Obetty's Review

W8

In January O'betty's opened up a new location on Union Street across from Buffalo Wild Wings. Those who are still nostalgic about the old location have nothing to worry about, because for the time being both locations will remain open. The new location is much bigger, so it can seat more people. It is also closer to campus, which hopefully will bring in more revenue.

The first thing I noticed when I would walk into the old O'betty's was the cleanliness, or lack they’re of cleanliness. To be fair the old location is extremely small, and the kitchen is pretty much in the dining room. It would be extremely difficult to clean up after all of the grease, which ends up being carried over into the lobby and dining room. I was ecstatic to see how spotless the new location is. It should be much easier to keep the new location clean, because the kitchen is now clearly separated form the dining room.

The added size of the new O'betty's location also makes it a much more comfortable place to sit down and eat. Even in a party of over ten people I, and the rest of my party, were seated comfortably at one table. The old location was so small that I would have never imagined sitting down and eating there. It was definitely the type of place where one would order food to go. Hopefully the original location will stay opened, and be used as a to go only sort of restaurant.

The decor in the new location is not very different form the original location. The theme of the restaurant is still a 1930s burlesque show, and the decorations used are quite tacky and cheap, but tacky and cheap in a delightful sort of way. Whether this was done intentionally or not, the decor matches the college town culture of Athens. Leopard print car floor mats were stapled to the back of the booths, and plastic flowers were draped over the light fixtures. It reminds me of the way every single college student’s apartment is decorated. The furniture however was quality furniture, so you never had to worry about falling out of your broken chair, or having the table break, and food being spilled on your clothes. It may seem like a silly thing to worry about, but it has happened to me.

The service was also adequate. It may have taken a bit longer than it would have taken in the old restaurant, but I think that is appropriate because this is now a proper sit down restaurant. The prices stayed the same to, and I thought they were very reasonable. It may seem expensive for a hot dog, but we aren't talking about your average hot dog.

That finally brings me to the food. I had the Wow-Wow; it was the special of the day. It was an all beef hot dog topped with lettuce, tomato, red pepper mayonnaise, and jalapeños. I found it to be absolutely delicious. The hot dog alone was of very high quality, and all the toppings were fresh. It was the first hot dog I ever ate that seemed healthy, and actually made of proper meat.

I think O'betty's is the best Athens has to offer and recommend everyone stops there at least once a week.

Food Inc. & the Persuasive Power of Film

W7

As far as whether or not one film can persuade someone to change his or her lifestyle. I absolutely think a film can do that. We watched super size me in this class and after that film was released, McDonalds did away with supersize portions. McDonalds obviously believed that a film could encourage people to change their lifestyles. 


I am not sure this is the appropriate question to ask though after watching this film, at least when I look at my situation. I am a college student, and I have a meal plan. I can only eat the food that is put in front of me. I do not know for certain were Ohio University gets their food from. All I ever see is the signs posted all over the dining halls, saying, “Ohio University is one of the most vegan friendly campuses.” I don’t have the time the money or the resources to find out were the food served to me in the Shively dining hall comes from. You and I both know that that last statement is load of horseshit. The truth is none of us care enough to find out were that food came from.

            The film was definitely persuasive. There is absolutely no way a person can watch that movie, and not think the food industry is out to get us. The way the filmmakers related to the audience is what made the film successful. Nobody on the side against the food industry wore a suit, and they also seemed to be living very modest lives. They also featured a family that was struggling to make ends meet. This family was very easy to relate to. The film showed haw the family had to grocery shop. It showed hoe the family was forced to buy the cheaper less healthy food because they could not afford to eat healthy. As a college student I could certainly relate to this family. I feel like I have no choice when it comes to what I eat.

            Another persuasive part of the film was the organic farmer. The purpose he served was to show that it is possible for small farmers to make a profit, and be successful. Even though this small time organic farmer was operating at a severe disadvantage compared to the big time industrial farms. The farmer’s attitude also made him seem like a hero. He said he didn't want to become bigger; he did not want to expand. He felt that as soon as his farm became a bigger operation he would look at his customers a different way and his product in a different way. His values and character helped sell the film by making it seem as if most people who are fighting against the food industries’ cooperate empire had the same high level of character.

