When I was younger a majority of the food that was consumed in my household were bought at the grocery store.  As the years have passed my family has strayed away from the supermarket when purchasing meat, fruits, and vegetables.  During the summer there is nothing better then eating local sweet corn with a good "free roaming" hamburger.  

While reading the Pollan article I understood the economics that go into the farming and agricultural industries.  I have been exposed to these industries since I was younger but never really thought of the economic impact.  My dad raises pigs for slaughter and my sister raises a pig for 4-H.  Until they started raising the animals I never thought about the cost of feed, the cost of equipment needed, and the cost of vet care for the animals, if they need it.  After reading his article I really thought about all of those costs and I wonder if my dad and my sister actually make a positive profit off of the animals.

While reading the Berry article the one thing that I found interesting was his list of how to be a responsible eater.  On that list it says "Learn the origins of the food you buy, and buy food that is produced closest to your home."  My family does this with the meat we buy, as stated above.  We also do this with fruits and vegetables by purchasing them from a local farm.  I feel better knowing where exactly my food is coming from.
Overall both of these articles allowed me to connect the information into my real world.  I enjoyed both of them.

On Saturday I visited a familiar place and tweeted my observations that I made during the experience.  These tweets included:

Pull up and there three cars parked outside #twitterive #familiarplace
Customer walks in before store is open #twitterive #familiarplace
The fresh aroma of chocolate in the cold air #twitterive #familiarplace
Five pieces of dropped candy within the first ten minutes of being there #twitterive #familiarplace
Twenty boxes of candy checked in #twitterive #familiarplace
Customer gets angry when I ask to see their id #twitterive#familiarplace
Three balloons, two red and one pink, out front with a sign that reads "place your valentines candy orders today" #twitterive#familiarplace
The air conditioner is blowing within the building leaving behind a bone chilling coldness #twitterive#familiarplace
Five minutes until I can leave and a sense of excitement comes until I realize it is raining and cold outside#twitterive #familiarplace
The day ends with at least forty "Hi! How are you today?" asked to each person who walks in the door#familiarplace #twitterive
Where is this #familiarplace? Good ole hallmark, my second home. #twitterivehttp://yfrog.com/odlirzaj

The familiar place that I chose for this assignment was where I work, Hallmark.  All of these observations were made during my 9:30 am- 4 pm shift over the last weekend.  I have worked there for four years and it has become my second home.  I used to dread going into work and spending countless hours with ungrateful, rude customers.  Like Berry in The Art of the Common Place because he took a place and changed his relationship with it.  I tried to get away from Hallmark because I thought I was getting to a place in my life where I wanted change, I was wrong.  I worked at another job for two months before committing myself to Hallmark again.  I realized that life isn't sweeter on the other side.