Reading Post #4

The second part of the book discusses mainly about the author's distaste for Wall Street and why it should be eliminated. From his somewhat dramatic tones and metaphors, it's obvious that Korten loathes the Wall Street Economy and wants it gone ASAP. He would go so far as to compare it to a cancer that needs immediate treatment.

The author suggests that Wall Street Economy should be replaced by Main Street Economy. A Main Street economy is defined as being composed of people "producing real goods and services to provide livelihoods for themselves". This idea may sound superb as Korten has described, but so did Wall Street as a concept/model. Wall Street is supposed to help businesses grow as they sell shares in exchange for profits. However, it surely has to take the blame for the 2008 recession--because of its corruption and lack of regulation. What goes wrong is often the greedy people at play. Similarly, it is hard to say that the Main Street plan will go as smoothly as Korten pictures, and people continue to care solely about self-sustaining. What should be done isn't to simply eliminate the existing model and replace with new one, but to improve and regulate the current model. After all, Wall Street does have its benefits. Many firms' growth would be limited without the current system and the funds generated from it. It would be unfair to say that Wall Street only benefits small group of riches and has absolutely no contribution to local communities. 

New Addition to Apartment Family

Last weekend I came home to a furry orange new friend--Jackie the cat. Jackie is an 8-month old cat who will be staying with me and my apartment housemates for one year due to her owner's housemate's allergy to cats. I've been a dog person all my life so far--my family has owned few german shepherds before I moved to the states. I've never actually thought about adopting a cat since I don't quite know how to interact with them. As expected, Jackie didn't seem too happy about me patting her head, as she responded by biting my hand lightly. She seems a little stressed to be relocated to a new environment at first. Over the past few days, however, she has begun to warm up to us a lot more, squeezing closely to us and playing games. We are still in the process of training her to follow some rules such as not walking on the dining table and dishwasher. She is surely a lot more unpredictable than the dogs I used to have, but I am glad to have this quiet little furball to keep me company. 

Reading Post #3: Money=Happiness?

In Agenda for a New Economy, the author states that Wall Street is merely good at making a small group of people extremely wealthy while leaving many of those who work hard still impoverished. He focuses on the point that we should not mistaken money as real wealth since it is "simply a coupon that may be redeemed for goods and services of real intrinsic value". Having watched the Inside Job several times, I am aware that because of systemic corruption of our financial services industry, our money--what we consider as wealth, can mean nothing or disappear overnight. I agree with the author's argument that we should shift the focus from Wall Street (making fast money) to Main Street (creating livelihoods).

Asides from Wall Street's corruption, I believe that the value and attitude of the public should be changed in order to solve our problems. Our society largely uses monetary wealth to determine people's success and overlooks other social/environmental problems. We give attention to TV shows such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Rich Kids of Beverly Hills, making the riches even richer. While we may deride them, some people more or less admire or envy their fithly rich yet seemingly effortless lifestyles. Because of Wall Street and the media, many people are even more certain that money brings happiness. Instead of worshipping the riches and contemplating how to make quick cash, we should look into how to live more sustainably and efficiently, putting every human resource to good uses and finding ways for the environment to accommodate the ever-growing population. 

Reverse Culture Shock

Returning to the states from Italy a month ago, I have been experiencing mild reverse culture shock. Having moved from Taiwan to the states as a teen, I've moved around quite a bit and can easily adapt to different environments. Nonetheless, I can't help but compare places and I definitely miss the picturesque European cities. Reverse culture shock is typically described in four stages--disengagement, initial euphoria, hostility, and readjustment. First of all, disengagement began before departing from the foreign country, when I felt reluctant and sad about leaving. Secondly, euphora is the stage when I was excited about reentering and reuniting with family and friends. Then, irritability and hostility can happen when reality falls short of expectations. Lastly, I eventually readjust to the states again. Being in a country where the architecture and culture are so rich, I had to take some time to get used to the relatively new country I live in and it's lack of history in terms of cityscape. I notice we have so much more spaces here in the states that we rarely have to be concerned about using them efficiently. On the good side, I appreciate the California sun much more after spending half of the semester in gloomy and cold weather. Furthermore, thanks to my family and friends, I've been readjusting and enjoying SoCal a lot being constantly engaging in social events and fun-filled weekends hiking and strolling around the beach. All in all, I am thankful that I am able to see and live in different places in the world and learn to truly appreciate each of its beauty.

Reading Post #2: The True Cost of Fast Food

Eating fast food has been my guilty pleasure since I was little partially because I was rarely given the freedom to do so. My family has always believed in eating healthy, so fast food is usually the last option when it comes to picking what to eat for a meal. On rare occasions like a family road trip, where we didn't have time to find a sit-down restaurant, my parents would grant us the precious permission to indulge some McDonalds burgers and fries. After moving to the states, and especially after starting college, I've become a slightly more frequent visitor to the various fast food chains California's got to offer. I know it's not the best for my health, but the food is cheap and tasty―what's not to love? Nonetheless, after reading Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, I realize that fast food cost us way more than its surface value. In fact, we compensate for eating unhealthy indirectly through taxes and health care. Here's the quote that reminds me about how I should be a responsible eater:

“The ninety-nine cent price of a fast-food hamburger simply doesn't take account of that meal's true cost--to soil, oil, public health, the public purse, etc., costs which are never charged directly to the consumer but, indirectly and invisibly, to the taxpayer (in the form of subsidies), the health care system (in the form of food-borne illnesses and obesity), and the environment (in the form of pollution), not to mention the welfare of the workers in the feedlot and the slaughterhouse and the welfare of the animals themselves.” 