            Documentary films have certainly persuaded me in the past. Hoop Dreams, a film that follows two boys path through high school as star basketball players, changed my opinion on sports. It made me feel that these children were being treated as commodities. All well made documentaries have the power to persuade, The question is does the audience have the will to act?

Pick It Up and Eat It!

W6

            Considering how obsessed Americans have become with greasy food that is loaded with saturated fat. It amazes me that we as a nation are having what can only be described as obsessive-compulsive disorder, when it comes to our food. Americans have forgotten were their food comes from, we have come to associate our food with sterility. Americans have forgotten that every French fry we eat was once buried in the ground, and every piece of beef we eat walked around in it's own feces its entire life. So, what is the big deal if one is to eat a little bit of food that has been dropped on the ground? I do it all the time, and I rarely get sick. This obsession has led to us as a people completely destroying our immune system, wasting ungodly amounts of money, and completely losing site of our priorities.

            America has become so obsessed with this impossible with this completely unreasonable standard of cleanliness when it comes to our food that we get sick if even the most minute change occurs. Don't misunderstand we do need to maintain some level of cleanliness, when it comes to our food. However, we have evolved to the point as human beings where we can no longer drink the earth's water. Yes, we need to buy water that has been distilled and filtered, or else we get sick. We can't even drink the water that has been treated in the water treatment plants.

            There is no greater evidence to how screwed our American priorities have become than bottled water. We as a society will turn a blind eye to the water mismanagement in our own communities, a mismanagement of our own tax dollars, and we will invest in bottled water instead of making sure our communities have proper healthy drinking water.

            I hope the day the grid fails never comes, because we can't even drink the water! A solar flare could come at any second and take out our power, then what. We all die because we can't drink the water! The late great George Carlin once said, "If I drop food on the floor. I pick it up and eat it!... Even if I am at a sidewalk cafe!... In Calcutta!... The poor section!... On New Years morning during a soccer riot!"

America's Fast Food Obsession

W5

America's obsession with fast food has become part of our identity, the negative side of our identity of course. Is there any better example for foreigners to point at, when looking to prove how fat and lazy Americans are? We go and buy cheap unhealthy food without even getting out of our cars! Imagine explaining the idea of drive-through, to the run of the mill Vietnamese eleven year old, who spends his thirty-two hour shifts sewing sneakers.           

            Billy-Bob, "What I like to do, is wait in my car for hour so someone can hand me                                                  disgusting food through a window. Because I am to lazy to get off my fat ass and go inside."

            Phan, "Okay, are you going to turn off the car."

            Billy-Bob, "No"

            Phan, "Does the car get good mileage?"

            Billy-Bob, "No, of course it doesn't get good mileage. It's an American car."

The Drive-through truly is an American phenomenon. Even the way we often see it spelled suggests lazy, "Drive-Thru." I wonder how hard the drive through sign painters union fought to not have to paint those last three letters.

I traveled to Vancouver Canada a few years back. I went there to go skiing, and wasn't really expecting any major cultural differences. I mean it's Canada, our brothers to the north. How different could this place be? The first difference I noticed was no drive-throughs. Even the Wendy's along the highway didn't have a drive through.

I think the drive-through speaks to how willing Americans are to sacrifice quality for quantity and convenience. There is a British Car show called "Top Gear," and on one show they reviewed a Cadillac, the premier American luxury car. The host pointed out that Americans don't seem to understand luxury, and when Americans want to make something more luxuries all we seem to do is make it bigger.

I guess that is why we have decided to make ourselves bigger. There seems to be hope though. American cars are starting to get smaller, and restaurant portions are also slowly getting smaller. Though, it would be sad if one-day iconic American fast food were relegated to the Smithsonian.