Daisy:
I really do believe that eating is an agricultural act. When you begin to consciously choose to eat products that come from local farms, or are organic, you have committed an agricultural act. Most people nowadays just simply purchase the items that they can get at their local grocery store. The thought that usually crosses their minds when they pick up that piece of steak is, "How much will this cost me?" "Do I really want steak for dinner tonight?" They don't ask the REAL questions, such as, "Is this piece of steak disease-free?" "How much process corn has the cow eaten?" "Has that affected its nutritional value?" By asking these questions, you will begin to think deeper about food, thus committing an agricultural act.
Friday, 22 July 2011
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Does the way we eat reflect our collective values?
Daisy:
In this society, we value speed, convenience and value. So it's no wonder that the majority of our diet consists of food that is nicely preserved for us, dishes that we can just heat up instantly. We don't have to worry about prepping anything. In fact, we don't even have to go near a stove. We can simply get in our cars, go through a McDonalds' drive-thru and buy ourselves a satisfying meal for dirt cheap, without even having to put one foot on the pavement.
Brenan:
It's interesting to see the difference in my own views since going to Culinary school and since reading this book. I used to be one of the people Daisy is referring to, always interested in speed, convenience, and value. Somewhere along the line, (quite possibly on a line) my values changed and I started to see food as more than just something we eat. I started to view food as a metaphor for life. Enjoy it, however long it may take to create it, and realistically, good food is expensive, and if it's not expensive, it is time consuming to make yourself. I have come to accept this fact.
My values now aren't the same as the values Daisy is speaking of, but I believe food has changed my values. I hope that this book will make people look at food lke i do.
I agree with Daisy's point, and I definitely believe the way we eat reflects our collective values.
In this society, we value speed, convenience and value. So it's no wonder that the majority of our diet consists of food that is nicely preserved for us, dishes that we can just heat up instantly. We don't have to worry about prepping anything. In fact, we don't even have to go near a stove. We can simply get in our cars, go through a McDonalds' drive-thru and buy ourselves a satisfying meal for dirt cheap, without even having to put one foot on the pavement.
Brenan:
It's interesting to see the difference in my own views since going to Culinary school and since reading this book. I used to be one of the people Daisy is referring to, always interested in speed, convenience, and value. Somewhere along the line, (quite possibly on a line) my values changed and I started to see food as more than just something we eat. I started to view food as a metaphor for life. Enjoy it, however long it may take to create it, and realistically, good food is expensive, and if it's not expensive, it is time consuming to make yourself. I have come to accept this fact.
My values now aren't the same as the values Daisy is speaking of, but I believe food has changed my values. I hope that this book will make people look at food lke i do.
I agree with Daisy's point, and I definitely believe the way we eat reflects our collective values.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
What health problems can be linked to modern food production?
Daisy:
Obesity
Diabetes
Cancer
Heart Disease
Food Intolerance
Will you, or have you made any changes in your eating habits since reading "The Omnivores Dilemna"?
Brenan:
"The Omnivores Dilemma" changed my eating habits the second i read that 25% of (Correct this number) the supermarket is made from corn. It frightened me that the same product i have been consuming my whole life is also the product that puts the shine on my magazines. I have always viewed myself as a healthy eater but lately i have been obsessive about it. I haven't bought anything that comes in a package unless it's meat. Unfortunately for me there isn't a conveniently positioned Healthy Butcher around me or else i would take full advantage of it.
I believe Michael Pollan is doing a wonderful thing by writing about food, because he does it so well. I was surprised to hear that he didn't always do so but i am exuberant that someone is taking the time to expose the food processing industry.
THANK YOU MICHAEL!
Also. A picture with me and the enemy below.
Daisy:
It's funny that Brenan says that corn is the enemy. I agree that corn may have altered our diet and the structure of our food, but it has given us a lot of different options. However, I do think that it is important to become aware of what goes into one's mouth. I have never been a big consumer in fast food but I have always been a huge snack eater. I may start looking into snacks that do not contain things such as high fructose corn syrup.
It really is amazing how many corn derivatives go into something, like a granola bar. I took a picture of a list of ingredients on one of my sister's granola breakfast bars and here is what I found.
"The Omnivores Dilemma" changed my eating habits the second i read that 25% of (Correct this number) the supermarket is made from corn. It frightened me that the same product i have been consuming my whole life is also the product that puts the shine on my magazines. I have always viewed myself as a healthy eater but lately i have been obsessive about it. I haven't bought anything that comes in a package unless it's meat. Unfortunately for me there isn't a conveniently positioned Healthy Butcher around me or else i would take full advantage of it.
I believe Michael Pollan is doing a wonderful thing by writing about food, because he does it so well. I was surprised to hear that he didn't always do so but i am exuberant that someone is taking the time to expose the food processing industry.
THANK YOU MICHAEL!
Also. A picture with me and the enemy below.
Daisy:
It's funny that Brenan says that corn is the enemy. I agree that corn may have altered our diet and the structure of our food, but it has given us a lot of different options. However, I do think that it is important to become aware of what goes into one's mouth. I have never been a big consumer in fast food but I have always been a huge snack eater. I may start looking into snacks that do not contain things such as high fructose corn syrup.
It really is amazing how many corn derivatives go into something, like a granola bar. I took a picture of a list of ingredients on one of my sister's granola breakfast bars and here is what I found.
There are about 7 ingredients that come from corn. Mind-boggling.
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
How do you feel about monocultures as they relate to crops?
The idea of one crop taking over the human diet is one that is very unsettling. Even the idea of one particular species taking over one crop is something that is terrifying. Whoever through of mass producing crops of the same strain had good intentions in general, I'm sure. However, when they began genetically altering the natural structure of these crops, making them stronger against pests, they also began the devastation of weaker strains. It also saddens my heart to see all the heritage breeds die out.
