After our research had begun, we found out that shopping at Whole Foods wasn't our only option to buy organic foods, in fact, buying organic isn't are only option either. We found 7th Heaven Farm, and realized that we should investigate this local, natural farm and see what they had to offer. In the end, we were able to conclude that there are several options out there if we wanted to take advantage of them and change the way we eat. Although it may be expensive and require a little more travel time, it comes down to getting what we want to pay for.
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Our process for this project consisted of the following:
-Visit Shop Rite & Whole Foods and compare prices -Plan a dinner and price it at both chains -Test out some products from both chains -Discuss our findings -Determine if shopping for organic foods is achievable and worth it In the excerpt Fast Food Nation: Why the Fries Taste Good, Eric Schlosser explains the rise of J.R. Simplot and his frozen fries. Although Simplot dropped out of school in the eigth grade, he has become a very a wealthy man thanks to his precision in providing the perfect frozen potato for fast food giants like McDonalds among others. The process for the frozen fries includes a plethora of machines working diligently side-by-side with humans covered in white lab coats and hard hats. This snapshot of the processing probably never enters the minds of the french fry eaters as they long for their crispy treat, and quite frankly, I think it would make them lose their appetite. Schlosser shows the reader how prior to Simplot's fantastic frozen delights, places like McDonald's would depend on several local farmers for their potatoes, and the McDonald's workers would actually cut and clean the potatoes prior to frying them. In the fast food environment, there just isn't enough time for freshness to prevail.
Schlosser, E. (2010). Fast Food Nation: Why the Fries Taste Good. POV/PBS Broadcasting Service Michael Pollan discusses an important question, "What should we eat for dinner" in the book Omnivore's Dilemma. The book focuses on the three basic lincs in the American food chain. One being what is known as Industrial Farming, which has turned farming into more of a business since the 1950's & 1960's rather than a means to growing healthy home-grown food. Then we have Organic Farming which is supposed to lessen environmental and human "pollution", and last, the ancient art of hunting and gathering that our forefathers had to do in order to survive.
The sections I read for the class had a strong focus on the "Corn is King" theory, which has impacted agriculture in several ways. If you listen to the government, all is well and there is food for everyone, but if you listen to Pollan, corn is not only a costly drain on our limited fossil fuels, but corn can even be deadly at times. Pollan placed great focus on how corn has impacted Iowa farmers. For instance, Iowa farmers in the late 1800's could feed their family and approximately 12 others, but today, an Iowa corn farmer can feed 129 people, yet the Iowa corn farmer seems to be just scraping by on pennies. Sadly, the farmer in the late 1800's at least could feed his family, but today's Iowa corn farmer can barely feed his own blood. Not only has the corn farming changed how a farm family eats, but in Iowa, you will no longer see great spans of land bordered with fences to keep the livestock on the property grazing on the grass. Yes, corn farming has changed the landscape as well. No longer will there be great opportunity for farm hands to find work, because today, corn farming only requires the farmer, his massive machines, and bunch of fuel. Small Iowa farming towns have seen a great reduction in population, because of this monocultural shift to farming only corn and soybeans. In the end, the question is, what damage is all this corn production really doing to us, the land, and the animals? Should nature be tampered with by the likes of chemists that created lethal weapons? What affects have using leftovers from WWII made on our food supply back then, and even in today's farming environment? How does the average consumer identify what is okay to eat for dinner, or any meal for that matter? Pollan, M. (2006). Omnivore's Dilemma A Natural History of Four Meals. The Penguin Press. Stephen Schneider discusses what the Slow Food movement is, and how politics and food are closely tied together. The Slow Food movement began in Italy. The organization's concern is related to the rise of mass produced food and the effects this type of production has on a culture and the environment as a whole. The Slow Food Movement came about in Italy in the 1970's. At this time, Italy was suffering through tough political and societal issues in the political arena. The Slow Food movement has branched out of Italy and many chapters can be found around the world.
