It can be recognised that there are two worlds at play around food, from the space the author has created in his authentic and virtual worlds and the power that the author holds within these domains.
Power is held through the aurthor's online virtual network relationships by filtering his medium of photo illustrations as a virtual diary on Flickr which links to a blog page where online narratives give descriptions on how he creates the illustrations. The daily picture narratives are of original illustrations, his cultural product, which are put onto his children’s plastic zip lock sandwich bags creating a form of fantasy, escapism and tradition for his children in their authentic world. As Victoria Kuttainen described, a virtual network is “a place that can be seen as a fantasy, where we promote the best parts of ourselves.” (2013).
Through his comical originality and craft, this author holds the power within his authentic world by ensuring that his children eat their lunch whilst adding amusement for himself, his children and their school community identity along with a creation of space within their place, school. Vanclay describes that “place-making is a process of transforming bad places into good places and of changing the way people feel about a place.” (2008. Pg. 4)
Reference List
Patel, R. (2007). ‘Introduction’. Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the hidden battle of the world food system. [Class Handout]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
Kuttainen. V. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narratives and the making of Place. Lecture 7: Food Networks. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
Vanclay, F. (2008) Place Matters: Making sense of place: exploring concepts and expressions of place thorugh different senses and lenses. National Museum of Australian Press. Canberra, pg 3-11
Image
http://blog.flickr.net/en/2013/04/19/dad-illustrates-kids-sandwich-bags-with-imaginative-drawings/
Hey Jayne,
ReplyDeleteFirst thing's first, THAT IS A BRILLIANT IDEA!. Ok, now its been seen by the population at large some company or other is going to latch onto the idea and commercialise it, destroying the integrity and actual meaning behind the product. We just can't seem to get rid of corporate power, commercialism and consumerism no matter how hard we try. Your conclusions though, about his power and encouragement over his child eating his home-made food, over trading, swapping or throwing away are quiet miraculous and something to be extremely proud of.
Hi Jayne,
ReplyDeleteI really like what your brought up in this article, it's a great way for parents to battle the corporate giants and get their kids interested in eating food from home. The following quote really makes me think that because we are a new country with very few dishes that are culturally owned by us, we've fallen victim to corporations feeding our children, and this being the norm in our society. It was seen as desirable to eat this food. This author states, "But tastes are also derived from our culturally constructed inclinations for particular dishes and ingredients, and our socially-derived desire for our consumption habits to show us in the best possible light" (Atkins & Bowler, 2001, p. 272).
Thankfully more people have started to stand up to these power giants, and perhaps in efforts like this, good old fashioned cooking and love from home, can show home cooked food to children in a better light. Hopefully more parents will begin to get creative and become more aware and we can bring up a nation of healthier and more socially aware children.