The Despicable Daisy Buchanan Essay Essay Example

The Despicable Daisy Buchanan Essay Essay Example The Despicable Daisy Buchanan Essay Paper The Despicable Daisy Buchanan Essay Paper â€Å"On Wednesdays we wear pink† . Authoritative Mean Girls Regina George. Regina is the most beautiful. popular miss in school. Everyone seems to listen to her. But. under all her make-up. you can see she is besides the meanest and ugliest of them all. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Daisy Buchanan is Regina George. Daisy is by far the most contemptible character in the full novel. Despite her outer beauty. Daisy exemplifies true ugliness through her expressions and ditziness. selfishness and mercenary focal points. every bit good as her bad ethical motives and deficiency of duty. Looking at Daisy. she appears gorgeous indoors and out. She has the â€Å"full of money† voice that immediately draws people in like she is composed of good promises. But truly it is the complete antonym. The lone promise Daisy’s voice has is the promise of taking more people under her enchantment. â€Å"I’ve heard it said that Daisy’s mutter was merely to do people thin toward her ; an irrelevant unfavorable judgment that made it no less charming† ( 9 ) . Daisy has ever been the belle of the ball as verified by her maidenhood friend from Louisville. Jordan Baker. Daisy uses her physical visual aspect and flirty ways to derive attending for herself. demoing her true colourss. Daisy believes being her flirty and ditzy ego is the manner to derive people’s focal point. She clearly has experience in these ways as proven when she talks about the girl Pammy when she grows up: â€Å"I hope she’ll be a fool†¦that’s the best thing a miss can be in this universe. a beautiful small fool† ( 17 ) . Daisy’s figure one focal point in life is by far Daisy. Nothing else registries in her caput besides herself and. of class. her money. Her mercenary attitude leads to brutal egoism. Even at the immature age of 18. philistinism is the exclusive factor in the matrimony pick of Tom. When Jay Gatsby. her hapless first love. goes to war. Daisy promises to wait for him. However. shortly after he is gone. Daisy meets Tom Buchanan. Tom is from a societal household who could assure her the affluent life style she desires. This is all Daisy needs to cognize. She selfishly marries Tom. wholly go forthing Gatsby behind all for her ain personal wealth. Even Gatsby recognizes her compulsion with money. â€Å"She merely married you because I was poor† ( 130 ) . Although Gatsby did non see that as selfishness since Daisy is â€Å"perfect† in his eyes. her pick is without a uncertainty cold hearted. Throughout the book Daisy strings along two work forces ; her hubby. Tom. and her old love. Jay Gatsby. all for more egotistic attending. â€Å"I did love him once- but I loved you too† ( 132 ) . Frequently. Daisy’s selfish ways and love of the all-powerful dollar lead to her atrocious ethical motives and turning away of duty. When times get tough and things go incorrect. Daisy hides behind her money and goes someplace new. go forthing behind the state of affairs. For illustration. at the hotel Daisy gets put in the state of affairs of holding to pick between her two work forces. Tom and Jay. Right off. her first idea is to run off from the duty. â€Å"I won’t base this! Oh. delight let’s acquire out† ( 133 ) . On the manner place from the hotel. Daisy is driving Gatsby’s auto through the Valley of Ashes and hits Myrtle Wilson. immediately killing her. Daisy. being her usual ego. weeps and drives off from the scene. leting Gatsby to take incrimination. â€Å"But of class I’ll say I was† ( 143 ) . Daisy. killing another human being and non having up to it is hardhearted on so many degrees. For her to be able to wake up the following forenoon and experience all right is incorrect. turn outing her awful ethical motives. George Wilson. Myrtle’s hubby. is highly angry and out of control when he finds out the auto that hit his married woman belongs to Jay Gatsby. George. presuming he is to fault. shoots Gatsby and so himself. killing both. If Daisy would hold stopped at the accident and owned up to the decease of Myrtle. two more lives might hold been saved. Even lower. Daisy does non go to the funeral of Jay Gatsby. a adult male who. in a sense. took a slug for her. Daisy fled with Tom to a new location. go forthing no reference or anything behind. Sometimes the people ugliest on the exterior are the most beautiful on the interior. like Beauty and the Beast’s Beast. Although he is chilling and hairy on the surface. he is sweet and kindhearted the deeper in you go. Other times. there are people like Daisy. the complete antonym. In the terminal Daisy reveals herself for what she truly embodies. Despite how appealing and attractive she appears. her ugly side comes out the deeper the novel goes. She. as a individual. is proven to utilize her expressions all for the incorrect grounds. She centers her life on money and selfish ways. has corrupt ethical motives. and strongly lacks duty. Daisy Buchanan is by far the most contemptible and ugly character. Why wear pink on Midweeks when it is the interior that truly counts?

