Oral History Project
Group Members: Stephanie DiBella, Megan Franz, Kelly Peterson, & Sarah Pickell
Introduction:
In this oral history project, we investigate the advantages and disadvantages of being a vegetarian. During the course of our research, we conducted two interviews, one with a dietitian and one with a health food store co-owner, and gathered qualitative data from our subjects' narratives.
Our first interview features Melissa Pickell, R.D., a registered dietitian who owns her own practice in Stockon, New Jersey. Ms. Pickell focuses on the areas of weight loss, personalized diets, and coaching others in living healthy lifestyles. One group member, Sarah, interviewed Ms. Pickell via Skype on April 12, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. Ms. Pickell was at home in Flemington, New Jersey. The interview included questions on Ms. Pickell's personal experiences as a vegetarian; the possibility of vegetarianism facilitating cures for, or preemptive measures against, illness and diseases; various food and their effects on the body; and vegetarian diets. This interview aimed to collect knowledge on the vegetarian lifestyle from a professional perspective, unbiased. The interview progressed smoothly with one exception; it was hard to stay on topic when Leo, Ms. Pickell's cat interrupted. Overall, the interview was successful.
In our second interview, we spoke with Dorothy Boody, a local health food store co-owner. One group member, Kelly, interviewed Ms. Boody at her place of business, Health Now, in Vineland, New Jersey, on April 9, 2011, at 4:00pm. Ms. Boody spoke about her experience as a vegetarian and her family's experiences with eating healthier food. Blood type diets featured heavily in Ms. Boody's narratives as they form a keystone of her food philosophy. In particular, Ms. Boody stated that blood type A's are more likely to successfully live a vegetarian lifestyle. Many of her comments on ethics, today's food industry, and keeping fruits and vegetables in the diet speak to meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. Overall, the interview went well, though it covered more "organic territory" than anticipated and some narrative segments may require an explanatory text slide. In general, most sound bites should stand alone as independent comments and/or stories.
Our first interview features Melissa Pickell, R.D., a registered dietitian who owns her own practice in Stockon, New Jersey. Ms. Pickell focuses on the areas of weight loss, personalized diets, and coaching others in living healthy lifestyles. One group member, Sarah, interviewed Ms. Pickell via Skype on April 12, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. Ms. Pickell was at home in Flemington, New Jersey. The interview included questions on Ms. Pickell's personal experiences as a vegetarian; the possibility of vegetarianism facilitating cures for, or preemptive measures against, illness and diseases; various food and their effects on the body; and vegetarian diets. This interview aimed to collect knowledge on the vegetarian lifestyle from a professional perspective, unbiased. The interview progressed smoothly with one exception; it was hard to stay on topic when Leo, Ms. Pickell's cat interrupted. Overall, the interview was successful.
In our second interview, we spoke with Dorothy Boody, a local health food store co-owner. One group member, Kelly, interviewed Ms. Boody at her place of business, Health Now, in Vineland, New Jersey, on April 9, 2011, at 4:00pm. Ms. Boody spoke about her experience as a vegetarian and her family's experiences with eating healthier food. Blood type diets featured heavily in Ms. Boody's narratives as they form a keystone of her food philosophy. In particular, Ms. Boody stated that blood type A's are more likely to successfully live a vegetarian lifestyle. Many of her comments on ethics, today's food industry, and keeping fruits and vegetables in the diet speak to meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. Overall, the interview went well, though it covered more "organic territory" than anticipated and some narrative segments may require an explanatory text slide. In general, most sound bites should stand alone as independent comments and/or stories.