What a way to end a semester with a burger. Just today, it almost took 3 hours for me to think, how can I corporate the different topics and put it all in one culminating paper. And that is when it hit me, why not a burger? It is the same, a culmination of different ingredients put into one delicious and juicy burger. Bread top, with a little bit of sesame seeds to put a fragrance in every bite, with a bit of mayonnaise underneath. The pickle layer that provide that tang and a little bit of sour crisp, just before the tomato layer, an acidic glutamate, juicy,and a umami filled layer. A choice of additional meat or protein such as eggs, bacon, or even another burger patty, or maybe all. Then the piece de resistance, the star of the dish, the burger patty itself, full of the meat juice, cooked to medium-rare perfection, with that perfect crust, and an aromatic burst of fat after being bitten down. Then a layer of cheese and a handful of greens for that blend of crispy greens and soft, melted cheese. And finally, the bottom of the bun with a choice of ketchup or mayonnaise spread.

Well that was a mouthful of descriptions. So how does a burger compare to the things I have learned throughout the semester? Lets use my favorite topics during the semester to describe a burger, shall we.

First, it observes intersectionality, which shows the different types of oppression, privileges, and inequality. A burger has different parts, parts in which a certain group can love while another group can hate. Lets create a new term, called burger privilege. Burger privilege is that certain privilege which, only a small population detest, which are the vegetarians. Another example can be cheese, some love cheese but some cannot withstand its aroma, and even some are allergic to it, same goes with sesame seeds. Next are the pickles, tomatoes, and greens, well, this one is easy, there is a large community which loathe vegetables. These are just some examples of the different oppression and privileges a burger has. But of course, if we put it in an American context, it can be compared to the straight white male, but we’ll not go into details.

Second, it is affected by the different habitus. Where in some parts of the world, it is eaten barbaric style with hands while in other parts of the world, it is eaten with knives and forks. Some people eat it as singular bite size burgers, called sliders. And there are even some memes that show the similarities of a salad and a burger. In which most are true, both have bread, meat, tomatoes, greens, and maybe some cheese.

Third, it is a victim of cognitive bias. Some people get easily anchored into eating burgers at fast food restaurants and even in posh restaurants. So how do people get anchored? Well, its easy, Buy 1 burger, take 1 for free for 75% more of the original price? Well that’s a good bargain or maybe a drink and fries on the side? How about upsize the fries and drink? Yes please! Now that will be 400 pesos, and its not anymore the bargain that we initially thought to be great. In posh restaurants however sell their burgers a little differently. Sir, would you like to have the 100% pure premium Angus burger or would you like to have the 100% premium Wagyu burger? Wow, so many good names, so how much does it cost? Well, maybe more or less a 1000 pesos, give or take. People can get easily anchored in business, especially in burgers.

Last but certainly not the least, the burger itself if being formed by society. Owners of restaurants or even home cooks always ask feedback on their food, and one of them are burgers. It is formed by society, because it is for society, food is to show the skills and the creativity of a cook, to which it will be graded and evaluated by society. These are what happens usually to those celebrity chefs, there are many people who approve of their cooking styles and tastes, and that is why they become so famous.

So how do I relate to this burger? I relate to a burger because both of us are actors in our lives. I see myself as an actor in my life, ever so adaptive to what the society see’s in me or what society currently needs. Ever since my grade school, I have experienced bullying and exclusion, in high school, the exclusion became worse, but I eventually came to a conclusion that to solve this problem, I would just surrender myself to society and changed myself from there.

Sir, remember that time when I asked about Industry vs Inferiority, in which I asked that if the inferior person motivates himself to become industrious, would it still be inferiority. To which you answered yes, and it gave me rethink about my decisions from way back grade school. But, it was assuring, and eye opening, that all this time of improvement to be accepted in society, I am still inferior to the people I compared myself to, even though that today, in the aspects of comparison, I am better than them. And if you ask me, would I rewrite that part of my life. I would say no, I am happy and satisfied in my life right now, and I only realized it 2 years ago that its not too late to change, to become a new person of myself. Instead of being an actor, I could become an agent and an author of my own life. And that is one of the best things I have learned this semester. And even though my self and identity are formed by society and my relationships, I still have room to finally put my own desires and goals in the mix. Its not a bad thing for a little bit of selfishness, and may become a pivoting variable for a better change in my life. A person’s story can be put into context in the different parts of society, but in the end of the day it will I who will write me.

Thank you Sir for a semester well spent.