Definition and Examples of Procatalepsis in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Procatalepsis in Rhetoric Procatalepsis is a  rhetorical strategy by which a speaker or writer anticipates and responds to an opponents objections. Also spelled prokatalepsis. Adjective: Procataleptic The  figure of speech and  argumentative strategy of procatalepsis is also known as  the  prebuttal, the figure of presupposal, anticipatio, and anticipated refutation. Nicholas Brownlees notes that procatalepsis is an effective rhetorical device in that while appearing  dialogic, in practice it allows the author to remain in complete control of the  discourse  (Gerrard Winstanley and Radical Political Discourse in Cromwellian England, 2006). Examples and Observations Listen, Liz, I know this is tough to hear, but- I know what youre going to say, she cut in, her voice quiet. I know what youre going to tell me to do. Accept it. Move on. Try to forget about what happened to him.He didnt respond. Shed second-guessed him.Right?Right.Well, its not so easy for me, she said. Im still here in London with all the memories, living next door to his empty house. I havent got myself a nice little holiday cottage in Devon to disappear to and forget about everything that happened.(Tim Weaver,  Never Coming Back. Viking, 2014) Frederick Douglass Use of  Procatalepsis I may be asked, why I am so anxious to bring this subject before the British public- why I do not confine my efforts to the United States? My answer is, first, that slavery is the common enemy of mankind, and all mankind should be made acquainted with its abominable character. My next answer is, that the slave is a man, and, as such, is entitled to your sympathy as a brother. All the feelings, all the susceptibilities, all the capacities, which you have, he has. He is a part of the human family. (Frederick Douglass, An Appeal to the British People. Reception speech at Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, 1846) Platos Use of  Procatalepsis Someone will say: Yes, Socrates, but cannot you hold your tongue, and then you may go into a foreign city, and no one will interfere with you? Now I have great difficulty in making you understand my answer to this. For if I tell you that this would be a disobedience to a divine command, and therefore that I cannot hold my tongue, you will not believe that I am serious; and if I say again that the greatest good of man is daily to converse about virtue, and all that concerning which you hear me examining myself and others, and that the life which is unexamined is not worth living- that you are still less likely to believe. And yet what I say is true, although a thing of which it is hard for me to persuade you. (Plato, Apology, trans. by Benjamin Jowett) Uses of Procatalepsis Strategically, procatalepsis shows  your readers that you have anticipated their concerns, and have already thought them through. It is, therefore, especially effective in argumentative essays...Procatalepsis can even be used if you dont have a full answer to the objection. By being honest about the fact that there are problems with your argument, you show your audience that you are grounded in reality. You should never, however, bring up an objection to which you cannot respond. (Brendan McGuigan, Rhetorical Devices: A Handbook and Activities for Student Writers. Prestwick, 2007)Often, a writer will invent a possible objection or difficulty  in order to answer it in a way that strengthens the writers position. In the event such an objection should arise, the reader has an answer already laid out...An objection can occasionally be  turned into a further point of support for the writers argument. Conceding an objection and then turning it into a point in the writers favor can be a powerful tactic. (Robert A Harris,  Writing With Clarity and Style: A Guide to Rhetorical Devices for  Contemporary Writers, 2003. Rpt. Routledge, 2017) More Examples of Procatalepsis He knows every harbor, every cove and inlet throughout the chain; he has to.Those are fine credentials, Geoffrey, but hardly the sort- Please, interrupted Cooke. I havent finished. To anticipate your objection, hes a retired officer of US Naval Intelligence. Hes relatively young, early to mid-forties, Id say, and Ive no real knowledge of why he left the service, but I gather the circumstances werent very pleasant. Still, he could be an asset on this assignment. (Robert Ludlum, The Scorpio Illusion, 1993)No group in America has had as poor a start as the first Africans. Youll argue that other groups had to suffer indignities and even slavery, but I immediately remind you that they migrated (i.e. came by choice). Africans were wrenched (even if purchased) from their homeland, brutalized and forced to work for free. (Nashieqa Washington, Why Do Black People Love Fried Chicken? And Other Questions Youve Wondered But Didnt Dare Ask. Your Black Friend, 2006)

Digital forensic analyst Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Digital forensic analyst - Case Study Example The paper also outlines how the cases have had an impact on the trajectory of digital computer forensic and the work of digital forensic analyst. Case 1: U.S. v. Diaz The case between U.S and Diaz involved marijuana in New Mexico. In this case, Jesus Manuel Diaz had more than 1000 kilograms of Marijuana he wanted to distribute in the United States using his trucking company, JD Easyline (Admin, 2011). In December, 11th 2009, the United States district court heard that Daiz drove his truck eastbound from Mexico to the Arizona border where he intended to distribute Marijuana hidden in his truck. Being the Diaz wanted to cross the border with the marijuana onboard his truck, he had falsified the paper work detailing the real weight of the truck and the merchandise onboard. After arriving at a border booth, he went ahead to get the paperwork necessary for him to cross the border with the truck, but the credential booth was closed on that day. As a result, Diaz went out of his truck and met Officer Smid, whom he presented all the paper work including his driving license in pursuit of a clearance letter. However, Smid was worried about the weight Diaz had quoted in his paper work. The gross weight of Diaz’s truck was way below what Smid expected. Smid argued that an empty truck with fuel weighed close to 33,000 pounds. However, Diaz had pointed that the merchandise onboard was 9,762 pound, which concerned Smid because some weight was uncounted in the