Evolution of Eating Project - Assignment Example

Evolution of Eating Project Part I Five-day Food Diary Day Time Setting Food Type Origin Ingredients Processing Day 1 Morning a.m. In the house 2 beef sausages The sausage is made from local cattle slaughtered just around. It is then sold to the nearest butcheries who then sell it to various supermarkets and stores. I then bought from the supermarket. Minced beef, salt, oil Minced meat is rolled in a sausage form. Salt is added and it is fried with a lot of oil. 2 slices of bread Bread is made from wheat flour which is planted across the country. The baked bread is distributed to various supermarkets and stores, where I bought it from. Wheat flour, salt, sugar, yeast, preservative, water. Wheat flour mixed with all the ingredients is baked to form bread. A glass of mango juice Mangoes are planted in various places across the countries. After the juice is made, it is distributed to various stores and supermarkets to be retailed. Mango concentrates, water, sugar, preservatives. Mango concentrate is mixed with all the ingredients and is commercially manufactured. 1 p.m. In a restaurant A plate of boiled rice and beans stew Rice and beans are grown around the country. They are then sold in the market through various cereal stores or supermarkets. Rice, beans, oil, salt, tomatoes, onions Rice is boiled with salt and oil. Boiled beans are fried with oil, tomatoes and onions. 9 p.m. In the house Beef and rice Beef was obtained from the local butcheries and rice from the supermarkets. The rice is grown across the country and the slaughtered cattle are also just from across the country. Beef slices, salt, oil, rice, onions, and tomatoes and spices. Beef is fried and the rice is boilled Day 2 Morning In the house A cup of coffee, 3 fried eggs. The coffee originates from Brazil where it is grown, processed and exported to the country. The eggs are from the local hatcheries. They are sold and distributed to the local stores and supermarkets where I bought them. Ground coffee, sugar, oil, salt, eggs. Hot coffee is boiled, the eggs are fried flat in a pan. 1p.m. In the streets A packet of fresh milk and 2 Queen cakes. The milk is from the local dairy, while queen cakes are also baked locally. The milk is then sold to the processing company, which, after processing, distributes it to the local stores and supermarkets. The bakers also supply their queen cakes to the local sellers after baking. Milk, queen cakes made from wheat flour, oil sugar, salt and milk. The milk is pasteurized in the processing plant and the queen cakes are made by baking wheat flour mixed with the ingredient mentioned. 8p.m. In the house 1 piece of chicken, a plate of rice The chicken is reared locally and the rice is also grown locally across the country. Hey are then distributed to the cereal stores and local butcheries where they are sold. Chicken pieces, oil, rice, salt, onions, tomatoes. The chicken is stewed and rice is boiled with salt and oil. Day 3 Morning In the house Milk-tea with doughnuts The milk is from the locally reared cattle which are milked, processed and sold by the local shops. Doughnuts are prepared locally by the local bakers and supply them to the shops. Milk, wheat flour, salt, sugar, oil. Milk is boiled with some water and a dough is made from the wheat flour and deep fried to make the doughnuts. 1p.m. In the restaurant Kales, bread and beef Kales are grown locally from across the country, then distributed to the local groceries. Beef also comes from the locally slaughtered cows that are then sold through the nearby butcheries. Kales, maize flour, beef, oil, salt, onions, tomatoes. Kales are cut and friend, bread is made by boiling water, and adding maize four to make a good mixture. Beef is fried with onions and tomatoes. 9p.m. In the house A plate of fried beef and boiled potatoes Beef is obtained from the locally slaughtered cattle that are then sold through the local butcheries. Beef, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, salt, oil. Beef is stewed and potatoes boiled. Day 4 Morning In the house A glass of coke and potato chips Coke is bottled by the regional Coca Cola bottlers who then distribute them to the supermarkets and stores. The potato used to make the chips is grown locally across the country and sold in the groceries. Coke, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, oil, salt. Potatoes are cut into small chips, then deep fried. 1.p.m. At the fruits parlor Pudding A collection of local fruits grown across the country. Sold through groceries and stores. Pineapples, oranges, watermelon, and mangoes. Different fruits are chopped into small pieces and mixed together. 9.p.m. In the house Kales, 3 fried eggs, and a piece of bread. Kales are grown in the country and eggs are from the locally reared chicken which are then sold through food stores in the country. Kales, eggs, maize flour, salt, oil. Kales are fried dry, eggs are also fried and bread made from maize flour is prepared as directed above. Day 5 Moring In the house 4 Beef sausages and a glass of coke The sausages are made from beef of cattle reared locally. And a coke is from the local bottlers. Sausages, coke, salt, oil. Sausages are deep fried with salt. 1p.m. In the house A piece of fried Chicken and boiled potatoes Chicken from the locally reared chicken and potatoes are also grown from just across the country. Piece of chicken potatoes, oil, tomatoes, onions. Chicken is deep fried and potatoes are boiled and stewed. 