Get 1/4 paper

Feric Galvez

Butchered, cut, spiced, and hung. A prime piece of meat hung and dried over time in a controlled room or cell. Some people make dry aged meat to save it for that special night or maybe impress the significant other. Some people dry age meat for survival, just another preservation technique. This would result to a luscious piece of meat, full of flavor. Being dried, all the water inside the meat has, well, dried, making the meat concentrated with all that fat and protein. All the while sacrificing the outer layer, which becomes inedible, since it is the one that is exposed to the air.

I was craving for steak while reading the PDF of structures of inequality and power. And it got me thinking that there isn’t really a difference between people and beef. If you think of it, everyone is just like beef. All coming from the same cow, while others are just from another cow. Confusing? Lets just say that the cows are the different countries and the beef are its people. The quality of the beef depends on the origin of the cow, Philippine beef will always be lower than that of American, Australian or Japanese beef, just like in the real world.

Now, just like in the normal society there are differences between the parts. Inequality still exist, especially elitism and exclusion. Just like society, there is a hierarchy that exists and governs what happens to the pieces of meat when it is butchered. The prime cuts, the elite, are sold to the highest bidder, served in the most prestigious restaurants. The middle class, are the round, brisket, the chuck, the ones usually used in barbecue and other slow cooked processes. And finally, the low class, the bits and pieces from the head, the legs, and other unwanted parts that are usually going to be used for manufactured corned beef. But these differences are much less defined in the quality beef of different countries.

In Philippine beef, the differences are clear, and the borders are defined. There is inequality even inside a cow. To be specific, it can be even compared to a pyramid scheme. The ones that are working hard, the legs, are not really being rewarded for their hard work while the ones that were born prestigious, the prime cuts, are just relaxed, waiting to be rewarded and placed on a pedestal. Elitism is present, exclusion is present, prejudice is present, and even greed is present in beef. Some are worth more than others, and there are people who approve of the differences in quality of the parts of beef.

Comparing it to real life, it would be saying that people who were born prestigious don’t know and experience the trials and hard work of the lower classes. And that their lives are more important, more valued than the lives of others. Which is very true in our society today. So where does my Bilibid experience come in and what does dry aging have to do with this?

My Binhi was in Bilibid prison and the immersion experience was very eye opening and enlightening. I learned many things about the people inside the Medium Security, and that knowing that they are still people too, PDL, people deprived of liberty. Though they have committed some mistakes and made regretful decisions along the way, they are still people, they are still beef. Yes, hit men, rapists, murderers, and drug users are beef too. And while I was immersed in the experience, I was again thinking about beef, but this time, dry aged beef.

The medium security prison was hot, it was a place that a person can memorize within a day. And to think that people are placed there for years must be excruciating. They are being dried, literally, the heat takes away the people’s energy, milking them from proper moisture. Getting shrunk in the process. But the greatest lesson I learned in my experience there, that even though they are being labelled as bad people, that is just located on the skin of the dry aged beef. That can just be peeled off, and after being peeled off, all that is left is a concentrated, pure beef flavor.

There is no major difference between, the parts of the cow. Everyone has the capacity of showing the pure beef flavor that a piece of meat should truly have. Just like the people in Bilibid, they also have this pure beef flavor, an identity, a goodness which no hierarchy, prejudice, and inequality can take away from them.

Moo

Some cow

This week I learned about the Habitus and how it suggests the person to do a certain action or habit, rather than be the cause of the action. The first that came to my mind was table manners, and the different kinds of table manners around the world.

If it is about food, then of course table manners. When did your mother teach you how to use a spoon and a fork? Or what age were you when you got scolded at the dinner table? Well, personally, even today I am learning more and more about table manners, and sometimes get scolded for things I miss. Growing up, I discovered many new things besides food, and one of these is table manners. Not necessarily on tables, but the mannerisms done by a person when eating.

Back when I was still learning how to use a spoon and a fork, my grandmother and mother told me that the spoon should always be held by the right hand. For me, it was not something that could be easily done since I am left handed. But when I grew older and started to eat with my hands, I learned to eat with my left.

Years later, when my mother went to Japan for a business trip, she shared with us her experience there. One of which was the discovery of another table manner which was being noisy when eating. It was shocking at first, because in Western cultures being noisy at the table is a bad mannerism. But my mother explained that it was good because it meant that the food that was served was delicious. And when the internet became the thing, I was learning more and more about the world through its food. There I taught myself how to use chopsticks, to eat Roti properly, and many more. I have learned many mannerisms, from using silverware in fine dining to utilising the stick in street food adventures, to handle any situation properly and appropriately. Years of experience and love for food, I’ve made myself open and adaptive to any Habitus with all its rules and dispositions.

