Communication and Popular Culture: Food for Thought… or Food for Technology?

Today I am here to talk about how technology and fast food has ruin family dinners (or meals). Last week in class we read and learned about “food movements” and how it has impacted the life of consumers, as well as the effects that go along with social media. One of the things that I found interesting in the reading was the idea of family dinners and the outcomes that food movements have induced. In the section "Barcode"(The Food Movement, Rising by Michael Pollan) it talks about the influence food movements, specificaly fast food, have had on family dinners or meals,

“We have unthinkingly wrecked on of the nurseries of democracy: the family meal”

“Part of the movement critique of industrial food is that, with the rise of fast food and the collapse of everyday cooking, it has damaged family life & community by underling the institution of the shared meal.” (The Food Movement, Rising by Michael Pollan)

I think that Pollan might be getting on to something here, he goes on to talk about habits that children can learn in the family table like; “conversations and acquiring the habits of civility” as well as “navigating differences without arguing”. I can relate to these declarations by Pollan; growing up family meals were really important in my family, as my mom and dad (but mostly my dad) encouraged it. More than anything it was the Saturday morning family breakfast that I recall most. I remember waking up and grabbing a plate of eggs, toast, and smoke sausage along with a good old cup of café con letche (homemade latte). Our family would sit at table and chat for a few hours, even after finishing our meals. My dad was good at telling stories about his life experiences in a way that was fun but at the same time delivering morals and lessons. I now understand how strong "Narrative Theory" by Walter Fisher is, getting messages that have meanings across through the wonders of stories. Pollan also briefly mentions the negative effects that technology has on the dinner table stating,

“40 percent of Americans watch television during meals, viewing food as fuel rather than substance”.(The Food Movement, Rising by Michael Pollan)

I believe that we are starting to see more families get separated by technology, thus not allowing for bonding, understanding, and social growth that most kids need growing up. We live in a world that has hd TV’s, laptops, iPads, and smartphones that are filled with enless amounts of distractions, that don't allow for more family time. Who knows where we are heading ten years from now if technology keeps advancing.