Short paper #1

In the Simek household, broccoli is a special treat when served at dinner, a reward for good behavior, and even considered a dessert. My personal belief is that broccoli is disgusting. The Simek children however, believe that it is the best food they could receive. One can imagine my surprise when they literally begged for broccoli.
The belief that broccoli is gross may seem insignificant. But it may be worthwhile to explore why children around the country scrunch up their noses in disgust when broccoli is mentioned, or why, in the Simek’s case, it is found peculiar when children actually enjoy eating a food that is so healthy for them.
The media is a common culprit in cases such as these and was a hearty contributor to the formation of my opinion of broccoli. Next to the colorful cereals, and “fun to eat” snacks, broccoli gained a dull, and lifeless reputation. My five-year-old brain had no trouble ranking broccoli below things like lunchables and cheeseburgers. After all, these products had a face, a song and were presented alongside my favorite programs. It seems natural then, when at the dinner table faced with a bowl of broccoli, I questioned my mother’s judgment.
Media alone was not enough to convince me that broccoli was disgusting. Enter, Nicholas. Nicholas is my older brother. He is two years older then I and truly my role model. This was also the case when we were little. I’d follow his friends and him around, happy to sit on the side and watch their fun. I mimicked his attitude, and loved getting his attention. I adored him. Sitting next to Nicholas at dinner I learned the proper attitude about broccoli. Complain when it’s put on your plate, save it for last and say “but Mom I’m full,” and pout when finally forced to give in. Role models are an important part of any opinion. For example, celebrities are copied for their dress, small businesses copy the techniques of successful businesses, and children often share the same ideals as their parents. My role model taught me that broccoli was not desirable, and should be avoided.
Nicholas wasn’t the only family member who influenced my belief about broccoli, my mom also played a large role. She was the enforcer. When asked why they don’t like broccoli, most people will give one of two reasons. One, that it just flat out tastes bad, or two, that as a child they were forced to eat it. Each meal was a battle, my mom trying to raise healthy children, and us resisting her every step of the way. A part of the reason I didn’t like broccoli was because it was being forced on me. It was treated as and obligation, and became a chore. This is why Mrs. Simek is so smart. She used reverse psychology, pretending broccoli was a treat, or something to be earned. Her children become excited when they get the chance to eat broccoli, not because they know its health benefits, but because they know its something special.
The comparasin between the Simek’s opinion of broccoli and mine makes it clear that image truly matters. If something is thought to be bad, it will eventually become bad in the viewer’s eyes and vice versa. As human’s living in society, we are always being influenced. As I grew, more things began to influence me. Instead of the simple life in which I dealt with my siblings, my mom, and my television shows, I was now faced with a world of influences, all fighting for my attention. I began to think for myself, and form ideas on my own. My perceptions, including my perception of broccoli, began to change. Now, in addition to thinking it’s disgusting, I also have the belief that eating my vegetables is something I have to do. It’s interesting that this belief was formed the same was as the previous
Though I was older, with changing ideas, Nicholas remained my role model. In high school he was very involved, so I followed his lead. With his encouragement I ran for student government, and played soccer all four years. Nicholas quit the whining and pouting scene when broccoli was served, and replaced it with a face of endurance. The little sister in me reacted, and I adapted my own reaction to match his. Broccoli and other health food was now something to be endured. I was now old enough to know it was good for me, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.
The media changed my ideas even further and had a gigantic part in creating my opinion about healthy eating. Hollywood boasted the skinniest and the most beautiful people, and while it is not a goal of mine to look like them, I am aware of society’s expectations and the importance of appearance. In our society being overweight is not acceptable. Just ask the thousands of people who bought into commercial claims such as Jenny Craig, and Bally Total Fitness. I’m only eighteen but I’ve seen millions of before-after pictures. After seeing so many of these pictures, my brain now makes the connection that skinny and healthy goes hand in hand with happy, while overweight implies miserable. Obviously, I would much rather be happy and healthy.
My family also makes eating healthy a priority. My mom and I joked before I left about how she would call and ask if I was making good choices. It would understandably be assumed that she was worried about my sleeping habits, workload, or socializing, but no, she’s talking about my food. “Make good choices,” means pick up a pear, not a bag of chips.. “That is just how I was raised,” is a common reason for why people have certain beliefs. In my case this is also true, I have been raised to continue my healthy lifestyle. Being athletic is a must in my family. My parents praise us for athletic accomplishments and show support at all our events. People crave approval, and when they get it they repeat the actions in order to receive it again. We have family dinners almost every night where we all sit down together and enjoy my mom’s home-cooked meals. There is always fruit on my counter, and I take vitamins every morning. These are actions that are done without question. It is just how we function. Thanks to my family, my belief has found its place in a comfortable routine.
My final, and perhaps most important, reason for believing that eating healthy is important is experience. I know that it is important to learn from one’s experiences. I have found that after making a healthy choice about my diet I honestly feel better throughout the day. I get the same feeling after a hard workout. I feel energized and proud of myself. After working out I feel good because I know that I have just improved my body. I’ve also found that it puts me in the “stay healthy” mindset. After exercising I’m inspired to eat fruit, and broccoli for that matter, and the idea of a cheeseburger is disgusting. I get the same feeling after making healthy decisions regarding food. Perhaps this is because I have been verbally rewarded for such actions, but I believe a big part of it is that I know I’m taking care of my body. This feeling is one that I desire to get again and again, so it inspires me to eat healthy.
Eating healthy is an important belief that helps shape my lifestyle. My belief developed with the help of the media, my family, my role model, and my experiences. The belief of eating healthy is alive and well in me today. My sister and I are the food network’s biggest fans, and I’m steadily decreasing the cafeterias supply of bananas. But perhaps most importantly, I know that when I grow up and have kids, they will most definitely eat their broccoli.