truck. Smid inspected Diaz paperwork and questioned the discrepancy in weight, which Diaz attempted to explain. He argued that some shippers often put more weight on the truck than necessary. An inspection of the truck revealed that Diaz did not have a CB radio and he had four cellphones. Furthermore, Smid discovered the Diaz was uneasy and was scratching his head, a behavior he had not displayed at the start of the conversation. The seal of the truck was a commercial seal and Smid noted that there was some air freshener in the truck, though this was missing in the bill of lading. A through search of the truck using a sniffer dog revealed more the 3,300 pounds of marijuana (Admin, 2011). In addition, a laptop computer and printer, Diaz used to falsify and print the bill of lading was found. A computer forensic testified in the court that Diaz had deleted a program he used to create a false bill of lading to justify the additional weight of marijuana. Forensic analysis revealed that the bil l of lading was not the one the dollar store issued to Diaz. This evidence in this case had a significant impact on the case because it Diaz was found guilty and convicted. While Diaz had succeeded to alter the bill of lading, the work of computer forensic allowed the prosecutor to prove that Diaz had deleted software he used to make and print a false bill of lading. The case underscores the role of digital forensic analysts in discovering deleted files and linking the same to cases pending before courts of law. Moreover, the case proved that digital forensic analyst could determine the authenticity of documents by finding programs used to create them. In such cases, it would be easy for investigators to gather evidence

Viva examination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Viva examination - Essay Example In response, while acting as a solicitor, an advice was provided to Mr. Jones to give a no comment interview on 10th April. However, Mr. Jones follows the stated guidelines and does the same but was subsequently refused of bail by the responsible custody officer. This was mainly based on certain grounds, which include that Mr. Jones would interfere with the witnesses and may return to the Void for trying and finding his accuser. Based on the information provided relating to scenario one, it can be found that Mr. Jones was adamant claiming that he is innocent as well as extremely anxious towards getting bail. In accordance with the aforesaid scenario, it will be vital to mention that a contested bail hearing is ascertained under such a scenario, wherein the Crown prosecutor tends to oppose the release of an accused person and likewise given the prospect to interrogate the sureties that testify on behalf of the accuser (Hannibal & Mountford, 2014). The above stated context is found to be similar with that of the provided scenario relating to the case of R v Jones (2015) wherein the custody officer refused to provide the bail based on certain valid grounds under the dimension of criminal law. Thus, by considering the failure of persuading the CPS solicitor towards agreeing to provide bail to Mr. Jones, an attempt has been made to prepare a contested bail hearing. In this similar context, while acting as a solicitor on behalf of Mr. Jones, it must be mentioned that the preparation of a contested bail hearing would be made in such a way so that the custody officer as well as the CPS solicito r would agree to provide bail to the accused party i.e. Mr. Jones. By taking into concern the various attributes of criminal law and criminal justice arrangement, a contested bail hearing will be made initially by ascertaining the charges that are faced by the accused party i.e. Mr. Jones and evaluating his

Cooperating and Communicating Across Cultures Essay Example for Free

Cooperating and Communicating Across Cultures Essay Case Study: Cooperating and Communicating Across Cultures The article Cooperation and communication between cultures, points out the key components in this case study. In the scenario each one of the team members had their own preconceived notions of the right way they should interact with the team in order for the team to move forward. The viewpoints of the team members, in my opinion, were influenced in part by their own cultures in addition to their own corporate backgrounds. Jim upon entering the team considered himself well prepared. He had knowledge of German culture and language, due to the fact that his wife was German and he visited Germany often, however, he was amazed at the detail in which the planning session went. Jim soon lost patience and interest, and the respect of his fellow team members because he was hardly paying attention anymore to the process. The German team used a three-day planning session as a way to lay the foundation for the structure of the entire product launch. Jim never really understands the importance of the initial meetings in the process because he unes out most of what was being said. Because of this, Jim never really understands the way the team is working in that the first analyze the problem, all possible eventualities, and addressing issues, then dividing the work and moving forward, with the team leader checking and controlling the outcome. The German team leader demonstrates that the team had worked together for at several years and so each knew the procedures very well but Jim clearly did not. An important organizational issue Jim exhibited is not showing respect for the Germans methods nd failing to align himself with the culture more rather than removing himself from the process and complaining. Fundamentally, Jim wanted to outline the problem, jump in, adjust and confer during the process but the Germans had different ideas, and a different culture for doing things. Each side saw the others method of operating as wrong, rather than as a possible new and different way to address a product launch. In the scenario concerning Klaus, Klaus had the same issues arriving in America and learning that the project would be put together as a work in progress rather than carefully thought out prior to execution of a plan. This is a cultural difference both sides experienced that could have been addressed by an introduction to work methods before Jim/Klaus started with their new team, which could have avoided the sense of frustration all on the project felt. Outlining the process and the roles each person would play would help the visitor better learn the corporate/national culture.

