Dillon Kadimi Interviews Pi Lambda Phi Brother Kevin No

1.     Basic background information:

a.     What year/major/age are you?                                                                       CognitiveScience, 20yrs

b.     What ethnicity do you identify with?
      Korean

c.     What are your gender pronouns? How do you identify? 
       He/Him

d.     Which of the following best describes your CURRENT social class? 
       Low Income/Poor

b.              Where do you live/ what type of housing?

Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity

2.     Describe the food situation where you live. I.e is food provided to you, do you cook for yourself, do you use a meal plan, etc.

Mixture of all. Sometimes I eat out, sometimes I use a meal plan, and other times I eat the food at the fraternity.

3.     Do you feel comfortable with the food situation you have? Why or why not?

Yeah, at least the meal plan sort of gives me a little cushion in terms of whenever I don’t have money in my pocket to eat out, or there is no house food provided.

4.     What is most important to you when deciding what and when and where you are going to eat?

Depends on how healthy it is and how bad I’ve been eating. So I balance it out by eating healthy for awhile, if I’ve been eating bad. Whether its bad carbs or good carbs, and I don’t want just all carbs or all protein—I try to get good sources of fiber and other minerals in my diet too.

5.     Do you feel that other people in your house and in the community respect your food choices?

No one’s given me shit for it, so I’m assuming yeah.

6.     Do you feel any cultural connection to the food you eat? Emotional?

No, I never eat Korean food here. I grew up eating Korean food most of my life, but in Berkeley I have no cultural connection whatsoever since I don’t eat it here.

7.     How important is the price of the food in determining what you will eat?

Especially on a menu, I try to go for things not too expensive. Although it is also hard to find healthy foods that are cheap at the same time.

8.     How important is nutrition in determining what you eat?

Very important.

9.     If you are able, could you define your food preferences? For ex. Vegan, paleo, raw, etc.

None. I love all kinds of food. I am a food lover.

10.  Do you feel free to make your own food choices, or are external factors restricting you?

There is some external factors constraining my food choices, especially the cost. I do have some choice depending on other internal factors, half and half.

11.  Would you change anything about the way you eat? If you could what would it be? Are you able to make this change?

I wouldn’t change anything, I eat pretty healthy. Rice, meat, fruit, salads.

12.  How much do you typically spend on food per day? Per week?

Per day I would say I spend anywhere from like $10-$25. Per week $70-$175.

13.  Do you follow nutritional recommendations provided by the government?

I didn’t even know we had that.

14.  Do you consider yourself a healthy eater?

Yeah.

15.  Who do you eat with?

Mostly I eat alone.

16.  What do you eat with your family? What do you eat when you are not with your family?
Usually eat Korean food with my family. Mexican or Western food, etc.

Notes from faculty panel: “Building Equitable and Inclusive Food Systems”

How did they do at communicating?

~they were great in defining terms and ensuring that everyone of all backgrounds understood what was going on

~the first speaker was difficult to understand- he read from a piece of paper, didn’t change intonation, didn’t add emotion. He had meaningful words, and defined difficult/ambiguous terms, but he was difficult to listen term

~Second speaker: slow and easier to understand but still not engaging, I had to really focus in to understand what was being said. true we are all here to listen, but they still need to be communicating effectively in my opinion

~third was much more engaging, she used emotion and passion and intonation to express what she was saying. she wasn’t just reading

~it was better to have them responding to questions

~opening up questions to the audience was very important

Topics:

1. What is equity and inclusion?

~more than just access- includes social/cultural inclusion regardless of diversity.

~financialization is the network of a complex of societal, technological, economic, cultural, informational, global issues. Force that enables a restructuring of monetary value. The process where all value is dissected down to traceable markets.  

