Precis-
Today the obesity epidemic has spread over the entire United States. In the early 19th century Americans began drinking more than ever which lead to the purchase of corn whiskey, a cheap and superabundant drink. David Wallerstein served on the board of directors on at McDonald's, but in the fifties and sixties he worked for a chain of movie theaters where he came up with the idea of super sizing because of the realization that people would want to buy more popcorn and soda if it all came in one huge serving. Today the rate of type 2 diabetes and obesity is higher than ever and this is because of energy dense foods becoming the cheapest foods in the market.
Gems-
(Page 105)"They don't want to look like gluttons"
(Page 105)"Going for seconds make people feel piggish"
Thoughts and questions-
- Should all the foods that are contributing to type 2 diabetes and obesity be stopped from being produce any longer?
- Is it really the fault of the company's producing all these unhealthy portions or is it the fault of the consumers for choosing to buy them?
Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma, Chapter 7-
Precis-
Most people today eat industrial meals, whether it's pizza hut, KFC, McDonald's or even homemade food prepared from ingredients bought at the supermarket. Healthier items on the menu gives people an excuse for going to these fast food places "But mom, you can get the salad..." is what a child who wants to eat fast food could say, in fact one in 3 kids eat fast food every day. Fast food is comfort food to many people, in fact scientists say that fast food gives you a jolt of carbohydrates and fay,which is now believed to relieve stress and cathe teh brain in chemicals that make it feel good. Most of the foods in McDonald's and other fast food chains contain something in common, which is a dependance on many ingredients containing corn and other (sometimes toxic) synthetic ingerdients.
Gems-
(Page 110) " The Marketers have a term for what a salad or veggie burger does for a fast-food chain: Denying the Denier. These healthier menu items hand hand the child who wants to eat fast food a sharp tool with which to chip away at his parents' objections."
Thoughts and Questions-
- Today more than ever people i am becoming more and more concerned with through what foods corn gets into my body and hopefully next time i eat corn it will be straight from the cob and not from a bag of chips.
- Why do americans not realize how much corn is infused into our lives?
Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma, Chapter 8-
Precis-
Grass, what we see as the beautiful soft pillow of nature is not always the reality of it, most farms in america do not have the grass we all know and love. Joel Salatin however is one of those very few farmers that still holds on to that beauty by having an organic farm where every organism plays a role and helps with the productivity of the farm. Most farms in america even those that are considered to be organic do not have such a dependence on nature to keep them running. The idea of being organic is not taken seriously by other farmers which is why they can claim to be organic but still not shift to using organic methods.
Gems-
(Page 126)"Salatin is the choreographer and the grasses are his verdurous stage; the dance has made polyface one of the most productive and influential alternative farms in America".
(Page 132) "That's all the Indians ever wanted - to keep their tepees, to give their kids herbs instead of patent medicines and leeches....the Western mind can't bear an opt-out option. We're going to have to refight the Battle of the Little Bighorn to preserve the right to opt out, or your grandchildren and mine will have no choice but to eat amalgamated, irradiated, genetically prostituted, barcoded, adulterated fecal spam from the centralized processing conglomerate".
Thoughts and Questions-
- Joel Salatin isnt a go with the flow kinda guy and i respect him for that. He values his own opinions over the opinions of others and the fact that the way he lives is an extension of his worldviews really tells you that he believes in what he says.
- Joel Salatin lives by his opinions but if he had a different occupation or lifestyle would his opinions be the same?
Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma, Chapter 9-
Precis-
Many food brands advertise that they are organic an even give great stories about where there products come from, but today the counter culture has becoming more attached to the less accurate definitions of organic. Being organic is very controversial because of the dangers that could come with being organic, for example chickens are defensless and very vulnerable to infection ane yet the fedral rules say an organic chicken should have access to the outdoors. Both organic and non organic foods have there differences but it is not always organic food that has a better difference, Taste for example a freshly picked conventional produce is bound to taste better than and organic produce that has been riding in a truck for 3 days, however not all organic food makes a difference, yes an animals feed affects how it will taste but whether that feed is organic or not doesn' really make a difference.
Gems-
(Page 142) " If i were a dictator determined to control the national press, Organic Gardening would be the first publication i'd squash because it's the most subsersive. I believe that organic gardeners are in the forefront of a serious effort to save the world by changing man's orientation to it, to move away from the collective, centrist, superindustrial state, toward a simpler, realer, one-to-one relationship with the earth itself."
Thoughts and Questions-
- Why is it that organic food is not taken as seriously as it should be by americans today.
- I feel as if even though organic foods are becoming more and more popular fast food is not becoming less popular and in fact the proof of this is the obesity epidemic and the rise of type 2 diabetes.
Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma, Chapter 10-
Precis-
Grass is a very classic part of american culture whether it is mowing the lawn or feeding it to the cows. Grass is especially important to grass farmers like Joel Salatin. Joel calls his pastures the "salad bar", and for his cows this is a major source of food. Grass farming is a relatively new part of american agriculture that has begun a practice referred to as "Management-intensive grazing" which is periodically moving livestock to fresh paddocks, to allow pastures to re grow. Grass is a healthier source of food for cows than corn is but is used less even though a well managed patch of grass captures more solar energy and therefore produces more biomass than a cornfield and this is because industrial agriculture is cheaper and more convenient.
Gems-
(Page 203) "The farm and the family comprised remarkably self-contained world, in the way I imagine all American farm life once did."
Thoughts and Questions-
- Could the reason that farmers don't feed there cows grass is because grass does not receive a subsidy check from the government?
- If grass did receive a subsidy check what would happen to corn?
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