instructions attached
Mikia Wilson
ENG 111
08/29/2024
M02 Writing Project 1 Summary and Response: Half Draft
Regarding the subject of eating, most of us will quickly agree that our upbringing and way of
life usually determines what we put into our bodies. But where this consensus usually ends—that
is, on the issue of what we should be consuming regardless of those complications—is another
matter entirely. While some people believe those elements influence your eating habits, others
keep since we still have options and can make more educated food decisions using appropriate
knowledge and better alternatives if necessary. David Zinczenko’s “Don’t Blame the Eater”
article questions the ideas of a healthy diet and the power of marketing and choice in your
decision. I agree and disagree with the author on why food education and alternatives are
necessary in building a healthier society and in this essay will press upon exactly why I
acknowledge Zinczenko’s writing and what I find clashing with his attitude as it relates to today.
When delving into David Zinczenko’s “Don’t Blame the Eater,” the image that comes to me is
a general dark hue to American Society and how quickly poor eating habits have evolved since
the late 90’s. By relating parts of his own past to enable the reader to better grasp where his
knowledge and point of view are coming from, Zinczenko grabs their attention. As Zinczenko
says, “I grew up as a regular latchkey kid from mid-1980’s. My mom worked long hours to pay
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the monthly payments while my dad was off attempting to reconstruct his life. My parents were
apart. For me, lunch and dinner were daily options between McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky
Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut. Making this remark helps you to visualize just how deprived he was
of healthy dietary options. Finding out how Type-2 diabetes and obesity have developed in the
United States and the impact of that percentage increase on the health care expenses is a major
head turner in this article. Zinczenko then goes on to illustrate exactly how bad the diabetes and
obesity issue is because the alternatives given to the American public for better eating options are
few compared to the possibilities for fast food and other less healthy options. “Drive down any
road in America and I promise you will find one of the almost 13,000 McDonald’s outlets in our
nation. Drive back up the street now in search of somewhere to get a grapefruit. Zinczenko’s
thesis is that although being insalubrous to the body, access to rapid, cheap, and readily available
food, while being at the public’s fingers, the choice for healthful food seemed non-existent.
I would admit that at the time Zinczenko wrote this piece, consumer understanding and food
expertise—especially in the fast-food sector—had some restrictions. “Complicating the lack of
alternatives is the lack of information about what, exactly, we are consuming,” Zinczenko says. I
absolutely agree with his line of thought that we really limit ourselves to create diets and routines
by restricting the dietary data and choice. But because dietary options and nutritional information
on all fronts have grown, major developments have gone into enabling customers to make better
decisions twenty years after the article was published. You can get exactly all the nutritional
elements and calorie counts for every item in any restaurant or fast-food outlet today. These days,
restaurants include dietary menus you may request to support your daily calorie count.
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With greater food options, information, and society images of what is healthier to eat, I
personally believe America has gone a great way in the correct direction. Active change cannot
occur without the public being informed and empowered to make judgments based on all the
facts; this is shown in the article “Don’t Blame the Eater”. Should Zinczenko be reading this
piece, my one query would be “Do you feel the American public as a whole even with better
choices, access, and information have utilized these options effectively or squandered them?”
The only problem I see with this paper is its present relevancy; but, if I had read this in 2002 all
the writers’ comments would have been indisputable. Though people even with better options
and knowledge will choose what is easy and immediately in front of them rather than take a little
time to change their dietary path, the problems Zinczenko raises are still relevant today and
include the obesity and diabetes issue.
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References
David Zinczenko, “Don’t Blame the Eater,” November 23, 2002 New York Times