Comparing Notebook and Desktop Computers :: Compare Contrast Computer Essays

Comparing Notebook and Desktop Computers Computers are one of the most popular kinds of electronic devices in the world today. Whether kid or adult, male or female, everyone wants to learn how to operate the computer. People use computers for different purposes such as typing papers, creating websites, making presentations, browsing on the internet, playing games, etc. In fact, many people are still confused about choosing what kind of computer they want to buy. In the world today, there are two types of computers: notebook/laptop and desktop. They both are actually very different in several ways. In this paper, I will compare the size, connectivity, power, and price of notebook and desktop computers. I can make these comparisons because I have both a notebook and a desktop computer in my apartment. Size is one of the major concerns for people who want to buy a computer. A notebook/laptop tends to be smaller than a desktop computer. This makes the notebook more convenient to use than a desktop computer. Because of the size, the components, which are built inside a notebook, are relatively small as well. Components of a computer consist of: microprocessor, memory, disk drivers, motherboard, sound card, input/output port, and power supply. Moreover, notebooks seem to be lighter than desktop computers. This also makes a very difference for the users. A notebook's weight will be about 10 pounds or less. Because of this weight, notebook can be brought anywhere easily. Many people use notebooks for business purposes so they can bring their notebook everywhere. On the other hand, a desktop computer's weight is more than 20 pounds. Because of this, desktop computers are used by people who stay at home most of the time. Besides that, a notebook is built as a fixed computer. In other words, all the components used to build a notebook cannot be changed if something is broken, or all the components cannot be upgraded as a user desires. On the other hand, a desktop computer seems to be less complicated than a notebook because all the components inside the desktop computer can be changed as the user desires. Because of these changes, a desktop computer has more memory capacity than a notebook. Besides size, connectivity is also an important aspect in order to operate the computers correctly. The connectivity that I mean is an internet connection. There are several components that are used to connect the computers to the internet such as modem, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), wireless, etc.

Fast food and health promotion Essay

Abstract Healthy eating is a major concern of the public and has been under-researched for decades. A successful healthy eating campaign can help to raise awareness and in the long run, prevent and minimize long-term diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. This can also reduce the burden on the National Health Service. For all of these reasons, this dissertation aims to determine what people eat, why they choose to eat the way they do and whether they feel the Government has done enough to promote healthy eating. Initially, this study examines the trends of contemporary food culture by sociologists and the marketing powers of promotion to increase student awareness on healthy eating. A discussion on Government policies indicates the efficacy of the Government to reach students with their healthy eating promotion in this country. This study uses qualitative research methods to determine the awareness of the students, on healthy eating and their opinions on the Government’s attempt to promote a healthy nation. Based on the data gathered in this research, an evaluation was made on whether healthy eating promotion is effective in today’s student society. In this study, student choices of food were shown to be primarily affected by price, taste and peer pressure. This is in contrast with the available literature which suggests that social class, culture, the food industries and Government campaigns are the main influences on people’s eating habits. Introduction This dissertation aims to understand how food is promoted and consumed by the public. Our choices of food are affected by many factors such as our social class, our culture, and the media and Government campaigns. Over the past thirty years a surge of interest has arisen and an increase in the consumption of fast food. However, more recently health concerns regarding fast food consumption has surfaced. Sociologists often seek explanations for human behavior and try to link this with the environment in which they live in. Similarly, sociologists such as Alan Warde have examined contemporary food culture and suggested reasons that influence people’s choice. Initially, changes in food consumption patterns and healthy eating promotions from different dimensions were examined. The  © 2006 The International Journal of Urban Labour and Leisure 1 dissertation then describes the interviews that were conducted with regards to healthy eating. Some key findings were revealed to support the sociological theories. Finally, the discussion sums up and reflects the findings in relation to these theories and see if there is any correlation between the two. This research was undertaken at a University and based on ten one-to-one interviews. It is important to examine whether we are eating healthily. Food is the basic necessity in life humans consume daily. In this dissertation I want to explore student’s knowledge on healthy eating and whether the Government is doing enough to promote a healthier nation. Sociological Promotion. Perspectives on Food Consumption and Healthy Eating Current Trends in Food Consumption Food consumption relates to the substances that are taken in to produce energy, stimulate growth and maintain life. It consists of essential body nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins or minerals. Healthy food is considered to be highly beneficial to health, especially a food grown organically or free of additives. Food consumption has tilted towards fast food culture over the past few decades due to its price, convenience and the shortage of eating time. In this section, general consumption trends will be studied and the change of consumer culture over time will be discussed. Sociologists like Bourdieu and Bauman have written literature and devised their own theories on the consumption of food. Many of them believe that this is a structureagency debate. In other words, how social structure shapes our actions and how we, in turn, shape the social structure (Germov, 1999:302). One of the examples given by Pierre Bourdieu is that the way we consume food reflected our social class and background (Warde, 1997:9). He argued that consumption is based upon cultural upbringing and is therefore socially embedded. Bauman, on the other hand, saw consumption as â€Å"less restricted† rather than another part of life (Warde, 1997:10). In reality, Bauman claimed that there is a small role for choices, for example, we cannot choose to be born into which family, but within consumption, we have more power to alter our choices. Bauman believed that individuals are thought to gradually detach themselves from the social regulations and create their own personal identity by making their own choices. These two theories differ in relation to social environment and habits, to freedom of choice on the consumption of food. Bourdieu’s theory is more commonly practiced in modern society as different social classes dominate our choice of food. The working class tends to eat food which has a â€Å"high amount of animal fat†, compared with the middle and upper classes (Mennell, 1992:54). Besides, people from poorer backgrounds may understand that fresh food is healthier; however, they could not afford to travel further to purchase fresh food (Whelan, 2002: 2083). Therefore they tended to purchase cheap quality food with a high fat content, from nearby shops.  © 2006 The International Journal of Urban Labour and Leisure 2 There have been rapid changes in food consumption over the past few decades. Alan Warde, in his book, Consumption, Food & Taste suggested four theses for the changes in eating habits. Firstly, people have more freedom on the choice of food, but are uncertain of what to eat. In modern society, we have a wider range of food available to us. As technology is constantly improving, we are no longer restricted by the seasons and harvests, which had affected people previously (Beardworth, 2000:33). However, Claude Fischler saw this as an â€Å"omnivore’s paradox† (Warde, 1997:30). Human beings want a variety to choose from; however, they feel anxious and unsure about trying new foodstuffs. This can be further explained by the changing concept of food poverty. In the past, food poverty was referred to as â€Å"lack of food, under- nutrition† (Adams, 2000:48). In the contemporary society, food poverty means â€Å"overabundance of processed foods, lack of balance diet† (Adams, 2000:48). Before, we experienced under nutrition, and now, we suffer from an unbalanced diet. Although we may have more food than before, we do not know what to choose. This reflects the lack of education in healthy eating. The second thesis suggested that in a mass producing society, people would consume similar products and gradually lose their identities. Individual producers tend to dominate particular industrial markets, for example big brands like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola target customers en mass. Mass food production can be explained by ‘McDonaldisation’, where customers experience the â€Å"same look, same service, same products and same taste† (Germov, 1999:12). This thesis is supported by a report by the Financial Times Exporter in 1995 (Adams, 2002:47). In the report, sixty-five percent of people in China recognized the brand name Coca Cola and nearly half of the people knew big brands like Pepsi. This concluded that large corporations ‘mould’ our taste and have great control over our choice of food. One may argue that supermarkets bring a wider selection to people. In fact, some of the varieties are created by developing alternative forms of packaging and storing methods, such as canned fish, frozen fish and fresh fish (Warde, 1997:167). Therefore, we will enjoy many versions of the same products. In a broader view of the food industry, the five largest supermarkets in the UK, dominates seventy percent of the grocery market. (Adams, 2002:47) This large market share led to the closure of many local stores. Single mothers or elderly people who live in rural areas will suffer a further limitation of food due to the restriction on mobility and financial support (Whelan, 2002:2083). Since mass production has moulded our tastes and choices, consumers start losing their personal taste and identities. To react against this passive consuming pattern, people are driven towards the post-Fordist view on consumption, which is the main focus of the third thesis. In the post-Fordist world, all commodities are expected to be more consumer-orientated. As the consumer’s expenditure increases, they expect the quality of food to be higher. People require greater differentiation of the commodities in different markets. For example, McDonalds serves a different menu across the world to accommodate differing cultures with distinct tastes. This is illustrated by McDonald franchises in Germany, whom also serve beer as refreshment. Customers hope to buy food that serves their interests and their local traditions. Businesses increase their profits and the consuming power; by produce the right products for the targeted consumers. A more suitable product for the customers, equates to more purchases which in turn equates to more income.  © 2006 The International Journal of Urban Labour and Leisure 3. The final thesis describes the persistence of social differentiation. Warde uses Bourdieu’s theory to prove that food consumption is a â€Å"means of expressing ‘distinction’† and has social meanings behind it. For example, class differences play a role in dictating eating habits. In this way, food consumption has more social meanings than a consume-to-survive model. In comparing the eating behaviour of manual workers and white collar workers, Bourdieu observed that clerical staff paid more attention to body maintenance and slimness whilst manual workers, paid limited attention to their waistline. This observation is seen in France. In Britain, Warde suggested that class distinction in relation to food has been more obvious in recent decades. Finkelstein supports this idea by saying that â€Å"dinning out is an expression of individuality, choice, spontaneity and that we select restaurants for food and price in ways which demonstrate our discrimination and what we value and desire† (Beardsworth, 1997:119). The interest of the media, increasing eating-out habits and foreign cuisines are becoming more common, food consumption has made a significant distinction between classes. There is a clear line between the richer and the poorer, and who can afford to taste different types of food. These theses have helped us to understand the reasons behind changes in food consumption. Fast food outlets are one of the popular choices for dinning out and have had a big impact on our food consumption. In the following paragraph, the significant effects that fast food has on our choices of diet will be examined. A Fast Food Nation? Fast food culture has penetrated into our lives and influenced our eating habits. The fast food industry grew fast in the 1990s. In 1991, fast food had reached nineteen percent of the global consumer catering market (Tansey, 1995: 133). From 1992 to 2003, expenditure spent on eating and drinking outside home has increased by 89. 