800 word essay, table and map

Globalization Exercise # 2: Geography of Food Note: this exercise includes three documents that you must review: a) this Instructions (in word), b) the Power Point Presentation file of this Instructions (PPT), and, c) a checklist/rubric (in word). All these files are available in the course website, in the Exercises section (Exercise # 1). Here (in this section of the course website), you will find the Turnitin.com icon where you will upload your work. It is your responsibility to read and understand these instructions.

In this exercise you will compose an essay based on your favorite food (dish). The title of your

essay will be: “The Geography of _________” (here you will include the name of your dish of choice).

Your essay must first describe the “claimed” area of origin of this dish. We refer to the “claimed area of

origin” of your particular dish because there are many countries that claim to be the place where a dish

originated. For example, in Latin America there are many countries that claim to be the country of

origin of ceviche (a dish based on marinated raw fish or shellfish) or of arroz con pollo (chicken and

rice). When you chose the dish you will be researching, the first thing you must do is to make a

reference of the origin (country) where it is believed to originate. This is very important because there is

a regional variation in terms of the ingredients that are used to make the dish in question. For example,

in many countries that claim to be the place of origin of ceviche, tomatoes are a basic ingredient, while

in other countries this is unthinkable (Many people would say, “This is not ceviche!”).

Then you will proceed to enumerate all the ingredients that are included in your recipe. It is

required that the recipe that you chose have at-least 10 ingredients. For this portion you must include

the basic elements that make up your recipe and not any process food. By this I mean that, for example,

if the recipe you are using requires to use oil, you must clearly state the type of oil that you use (i.e.,

olive, corn, etc.), or sausages (are these made mainly of beef, pork, turkey, etc.?), or if you need to

include tomato paste, just include the name tomato and add the word “paste” in parenthesis (i.e., “tomato

(paste)”). Next, you will find the area where each of these elements were domesticated or, if it is

harvested locally like a mineral (i.e., salt) or a native plant or animal species that is caught locally (i.e.,

seafood, etc.), these will be referred to as “native” or “indigenous” ingredients. Note that most plants

and animals that are used in many recipes have been domesticated in faraway regions where these

recipes were developed. For example, although arroz con pollo is a local favorite in many Latin

American countries, chicken were domesticated in Southeast Asia and introduced to the Americas after

the arrival of the Western conquerors.

To find the area of domestication of the most commonly used plant and animal species you can

use the map provided at the end of this document and in the attached PowerPoint presentation (Map:

Centers of Plant and Animal Domestication). If some of the plant ingredients that are included in your

recipe are not listed in this map, I would highly recommend you to use the following website develop by

Purdue University: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/. Here you can use their search engine to find

the specific crops that you are looking for: (go to) CropSearch.

STRUCTURE OF THE EXERCISE:

TABLE (25%): You will then proceed to create a table that includes the names of all the

ingredients that make up the recipe of your dish of choice, and the region of domestication of this plant

or animal, or country of origin. Note that the majority of the plants and animals used in many recipes

are included in the Map: “Centers of Plant and Animal Domestication.” Remember, all ingredients that

are original from the claimed country (or region) of origin should be referred as Native/Indigenous –you

can also include the name of the region of domestication as well. Your Table should be included in the

first section of your work. Please see sample table provided at the end of this document.

MAP (25%): You will plot this information in the attached blank world map using different

labels to represent the different regions of origin of the ingredients of your favorite dish. Your map

must also delineate the boundaries of each of the domestication regions of the world where your

ingredients originated. You can find this information in the Map: “Centers of Plant and Animal

Domestication.” Note that there can be several ingredients that have the same source of origin. For

example, potatoes, guinea pigs, tomatoes, papaya, lima beans, pumpkin, strawberries, etc., have the

same origin: Andean Uplands.

