thats me a Vegetarian

Wednesday 10/27/10

I started my experiment as a pescetarian. Based off the opinions of a few vegetarians, my experiment was lacking. it thats was not good enough just to be eating as a pescetarian. In their opinion fish was still meat and i should not be including it in my experiment. I agreed and therefore decided to continue the remaining three days as a full on vegetarian. I'm confident that the next couple of days wont be that hard. I like meat but I do not need it. I'll eat vegtables and pasta.

I went to the grocery store today. i spent a significant amount more than what I normally do. Due to buying so many fruits, vegetables and organic items. My mother was not to pleased, however she supports my experimental decisions. I told my dad about the experiment too. Although he supported it, he himself would never take part, "Make me a vegetarian and you might as well just put a bullet in my head."

Thursday 10/28/10

I ate yogurt and granola this morning which was awesome. I felt good afterwards, i felt awake and pretty ready to go. But In all honesty it is allot harder than I thought. I realize now how much meat is included in my diet. and now I feel so limited, which only makes me want meat even more. My biggest challenge at this point in the experience is finding good alternatives. I want to know why so many people decide to be vegetarian. And so I googled it. I want to know what makes being a vegetarian so much better than a meat eater? What are the benefits? I found that Plants hold 10 Times more protein per acre than meat. Im still not convinced it is a better way of life though. i continued and I also found that in one year more than 7 billion animals die for human consumption. That to me just adds to the whole nightmarish system.

Tonight, Instead of a burger I tried a veggie burger, Which i have never had before. In my opinion it is no where near as good as a regular burger. No offense to any vegetarians out there but it was discussing.

Friday 10/29/10

Will power i can do it! my carnivore instincts firing up away, and I started to think; what is it that makes meat so appealing in the first place? Honestly its a little gross. Me, I love chicken fingers. When you think about it, well, its a slab of chicken that fried and served to you which the expectation of you eating it with your hands. Or a hamburger (YUM) parts of a cow griended up and put in between two pieces of bread. If anyone tried to describe it to a person who did not know, the idea of this food is gross.

Tonight for dinner my mother ordered from firehouse. which if you do not know already is an all american greasy food restaurant. Which normally i love, but unfortunately still cant eat meat. So I ended up just having cereal. yum......

Saturday 10/30/10

Last day being a Vegetarian. Its actually gotten easier to do for me at this point. I have tried new food that I might not have before. Through this experiment I have found alternative although it wasn't easy at first I continued to try. I guess that goes to show that people adapt, they can get used to a certain life style fairly quickly. Which makes me think it is not completely impossible for everyone to change their eating ways. I succeed for a while. Although Im pleased with the experiment, Im not going to stay vegetarian. A diet that included meat is better for me. However know that Im aware of what goes on past the grocery store i plan to make some changes.

Finshing food

Thesis: People living in todays society are convinced of the normality of these dominant social practices, and oblivious to the nightmarish industrial atrocity.

Major claim: People are vividly unaware of the food companies system of production.

Argument 1: Manufactures purposely have a veil covering what people know about the food production system.

Supporting Evidence: The harsh treatment of animals as shown in the movie Food inc.

• chicken being kicked
• animals never seeing day light
• being over feed to the point they cannot stand
• intake of antibiotics

Argument 2: Manufacturing companies care solely on mass production and profit rather than the health of the animals or the consumer

Supporting Evidence:

• obesity rates of people in the united states "Mississippi is the fattest state for 5th straight year, Colorado still leanest." Calorie Lab (2010): n. pag. Web. 8 Nov 2010.
• expansion of fast food restaurants
• false labeling on grocery store products
• "Reading food labels isn't as easy as you think.." daily green (2010): n. pag. Web. 8 Nov 2010. .

FOOD inc.

I dont want to believe it but food inc was reality. The movie begins by saying "the way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in 10,000 years." It gave viewers a chance to see what goes on behind the wall created to keep us out. the truth to the ways we think are normal. the film illustrated the key faults to our food system. The need for mass production and companies doing anything to get ahead.

Unlike reading a book, or just hearing about some story the movie Food inc showed people. People shared real stories about their lives. The difference between it being in a movie rather than a book is that you can see the person. You can see their passion and emotion towards the event they are describing. A example being Kevin. The little boy was died 12 days after eating meat with ecoli. Seeing the mother stuggle to talk about her family was heartbreaking. As people i think that helps us connect and relate to her.

And still, the only solution i consider to be a realistic start is to get informed. By changing first what we eat. Then opening up the hidden world of food to other people. I think if people really knew where their food came from they wouldn't eat it. If people were informed i think he would be the start of a noticeable change.

Summing up Food

Thesis:

I. People live according to dominant social practices, and are oblivious to the nightmarish industrial atrocity.

II. People living in todays society are convinced of the normality of these dominant social practices, and oblivious to the nightmarish industrial atrocity.