9 per cent. (Website 1) These food shops provide roast chicken, pizza, etc. However, there is a limited choice of food and most of them have a high fat content (Millstein, 1993: 220). Excessive consumption predisposes individuals to a great deal of health problems in later life. Foods high in fats can cause high blood pressures, cancer, atherosclerosis and heart disease. In recent years, the increase in consciousness of healthy eating has forced the fast food chains to change their menu in order to survive. For example, McDonalds now offers a new menu which includes green salad, carrot sticks and a fresh fruit pack. This was done in response to public concern about the nutritional values of its food, following the film â€Å"Supersize Me†. This programme follows Morgan Spurlock who lived on nothing but McDonalds for an entire month. Spurlock risked his health the sake of this project and it resulted in numerous visits to the doctor. (Website 2) Increasingly, fast food chains have started to advertise with the concept of â€Å"light or low fat† meals. As a customer, we are often misled by these statements and believe that the â€Å"low fat† meal is a healthier option. The Times Newspaper compared the fat content and the price of a standard burger with a chicken caesar salad. (Website 3) With regards to the price, the salad costs twenty nine pence more than a Big Mac. Data shows that a chicken salad with dressing and croutons contains 21. 4g of fat, whereas a standard burger only contains 7. 7g of fat. Even adding a portion of chips to the burger will result in a smaller amount of fat (16. 7g) than the salad. (Website 3) One may think that the salad dressing causes the high fat content of the salad; however, this is not true.  © 2006 The International Journal of Urban Labour and Leisure 4 From the McDonalds website, a chicken caesar salad without a dressing still contains more fat than a burger. (Website 4) Another shocking data is the salt content of the crispy chicken ranch salad is more than half of the Government’s recommended daily allowance of 6g. (Website 4) Therefore, the salad which seems like a healthier option to the consumer is in fact more expensive and less healthy than a burger. Other than fast food chains, consumers can purchase fast food from the supermarkets. Ready meals, frozen or canned food can be categorized as fast food (Millstone, 2003: 94). With the invention of the microwave, ready meal culture has been further developed. There was a rapid increase in the sale of microwaves from five million in 1981 to seventy million in 2000 (Milldstone, 2003: 94). Microwaves enable food to be ready within minutes whereas it may take at least half an hour to cook a meal using the oven. In 1997, an Australian newspaper demonstrated how different social classes chose different fast foods (Germov, 1999: 137). Wealthier and well educated people believed that choosing takeaway foods such as Thai and Japanese are higher in nutrition (Germov, 1999: 137). On the other hand, people in the lower socioeconomic state tended to consume food with a high fat and salt content, for example, pizzas and burgers. Therefore, we could find â€Å"nutritional underclass† with distinct eating patterns (Germov, 1999: 137). Nutritional underclass refers to the difficulty of lower socioeconomic groups in making choices about food and diet. This is turn leads to a poor nutritional intake. By comparing different consumption patterns of takeaway food between people in different classes, two features have been developed. Firstly, fast food is consumed and well developed in all classes but wealthier people tend to have more choices available to them. Besides, most fast food does not provide the consumer with balanced nutritional values that we need from a meal. That is a reason why the public label fast food as unhealthy food. Our food consumption patterns are affected by different media in our society. These are a powerful way of educating the public with the knowledge of what is healthy to eat and how to eat healthy. The following paragraphs examine the effectiveness of the healthy eating promotions. Health Promotion (By Government, Media, Food Industries). Different groups have tried to promote healthy eating in their own distinct ways. Several groups take control over our choices of food and actively promote healthy eating. These include: the Government departments, the food industries and the media. The progress and the effectiveness of the healthy eating promotion campaigns within these sectors will now be examined. The Governments the dominant enforcement body has introduced many healthy eating promotion initiatives to push the nation to eat more healthily. Its aim is to enforce regulations on food production in a bid to prevent illness (Mennell, 1992:40), so as to reduce the costs and burden on National Health Service. The Government has come a long way on the healthy eating campaign. The emergence that some of  © 2006 The International Journal of Urban Labour and Leisure 5 our diets are responsible for certain diseases such as cancer, new food policies were created to improve and promote healthy eating (Baggott 2000,168). From the early 1970s onwards, the Government became more aware of the public’s diet and set up several organizations such as the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food and Policy (COMA), the National Advisory Committee on Nutrition Education (NACNE) and the Joint Advisory Committee on Nutrition Education. (Baggott, 2000:136) Their mission was to provide nutritional advice to the public and promote healthy eating. (Beardsworth, 2000:136) However, the Government departments’ interference with the work of these organisations resulted in little success being achieved (Baggott 2000:170). With the increasing public interest in health and food safety in the 1990s, the Labour Government introduced tougher policies on food and health when they came to power in 1997 (Baggott, 2000:175). The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been authorized a new set of powers to give nutrition guidelines and labelling advice. The FSA recommended six grams of salt per day and wanted to introduce the â€Å"colourcoded system† on ready-made foods, so customers could identify the fat, salt and sugar content of the food by the labels. The FSA believes that specific seasoning contained within the food, will determine whether it is healthy or not. Food with a low salt, fat and sugar content is considered to be healthy by the FSA. (Website 5) The colour-coded system will show consistency for all food packaging; therefore, it is easier for everyone, including children, to recognize the foods which are considered to be healthy and also reduces any confusion. In February 2004, the National Health Service (NHS) published a free booklet called â€Å"Five a Day Made Easy† to promote a healthier lifestyle. (Website 1) It believes that eating five portions of fruit or vegetable per day, is eating healthily. Therefore, the Government considers fruit and vegetables as the key element of healthy food. In November 2004, the FSA put forward the ‘traffic light labels’ to the Public Health White Paper. (Website 7) However, there are a lot of pressures around