was the kids valuable American artifact, which they enjoy eating. It seemed as America became a busier country with jobs being created, the national burger would change how we lived.

The most common hamburger that kids love, comes from the famous restaurant McDonald's . In 1954 Ray Roc was about  to change the way we eat in the future. He founded a Mcdonald system in 1954, a year after a visit to San Bernadino Califonia restaurant owned by Dick and Mac, the McDonalds brothers. Within three he got the rights to the Mcdonald's name and sold a hundred million burgers. The way Americans ate food was changing, one can now drive up to a window an order food. This now became the fast food time, it change our habits, slowing installing ideas that we want food now and it has to be yummy. I wonder now , when was the disease called ADD created?  In addition, the restaurant became franchising out and quickly coming to every major city.

 

Although we Americans love the food, we had no ideas of the effects it would have on families. When i was a kid, it felt like a reward to have a burger or to go get a "Happy Meal" from Mcdonald's. But now it has several health issues and affecting families from lower income communities. It is sad to say it has affected us how we eat, when to eat and now being part of some families budget. As pop culture changes from time to time, one American Culture piece of food has not, that juicy "Hamburger" is here to stay and i believe it has been eaten in every American household at least once. It has become part of our society in some sort, whether its going to a restaurant on a date, grabbing a quick meal, cooking it at home or have it as the main course during the 4th of July BBQ, the "hamburger" has been there and its part of the American culture. But eating too many burgers can have some consequences, like obesity, heart issues and some people believe it could also cause cancer. During the 80's and the 90's, as the economy started to boom, many meat companies "allegedly" started to use artificial ingredients and chemicals in the burger meat, for fast and mass production. As America was growing along with our bellies, so was the popularity of the famous "Hamburger".

Unfortunately, issues with the ingredients did not get in the way of worldwide admiration of the hamburger. McDonald's can be to blame, for it successfully franchising out to various countries. But another factor to this is the media seen here and over seas. As I come to agree that, "The media and other pop culture components are part of the fund of ideas and images that inform our daily activities, sometimes exerting a more compelling influence than family or friends, school or work" (Petracca,Sorapure, pg5).People across the world loved to experience going thru those doors under the golden arch and trying a burger for the first time. Driving through U.S. highways, you can now see a billboard sign promoting a special burger from various restaurants  mostly on every other exit and you can find a fast food chain restaurant selling it every two miles in the city. Our American kids are being influence to feel happy, once they have gotten a meal from there. By the way media makes us react, with low price burgers, convenient meals, fancy burgers, now organic burgers, constant advertisements, and social pleasure eating Americans will continue to eat "Hamburgers".

Going back to time, from a classic burger to a controversial one, this juicy artifact is here to stay and will always be known to be part of the American culture. In my young days, i still appreciate eating burgers once a week (if i behaved well in class)or when I was dragged to go shopping with my mom, I would get rewarded a "Happy Meal". I do not have a problem with the burger itself, preferably I would like to enjoy it during special times with friends and family or an event. If Americans are concern about the health issues, we should learn the facts in what we are consuming and educate or kids what they are eating and the potential harms constant burger digesting. Mass media has watered downed the enjoyment of the savory pleasure, whether with good or bad intentions. Only when we are stopped being told how and when to eat by corporate companies is when we could enjoy this edible piece of artifact.