2008 Woodie Awards
Keeping Up Appearances
Lily Sussman
Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: Focus
Edwin Urrutia stands shirtless in his kitchen and pours 14 ounces of whole milk into a blender. It's a few minutes after 6 p.m. on a cold Monday, and the sophomore finance major is sipping a protein shake while preparing another for his roommate, Joseph Cappellino.
"Protein shakes, peanut butter and bananas," said Cappellino, a sophomore engineering major. "Seriously, that's our whole diet for the next three months."
The kitchen is proof.
Erase visions of college apartments strewn with leftover Chinese food crates, boxes of cereal and containers from Outtakes - these young men have a counter that shines from lack of use. Most of their nutritional intake comes from nine plastic containers on top of the refrigerator with names like Size On and Anabolic OD. Commonly, bodybuilders use these products, which contain substances like creatine, to increase the flow of blood and nutrition to muscles.
Uruttia puts the milk back into his near-empty refrigerator and reaches for a jar of smooth Jiffy peanut-butter from a cabinet above his head.
"I don't need to measure," Urrutia said as the peanut butter disappears into the milk. "I've done this so many times."
Urrutia grabs the Anabolic OD bottle from the top of the fridge and adds two heaping scoops of powder to his concoction in the blender.
This shake is his idea of a meal.
Throughout history, food has been intertwined with the culture and logistics of every society. Traditionally, what, when and how much people eat depends on availability, social norms, religion, ethnicity and tastes.
Instead, these two young men make dietary decisions based on how food will make them look - not because it tastes good or even because they're hungry.
Some people are downing protein shakes, detoxifying with cranberry tinctures, eliminating entire food groups or worrying about portion sizes. Others are aiming for a size zero, visible abs or body-builder arms. Whatever the case, some college students are regulating what they eat and experimenting with intense programs with irregular outcomes in mind.
"Protein shakes, peanut butter and bananas," said Cappellino, a sophomore engineering major. "Seriously, that's our whole diet for the next three months."
The kitchen is proof.
Erase visions of college apartments strewn with leftover Chinese food crates, boxes of cereal and containers from Outtakes - these young men have a counter that shines from lack of use. Most of their nutritional intake comes from nine plastic containers on top of the refrigerator with names like Size On and Anabolic OD. Commonly, bodybuilders use these products, which contain substances like creatine, to increase the flow of blood and nutrition to muscles.
Uruttia puts the milk back into his near-empty refrigerator and reaches for a jar of smooth Jiffy peanut-butter from a cabinet above his head.
"I don't need to measure," Urrutia said as the peanut butter disappears into the milk. "I've done this so many times."
Urrutia grabs the Anabolic OD bottle from the top of the fridge and adds two heaping scoops of powder to his concoction in the blender.
This shake is his idea of a meal.
Throughout history, food has been intertwined with the culture and logistics of every society. Traditionally, what, when and how much people eat depends on availability, social norms, religion, ethnicity and tastes.
Instead, these two young men make dietary decisions based on how food will make them look - not because it tastes good or even because they're hungry.
Some people are downing protein shakes, detoxifying with cranberry tinctures, eliminating entire food groups or worrying about portion sizes. Others are aiming for a size zero, visible abs or body-builder arms. Whatever the case, some college students are regulating what they eat and experimenting with intense programs with irregular outcomes in mind.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
mkd
posted 4/07/08 @ 9:30 AM EST
great article!
Anon
posted 4/07/08 @ 5:00 PM EST
Some people don't want to be fat, or weak. This article seems to be ignoring that, or congratulating those who don't care.
Betsy
posted 4/08/08 @ 3:47 PM EST
This is a well done article, and it is really interesting since as college studentns we really are on our own for what we eat. I know when I was a freshmen I ate so little because the dining hall food wasn't what I wanted then this year when I have a kitchen I eat far too much because I get to choose my meals based on what I'm in the mood for. (Continued…)
Erin
posted 4/11/08 @ 11:28 AM EST
I think this was a very biased article. With obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer rates on the rise people should be taking a look at their eating and exercise habits. (Continued…)
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