Introduction
People have different ways of attaining their basic need. On most occasions, they go to work in a bid to earn money that they exchange with the basic need like shelter, clothing and most importantly food (Nanda, & Richard 126). This paper gives a comprehensive discussion on how my family acquires food and the economic resources that enable my family to have access to the food and other family necessities. In addition, the assignment gives a detailed explanation on the different stakeholders including producers, distributors/wholesalers and retailers of the food products. It also includes their places of production and distribution. The end of the paper gives an overview of the various things learned from the reflection of how we obtain our food and the subsequent subsistence strategies applied through the whole process.
Discussion
I come from a humble middle-class family, and we live in an industrialized society. It is an implication that my neighborhood comprises of a number of middle-class families; most of which have their breadwinners working in a small manufacturing and processing industries nearby. My dad works at a steel manufacturing industry as a supervisor while my mother is a nurse at a local hospital, and their jobs pay for all our household needs and tuition fees. My two younger sisters and I are the only children of our parents, and we all attend school at a local school only a stone-throw away from our house.
My parents recently celebrated their anniversary, and this called for a little family celebration at home. A special meal was served, and we all had a god time. My mother decided to prepare a sumptuous meal comprising of pasta and meatballs served with mixed vegetables and soda. It is, usually, an ordinary meal to many families in our neighborhood but to us it was a meal served on special occasions.
I was particularly amazed by the distinct taste of the meatballs served on that day. On normal occasions, my mother is not an exquisite cook and only prepares ordinary meals. However, her anniversary was a special day and so she extended the courtesy to the kitchen. Earlier that day, our mother had to visit the grocery store to collect the groceries including lettuce, leek, onions and bay leaves before passing by the supermarket to pick her favorite pasta. She had on the previous day marinated the minced meat with garlic, a little black paper, ginger, oil and a mixture of spices. She meticulously prepared the meal as I played poker with our dad in the living room. I could see her glimpse at her practical cookery book several times as if to remind herself of critical procedures of cooking the meatballs. Soon after, the meal was served, and it filled the whole room with a sweet aroma.
My mother buys meat from a butcher who owns butchery in the local market just nest to the grocery store. The butcher, Mr. Thompson, has been on that particular spot for as long as I can remember, and my family has been a loyal customer to him. He bought the meat from a government slaughterhouse in the neighboring town and minced the meat himself using his mincing machine in the butchery.
Conclusion
After a meticulous reflection of how we obtain our food, I realized that my family leads a very simple lifestyle. That notwithstanding, I noticed that our neighbors live a rather simple life as well. It is because rarely do people from my neighborhood go shopping in lavish shopping malls located in a nearby town (Nanda, & Richard 126). They instead shop locally from the local grocery stores and a supermarket in the neighborhood. In conclusion, therefore, the reflection made me have a clear picture of the actual life all of us live in my neighborhood.
Works Cited
Nanda, Serena, and Richard L. Warms. Cultural Anthropology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage, 2011. Print.
Nanda, Serena, and Richard L. Warms. Culture Counts: A Concise Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning/Wadsworth, 2008. Print.