this recommendation. The food and farming industries were worried that full labelling indicating the fat, sugar and salt content will increase their cost and cause restriction on their marketing strategies. (Baggott 2000:171) Moreover, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) who is the largest representative of the food and drink manufacturing companies pointed out that the ‘traffic light labels’ are too â€Å"simplistic, subjective and potentially misleading†. (Website 8) Rather than help consumers fit the labelled food into a balanced diet, it is likely that they will simply view the food as good or dismiss it as bad. There are pressures that prohibit the Government from implying more regulation on food labels. Since the closure of food industries do not simply lead to less food choices, but also a great deal of job losses and plunging of the economy, the Government is required to think carefully about the implications of new regulations and whether the new comprehensive food label would working on not. The media also plays an important role in promoting healthy eating concepts. The term media refers to television, radio, poster advertisements, and newspaper and magazine articles. With the media’s wide spread of power, the issues they brought up helped to give information on diets quickly. However, it is debatable whether all the media are impartial and helpful in improving our diets. Since most of the media  © 2006 The International Journal of Urban Labour and Leisure 6 relied on the advertising revenues to survive, concerns are made to the effect of their advertisers (Tansey, 1995:183). In the advertising aspect, American children watch 20,000 commercials a year where at least 10,000 of them are food products. (Millstein 1993:219) In Britain, food industries have spent forty billion every year on advertising (Millstone, 2003: 98). Food advertisements are wide spread on television, magazines, radio, internet and posters on the street. Most of the advertised products are branded and processed. More importantly, compared with the perishable food, they are high in sugars, refined starches, fats and added salt (Millstone, 2003:98). These advertisements persuade consumers to buy more. Food products such as chocolates and crisps are promoted to the teenage market (Conner, 2002:120). Children consume the confectionaries between meal times which lead them to miss out their meals, consequently, not acquiring enough nutrition (Dobson, 1994:19). The effects of advertisements are powerful, but not always helping to promote healthy eating ideas. Media can be a direct tool to help the public understand the scientific reports and learn about food safety and what is healthy to eat. However, sometimes the headlines of the news reports are misleading and exaggerated. One of examples is the headline from New York Times â€Å"Low fat diet does not cut health risks†, where that heading is referring to a study of women aged fifty to seventy-nine years old with respect to breast cancer research (Newsweek, March 2006). People who do not read the details will presume that low fat diet is useless in maintaining health, whereas if you read the whole article one will find out that low fat diet does not reduce your risk of breast cancer. The media penetrates every household and although it might not always guide the public on healthy foods, they are definitely helping to shape the future food consumption patterns. Food industries and the retailers produce and sell the food. Food industries promote their products in a healthy manner only because of the market’s need. The major concern of a food business is to make profit. There is a limit on how much a person can eat and consume, therefore the overall demand for food will not increase much. However, the food industries can further expand their market and make more profit by adding value to fresh food and turning them into commodity goods such as canned food, frozen food etc (Warde, 1997:191). Food processors have a set of ingredients to ‘add-value’, they are sugar, starch, fat and flavourings (Tansey, 1995:111). Consequently, processed food is not as healthy as raw food. In order to fulfil the customers’ health desires, supermarkets use healthy eating as one of their promotional strategies. Tesco has improved their company image by initiating healthy eating and has launched food labels on its retail products (Murcott, 1998:119). Although its original aim was to increase profit, it did arouse people’s attentions to eat healthier. On one hand, the supermarkets are promoting healthy eating; on the other hand, they develop all sort of processed food such as chilled and ready meals at the same time to exploit another market. Most supermarkets have developed their own branded products. This is to enlarge their market share rather than providing customers with a wider choice. One of the examples is chilled ready-meals where this kind of product was completely new in 1980s (Murcott, 1998:119). Marks and Spencer, as a pioneer, developed this market. By the 1990s, this market was worth over three hundred million pounds per annum  © 2006 The International Journal of Urban Labour and Leisure 7 (Murcott, 1998:119). These ready-meals are one of the processed foods with added salt and sugar. With confusing food labels on the packaging, consumers can hardly calculate how much salt they consume. Since the central aim of food manufacturers and retailers are to make profit, their intention to promote healthy eating is not convincing enough. There is still a baffling question of what to eat is value for money and good for health (Jenkins, 1991: 54). Do We Have a Choice to Eat Healthy? Although we are responsible for looking after our own health, the public, private and voluntary sectors have directed our choice of food. Our choices of food are affected by social, cultural and political factors rather than individuals’ preference. Social factors included class, age, family backgrounds considerations. The direct social-economical restriction of our choice of food is the amount of money we have available to spend on food. Jenkins supports this idea by noting that â€Å"knowledge is a source of consumer power, but only when you have got money to spend† (Jenkins, 1991:72). Our choices of food are based on the amount of wealth. He pointed out that poorer people tended to pay more for food. This is not only due to the limitation of transport, but due to the amount of product they could afford to buy (Jenkins, 1991: 74). Small purchases are more expensive compare with bulk sales. Poor people suffer from the consequences of supermarket sale strategy. For example, the price for two packs of chicken thighs is 148 pence per pound, whilst the price for eight packs of chicken thighs is 135 pence per pound (Jenkins, 1991:73). Customers will get a better deal if they buy products in bulk. This illustrates that poor people know how to eat healthily, but they cannot afford to do so. Other than getting food that is not value for money, poor