HW #7

     The Omnivores Dilemma A NATURAL HISTORY of FOUR MEALS by Michael Pollan
      Introduction: The introduction was not that interesting. This is probably because I am not used to reading a book at this high of a reading level, and I have to focus much more intensely to understand what's going on.  The introduction seemed to tackle much of the ideas that could be and were discussed throughout the book. This includes the history of food(why certain places eat the food they do and where that came from), how Americans diets compares to that of other cultures such as the French, or Mexicans, and how we reached the stage in food development or agriculture that we are at presently. A great line of writing that I found was " Many people today seem perfectly content eating at the end of an industrial food chain, without a thought in the world; this book is probably not for them. There are things in it that will ruin their appetites. But in the end this is a book about the pleasures of eating, the kinds of pleasure that are only deepened by knowing(Pg 11)." One question I have for the author is How did he go about getting all this information did he use other people's research or did he go to factories and gather his own data? Another question I have for the author is What are your own eating habits are you a vegetarian, or a vegan, or are you a omnivore who is very picky on what you eat ( not saying that's bad).
     Chapter 1: Chapter 1 was very overwhelming. However the fact that the author tried to break it down to us piece by piece inside the chapter. He gives hard on facts, explains the history of corn ( past, and present),  how it affects our daily lives whether we realize it or not, and explains the biology of corn.  A great line of writing that I found was " With the advent of the F-1 hybrid, a technology with the power to remake nature in the image of capitalism, Zea mays entered the industrial age and, in time, it brought the whole American food chain with it( Page 31)."  One response I have for this chapter is that I find it absolutely amazing how much corn is intertwined in most Americans lives. I am liking this book already I feel like it can help enlighten me on food in general. After I read this book, I will feel as though I have a head start on other kids because I know more than them.
     Chapter 2:  George Naylor runs a farm in Iowa that is 320 acres and is responsible for feeding 129 people. He is finding it increasingly hard to feed his family since basically all of the food isn't edible and has to be processed first and not consumed. 
     Chapter 3: In Mexico it is considered sacrilegious to leave corn on the ground both genetically modified corn and regular corn. One interesting quote that struck me was "Before the commodity system farmers prided themselves on a panoply of qualities in their crop: big ears, plump kernels, straight rows, various colors, even the height of their corn plants became a point of pride. Now none of these distinctions mattered; 'bushels per acre' became the only boast you heard." (Pollan, 60) The message this quote sent to me was that people don't even really care the quality of their corn they just care about the quantity. This could end up being bad for America since mostly everything we eat contains corn in it.
     Chapter 4: The CAFO have really begun to affect the farmers factory farms have begun to utilize the surplus of corn by feeding the cattle.  Even though cows have one of the most advanced organs in nature  the rumen which helps them digest grass and reap the benefits from it unlike us, they are forced to eat foreign foods they aren't used to. This began to have a negative affect on humans, it's called mad cow disease. One interesting quote that struck me was " Hell, if you gave them lots of grass and open space, I wouldn't even have a job. (Pollan 79)"  One question that was concluded was, was it worth it? Was it worth everything they went through gathering up animals, feeding them, slaughtering them, providing easier access to meat, and last but certaintly not least MAD COW DISEASE. These scientist, farmers, and companies really must ask themselves once a day was it worth it.
     Chaper 5:  The Processing Plant Making Complex Foods
Precis: Appriximately 1/5th of the corn river flowing  from the elevators at the Iowa Farmers Cooperative end up traveling to a wet milling plant, probably by train. While there it turns into branching tributaries only to later be put on a plate or in a drink. Companies such as McDonalds, Coca-Cola, and General Mills take this corn and assemble our processed foods.
Gems: " Food system is glossier and more high-tech than food, I guess; it also escapes some of the negative connotations that got attached to " processed food" during the sixties.
        "This leaves companies like General Mills and McDonalds with two options if they hope to grow faster than the population: figure out how to get people to spend more money for the same three-quarters of a ton of food, or entice them to actually eat more than that.
Thoughts and Questions:  As I read more and more of this book I am really beginning to be able to put together the pieces. Food in America is dangerous. You have to watch and pay attention to everything to you eat. Read the nutrition facts, question the cooks, do whatever you have to do. At the end of the day it's your body and you have to do what's right for yourself. These companies don't care about us( Americans) enough to change their ways, they just want to make money while putting in as little money as possible. All I have to say to that is those "cheap bastards" how could they.