Corn used to look like this:
Companies now also have the right to patent crops and animals, giving them control of how they are genetically modified. It kind of gives you perspective as to how much of the structure of our food these companies control...
Corn used to look like this:
Now ALL of our corn looks like this:
The same. Uniform. Sterile looking. Monocultures have not only devastated the weaker strains in corn and other crops, it has stripped us of all variety.
Companies now also have the right to patent crops and animals, giving them control of how they are genetically modified. It kind of gives you perspective as to how much of the structure of our food these companies control...
What is an “industrial eater”?
Anthony:
An industrial eater is what humans have become. Instead of eating raw corn and some natural derivatives like tortillas, humans consume strange contortions of corn or processed foods. It has gotten to the point where corn is no longer a plant but a structure of our society.
An industrial eater is what humans have become. Instead of eating raw corn and some natural derivatives like tortillas, humans consume strange contortions of corn or processed foods. It has gotten to the point where corn is no longer a plant but a structure of our society.
Sadly enough, this has created a huge industry known as the super market. Almost everyone goes there, but barely any of them are educated on what is actually in the food they are buy. Some people say they read the ingredients on the back, but does that really tell you what in your food? Do you (the consumer) really know what’s going on? The answer is most people don’t, hence the “industrial eater”.
As a whole, we eat what we are told to eat. And we don’t ask questions.
Has Michael Pollen changed the way I think about food?
Brenan:
Yes. One hundred percent yes. But just reading the book "The Omnivores Dilemna" didn't change my views completely. The curiosity I acquired from this book made me look deeper for the answers I was really looking for. I grew up in a small farming community called New Hamburg, fifteen minutes outside of Stratford. After reading this book I questioned my whole childhood and really started to question if the extremely whole hearted, friendly farmers I have known my whole life have really just been in on the big scam- manufacturing food- as opposed to growing it.
To answer this question I took it upon myself to take a trip back home (though I'm getting quite comfortable here in the city!) to find the answers I've been looking for.
Although I never grew up on a farm, some of my friends have, so I made a call and within a few hours, there I was, driving down a long country driveway with the increasing smell of cow manure wafting into my car. Mr. Weber was kind enough to lend his time to me to answer a few of my questions.
John Weber (as i was very happy to discover) is not the typical American corn belt farmer that Michael pollen has described to us, Mr Weber is a dairy farmer, that just so happens to grow corn as well. He gave me a tour of his barn and the corrals where his cows live, and then quickly showed me his cornfield, which was just planted and was barely above my knees. I asked Mr Weber why he choose dairy farming over the life of a corn farmer and he told me this. "Money, I think of myself as a business man, although I'm very much a farmer, there's no money in corn!" Mr. Weber's family have been a dairy farmers for 63 years and in his 5 acre farm he grows food for people, not animal feed. 2 acres of this is sweet corn that he sells at farmers markets and to local buyers. He stressed the importance of eating local and is lucky enough to have a diet consisting of almost all products he grows! I would love to do this, but the only thing I don't think i could handle would be the smell. Even in the house you can smell the cows! I guess I'm just destined to always be a city kid.
I thanked Mr Weber for his time, took a few pictures of the corn, and then drove off into the seemingly endless country sunset.
To summarize my answer, Michael Pollen has changed the way I think about food by sparking my curiosity in the food i have grown up on, and in turn, making me much more careful about what i consume.
My next question: Will you, or have you made any changes in your eating habits since reading "The Omnivores Dilemna"?
Yes. One hundred percent yes. But just reading the book "The Omnivores Dilemna" didn't change my views completely. The curiosity I acquired from this book made me look deeper for the answers I was really looking for. I grew up in a small farming community called New Hamburg, fifteen minutes outside of Stratford. After reading this book I questioned my whole childhood and really started to question if the extremely whole hearted, friendly farmers I have known my whole life have really just been in on the big scam- manufacturing food- as opposed to growing it.
To answer this question I took it upon myself to take a trip back home (though I'm getting quite comfortable here in the city!) to find the answers I've been looking for.
Although I never grew up on a farm, some of my friends have, so I made a call and within a few hours, there I was, driving down a long country driveway with the increasing smell of cow manure wafting into my car. Mr. Weber was kind enough to lend his time to me to answer a few of my questions.
John Weber (as i was very happy to discover) is not the typical American corn belt farmer that Michael pollen has described to us, Mr Weber is a dairy farmer, that just so happens to grow corn as well. He gave me a tour of his barn and the corrals where his cows live, and then quickly showed me his cornfield, which was just planted and was barely above my knees. I asked Mr Weber why he choose dairy farming over the life of a corn farmer and he told me this. "Money, I think of myself as a business man, although I'm very much a farmer, there's no money in corn!" Mr. Weber's family have been a dairy farmers for 63 years and in his 5 acre farm he grows food for people, not animal feed. 2 acres of this is sweet corn that he sells at farmers markets and to local buyers. He stressed the importance of eating local and is lucky enough to have a diet consisting of almost all products he grows! I would love to do this, but the only thing I don't think i could handle would be the smell. Even in the house you can smell the cows! I guess I'm just destined to always be a city kid.
I thanked Mr Weber for his time, took a few pictures of the corn, and then drove off into the seemingly endless country sunset.
To summarize my answer, Michael Pollen has changed the way I think about food by sparking my curiosity in the food i have grown up on, and in turn, making me much more careful about what i consume.
My next question: Will you, or have you made any changes in your eating habits since reading "The Omnivores Dilemna"?
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