people suffer the fact that they know what is good for them but cannot afford to purchase it. For poor people, food expenditure is elastic and paying for other bills to maintain the living is more important (Murcott, 1998:177). Cutting the food budget is the most direct way to save money. Therefore, even though parents know that fresh juice is more nutritional than squash, they can do nothing about it. At the end of the day, even if the government has successfully promoted the healthy eating concept to the public, certain people still do not eat healthily due to the financial constraints. Different age groups have various food consumption patterns. The elderly prefer to stick with the traditional food for instance roast meat, whereas young people adopt new things such as rice or curries easily (Murcott, 1998:175). There is a rapid development of convenience food, but it does not necessarily mean that people in all age groups enjoy more choices to eat healthy. The elderly is an example that demonstrates a negative perception on fast food and ready-meals and they believe that home-cooked food is healthier. Therefore, a larger range of processed products do not mean a greater choice of food for everyone. Our eating habits are also constructed by the environment in which we grow up. Therefore, our families have a direct effect on our diet. A research was carried out in the early 1980s, on all major aspects of family food provision and consumption (Rodmell, 1986:73). This study found that the role of the housewife did not  © 2006 The International Journal of Urban Labour and Leisure 8 automatically give you the power to make a decision of what to prepare for meals. Surprisingly, most housewives claimed that they would cook whatever their husbands liked, in order to please them. Some wives claimed that even though they did not like the unhealthy diets, they would still cook it for their husbands to reward them for a long working day. As a child, there was less choice; they had to eat what was given to them. As a result, our tastes of food are customized by the working men. Recently, with the increasing number of single parent households, where many of them are either unemployed or earn a small amount of money, the choice of food remains to the individuals who purchase food for the rest of the family. Cultural differences affect our choices of food and whether we know how to eat healthily with our ethnicity backgrounds and traditions. There is a diversity of health implications and how people define healthy choices among different cultures. People have their own traditions in choosing and cooking food. ‘One size fits all’ health education programmes do not fit all the ethnics. One of the examples is that in Chinese traditions, food is divided in to ‘yang’ (hot) and ‘yin’ (cold), where eating yang food when our body is in yin’s condition and vice versa (Germov, 1999:150). Therefore, the health professionals have to study the background of minority groups and teach them to eat healthily without spoiling their culture. To familiarise the ethnic minority groups with the nutrient value, specialists about particular cultures are required to educate the minority group with healthy eating knowledge. There have been a few changes in food labelling policy, but these regulations have never requested manufacturers to provide a comprehensive nutrition label. As a customer, we have the right to know what kind of ingredients are in the processed food that we are consuming. However, food industries remain powerful and can keep the customers in ignorance. The Health Education Authority performed a survey with regards to food labels in the early 1990s (Hea, 1996:19). In this survey, twenty five percent of the informants have never read the nutritional information on food packages. This shows that the food label is important in directing food choices, as three quarters of those questioned follow guidance from the nutritional advice. Therefore, providing a comprehensive label on food packaging is essential. In recent years, a great deal of new products has had dishonest slogans on them, such as â€Å"low fat†, â€Å"freshly squeezed†, and â€Å"no artificial additives† (Jenkins, 1991:43). For example, olestra is a type of oil used to produce ‘low fat’ products. However, it brings significant side effects such as abdominal cramps when we consume it in large amounts (Germov, 1999:303). As a customer, reading the food label is not sufficient to conclude whether a particular product is healthy or not, we have to under the meaning behind these â€Å"low fat† products. In a food market where food labels are not universal and some of the packaging is misleading, there is no way to ensure that the product we choose is healthy. Knowing what is healthy is not good enough for the contemporary food market, consumers also have to learn and understanding the meanings behind the food labels. Therefore, understanding how to eat healthily is important, but regulations on food labels are also essential.  © 2006 The International Journal of Urban Labour and Leisure 9 Methodology. Research Aim There are a few aims for this research. This study aims to explore perceptions on the healthy eating concept and review the reasons behind people’s choice of food. Furthermore, it seeks to examine awareness of Government policies on healthy eating promotion. It is also important to examine the reliability of food labels and the popularity of fast food culture. Semi-structured Interviews. It is important to see if there is a correlation between the literatures in chapter one and the research I do, therefore, selecting an appropriate way to carry out this research is essential. Semi-structured interviews were held on a one-to-one basis where interviewees were given a few topics to discuss. This interview consisted of three main parts. Part A is concerned about the interviewees’ healthy eating concepts and their view of contemporary eating culture. By understanding how they defined a healthy diet, participants were asked to review their food consumption habits, restrictions on food shopping and their opinion on fast food culture. In the final of the interview, I enquired about their knowledge on Government policies and supermarket promotions on healthy eating. This research aimed to understand people’s view and opinion rather than to test their knowledge and numerical data. Therefore, it is more suitable to use a qualitative approach. Qualitative research helps to develop interviewees’ personal opinions and experiences for this research. The research is based on one-to-one semi structured interviews, which allows me to have more freedom in developing the interview and pursue further questions in response to the replies received (Bryman, 2004:543). Each interview lasted approximately an hour in order to allow interviewees to express themselves fully. In order not to interfere with the interview, I did not express my opinions on the topics. I guided the discussions with the same topic questions for everyone.