You should also include in your map flow-lines that connect the region of origin of the

ingredients to the “claimed” area of origin of your dish. The width of these flow lines should be

adjusted to represent the number of ingredients originating in the different centers of domestication. For

example, if the contribution of the Meso-American region to your dish is three ingredients and the

contribution of the Andean Upland region is only ingredient, then the flow line that connects Meso-

America with the “claimed” country of origin of this dish should be 3-times wider than the one flowing

from the Andean region.

Since using the flow lines to represent the Native/Indigenous ingredients is not an option, you

should use a symbol (i.e., a circle, a triangle, etc.) that represents the number of these ingredients. This

symbol must be placed inside the “claimed” country of origin of your favorite dish, and must be

included in your legend as well. Your map must also include a label for the country of origin of your

dish. If necessary, include an arrow that originates in this label pointing to the specific location of the

country of origin of your dish.

Every map must include the following information: title (i.e., “Map of _______”), and arrow and

an “N” (north) sign on top [of the arrow] pointing to the geographic north (place it on the upper right

hand side of the map), a legend indicating the values of your flow lines that connect the source area of

domestication with the “claimed” country of origin of your favorite dish, the icon used for the native

ingredients, and any other information included in your map (see map sample included in the PPT: “The

Geography of Ceviche”).

THE ESSAY - DATA ANALYSIS – (45%) AND BIBLIOGRAPY (5%): In this section you

must de-construct and re-construct all the elements (ingredients) that are included in your dish

highlighting the area of origin of the ingredients, and the claimed area of origin of the dish. This is an

integral part of your work and must be as detailed as possible. Remember that this is a geography

exercise and spatial distribution should be highlighted in your analysis. Your essay must also include

comments of the number of ingredients that can be considered native (originated in the domestication

region where the “claimed” country of origin if this is the case) and exotic (non-native/introduced

species). In this section you will be evaluated in terms of the detail and thoroughness of the information

you provide. This means that your analysis should be as descriptive and detailed as possible. For

example, you can start by making a basic statistical analysis commenting the contribution of each region

of domestication using percentages (see PPT sample).

This essay should be at-least 800 words in length. You must also demonstrate knowledge of the

topic and include at least one additional reference (textbook or a popular news forum) included in the

essay portion that relates to your favorite dish; this can include a reputable website that describes the

recipe you are using. You must also include this reference in a separate page (Bibliography/Reference),

making a full citation of this source.

Any geographically-based essay must answer three broad questions: Where? Why? (and how?),

and, So what? (or, in other words, why is this important?) For example, where is the center of

domestication of these plants and animals? Why (and how) were these ingredients introduced to the

region where your recipe was developed? In answering to the “So what?” question you must use the

information you have included in the first two sections (Where? and Why?); this is an overview of the

principles elements of your recipe and must include a conclusion’s paragraph of your analysis.

Technical Aspects: Your paper must conform to the following formatting: 12-point font (Arial, Times

New Roman, Garamond, or Book Antiqua), one-inch margins all around, double-spaced, and number

the pages. Please note that any exercise that does not follow this format will receive a 10-point

discount in the final grade for this assignment.

Final Details (very important):

You must upload your essay, including your map, and bibliography in one word document to the

Turnitin.com link included in our course webpage. You can find the link to Turnitin.com inside the

Exercises section (Exercise # 2) in the Course Content. If you experience any difficulties to upload your

work, you must send me your complete work using the course messaging system in a word document

before the deadline. LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED BUT WILL RECEIVE A 10-POINT

DISCOUNT FOR EACH WEEK THIS IS LATE. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED

AFTER TWO WEEKS OF THE DEADLINE.

Your answer must be your own, original thoughts. If you plagiarize your thoughts from a website, journal, or any other source, not only you will be sad because you cannot write the small number of words of your own, but because you will earn a failing grade in the course.

BLANK MAP:

Centers of Plant and Animal Domestication

Source: Getis, A., Getis, J. and J. Fellmann. 2008. Introduction to geography. New York: McGraw Hill.

Sample Table

Sample Map

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Getis, A., Getis, J. and J. Fellmann. 2008. Introduction to geography. New York: McGraw Hill.