HW 7C

Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma, Chapter 11-

Precis-

Joel Salatin's farm is independent. He keeps the farm natural by being as uninvolved as he possibly can. He allows the farm to do only what it can handle and for the farm to use its own resources to preserve itself. There isnt a need for many machines or anything that can pollute because of the self preservation like an ecosystem so there is not much pollution. Since the production amount is so high there is no need to worry about how its going to keep itself preserved.


Gems-

"I asked Joel how much food Polyface produces in a season, and he rattled off these figures: 30,000 eggs, 12,00 broilers, 800 stewing hens, 50 beeves (representing 25,00 pounds of beef), 250 hogs (50,00 pounds of pork), 800 turkeys, 500 rabbits."

 Thoughts and Questions-

•  If Joel got more involved in his farm would it become less productive and less natural? 

 Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma, Chapter 12-

Precis-

If there is one aspect of farming that everyone including farmers don't like, it is slaughtering. The slaughtering of animals we eat usually takes place behind closed doors, Joel Salatin insists on slaughtering his own chickens and would slaughter his other animals if he could however under an old federal exemption, farmers are still permitted to process a few thousand birds however most other animals must be processed in a state federally inspected facility. Working with Joel in the slaughter house really brought to my attention how much the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) biases its rules towards large processing plants. Joel Salatin believes that slaughtering of his chickens is almost ritualistic, when i stepped away form the killing area Joel came up to me and said that slaughter is dehumanizing work if you have to do it everyday in fact Temple Grandin, the animal handling expert who's helped design many slaughterhouses, has written that it is not uncommon for full-time slaughterhouse workers become sadistic.

 Gems- 

"You have just dined, and how ever scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity."

Thoughts and Question-

• Reading this chapter made me realize that farming is not all beautiful and that the chicken i had for lunch or the burger i had for dinner were all living creatures once that were then slaughtered and yet i still eat them without even thinking about that. (This makes me want to become a vegetarian)

Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma, Chapter 13-

Precis-

The Polyface farm is a purely local farm that produces eggs, chicken, beef, pork, and other produce. It saves energy and resources, reformes the global food system and preserves what is called Relationship marketing. Polyface food costs about 1 dollar per pound which is the same as the insdustrial market's prices. Joel salatin offers would be the cheapest available if you count the hidden costs (enviornment, water pollution, antibiotic resistance) which is why Allan Nation (the editor of the Stockman Grassfarmer) states that a buisness cannot be half industrial and half artisanal. 

Gems-

(Page 240) "Don't you find it odd that people will put more work into choosing their mechanic or house contractor than they will into chosing the person who grows their food?" 

Thoughts and Question-

•  Joel's thoughts on citites surprised me but what really surprised me is his brothers thoughts on Joel's efforts to prevent the evil in the world from spreading. It was almost like he no longer believes in what joel is trying to do. 

Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma, Chapter 14-

Precis- 

I gathered goods from the Polyface farm so i can make dinner for a family whose friendship i have valued for many years. I slow roasted two chickens, made a souffle, and prepared a salad and corn. This meal was very nutritous and of much better quality. This meal was not a result of genetic breeding, feeding corn to animals, using pesticides or chemicals, or keeping organisms from being themselves and being natural.

Gems- 

(page 273) "But souffle has a spiritual sense, too, as in the breath of life (in English the word "spirit" comes from breath), which seems fitting, for isn't the souffle as close as cookery ever comes to elevating matter into spirit?"

Thoughts and Questions-

• This chapter was paticularly good because it made me really appreciate the way meals are prepared and how the way the animals are treated could affect the meal (not to mention how hungry it made me). When you know ingredients are truly pure with no chemical involved and you see the time and energy spent in preparing the meal it gives the meal a more honest feeling. i am hoping to try and prepare a meal like that sometime soon.

Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma, Chapter 15-

Precis-

I decided to create a meal out of the shortest possible food chain (this includes foraging, hunting, and growing food myself) which would be a very beneficial learning experience for me. I was hoping to experience the feeling of killing another creature and being directly connected to other natural systems, of preparing and consuming a meal in full consciousness of what is involved. However because of my lack of knowledge in these aspects and my recent move this endeavor became more difficult. With the help of a hunter education course and of my friend, Angelo, i will achieve my goal; in the meantime i am satisfied with with observing what is and isn't edible looking in nature.

Gems-

(Page 278) "She made it sound like it wouldn't take much for a kid to get himself killed snacking in the woods"

(Page 280) "Somehow I doubted I would feel quite at home stalking game in the woods, but it was reassuring to think that in doing so I would be contesting only my upbringing, not my genes"

Thoughts and questions-

• This chapter really gave me insight into Michael Pollan's true character. It Revealed his inner child which was more likely to want to eat form the fruits of his labor than a grown man. Many Children would be intrigued by the idea of living in the forest and surviving with nothing but your two hands and feet, i know i would love too. 
• Pollan has many child like qualities like his curiosity and questions everything which is very endearing, and not only does he have these qualities he uses them in his approach to everything.  

 Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma, Chapter 16-

Precis-

Humans are very unique bread of creature and have a very unique set of eating tendencies and habits. Humans have a very large brain relative to their stomach size (your eye is larger than your stomach), which is an effect requiring a varied diet in addtion food selection, and sensory capabilities.Humans also require food that is not just good to eat, but culturally pleasing, ethical, affordable, or even popular; generally, we decide if a food is "good to eat" based on taste, and social acceptance. Americans wonder why other countries so often succeed in being healthy without an obsession with food. Other cultures consistently feast upon combination's of foods that are nutritious like eating soy sauce with rice, and maintain customs like eating only what is cooked at home. 

Gems-

(Page 288) But rats and humans require a wider range of nutrients and so must eat a wider range of foods, some of them questionable. Whenever they encounter a potential new food they find themmselves torn between two conflicting emotions unknown to hte specialist eater, each with its own biological rationale: neophobia, a sensible fear of ingesting anything new, and neophilia, a risky but necessary opennness of new tastes"  

Thoughts and Questions-

•  It is our evolved traits that once kept us alive and healthy that now doom us to things such as diabetes and obesity. Our tendency for favoring sweetness once helped us find good sources of substainance is now causing health issues while we stil tend to avoid bitter foods which causes a lack of vegetables and important nutrients in our diet. it is our own development that has hurt us.
• We humans have an incerdible ability to adapt to new situations and enviornments so why dont we adapt to this one.