Saturday, September 17, 2016
Ice cream
On Friday, Ms Quinet treated us with lovely peach ice cream and plum sorbet. Although the ice cream was a delicious treat that I was very grateful for, I got to thinking about where the ice cream came from and how it related to the United Fruit Company. We who dwell in countries such as the United States often think little about where our fruit and different products come from. Sadly, the peaches used in the delicious ice cream could have very well come from workers in places such as Latin America who slaved to harvest the fruit maybe even against their will. The peaches could very well be a symbol of oppression just as the bananas were. They could have been forced by an oppressive company to complete the arduous task of collecting all those peaches for little to no money so some kids in a private school could eat ice cream. Whether this is the case or not is unclear, but I just thought it was an interesting parallel between modern day and the book.
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4 comments:
I agree, the ice cream was delicious! But to me, this must be because Ms. Quinet had to have great those peaches herself! We can't be sure where all of our fruit comes from, but you can be sure of what you grow. Growing your own fruit can be a fun and delicious experience!
I really like Rickeia's observation here. I think it's significant that us, as Americans, are all relatively privileged with certain freedoms and opportunities that the Latin Americans lacked because they were oppressed by the Westerners controlling the United Fruit Company. No matter what product, present-day, the US receives varying imports from other countries that are usually identified on the packages you buy. These labels, often reading "Made in...," signify the hours of labor and work other nations' citizens put in to export a resource they wouldn't even be able to use themselves. I believe this parallel is one example of why it's important to always be grateful for the wonderful gifts we're given just simply living in the USA and being citizens! So, thank you Ms. Quinet because that sorbet was definitely something I am thankful to have tried.
I completely agree with Rickeia's post. The other day I noticed a sticker on a banana that said "Honduras." It got me thinking about how situations like the one in One Hundred Years of Solitude could still be happening today. Living in the U.S., we often do not think of what goes into the production of things as simple as fruit. In reality, Latin American workers could be being treated poorly simply for us to enjoy some bananas. I can see how Marquez was trying to comment on the fact that Europeans and Westerners view Latin America as a lesser society, and were just using Latin America for their own benefit.
I agree that the ice cream was very delicious and am very greatful that Mrs. Quinet took the time to make it for us. I think Dylan makes an excellent point as to where all of the things we take for granted come from and how hard people work to provide us with those things that we don't even think twice about.
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