Photo Essay - Trains and Truth

The battle between technological advances and nature is an ongoing debate in the modern world. Progress in transportation is no different. In some countries, large-scale highways, monster bridges, and high-speed railroad lines span natural scenes, filling them with motion, innovation, wires, and machine power. With our eyes glued to the newest breakthroughs in engineering, we sometimes forget the beauty that is omnipresent in natural, untarnished places, our minds instead filled with the idea of progression, power, and potency. One way of viewing this can be expressed by watching the world from trackside. Nature's beauty will never cease, even when viewed through the world of horsepower, grimy locomotives, and heavy railroads.

Photo 1: https://www.flickr.com/photos/milwaukeerailfan/28818836722/in/dateposted/

#flowerpower

Photo 2: https://www.flickr.com/photos/milwaukeerailfan/29475046886/in/dateposted/

#beastintheshadows

Photo 3: https://www.flickr.com/photos/milwaukeerailfan/28827631705/in/dateposted/

#size

Photo Essay Process Information:

 The photos were taken with a progression of technology followed up with resistance from nature in mind. Photo one shows plainly a locomotive cutting through a blooming forest. Photo two shows a train as well as buildings hidden among the wonderful fall colors. Photo three shows even more man-made units - the train, the cars, the wires and poles - and even still, nature's beauty permeates through the scene. Colors are used to help aid thesis and information processing. 

Edited Voiceoever

The fish has been gutted, the meat has been breaded, and the kitchen has come alive! Join us, as we witness Mr. Chu as he prepares his signature dish. With over twenty years of experience running his own restaurant which he took over after his father, Chu is always busy and meticulous with his work. From seeing how quickly he prepares the fish, we can already see every minute of his lifetime poured into such a delicate process as cooking, making sure that every red pepper, every spice, and every tasty ingredient is factored into the final product in their correct amounts, all in the blink of an eye!

He works diligently, without pausing to even take a drink of water. He is used to the heat; it has been his home for most of his life, even as he was a little boy scrubbing pots for his father. Today, he is a Master Chef with three beautiful daughters, each to whom he is preparing this glorious banquet for this day. 

Watch as he steps out of the kitchen now to prepare the next half of the meal. The chicken pen he is walking towards was made by his father over forty years ago and still stands to house chickens today. He grabs one to kill for the meal, for his greatest dish of the banquet, “Chu’s General Chicken”, must use fresh meat for the full flavor to be savored. Chu’s restaurant garnered our attention first because of his commitment to sustainability, that is, raising his own livestock for his dishes. 

It does not take him long to prepare the rest of the meal. By now, the chicken has been prepared and so have all the other ingredients. He puts the buns in the cooker and waits while he puts the rest of his creations on the stove to heat. Squid, steamed buns, rice, and vegetables will soon be ready. At this time, most of the heavy work is over and he can proceed to another task. Although it seems like a long and heavy task has been completed, the day has only begun for Chef Chu...

Source: Eat Drink Man Woman

Voiceover of Opening Scene from Eat Drink Man Woman

The fish has been gutted; the meat has been breaded; and the kitchen has come alive! Join us, as we witness Mr. Chu as he prepares his signature dish. With over twenty years of experience running his own restaurant which he took over after his father, Chu is always busy and meticulous with his work. From seeing how quickly he prepares the fish, we can already see every minute of his lifetime poured into such a delicate process as cooking, making sure that every red pepper, every spice, and every tasty ingredient is factored into the final product in their correct amounts, all in the blink of an eye!

He works diligently, without pausing to even take a drink of water. He is used to the heat; it has been his home for most of his life, even as he was a little boy scrubbing pots for his father. Today, he is a Master Chef with three beautiful daughters, each to whom he is preparing this glorious banquet for this day. 

Watch as he steps out of the kitchen now to prepare the next half of the meal. The chicken pen he is walking towards was made by his father over forty years ago and still stands to house chickens today. He grabs one to kill for the meal, for his greatest dish of the banquet, “Chu’s General Chicken”, must use fresh meat for the full flavor to be savored. Chu’s restaurant garnered our attention first because of his commitment to sustainability, that is, raising his own livestock for his dishes. 

It does not take him long to prepare the rest of the meal. By now, the chicken has been prepared and so have all the other ingredients. He puts the buns in the cooker and waits while he puts the rest of his creations on the stove to heat. At this time, most of the heavy work is over and he can proceed to another task. Thus ends the busiest moment of a day in the life of Chef Chu. 

Source: Eat Drink Man Woman

Reflection on Proposal Review

My Food Blog proposal was on: Raw Dishes. 

My reviewer, Thalia, said that it was “important that you are also including a counterargument - focusing on people who love and hate raw food really strengthens your argument.” In reflection, bringing up the argument on both sides was an idea that occurred to me only on a whim. Yet, for someone to have taken notice of it reminded me that counterarguments are indeed important. It provides room for both sides of an opinion and gives an argument more dimension. 

Thalia said that I should mention why “ethos and pathos are important appeals to address in your blog post?” She raises a very good point. Ethos and pathos are important to address because they are primary methods to connect an author with a reader, making a passage come alive more. When one can invest himself or herself into an argument, he or she will be able to understand and believe it more. 

Thalia also asked what tones I would develop in my writing. I will take a modest tone, one that is open to both sides of an argument while still remaining true to one clear point. I believe this is the best way to take a blog post so that all readers will not be offended, and many viewpoints can be well analyzed instead of just one. Although some say that it is better to focus an argument, I believe showing all sides to an argument can offer more room for liberal thought and inspiration for other ideas.