1/31/10 - Organically Processed

In Omnivore’s Dilemma, the mystery of organic food is revealed as Michael Pollan sought to uncover the truth in just how “organic” our food really is. In most stores is where people will most likely find food that are claim to be “organic” and unprocessed. In defense of these manufactures, how well can you really preserve food well enough to pass the USDA test and keep them fresh? Today, as food chains and health problems increases, people sought for alternatives. Consumers would spend a bit more for food that was labeled as “fresh”, “chemical free” or “organic”.

Perhaps it is a placebo effect that’s really changing us; since most of the products that are organically made are only different from other products by a slight bit. To protect their own interest and investment, farmers that goes as far as to “organically” preserve their farm by occasionally let their animal graze in pastures, but other than that it is just cooping them up inside with hundreds of other animals. On the other side, some took the stand to grow their own food and animals the traditional way, fighting the industrialized system. They hope to revolutionize the way our food are produced and practically our whole economy and ways of life. Despite the difficulty manufacture may encounter to please consumers, perhaps using the word organic was too much. People still somewhat believed in the Agrarian way of growing crops and raising animals. With advertisements claiming that their cow lived stress-free and crops that don’t contain the least bit of chemical is a far stretch from the truth.

1/24/10 Blog response: Omnivore's Dilemma

For decades, our civilization had live under the influence of farming and harvesting of nature’s abundance. We live off grains and vegetables, herding animals and raising livestock. What had happen to such a lifestyle that was so irreplaceable for so many decades? With the advancement of science and technology, we’ve been able to improve crop production, brought food to people’s comfort of their own car, and transform our nation into a giant capitalistic state that’s taking over our lives.

According to many capitalists and politician, we’re simply changing our ways of lives, and it’s not their fault that we eat the food made by the people that we’ve come to resent so much. Some may argue that the improvement of corn production had increased the world’s population by a whole lot. Perhaps the goal here is to increase the world’s population, even though many part of the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition while we, Americans, are worrying about how to lose all the fatty weight we have somehow just miraculously gain. Even those who grow the crops are unhappy. Why shouldn’t they be? With increase of productions and competition, farmers have to make even more corns to break even and make their daily livings.

Many American consume fast food every day because it’s affordable and cheap, not to mention quick. Of those Americans, 3 of every 5 people are overweight and 1out 5 suffer from obesity. If we continue to consume fast food in such massive quantity, the payout will be much more expensive than what anyone could save by consuming.