Revised:
I Believe in Broccoli

Broccoli has a bad reputation. Therefore, one can imagine my surprise when the children I babysat for literally begged for broccoli. In their household, broccoli is a special treat when served at dinner, a reward for good behavior, and even considered a dessert. My personal belief is that broccoli is disgusting. The Simek children however, believe that it is the best food they could receive.
The belief that broccoli is gross may seem insignificant. But it may be worthwhile to explore why children around the country scrunch up their noses in disgust when broccoli is mentioned, or why, as in the Simeks’ case, when children actually enjoy eating a food that is healthy for them it is considered peculiar. .
The media deserves credit in cases such as these and contributed heartily to my own opinion of broccoli. Next to the colorful cereals and “fun to eat” snacks, broccoli gained a dull, and lifeless reputation. My five-year-old brain had no trouble ranking broccoli below things like Lunchables and cheeseburgers. After all, these products had a face, a song, and were presented alongside my favorite programs. So naturally when at the dinner table faced with a bowl of broccoli, I questioned my mother’s judgment.
Media alone was not enough to convince me that broccoli was disgusting. I needed convincing on a more personal level. Nicholas is my older brother. He is two years older than I and has always been my role model. I mimicked his attitude and loved getting his attention. I adored him. Sitting next to Nicholas at dinner I learned the proper attitude about broccoli. Complain when it’s put on your plate, save it for last and say “but Mom I’m full,” and pout when finally forced to give in. Role models are an important part of any opinion. My role model taught me that broccoli was not desirable and should be avoided.
Nicholas wasn’t the only family member who influenced my belief about broccoli. My mom also played a large role. She was the enforcer. Each meal was a battle, my mom trying to raise healthy children, who resisted her every step of the way. It was treated as and obligation, and became a chore. A better strategy would have been Mrs. Simek’s. She used reverse psychology, pretending broccoli was a treat, or something to be earned. Her children become excited when they get the chance to eat broccoli, not because they know its health benefits, but because they know it’s something special.
As a child I ate the exact same product as the Simek children, but my perception of that product was different. But as I grew, my perceptions, including my perception of broccoli, began to change. Now, in addition to thinking it’s disgusting, I also have the belief that eating my vegetables is something I have to do. It’s interesting that this belief was formed the same way as the previous.
Though I was older, with changing ideas, Nicholas remained my role model. In high school he was very involved, so I followed his lead. Nicholas quit the whining and pouting scene when broccoli was served, and replaced it with a face of endurance. The little sister in me reacted, and I adapted my own reaction to match his. Broccoli and other health food was now something to be endured. I was now old enough to know it was good for me, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.
The media changed my ideas even further and had a gigantic part in creating my opinion about healthy eating. Hollywood boasted the skinniest and the most beautiful people, and while it is not a goal of mine to look like them, I am aware of society’s expectations and the importance of appearance. Just ask the thousands of people who bought into weight loss programs such as Jenny Craig, and Bally Total Fitness. I’m only eighteen but I’ve seen millions of before-after pictures. After seeing so many of these pictures, my brain now makes the connection that skinny and healthy is better.
My family also makes eating healthy a priority. “That is just how I was raised,” is a common reason for why people have certain beliefs. In my case this is also true, I have been raised to continue my healthy lifestyle. My mom calls to check on me at college, and with every call comes a question about my eating habits. Thanks to my mom’s home-cooked meals and family dinners my belief has found its place in a comfortable routine.
My final, and perhaps most important, reason for believing that eating healthy is important is experience. It is important to learn from one’s experiences. I have found that after making a healthy choice about my diet I honestly feel better throughout the day. I feel energized and proud of myself. Being athletic is a must in my family. My parents praise us for athletic accomplishments and show support at all our events. People crave approval, and when they get it they repeat the actions in order to receive it again. After working out I feel good because I know that I have just improved my body. I’ve also found that it puts me in the “stay healthy” mindset which inspires me to eat healthily.
Eating healthy is an important belief that helps shape my lifestyle. My belief developed with the help of the media, my family, my role model, and my experiences. The belief of eating healthy is alive and well in me today. I know that when I have kids, they will most definitely eat their broccoli.