Foods representing American Essay Example for Free

Foods representing American Essay The United States of America is a melting pot of different ethnic cultures and hence in that respect is considered to be one of the most diverse countries in the universe. The cultural cuisine is marked by the influence of different cultures and is difficult to actually say which one stands out to be a symbolic representation of American culture. But before one can delve any further it is important to understand the root significance of what is it like to be American or the American way of life. What is the American way of life all about ? Or, what is Americanism all about and how does it permeate it’s way into defining certain kinds of food onto an iconic level. Imagine food being granted the iconic status of being truly American! An average outlook on the part of most Americans, is that they generally like and prefer food that is cheap, quick, and convenient regardless of whether it is purchased from a supermarket or a fast food store. In other words, cooking or buying food is never expected to be a hassle- it ought to be fast, easy, â€Å"with minimal or economic sacrifice† (Ikerd,2009). The characteristics of America’s food culture are cost, convenience, and appearance. Let us take a look at some of the foods that have acquired an iconic brand status of being truly American. These foods have a sense of place and a signature style as being a symbolic representative of a place / region in America. What one generally gets to hear about is hamburgers, French fries, potato chips, e. t. c Apart from just the usual common food/snack varieties that are popular, and if one were to really look harder for a search- there are regional / locational foods that have shaped the thought process all across America. Apple Pie, New England Clam Chowder, Pastrami (New York), Shoofly(Pennsylvania), Smithfield ham(Virginia), Po boys (Louisiana), Fajitas (Texas). a) Apple Pie: is considered to be a European import and has come to stay in America for centuries and been perfected over the years. An American Apple pie is homely and rustic in appearance. b) New England Clam Chowder: No trip to Boston is complete without a proper bowl of clam chowder. A proper chowder is deep and aromatic, with layered flavors atop a porky foundation (Bonne, 2009) c) Pastrami (New York): Pastrami is man’s mastery over meat. It begins with a simple slab / plate of meat — a cut which is different from the grill-and-serve of the obvious hunk of a cow, needs the much needed transformation. It is then subjected to a dry cure process: salted with a good portion of cracked black pepper and maybe with a little sugar and spice — which rest on the meat as it is left to be smoked. When it is finally ready- whole pastramis are steamed for quite a few hours before serving. d) Shoofly pie (Pennsylvania): is a fruity pie and quite a tasty one. It is crusty with molasses and crumbs. The crumbs add texture to the dense and rustic pie rich with molasses in taste. According to popular Amish folklore one is reminded of the fact that the name derives itself from an activity that refers to the constant need to shoo away flies from these succulent and juicy sweet treats atop which are the generous pools of molasses that lay formed. d) Po-boys (Louisiana): This a generally considered a workaday food meant for hungry and hardworking people trying to meet ends. It’s discovery is attributed to two brothers viz. , Benjamin and Clovis Martin, who ran a restaurant in the city’s French Market. Eating a ‘Po-boy’ is quite an unforgettable sandwich treat. WORKS CITED Ikerd, John (2009) â€Å"The American Food Culture† Retrieved on 29th May, 2009 http://www. kerrcenter. com/nwsltr/2005/spring2005/food_culture. htm Bonne, Jon (2005) â€Å"10 Foods that make America great† Retrieved on 29th May, 2009. http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/8392312//

The Power of Delegation Essay -- Delegate Engineering Management Essay

The Power of Delegation Delegation is a management tool that can be used to empower or when abused can be a detrimental force in a company. Delegation can aid employee growth and development while getting the job done efficiently. The true purpose of delegation is to accomplish the task by assigning it to someone else (Blair, 1992). Many misunderstand the concept of delegation and therefore either will not delegate or improperly apply the principle which provides unsuccessful results.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The primary reason to delegate tasks is to get the work done. The manager must be wise enough to know that he or she cannot be everywhere and do everything. A manager must also realize that along with the assignment of the job to the subordinate, the authority to complete the task must also be given. The delegation of authority is the hardest, most difficult part for some in management positions. If the task is assigned without the authority to use independent discretion the result is frustration and incomplete production. The manager must clearly communicate the expected result also ensure that the subordinate is properly trained and/or has the required skills needed to accomplish the assigned task.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Communication is a major component of successful delegation. A system of regular exchanges of information between management and employees ensure that each party is aware of what others are doing (Blair, 1992).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My current employer is a nonprofit organization, which is run by a Chief Executive Officer/President who was hired 22 years ago. Her background is in education, as a principal, with a master’s degree in Education Administration. The CEO answers to a board of directors, which have been very good at delegating the responsibilities of running the corporation to the CEO. The board meets monthly to receive reports on the activities and financial status of the facility but other than that have no real hands-on role in the management of the company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The CEO has a very different approach to delegation than the board of directors; she tends to micro-manage her staff. Her idea of delegation leans more to assignment of a task and proceeding to dictate exactly how she desires the task to be accomplished or assigns the task without giving authority to carry it out. The CEO makes assignments to members of her Corporate Leadership Team (program direct... ...tion for his staff. The director is not confident in his own competency yet feels the need to improve upon the work his staff produces. This is not a simple problem because the director, a vice president in the company, needs to work out personal issues in order to stop the offending actions. He can however recognize that the problem exists and redirect his interference. Overall this company would benefit from formal training in the functions of management along with methods of applying the principles of management in their own jobs. A section on delegation would need to consist of the definition of delegation, the importance of communication, developing effective and efficient controls, how delegation aids in employee development, how to maintain proper access or assistance to the delegate and awareness of the possible outcomes and failures when using delegation as a management tool (Blair, 1992). References Blair, GM, The Art of Delegation, IEE Engineering Management Journal, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 165-169, Aug 1992. Retrieved August 19, 2005, from University of Edinburgh School of Engineering and Electronics web site: http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art5.html