~corporate control and consolidation- influencing policy on taxes, trade, markets, regulations/deregulations and wealth accumulation. creating an environment for future corporate growth. vertical and horizontal.  ex. seed monopoly. ex. of commodification of human heritage. threatening small farmers access to seeds

~Today the majority of our food comes from 12 plants and 5 animal species

~corporate consolidation means a reduction in variety and mono crop culture

2.Food justice-empowering people through eating food- Gottlieb and Joshi “Food Justice” book- following the whole supply chain

1. what do farmers need? i.e water, seeds, etc. how do farmers get access to this if they are not the dominant white farmer? lots of institutional racism- i.e denying loans to black farmers. “land rights”- minorities and small farmers have a right to what they need to grow their food
2. what power do food and farm works have to control their own patterns of work? what are the abuses they are suffering? how can their suffering be heard? Without their labor most fruit and veggie industries wouldn’t function. Plight of cooks and laborers in restaurants as well. they don’t have the ability to choose when they work. They need to become visible. they have rights too. 42 million people suffer from food insecurity. Many eaters don’t have the choice due to time and convenience. lack of public transportation is big issue in food deserts. it is white and wealthy eaters that often get to choose to eat organic. classic market distortion- diversified farming isn’t diversified eating/ justice. For who and whom does the food system work? we are all made to compete by the system. We need to restructure this and prevent this justice.

3.Creating an inclusive research agenda- exploring ways to co-create research questions and support community led solutions to building healthy and just food systems.

~CA has been dominated by large agro industrial farms, but we are seeing an increase in minority farmers- they struggle though bc of language, cultural, and historical barriers to resource access.

~uncovering agricultural labor laws. working to elevate concerns and supporting smaller scale farmers to keep them in business

~urban food disparities- going back to corporate consolidation. we have 35 bill dollars of the food industry here yet we still have high food insecurity. injustices in CA- the most productive areas have highest food insecure levels. land access, zoning and tenure issues.

~grassroots and community engagement efforts ex. collaborative research project in Northern CA for increasing access to healthy, fresh, culturally relevant foods for local peoples and helping them gain access to their cultural heritage and traditional ecological knowledge

~we need to think about the research we do and to make sure it responds to the community, includes all voices, and is collaborative.

On campus: there are students choosing between paying tuition, housing, books, etc. over food. Important to recognize that it's not just about calories in and calories out, but rather nutrition of that food that food insecure are eating. If we want to change food security, we can’t just change food access, it is so much more than that. Through food, we can work with so many other injustices in our society. Overarching goal of inclusivity and equality. Understanding the larger issues at work

Manifestation of food insecurity among staff as well- more women, mothers, color, first generation. difficult tradeoff decisions must be made for these people. problem is external factors like high cost of rent in the area- taking all of students money. local farmers losing access to land as well because of this.

Uc berkeley has the unique opportunity to build inclusivity- it can equip diverse students with practical food systems and farming techniques, it can provide more land for students to learn how to produce and consume food. can contribute to research and policy advocacy aimed at allowing these behaviors. As students, we can always learn more about food systems while engaging in practices on the land. creating spaces on campus to foster the future generation of policy makers, activists, etc.

We need to challenge the conceptual framework we are operating under, in order to tackle this. We need to get away from using food insecurity as a term. it does not encompass the reality.   Need to understand a whole host of scarcities. Need a diversity of voices brought to the table to uncover solutions.

Food insecurity is a term that makes the situation tangible but their are a lot of nuances associated.

One important group often left out are people with disabilities- strong barriers of entry for people with disabilities into agriculture. hards to have these people join research and understand farming practices.   

It is not the work of individuals but the work of a structure. It is the institutions and structures of where a person lives that is set up to marginalize a person.

We need to think about the corporate control of our life

We need to create a society in which every person from color, to class, to culture, to anything at all - making all those invisible - has the right to food and inclusivity and equality.

Need to do what all humans are supposed to do- to humanize each other. it will bring us all clarity- i don’t need to agree with you but i need to support your right to live and express your opinions.

lack of accountability of groups allowing for students and staff  to gain access to food security and justice. need to pinpoint who is creating injustice on campus- need to ramp up accountability of these groups.

Corporations spend years writing out agreements and contracts for this system that are disgraces to the U.S. constitution. They create structures that are detrimental to environmental health and human rights. The system pushes inequality- so we need to think about how to reform the system. Reform only will happen when we shift the power and tilt conversations in human dialogue.

How can we make a change in our daily habits?

~stop eating meat. eating meat is destroying our ecosystem and peoples access to food.

~voting with your fork- purchasing from farmers markets, from minority farmers

~influence policies by becoming engaged with local food policy councils. getting aware of food policy options and finding ways of supporting that.

~we need to change the food environment- change our purchasing decisions, work to pass policies, and encourage others to do the same.

~idea of voting with your fork comes with moralizing the poor- low income people of color often don’t have the opportunity to buying organic, fair trade foods.