3p.m. In the house Green grams, rice Green grams and rice are grown locally across the country. Green grams, rice, onions, tomatoes, salt, oil. Green grams are boiled and fried, and rice is also boiled with oil and salt. Part II Hominid Diet and Eating Practices Several hominids that lived around 10,000 to 12,000 year ago offer a lot of evidence for the first half of human revolution. They show how we split from our prehistoric apes to the earliest members of our genus, Homo. Here, we get a unique opportunity to examine changes in the dietary adaptations of our ancestors who existed nearly over 2 million years ago. When the tooth size, tooth shape, and the enamel structure is analyzed, we can relate such to the kind of foodstuff our ancestors used to feed on. As such, during the Agrarian revolution, early man used to feed on plants that bore fruits and those that had edible tubers such as wild potatoes. Before Agrarian revolution, early man used to have hunting and gathering as his main economic activities. Here, they could gather tree roots that were edible, fruits and other parts of plants. They also hunted for wild animals that they roasted and ate. However, they were very specific on the types of animals and plant parts that they ate. When their teeth are analyzed, they show evidence of the vegetarian kind of teeth and some also show evidence of sharp incisors and strong premolars and molars as those teeth that were adapted to feeding on meet. These foodstuffs were prepared through the use of simple methods. For instance, meat was sometimes sun dried or, after the coming of a way of making fire, it was roasted and eaten. Some people also just ate some animal parts raw. Ripe fruits were also taken raw or some sun dried to be taken at a later date. There were no much complications in the food preparation and how they were prepared. Such food used to be nutritious as they were taken whole, therefore representing the total amount of the nutrients in the food. These meals were taken anywhere, anyhow without any order. Mostly, the parents could leave their children at home and go looking for food for them (Mark and Peter 13506-13511). My Diet and Dining Practices Unlike the eating practices of the early man during those more than 2 million years ago, at least I now have a some clear pattern of taking food, preparing them and where I take them also vary. According to my five days eating plan above, one would realize that there is a lot of modification on most of the foodstuffs we eat. The agrarian revolution brought about a variety of plants and animals that can be domesticated. One will, therefore, find that, some of those foodstuffs we eat currently, most of them were not there in the earlier days, or if they were, then the kind of preparation has really changed. First, I take food three times in a day, i.e. in the morning, lunchtime and the evening during supper. However, the early man used to eat anytime the felt the punks of hunger, where there was no specified time to take food. They also used to use primitive food preparation methods. These have since changed to the extent that, there are very many ingredients that currently accompany our food preparation. There used not to be salt, cooking oil, sugar and spices such as onions and tomatoes in the food preparation. Things have changed to the extent that, if the food is prepared just like that without such ingredients and spices, then one would complain that it is not well prepared. Looking at my diet keenly, one would realize that I rarely take vegetables. These are some of the changes that have come with the changes in human taste, where the food that used to be taken much in the olden days like vegetables are sometimes considered less tasty. People, therefore, tend to eat depending on the taste of the food, unlike in the olden days where people used to eat to fill their stomach. At the same time, the old people unknowingly grew healthier and lived for a very long time as they escaped health complications that the new food we eat bring about. I can, sometimes, when Im not in the house, take my food outside, maybe at the restaurant. This shows how eating practices have changed as the early man could not have their food at the restaurants or prepare them like we do now. They could only take them anywhere they collected them or take them home and share them with the whole family. Our ancestors who lived like fifty years ago had some different ways of preparing their food. We find that; most of them never used to use a lot of ingredients, preservatives, and spices as we nowadays use. Their food preparation methods were very simple but more modern than those of the early man. They also used to take their food in the houses, or at the restaurants. They could also take food at social places as well as at friends. Our grandparents used to consume food that they grew on their gardens. However, they could also purchase a few foodstuff and a few spices such as salt, onions, and tomatoes. However, their food were not as complicated as the food we currently take. If I need to find a food source I would not walk far. There are several food stores around, just next door, in the streets and in the market. I would buy fresh produce from the groceries. Fresh produce are available from the nearby groceries. I love beef, I don’t think I can give up beef for anything else. With members of my family, we like taking bread made of maize flour. It is both unfortunate and a sign of progress that we can consume processed food that can be prepared in minutes and stored for years. One, it is unfortunate because such foods have various health factors attached to them. Secondly, it is a sign of progress as we can be able to store food for a very long time and even transport it from one part of the word to another without the food going bad. In a nutshell, food eating is a practice that begun with our great ancestors. They, however used very primitive ways of fetching the food, preparing them and even eating them. Such practices have, since improved due to a lot of technological and human advancement. People nowadays take complicated prepared food that has a lot of health complications. There is also an increase in food that is taken from restaurants and other places away from home, which was not the case long ago. Work Cited Mark, F. Teaford and Ungar S. Peter. "Diet and Evolution of the earliest human ancestors." National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 97.25 (2000): 13506-13511. Web. 1 December 2014. . Read More