Manners maketh man

Harry (Kingsmen, 2015)

No, this is not about that specific yeast infection. But it is more about the yeast that people use everyday for the production o their cheeses, wines, and bread.

We’ve all heard about the descriptions of “handled with care” or made in a specific country or aged in blank years. All of these things talk about the quality of the product itself, from the time it was made, and even the style, ways, and techniques put into making the product.

We know that authentic cheeses, wines, and even bread take time to make. There is sourdough bread which requires a starter that is prepared days or even weeks before even making the bread. This is to ensure the quality of the starter, or the yeasty part of the ingredients to be top notch. Then it is handled with utmost care and the most precise techniques to produce the most aromatic bread.

The same goes with other types of bread and even wines and cheeses. Different techniques create different kinds of wines and cheese. Milk from cows, goats, and sheep are used to produce different kinds of cheeses and different techniques, amounts of rennet, and enzymes and types of fungi. Even the altitude of the place of production is taken into place. Different kinds of styles and techniques yield different cheese. Examples are Cheddar, Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Brie, Feta, Gouda, Gruyere, and many more. And even these kinds of cheese have different times of aging that distinguishes the taste, an example of this is mild cheddar and sharp cheddar.

This also applies to wine, where different types of rapes produce different tastes, and the different times of aging distinguishes one from the other.

Now, for the main point. These styles and techniques and times of fermentation are also used in our daily lives. Specifically, the development of a person. A person can only be labeled as a “good product” when his or her development is under the normal standards of society. People coming from different countries and different cultures, have different backgrounds and norms on how they are developed. But ultimately, these are just the different styles and techniques that produce different cheeses.

People, especially children should be handled with care and love. The lack of these techniques will produce the outcasts, where they are not in the standard of the production. They become too sour, maybe the fermentation was premature, or even too much fermentation that the product will become inedible. Cheese that is aged too much will become brittle and crumbly. Bread that is not rested properly will not have a sturdy structure. Wine that undergoes premature oxidation is most of the time undrinkable. Similarly, people that are not handled with care and people who have deficiency in their development will have problems. Whether these problems are in the past, present, or future. These problems are what causes the Yeast Infection.

Enthusiasm is the yeast that raises the dough

Paul J. Meyer

How does a city establish its identity? Is it from the people living in the city? The jobs they provide and the major establishments and companies? Or is it the political power in that city? How about tourist destinations, monuments, and other historical places? All of these are valid, but for me, I believe that the answer is its food.

When people go to places and other countries, they can take pictures of buildings and other attractions. Go to museums and awe at the art and history they show. But the one thing that will never be forgotten is the food. My friends would say something like, “Go to this place, they have great steaks” or “Did you know, when we went to this island we got to taste the sweetest fruit”. There is always something to remember about a city’s delicacies.

My personal favorite will always be street food. Since they always have this prejudice of being dirty and the place or stall is not even sanitized, it is not really inviting to a lot of people. But I believe that is never the case. I have been eating street food for as long as I can remember. Grabbing a taste of everything and anything that is sold on the street. Defying my parents and even older relatives and go to town with all of the fishballs, balut, bopis, and proven with a side of buko juice. Especially in the evening, I go hunting for barbecues just to get that special dose of isaw to end the day right.

A lot of people would discourage me from eating these kinds of food since there has already been a history of me getting all kinds of diseases but that has not stopped me. This is because I understand street food and it understands me, and there are many things common between us. Just looking at the exterior, both of us are not really that inviting. Some people don’t like the smell of street food and even the place it is being sold, similarly people don’t really see me as a friendly person that they can just go to and talk with. I understand that it is hard for them to be accepted by people, even though they try their hardest to become tasty with all the hours being marinated, the complexity of the different flavors and spice of the sauces available, and even the way it is cooked.

There are times I see myself in street food, in a way that people cannot understand the things I can do and the things I can be. I can always be compared to that exclusive restaurant because what’s important in the first impression, right? A trusted, reviewed, renowned restaurant versus a simple stall in the street. Of course, that restaurant will always be chosen over street food. But that is the reason why I choose to be with street food. It is the marginalized, the oppressed, the voiceless, and I am here to understand what the food can offer. It has been through a long way of hardships, from the raw ingredients to the small ball of whatever. It has been through a lot just to be presented to customers, and I for one am willing to understand and gather the insights and meaning they carry.

Eating street food is a skill, it takes guts and courage to even risk dipping the stick to that bucket of sauce. It takes time to appreciate its beauty and craft. Though it may not look appetizing and appealing, but the treasures hidden in it will be worth it all.

This write up is inspired by Fredrickson and Kahneman.