~We are fortifying the decisions and justifying opting out- but often times low income people aren’t choosing to opt out from these choices, they don’t have a choice.

What can the chancellor do to change the food system?

~decrease fees for undergrad and grad students

~increasing salary for faculty

~expand spaces where students and faculty can learn about food production experientially

~chancellor to take a pay cut   

Casey interview:

1. Describe your food situation--do you cook, eat leftovers, eat out, etc?
1. Eat at home for pretty much every meal
2. Cook for myself for breakfast and lunch
3. Love that dinner is prepared
2. If you are able, could you define your food preferences? For ex. Vegan, paleo, raw, etc.
1. Omnivore---it’s pretty important for me to eat meat but im starting to care about it less
3. What are the most important factors determining your eating habits?

When cooking, mainly taste and satisfaction.

But I also appreciate that the food being bought satisfies all these requirements basically.

Except i don’t think it’s that ethical. Like sometimes we decide to go for non-organic for the sake of price.

1. Convenience?
2. Nutrition?
3. Price?
4. Taste?
5. Ethics? (food waste, carbon footprint, industrial food)
6. Does your housing situation allow you to easily satisfy these requirements? Is it restrictive?
1. How much do you typically spend on food per day? Per week?
1. 5.17 a day, factored into rent
2. Extra $10-$20 per week

Health:

5. Do you follow nutritional recommendations provided by the government?
1. No, absolutely never
2. People probably do that for me for dinner though, they follow a guideline
6. Would you change anything about the way you eat? If you could what would it be? Are you able to make this change?
1. Hmmmmm
2. I wanna eat lunch at a more well-scheduled time. Work and poor self-discipline gets in the way of me doing this.
3. Prepare more light stuff, I usually just make hearty stuff like pasta that fills me up
4. But I just feel like I’m supposed to eat light stuff. I prefer the other stuff. Bc it fills me up more and has better taste.
7. Do you feel the housing situation leads you to overeat or undereat?
1. No, it actually allows me to be super flexible with how much I want. I could overeat or undereat if I wanted. The house has nothing to do with it.
8. Do you consider yourself a healthy eater?
1. Yes
9. Whole grain or white?
1. Both. I’m thinking of bread. I like the taste of both of them. I know whole grain is “better” cause it has more nutrients, so I appreciate it for that reason. I know its better for me.
2. Ultimately, I eat whatever comes my way

Relationships:

10. How are other people involved in your food habits? Who do you eat/cook with?
1. I cook with my partner and friends a lot. My house allows me to cook with all of them easily--we’re together and we have lots of food. It’s fast, we can make something good.
2. I also cook alone-- just cause I like cooking
11. Do you feel that other people in your house and in the community respect your food choices?
1. Ya, although lots of people are critical of my laissez-faire approach to food. Some people in the house don’t feel that food should be such an easy-going decision. There should be more moral considerations involved
12. Do you feel any cultural connection to the food you eat? Emotional?
1. Cultural- yes. I eat tons of pasta cause I’m italian. I cook based on where I came from and what I grew up eating. I have pretty good flexibility here that allows me to cook based on my cultural background.
2. Emotional- yes. There are particular foods that bring me more happiness, especially if that food is connected with my past. Since food is so cultural for me, it’s also emotional. I also get together with other italian friends and the emotion is amplified.
3. Food is great excuse to hang out with other people. It’s a bonding experience.
13. What do you eat with your family? What do you eat when you are not with your family?
1. I eat WAY more when I’m with my family, and the food is way better. Not better quality, but better-cooked. I eat way more meat with my family. I eat more salad with my family. Family eating habits are healthier.

14. Do you feel comfortable/satisfied with the food situation you have? Why or why not?
1. I feel SUPER satisfied. I think it’s the best food situation I could ask for in the nation. Truly. Arguably in the world. The quality of some of the food isn’t the best (because this is the US), but given the way the system works (in the US) and the amount of food options we have available, it’s incomparable to other situations. It’s cheap, it’s abundant, I have a huge kitchen available, people are here to collaborate with. Everybody should live in the coops.

