Precis-
Vegetarianism is more popular today than it has been, not to mention the growing populatiry of animal rights, which seems strange considering the fact that we have been eating animals for tens of thousands of years without too much concern for how ethical it is. Humans are creatures of reason and the great thing about that is reasonable creatures can find an excuse for almost anyhting, which includes eating animals or not eating animals but the bigger question is do you want to base your moral code on the natural order? Murder and rape are natural, too. Animals on factory farms have never known any other life than that; the rightest thought is that the proper measure of their suffering is not their prior experience but instead the daily frustration of their instincts. Animal suffering is a very confusing issue because we dont know whether being eaten is painful or not because we don't know what goes on in their minds, however vegeterianism is not an unreasonable response to the the reality of killing animals.
Gems-
(Page 309) "If i believe in equality, and equality is based on interests rather than characteristics, then either i have to take the steer's interest into account or accpet that i am a speciest"
Thoughts and Questions-
- This chapter really made me question whether or not eating organic or polyface food is as "good" as i thought. i felt as thought eating meat is an act of violence, i feel guilty for have ever eaten a chicken or a burger. What if we lived in a world where we were kept as animals in factories awaiting slaughter, would our opinions be taken into consideration and if so would someone act upon these opinions.
Precis- Hunting, its what most kids dream of, being able to venture into the woods with an rifle in your hands and seeing traces of your prey on the leaves of the tree next to you or on the ground is a very exciting feeling, it makes you a more alert person. When hunting i was mentored by Angelo who has been hunting here for years, and to be honest part of me didn't want to go but i had tried my gun out before at a shooting range in the oakland hills in which after my shoulder was aching for weeks but after i felt as if i was ready for a gun of my own (a .270 winchester). The plan was to hunt boar in the northern part of Sonoma county, driving to the spot we were going to hunt angelo kept mentioning the different spot where a pig hunt happened and it seemed that every spot had a story. During our hunting expedition we encountered a group of pigs and we slowly raised our guns to our shoulders, richard got down on one knee and did the same, i got ready to pump my gun but it was too late richard already shot and wounded one, i had not been ready to shoot and why is that, maybe it is because of my failure to have a bullet in the chamber reflected some unconscious reluctance about doing what i asked myself to do. I recieved word a moth later that angelo and i would go hunting just us this time, during this hunt i whot my first pig and the feeling i expected to feel was Remorse but i did not (not until later at least), the feeling i had was absolute joy.
Gems-
(Page 343) "My emotions were as surging and confused as the knot of panicked pigs had been on this spot just a moment before."
(Page 353) " The one emotion i expected to feel but did not, inexplicably, was remorse, or even ambivalence. All that would come later, but now, i'm slightly embarrassed to admit, i felt absolutely teriffic."
Thoughts and Questions-
- This chapter really made me feel as if i was in pollan's shoes. i could feel more of a connection with him, and maybe it was because of the fact that i have always wanted to go hunting myself. I thought it was nice to see him try something fast-paced and completely new, it really showed you the depth of his character and revealed that he is really a curious kid on the inside.
Precis-
Mushroom foraging, obtaining this produce is almost dangerous because of how easy it is to get lost, Mushroom are prey to many creatures which is why some have developed the ability to camouflage itself. Mushrooms belong to the Fungi kingdom which are very mysterious. It is unknown why they they grow where and when they grow, the gender, or how to consistently tell the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous. The chemical properties of fungi are also mysterious, they can cause hallucinations and other sicknesses. Though they are mysterious foraging mushrooms is a very benificial experience to be a part of.
Gems-
(Page 380) "It was such a feeling of empowerment, to feed yourself by figuring out the puzzle of nature"
Thoughts and Questions-
- This chapter made me think about the mushroom farmer i met at the green market in union square. She was intelligent and was very passionate about her mushrooms. She said "Mushrooms are a wonder in themselves", which at the time i didn't quite understand but after reading this chapter i did. She was saying the experience of growing and foraging mushrooms is an exciting experience. i would like to see her again and maybe go to her farm and experience it for myself.
Precis-
I have been preparing a meal for Angelo, Sue, Anthony, Richard, Judith, Isaac, and myself all week, the meal was made out of only ingredients that i had either grown, foraged, caught, or hunted. The meal included Wild Sonoma Pig, Local Garden Salad, Wild East Bay Yeast Levain, etc... Compared to the standard of my guests this meal wasn't amazing, but it was the emotion and thoughtfulness of the meal that was great. This meal shows the potential of how food can really be and the lack of fast or industrial food in this meal is a reminder of how truly pure a meal can be.
Gems-
(Page 411) "We eat by the grace of nature, not industry, and what we're eating is never anything more or less than the body of the world."
(Page 400) "Industrial and domestic, hard and soft, metal and meat: This place was a lot like Angelo himself"
Thoughts and Questions-
- This chapter was very passionate. I felt as if Pollan was very concerned with this meal and how perfect it was going to be. This meal was was not industrial so i thought it was eaten without as much woory or guilt. Pollan's experience's throughout the book really meant something and i would like to experience the same. Hopefully over the summer i can work on a farm myself or go hunting and explore what michael pollan explored and experience what pollan experienced.
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