An Observation Paper school cafeteria

The observation that is being given was made in the school cafeteria. Before being allowed admission to the dining hall, where their favored meal was served, the students had to pay at the front desk. When students enter the hall after paying, the food buffet is the first item that catches their attention. The students' high level of freedom can be inferred from their decision to choose their own lunch menu. They did not rely on advice from their pals or the personnel who worked in the dining hall. However, some were influenced by the food choices made by their friends since they all agreed on taking a specific meal for lunch.

During the observation session, I noted that most students are continually challenged when it comes to making healthful food decisions and choices. Furthermore, when it comes to making healthy food choices, most were influenced by individual factors such as self-discipline, convenience and taste preferences. The social networks also played a significant role in determining the eating behavior of the students in that the lack of parental control drove many to engage in unhealthy food choices. Apparently, most learners did not eat their fruits and vegetables in the right quantity as expected.

The amount of time allocated for lunch break was estimated at 20 minutes. The identified time includes the time that the students travelled from their classrooms to the dining area. Most of the students did not comply with the presented standards. Evidently, about 80 percent of the students took more than the allocated 20 minutes in the dining room. The decreased level of fruit and vegetable intake can be associated with the presented aspect of insufficient dining time. The observations revealed that the level of fruit consumption recorded an upward trend with seating time. Evidently, the consumption of vegetables and fruits increased for the students who spent more time in the dining. However, the amount of food which was consumed within the presented period remained constant.

It was also observed that the food waste during lunch time was a commonality in most of the students. More than 50% of the students did not consume all the food served to them. A majority of the students wasted about 70% of the vegetables and 50% of the fruits. About 20% of the starch was wasted and 30% of grains. The presented observation may be as a result of the fact that the students were aware of the foods they needed to have for lunch. However, the presented options are not necessarily healthy options for them. In comparison to the younger students, the older students had a tendency of wasting less food. The variance was also noted among boys in that the boys had a tendency of wasting less food that the girls. However, the boy appeared to waste more of the vegetables served to them in comparison to the girls. The presented aspect may be as a result of the belief than vegetables health in promoting a healthy weight. As being conscious, the girls would prefer consuming more vegetables in comparison to dairy or grains. Furthermore, the ability to waste food mainly varied from one student to the other based on their cultural beliefs. Some cultures did not value meat while others hated dairy products which prompted them to eat the alternatives available on their trays and waste the other available options which did not match their religious teaching.

It was also observed that most students tend to go for the hot food in comparison to the warm or the cold ones. The food available was potato, pasta, fried chicken; starchy foods, comfort food. The need to go for the hot food may be as a result of personal preference. Most learner have personal drive to consume hot foods believed that they are tastier and nutritious in that form. The salad bar is taken by most after the hot food buffet, closer to the seating area along with the fountain drinks. There is a good variety of fruits and vegetables in the salad bar. A couple students stop by to pick up one food item like fruit. One or two actually made a salad from the salad bar. Most of the students preferred to have a single fruit as a salad while overlooking its nutritional benefit based on the notion that the fruits are meant to be consumed only in limited quantities. It was also observed that during the meals, most students preferred seating close to peers or friends rather than alone in the dining. Despite this, some also sat alone. Those who sat alone during the meals finished their food within the allocated time of 20 minutes unlike those who sat with friends. The presented variance may be as a result of the notion that those who sat in groups ended up wasting time on storytelling other than focusing on their meals to complete eating on time. Additionally, those who sat in groups ended up wasting more food than those who sat alone. The presented concern stems from the notion that those who sat in groups get caught up with time as a result of their storytelling behavior and decide to waste food in order to attend after lunch classes.

Most of the students had their smartphones during lunchtime. All of the students with the phones ended up glancing at their phones at least once while eating. The presented notion may be as a result of the fact most students are technologically savvy and they also form a part of the online communities and social media sites. As a result, they always check their status often when they find free time.

Context

My observation was at a University dining Hall. The first thing you enter you have to pay at the front desk. Next thing you see is the food buffet. Hot food is first. The students eating behavior was majorly being observed in the presented process. The observation took place on Tuesday November 14th. The dining room was slightly big in that it could accommodate approximately 100 students at a go. The room had more than 100 seats with 40 tables arranged in a manner that the students could seat in a round table with the peers during meals. The staff members with the food buffet as placed at the front of the dining close to the entrance door. The presented arrangement made it easier for the students to have their meals served before walking to their seats. The spaces between the tables ways enough to facilitate movement of the students in the dining hall. A large glass window was also a common feature of the dining room. The glass windows allowed enough light into the room as well as a proper aeration to facilitate and allow clean air into the presented location.

The students are expected to be at their best behavior while in the dining room. The presented aspect is evident as a result of the stated and unstated rules focused on governing the behavior of the people in the setting. For instance, all students are required to remain organized as the dining before they are served their meal. To achieve this, a queue is utilized to ensure that all the students are served on a first come first served basis. The students are also required to avoid arguments and fight in the dining by respecting the staff and the peers. Maintain proper table manners when eating is also a common standard which the students are required to follow while in the dining.

While in the dining, most of the students are engaging in storytelling session while checking their phones. Most prefer sitting together in groups while only a few seats alone. Those who seat alone end up spending lesser time in the dining room and wasting less food in the process in comparison to those who seat with peers in groups. Most students tend to go for the hot food. The food available was potato, pasta, fried chicken; starchy foods, comfort food. The salad bar is after the hot food buffet, closer to the seating area along with the fountain drinks. There is a good variety of fruits and vegetables in the salad bar. A couple students stop by to pick up one food item like fruit. One or two actually made a salad from the salad bar. Most students carry their smartphones to the dining and will always spend at least sometime checking their phones. Distinguishing the students among themselves in the dining is difficult. The presented notion stems from the fact that the students do not have a distinguishing union showing their class. On the contrary, the staff members have a uniform which makes it easy to distinguish between the staff and the students.

Various options are offered on the food menu allowing students to make a choice of the food they like. Some are considered as healthy options while others are categorized as unhealthy. I personally did not like the food quality or the options offered. It was my first time eating there and the food did not taste as good. I would not go back as a result of the presented experience. At the same time, I cannot judge it by only going there once. I did go after serving time. The presented factor explains why the food was cold. Also, I did not like the sitting arrangement. Apparently, some of the seats were placed at the center of the dining room making it difficult for any individual sitting at the presented location to have access to clean air especially when the weather is hot. I liked the fact that the queuing system was being implemented in the presented case. Through this, an element of organization was achieved, thus making it easier for all the students to have access to the food within a limited period of time.