Sierra's Research Notes/Reflection:

Themes:

• Uncertainty about where food is coming from next, causes anxiety and over eating.
• College life encourages lots of coffee drinking
• Excess studying and late hours causes snacking and overeating
• Unhappy with the meals provided and not being able to cook for themselves, but grateful for the convenience of having meals prepared.
• 

  Control over what they eat is very important
• Prefer what is made at home
• Would be healthier if they didn’t eat in the house
• Forced/ encouraged to spend money on food outside of the house
• Eat in the company of others or alone

Sierra interview #6: Charlotte Hathaway

1. Basic background information:
1. What year/major/age are you?
1. Junior, 20, History and Media Studies
2. What ethnicity do you identify with?
1. White
3. What are your gender pronouns? How do you identify?
1. She, her
4. Which of the following best describes your CURRENT social class?

1. Working Class/Low-income or Poor
1. Where do you live/ what type of housing?
1. Delta Gamma Sorority
1. Describe the food situation where you live. I.e is food provided to you, do you cook for yourself, do you use a meal plan, etc.
1. Delta Gamma Sorority- Food is provided 3 times a day; limited space to cook your own food, if you have your own food it has to be ready made or microwaveable, no meals on weekends. Have to go out of your way to buy food.
2. Do you feel comfortable with the food situation you have? Why or why not?
1. It’s comfortable in that everything is accessible and it’s convenient to have food ready made, but it’s not exactly what I would choose to eat if I were at home, which makes me uncomfortable. But I am grateful for what we have, I appreciate it.
3. What is most important to you when deciding what and when and where you are going to eat?
1. What- If I will be full and it won’t hurt my stomach, I have had stomach problems in the past but it has gotten better.
2. When- when I have time, my class schedule is block so I bring bars a lot of the time. Weekends it depends on if I’m hungry and able to pay for it. I don’t like paying for food. I end up getting hungry and eating unhealthy food on the weekends.
4. Do you feel that other people in your house and in the community respect your food choices?
1. Yes, nobody ever comments which is a change from my hometown, also I don’t have my sisters who are mean about food. People talk about food a lot at home. Working out and food takes up our lives at home- its what my family does. I don’t have that here, which is almost an issue.
5. Do you feel any cultural connection to the food you eat? Emotional?
1. No cultural, but my family makes dishes that me me feel nostalgic and comforted. My Mom’s love language is food so food is very important to us on a respect level.
2. I have always had a weird relationship with food because of high school, but being in college has been a positive reinforcement for body image.
6. How important is the price of the food in determining what you will eat?
1. It should be more. I used to be very thrifty when it came to food, but now I get hungry more often and post mate food and spend more money than I would like. I have been choosing convenience bc school has been so hard so i have been prioritizing that over money and health.
7. How important is nutrition in determining what you eat?
1. When I am at school it’s not that important, i think more about getting filled up so i don’t have to think about food later. At home it is really important to me and my family. At summer camp we eat very unhealthy as well.
8. If you are able, could you define your food preferences? For ex. Vegan, paleo, raw, etc.
1. I go through fads, I was gluten free for 2 years bc of stomach issues, but am not anymore bc I am better and convenience. I would go through swings of not eating sugar or carbs. I would use control over food to control myself and my actions in high school.
9. Do you feel free to make your own food choices, or are external factors restricting you?
1. Yes, it’s sometimes hard when we have food made for us, if I am paying for food here it’s hard to justify getting other food that I would prefer. I’m happiest when I’m not thinking about food, but I do want to feel good about myself, so I go back and forth between restricting myself and not being as happy or not thinking about it and not being as confident in my body.
10. Would you change anything about the way you eat? If you could what would it be? Are you able to make this change?
1. I wish the food here was more like at home with wholesome, healthier ingredients. I feel better eating at home, that’s why I work out more here to feel better about what I eat. My identity has always revolved around food and working out as an ex-athlete, so I wish I was better about what I eat and having self discipline.
11. How much do you typically spend on food per day? Per week?
1. $40 a week including coffee.
12. Do you follow nutritional recommendations provided by the government?
1. I don’t even think the food pyramid is relevant anymore. No, I don’t. Kids aren’t really taught that any more
13. Do you consider yourself a healthy eater?
1. When I try yes, I believe that I eat well but I am hard on myself, and drink too much coffee. I can’t stay awake without it and I don’t have time to take naps anymore.
14. Who do you eat with?
1. Whoever is sitting at dg, or my roommates, bc then we don’t have to interact with other people while we eat.
15. What do you eat with your family?
1. Everything is well made, high quality, I feel good about eating all types of foods, bc they are so high quality and healthy. It is a very positive way of eating food.