Schneider, Stephen. (2008). Good, Clean, Fair: The Rhetoric of the Slow Food Movement. College English 70.4, 384-402. The Illinois Citizens for Clean Air and Water was able to get the EPA involved in monitoring large livestock operations in Illinois. Along with hiring more staff to help battle pollution discharge, the EPA will be inspecting these operations and fighting for fines to be handed out to these operations if they aren't environmentally responsible. The EPA's findings have concurred with the previous findings from the Fed stating that these types of operations were less than acceptable. In fact, the EPA states that these operations aren't meeting the minimum requirements.
Author (unknown). (2010). EPA Plans to Improve Livestock Monitoring. Chicago Tribune. The film, Food, Inc., captures the politics, corruption, unsafe conditions, unsanitary conditions and downright inhumane practices that are taking place in the United States world of agricultural "business". Filmmaker/producer, Robert Kenner, takes the viewer on a journey that allows him or her to see how little they know about the business of food, or how much the viewer is willing to ignore it. Apparently, there are about five large companies that are controlling the food in the United States. With the amount of people in the United States, and the push for this hurried lifestyle we live, animals and plants are being manufactured into genetically engineered substances. Animals aren't eating the foods they are supposed to be eating anymore, in fact, they are all mostly eating corn. Severe changes like this are leading to the development and spreading of deadly bacterias, and what is most disturbing, is that the people who are supposed to be the "watch dogs" for the food industry are actually executives of these incredibly strong five companies.
Kenner, R. (Producer/Director). (2008). Food, Inc. [DVD]. Magnolia Home Entertainment Wendell Berry discusses how a disconnect between the consumer and food exists today. Due to creative in-your- face advertising, people, especially "city" people, don't realize what is going on during the farming to our table transition takes place daily. Berry describes a pureness that can only be found by giving animals the freedom to move around and graze like they should be doing, like they used to do prior to this idea of food industrialization. Berry catches the reader's attention by painting the picture of cows standing in their own excriment and calf's living very short and unhappy lives. As a reader, I can't help thinking about the animals living this way, and about how these nasty, unsanitary conditions is affecting our food supply, which will in turn affect our bodies.
Berry also brings up a good point about how people's apathy towards the food process of late. Just as everything else life, food has its own politics. He argues that if the consumer doesn't care or seek out information about the farming processes and the foods he or she eats, the consumer isn't taking part in a democratic society. In a sense, he saying the consumer isn't truly free. Berry, W. (1990). The Pleasures of Eating. In WHAT ARE PEOPLE FOR? North Point Press. North Point Press. 1. Is the story interesting?
2. Am I giving enough information for the story to be clear and keep its focus? 3. I know I have to change the format of the story, but do you think the quotes should be included in my revision? 4. Do I need to give the reader more information on the siblings and mother? I want the focus to be Eddie's experience, so I included a little, but not much. 5. Is the voci Let me start with the most difficult first! When we started talking about the Oral History assignment, I immediately thought of this story, but I didn't know how he would feel about me discussing his personal story with my classmates and posting the information on a blog. The worse part was probably getting the nerve to ask him, and then the first interview for sure! We have talked about his life growing up before privately of course, so I pretty much knew what to expect, but I didn't want to seem to invasive during the interviews. He seemed to have no trouble answering the questions though thank God. The most rewarding aspect for me was sticking to my initial thought of doing his story, because I sometimes I think of something interesting to write about, but then I say, I'm not going to do that because, yadda, yadda...that's too much work to do it right! LOL! I also found the experience very rewarding, because I felt like during our interviews him and I were drawn even closer. How I managed through the good times and bad, well like I said, I just stuck with it and hoped for the best. Everything I asked of him, I made sure to tell him, "you don't have to answer that if you don't want to", which made it easier for me. I didn't want him to feel like I was putting him on the spot.
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AuthorWriting can be friend or foe at times, but it's always good to stick with it so you can see where it will take you. Archives
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