Flow of Gold and Silver Dbq

Chantelle DuncanMr. Richman AP world 1/22/12 DBQ on Flow of silver in mid-16th to 18th century The increasing flow of silver during the mid-16th to early 18th century had a very large impact on the economic and social parts of many countries through effect on land, trade, and value of silver. The huge influx of silver brought many economic problems in both Spain and China. Antonio Vasquez de Espinosa, a Spanish priest appears indignant at the huge amount of silver being taken and stolen from the mines in the west indies some paying no 20 % tax and/or registry fee and shipping silver out to the Philippines and china. doc 6) As shown in document 2, a Spanish scholar, named Tomas de Mercado, tells of the problems that the sudden influx of silver is causing Spain. â€Å" The streets of Manila in the Spanish territory of the Philippines could be paved with granite cobblestones brought from China†¦ in Chinese ships coming to get silver for China† De Mercado is showing anger in the amount of Asian ships coming to receive silver, the large amount of which is undoing the Spanish economy.Wang Xijue, a Ming dynasty court official reports to the emperor (document 3) that Chinese economy is declining, with cheap grain despite poor harvest â€Å"due to the scarcity of the silver coin† The government . The large amount of silver coming in created problems socially as well. Xu Dunqiu Ming, a writer, tells in an essay that seems directed at the general public, of the unfairness of dye shops in the commercial city of Hangzhou. Dye shops must now be paid with sliver from a moneylender, instead of livestock or crops.Borrowing from a money lender instead of trading animals or food is plunging china’s poorer class of people even further into debt, as well as changing the economy type of the Chinese people. (doc 5) Socially, other problems occurred as well. Greed became serious, as shown in doc 1, where Ye Chunji, a county official, says â€Å"the frugal ma n with only one bar of silver currency can have something left over, whereas the extravagant man with a thousand can still not have enough† on the topic of limiting wedding expenses. Wang Xijue in Doc 3. ells of how due to the government requiring silver though dispensing little, farmers are receiving less returns and thus less land is being cultivated. British merchant Ralph Fitch tells of his trip to the West Indies, telling of how the Portuguese use Chinese goods bought in china to trade for obscene amounts of silver in japan, which they go back to china and use to bring home luxury goods to the west indies. (doc 4) In conclusion, the huge influx of silver posed both a social and economic problem in mid-16th to 18th century in Asia and parts of Europe.

Running Head Pursuing Clean Energy Options - 1699 Words

Running head: PURSUING CLEAN ENERGY OPTIONS 1 Pursuing Clean Energy Options Gwynedd Mercy University SCI 2000: From Telescope to Microscope Thomas Becker PURSUING CLEAN ENERGY OPTIONS 2 Abstract In this document, the intent is to give an overview at the viability and emphasis on clean energy. There are five different venues of alternate energy sources, being that†¦show more content†¦Fossil fuels, with their extreme CO2 discharges and our unfortunate dependence on them, are still stimulating experts of better alternatives in focusing their efforts on clean energy. PURSUING CLEAN ENERGY OPTIONS 3 First of all, our country has experienced the decline of our natural resources, like tragic forest fires, the pollution of our water supply and damaging air pollution, not to mention food contamination. Anyone with any intelligence can overlook our growing environmental epidemic. Some people may not be aware of the severity of the problem, but most would agree that our communities need to be protected and preserved. This is why now scientists, financial advisors and economists are mutually concerned by the obvious dilemma in recognizing that our society is changing and needs to be redirected into a more stable, healthy and sustainable direction. There are the ignorant amongst us who placing all their attention on the economy, money and the job market while in observing the daily rise and fall of the ever changing stock market. It almost appears that they turn a blind eye of the inevitable energy crises. What should be all of our focus is how do we address our depleting ene rgy options? How theses growing limitations are looming over our head could affect our future prosperity and health. Maybe there is more concern than it appears where the expert