                                        

                                                                                                                           -Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan

It's probably impossible to completely get rid of fast food from Americans' diet, but moderation is always the way to go and something that we need to work on. Hopefully, if we cut down our consumption of fast food, we can reduce the harms these "cheap" meals bring to our health and environment. 

Seeing Blue

I recently overheard a conversation about the harms of blue lights from electronic devices. It may not be news to some people but I wanted to look more into it and share what I learned.

Nowadays, with artificial lights and electronic devices being so common and accessible, most people do not give second thoughts about leaving lights on or staring at their smartphone screens for excessive amount of time. But according to research, being constantly exposed to light at night can in fact be harmful to human health. The problem is the blue wavelengths in ordinary white lights. Blue light—beneficial during daytime as it boosts energy and mood—can cause insomnia at night and disrupt the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulate sleep and wake cycles. The lack of melatonin is associated with high rates of cancers, diabetes, and other diseases. It's also been found out that blue light causes high retinal stress that can potentially lead to blindness. Fluorescent lightbulbs and LED lights are more energy-efficient than the traditional incandescent lightbulbs, but they produce more blue light. Ways of reducing the effects of blue light include coating on lightbulbs and wearing blocking glasses.

Learning about the harms of blue light, I begin to hesitate about using my phone so often and reading books on tablets. I realize that theres bound to be downsides about our excessive, almost limitless, usage of electronic devices. 

Reading Post #1: A Corn-Packed Food Chain

First learning about how immensely corn contributes to our diet, I was astonished and had to agree that it is a miraculous plant and true blessing to human population. I appreciate the fact that the crop offers so much convenience in my daily life. From the fresh produces to processed food, most products we pick up from the supermarket, where we thought is supposed to offer biodiversity, more or less has something to do with corn. Having a natural ingredient that is so versatile and easy to obtain sounds too perfect. There are downsides to this massive production of corn. I realize that due to our dependence on corn, the breeders are able to take advantage by introducing new hybrid corn that has better yields. Corporation who sees profits in breeding the corns, plays a great role in keeping consumers interested, as Michael Pollan observed:

“The corporation, assured for the first time of a return on its investment in breeding, showered corn with attention—R&D, promotion, advertising—and the plant responded, multiplying its fruitfulness year after year.”

-Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan

If we are what we eat, I wonder what would become of us when the food we consume the most—corn, is no longer so organic and is constantly modified by breeders. 

Job Memo | Restaurant Hostess

A restaurant hostess is the person who greets guests upon their arrival and keeps them updated with their order statuses or wait time. At most sit-down restaurants, a host or hostess will readily welcome the guests at the door, making sure that all their needs are met while they are waiting to be seated.

These are the descriptions that summarize the duties of a restaurant hostess:

• Representative
• Patrol
• Mediator

Representative

• Present a positive image of the restaurant
• Take phone calls for reservations, take-out orders, and other inquiries
• Ensure that all guests are having a good time

Similar to a hotel concierge, a hostess is the first employee that the guests will interact with. My exchange with the arrival guests conveys the overall hospitality of the restaurant. Being the first impression of a high-end Japanese restaurant, I am required to present an appealing and proper image as instructed by the manager. Although there is no uniform, it is important to dress in business casual attires and maintain a clean appearance. Upon guests’ arrival, I step out of my station, welcome them with an enthusiastic yet polite tone, and make a 45-degree bow. When tables are available, I escort guests to their seats and wish them a pleasurable meal. When there is a wait, I ask them to take a seat and offer refreshments. I will inform them on wait time or take-out order statuses. It is my duty to make sure that everything flows smoothly, that no guests are left unattended, and that the restaurant leaves a positive impression that attracts repeat customers.

Patrol

• Monitor the dining section for open and clean table
• Take note of the table rotation on dining occupancy chart and estimate wait time
• Check constantly on the number of menus in the front and in the dining section

The first thing I am required to do is to memorize the plan of the restaurant and the numbers representing each table, booth, and tatami/private room. A hostess’s job is not only greeting at the front, but also constantly patrolling in the dining sections and mentally taking notes of the tables’ statuses. After taking reservations, I inform the busboys with the numbers of guests and which tables to arrange for accommodating larger parties. I make sure that the servers are each assigned a fair amount of tables, not too few or too many at once. In addition, I keep track of the menus available for the guests at the front, fetching them from back of the dining section when needed.

Mediator

• Communicate with guests when problems occur
• Seek resolutions for unsatisfied guests

Occasionally, guests will be unsatisfied with the restaurant’s service, usually at instances when the restaurant’s packed and wait time is long. As the hostess I need to maintain the orderliness at the waiting area. Guests may complain about how slow it is or that they could not be seated at a table they prefer. It is important for me to be patient and try to communicate with the guests.