Unit 1 - P5

P5: Read Hortwiz. How does Horwitz develop his argument for “eating on the edge”? Relate his essay to one example from your own life to illustrate, complicate, or otherwise expand upon Horwitz’s argument.

Horwitz in "Eating at the Edge" begins his argument by defining what it means to "eat on the edge," starting with the fact that students and teachers used to smoke in classrooms. He brings this up because "eating on the edge" is when food is an additive and how it explains how we feel when we eat, whether it be by ourselves or with family and friends. He brings in a great analogy with watching TV, and how with the introduction of the DVR, watching a TV show on its aired schedule is no longer the only conventional way to watch TV. He equates this to this phenomenon called "grazing" where meals are not eaten at fixed times which was quoted to be a "timeless time." This in turn brings up the question of eating on the edge, and how it is being used to divert from social interactions like with the astronauts who preferred to eat snacks as they worked rather than sit in the triangular tray table. As the schedule to eat food becomes more erratic, sharing food with others becomes less common. In fact, it seems that the food industry is the one that is catering to this new trend such as restaurants who hang "cuisine tout la journée" on their quarters to show that they will serve the same menu regardless of the time of day. An example in my own life is how I deal with college as a pre-med student. My schedule is overwhelmed with all the sciences and labs which take a lot of time out of my day. Since I always feel so pressed for time, I find myself not eating at regular times to be able to finish my work; only afterwards, when I've found reprieve and finished pressing matters do I then decide to get something to eat. And even when I do get something to eat, it's mostly from the small store at Olin where I can just pick something and go. I rarely opt to go to the cafeteria for the very reason that going there is quite a hassle than the conventionality of premade foods that are accessible with a swipe of the card.