Process Piece

Audio Clip (Sorry we had trouble with the file type so this is a place you can download it from)

    This week’s assignment had the two of us, Jared Wilkinson and Zachary Miller, document the preparation of cucumbers at BYU’s Culinary Support Center. We followed it from washing to cutting to shipping.

We selected this process because we both have background in food production--Jared actually once worked at BYU’s Culinary Support Center. Our part in the recording process was little more than observational for most of the process. One notable exception included having to manually roll one of the carts ourselves after we were unable to get an audible recording the first time.  Other than that, we were able to simply step in order to record the steps of the process. These employees don’t realize how unique their sounds are and how easy it is to create an audio clip that allows the viewers to mentally visualize what they are doing. We imagine that is just the case for many of the process that are behind all of the things commercially manufactured in this country. Recognizable actions with recognizable sounds that come together to make a complex product. From making crayons to building a makeshift guitar, all the things we may think are unreachable are really just a combination of simple, even mundane tasks.

Moreover, processes that deal with how food is made showcase a processes that are important, much like the salmon in the smokehouse clip. No one really appreciates the smoked salmon or the sliced cucumbers when the food is bought straight from the store. The hard work of employees and companies is manifest when one takes the time to observe the procedure. Also, individuals are able to see the efficiency that man has created by building machines and using natural resources to make our processes more streamlined.

           We drew connections between this piece and some of the most common and popular shows on television right now, like “Fixer Upper.” In this show, audiences are able to see into the guts of a house and how contractors take a rundown shack into a marketable, visually appealing home. Viewers enjoy the grand tour at the end, but they also appreciate seeing the way they make that swimming pool and how Chip and Joanna bust down the wall. These shows capitalize on the spectacle of the process, drawing us in by giving us convenient access into something we may never have seen otherwise.

We were able to observe great beauty in the processing of cucumbers right here on BYU campus and learn just how many processes influence the world around us.