Pollan says (on p. 4), "Our culture codifies the rules of wise eating in an elaborate structure of taboos, rituals, recipes, manners and culinary traditions that keep us from having to reenact the omnivore's dilemma at every meal." What taboos, rituals, recipes, manner and culinary traditions function in your home? (Don't assume a norm, and don't start to feel guilty because your experience doesn't match it--what we are looking for here is an account of the diversity of our habits....)
Make the description as concrete and specific as possible; evoke all of the senses.
Try to provide as much data as you can: the concrete materiality of what the meal looks/sounds/smells/touches/tastes like.
Part II will involve you re-writing this story, digging beneath it, performing an archeology of the meal, figuring out where it comes from, what work goes into making it, where it is located ecologically and economically, but for now: just describe the food itself, and make the experience of eating it as vivid as you can.
Pollan writes up four meals in his book (three of them can be found in chapters 7, 14, 20); feel free to look at them if you want models. Ex: Chapter 7, Fast Food Meal: eating in the car, wrapped as presents, etc.
First Draft Due: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26