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

Confucius

I always love candies and sweets ever since I was a little child. Always gathering my savings for that one day of the week to go out to different local stores and rot my teeth away. One of my favorite things to buy would always be chewing gum. After learning how to make bubbles out of gum, it became my favorite sweet snack. Remembering those chewing gums that had stickers and tattoos inside them, and even those that color the teeth dark and scary blue. But my all time favorite would be Yakee.

In relation to Kahneman’s cognitive processes, there is always this conflict in the mind whenever I take one or two Yakee’s in my mouth. Before even opening the wrapper, the ever present sourness already lingers in the mouth. The sweet and sour experience of the past come rushing in to the tongue, anticipating every tingling feel of the sour gum. But even with this blatant warning, the mouth still longs for that feeling of satisfaction and candy goodness.

A symphony of good and bad experiences, all conducted by a single piece of sour gum. Not artisan gum, but chewing gum bought in local sari-sari stores for one peso. All with its peaks of sweetness and sourness, the experience of gum chewing always bring a smile to my mukhasim face. Making me desire for more no matter how bitter or better yet, sour, the experience may be.

I like really sharp flavors, and I like contrasts. Something sweet and sour at the same time is a big win

Marcus Sakey

When people talk about globalization, all I hear are apparels, gadgets, music, cars, television shows, and even the language. Nike and Adidas, Apple and Samsung, Punk Rock, Pop, Classical, Avengers, Narnia, Big Brother, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and even English. These are just some examples of the effects of globalization in the Philippines today. Exposed and influenced by what is being traded and sold internationally, the people of this country are being changed to what is popular or the norm.

So why does this happen? People tend to glocalize as they mix and match and mix again the things that are being learned through globalization to have an appeal for the local community. What are these you ask? To name some, these are OPM songs that use other languages, television shows like Big Brother and Victor Magtanggol, you can even make a point with the internet famous, Nike NMD crossover, which was obviously fake. But the point is that, glocalization merges what is given either from the global community or the local community to cater to what is expected and needed globally and locally.

Now where does localization fit in here? Coming from country where most of our people are belittling local made products while prioritizing and admiring imported products labeling them as an overall better product, its hard to see what is being localized today. People going on Facebook, YouTube, and other forms of social media, trying to reach the first world lifestyle that everyone has longed for. There’s not much to see here, little to be proud of and even little to share to the world. But this is where Jollibee comes in and saves the day.

What talks? Some people say money talks, a few say the body talks, but when food talks, everything just comes to place. The largest international language is not English nor Chinese, it is the language of the tongue and the stomach. Yes my dear readers, food talks! There’s a boom throughout social media where the popularity of food porn, how to food, cooking tutorials, and even eating videos are gaining all the views, likes, and shares. No matter from what country or city the viewers are from, they will understand food because food understands them. Its that simple, yet no one has ever thought of it to be this magnificent. Even people make a living just by taking videos of them eating and talking about it, yes I’m talking to you Food Channel. It even one of the reasons why people traveled across the Atlantic and the Pacific, to find the Spice Islands. Food speaks, and it understood globally and locally.

Known globally, McDonald’s has always been on the throne of the fast food kingdom. It has spread like a wildfire, scattering all across different countries, catering their every need. Burgers and more burgers, chicken? Yes please! How about a can of soda? Oh you don’t drink soda, here’s orange juice. You want fries? We offer them at different sizes. India? Well, I can go vegetarian. People want rice? I’ll give them rice, this is how I imagine McDonald when it started glocalizing around the world. Meanwhile in the Philippines, a young competitor rises, feeding the stomachs of thousands all across the islands spreading Joy and Crispiness to the peoples lives. Jollibee has risen from the depths of a developing country and is now reaching for the sky.

This is how Jollibee saved localization in the Philippines. Why? Before Jollibee spread across the world, what did people know about the Philippines? Was it because of the beaches and islands? Well yes, but any more? No. They did not know about the umami hidden in Adobo, not even the warmth of Nilaga, how about the irresistible sourness of Sinigang. Why you ask, because the food is even more localized, there is no exact recipe, everyone has their own “the best” cooking. So what rose up and gave an identity to this vast, multi cultured land that we call the Philippines? It was Jollibee, known for its Crispy Chicken Joy, Sweet Style Spaghetti, Yum Burger, Peach Mango Pie, I can go all day. But to get to the point, it gave us the identity that we haven’t established. Now glocalized all around the world, the people now have hints on what the Philippines is like. It gives people ideas to travel and get a taste of true Philippines flavor that has been localized in the country. Food has always been the most influential speaker, Jollibee just happen to be one of the students. Now it is the most well known Filipino fast food chain in the world.

Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor

William Cowper