Precis
In the early nineteenth century americans were drinking alcohol more than they had ever before. This was because at the time alcohol was extremely cheap and convenient. Fast forward to today and we see the same thing happening with fast food. Pollan also talks about "super sizing" which is when americans (or people in general) are given a large amount of a certain food at one time it makes them feel like they are eating less ("Going for seconds makes people feel piggish")
Gems
"But the outcome of our national drinking binge is not nearly as relevant to our own situation as its underlying cause. Which, put simply, was this: American Farmers were producing far too much corn"
"the cleverest thing to do with a bushel of corn is to refine it into thirty-three pounds of high-fructose corn syrup"
Thoughts & Questions
I thought it was interesting when Pollan was discussing the origin of super sizing foods for convenience. This really made me think about all the times i have walked into fast food restaurants or just places in general and have seen this (movie theatre popcorn deals, subway: "five dollar foot-long")
Michael Pollan - The Omnivores Dilemma - Chapter 7
Precis
Pollan and his family take a visit to Mcdonalds for Pollan to investigate what exactly it is about fast food that makes it so appealing to consumers. He discovers that places like Mcdonalds often put ingredients that, with a decent amount of, can kill someone in their foods (the ingredient TBHQ). He also discusses how all this corn that is processed into HFCS is enough to feed hundreds.
Gems
"That perhaps is what the industrial food chain does best: obscure the histories of the foods it produces by processing them to such an extent that they appear as pure products of culture rather than nature-things made from plants and animals"
Thoughts & Questions
I thought that the specifics of how dangerous the ingredients places like Mcdonalds use in their food. I was always told by my dad to read the ingredients. Now i did without even trying to. I also thought the way Pollan ended the section of "Corn" was interesting by basically saying that corn deserved a lot more recognition than it deserved now a days since we are eating so much of it
Michael Pollan - The Omnivores Dilemma - Chapter 8
Precis
In this chapter Pollan talks about how we eat animals that come from farms, but what do these animals eat on these farms?: Grass. Therefore as he concludes (from the title of the chapter) All Flesh Is Grass. This chapter was an introduction in to the next chapter where Pollan discusses one of the biggest markets and talked about way-of-eating: Organic.
Gems
"'Grass,' so understood, is the foundation of the intricate food chain"
"We're going to have to refight the Battle of the Little Bighorn to preserve the right to opt out, or your grandchildren and mine will have no choice but to eat amalgamated, irradiated, genetically prostituted, barcoded, adulterated fecal spam from the centralized processing conglomerate"
Thoughts & Questions
I found the comparisons between the industrial and pastoral farms discussed in the chapter very interesting. It is interesting because although the farms seem different, just as Pollan stated they have a similar way of doing things: "growing grasses to feed the cattle, chickens, and pigs that feed us."
Michael Pollan - The Omnivores Dilemma - Chapter 9
Precis
We tend to think that just because a food has been given the label "organic" it is necessarily healthier for us, so we should pay extra for it right? While the fact that "organically" fed chickens are more often likely to be healthier for us, that doesn't mean the foods taste or quality increases, and even if it does it is barley worth the price we're paying.
Gems
"Twenty thousand birds moved away from me as one, like a ground-hugging white cloud, clucking softly"
Thoughts & Questions
I thought this was a great insight of the organic food market, i like how the author (Pollan) visited the industrial farms but i was still a bit confused by what "organic" meant exactly.
Michael Pollan - The Omnivores Dilemma - Chapter 10
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