Project: ( And my rules and exceptions)

I. Vegatarian for a week: eating none of the same meals twice.

II. Planting and growing plants as food: multiple plants (in case one dies), including the product in a meal.

Book Talk D

Chapter 17

Humans all have equal rights to not being eaten by one another. Why dont animals have those same rights? Singer suggests these ideas in his book Animal Liberation. Seems to me that singer is implying that the live of the animals is sacred. Pollan begins to read Singers book in order to learn more about the routine of eating meat. Pollan decides to takes in what the book says and decides to try being vegetarian. (I imagine that is not a quick transition.) Although after speaking with Singer he rules against it. The book argues that meat eaters have a difficult time understanding the point of view of thinking about the treatment of the animals. Maybe they convince themselves otherwise in order to escape the reality of what is actually taking place. But do these animals suffer? I think that eating meat is a part of life. It is all-apart of a food cycle. However I do agree in the sense that animals should not be miss treated. From what I know so far I think yes they are. I do agree with Pollan in the sense that there is a difference between pain and suffering. Animals should not be mistreated. But under what circumstances is that preventable? We slaughter these animals for meat, while growing crops pesticides kill insects. We can let the animals live as they normally would naturally and then humanly slaughter them. So what’s the best way to go about it? Well maybe Temple Grandit was on to something when she devises a method to humanly slaughter cows, so that they were not in such distress.

Chapter 18

Pollan and a group of other set out in search of their next meal, a wild pig. A gun makes all the difference when walking around in the woods. He feels the adrenalin rush, and describes it as “One of those experiences that appear utterly different from inside than from the outside.” Which to me sums up the over all food system investigation. Everything I thought about food has turned out to be so much more complex and different.

In the woods the group comes across a wild pig, unfortunately Pollan does not have a ready gun. He is determined to be the one to kill the meat himself. The next time they set out on their expedition Pollan find a cluster of pigs, this time successfully kills a pig. I would imagine after killing something yourself, you would feel both accomplished let guilty. At first Pollan feels reacts out of grateful and happy. Later while tearing up the pig he comes to realize what he did and begins to have feels of guilt, but its only “reality of our own animal nature.” Pollan found anew appreciation for food, when he tracked it done and killed it himself.

Chapter 19

Be a gatherer. Pollan sets out on a mission to gather the second part to his self-made meal. Collecting fungi is a tricky task, because Pollan needs to be careful which ones he picks. Some can turn out to be harmful rather can helpful to your body. Mushrooms unlike plants do not rely on sunlight as their supply for energy; they get their energy from materials like decomposing dead vegetables. Pollan finds it more challenging than he thought because the mushroom are hidden and found in secret places. However Angelo has no trouble. People adjust to meet the survival standards of living. He is used to it, this is a way of life, just like we are all pretty used to our way of life. So Pollan felt more comfortable with the mushrooms Angelo found instead of the ones he did. Which was probably a smart idea, “happily follow the lead of a fellow omnivore who has eaten the same food and lived to talk about it.”

Chapter 20

The very last chapter in the book, its meal time! He first sets a list of rules and exceptions for himself. One of those exceptions including the salt from then San Francisco Bay because of how horrible it turned out to taste. So he had to rely on Angelo for some of the necessary ingredients. But after a long time of preparation and collecting, Pollan starts cooking. The very last chapter in the book, its meal time! He first sets a list of rules and exceptions for himself. Like no including the salt from then San Francisco Bay because of how horrible it turned out to taste. So he had to rely on Angelo for some of the necessary ingredients. But after a long time of preparation and collecting, Pollan starts cooking. Main course: Wild pig, cooked two ways. Side dishes: fava bean toasts, bread. Without any big problems the meal turns out. Although it is not practical for people living in today’s world, Pollan was very pleased with the outcome of his meal. imply himself to gathered and collect everything that was apart of the meal made him feel accomplished. Most people do not understand the value of food until they themselves have to hunt and gather it themselves, a meal that is eaten in full consciousness of what it took to make is worth preparing every now and again, if only as a way to remind us of the true costs of the things we take for granted.” The complelty oppisite end of the food system compared to the McDonalds meal he ate. With this method, It takes a few dedicated people to change their eating habits to eating healthier to result in a bigger change. Pollan suggests educating people on where food comes from, which make a big enough impact to cause a change in thinking.

Freakonomics

Majority of People are truly oblivious to some of the problems that are all around them. people believe what they are told, not knowing if its actually true or not. Freakonomics provides explanations to the way things work in our world. this movies takes a an idea that expresses a dominant view of people and studies it. it helps prove why people do the things they do. The way these economists prove their theories of behavior of humans is by making it simple to understand and by using statistics and conducting experiments. By doing it this way it allow people to grasp the concept and using evidence through data makes the argument more believable.
Starting with incentives, which can easily be found in almost every situation. A segment brought up by freakonmics was school. People have accepted school as if it was natural, necessary part of life. Attending years and years of schooling where good grades are are associated with intelligence and success. The dominant view is that people need to go to school, get good grades, to get an education and be successful. plenty of incentives right there. good grades = success. Freakonicimnos tested the way people react to certain incentives. The went to a high school, and told the students that they would get paid if they got good grades. A student needed to work to get their grades up to at least a C in order to get paid. that would have worked for me. the experiment focused in on one black and one white student, who both were underachievers. And what about the students who are already doing well? that gives those students the incentive to keep their grades the same. if they were not getting paid , it would give then the incentive to do worst in order to get paid. The results at the end showed some students including the black one did improve their grades. Urail King, the black student was thrilled to see the limo that he had the chance to ride in. He worked on his grades just for that incentive alone. It was only until he had these incentive that he really tried for the those grades. However other students like Kevin Muncy, the white kid , is not content with the money incentive, "I don't think I would take any money for giving up my social life." So did the incentive work? how can if be changed to created more of a positive result? how can any incentive be changed in order to produce a result through wide ranges of people? Maybe if people were given more of an incentive to adopt healthier eating they would. but so far what incentives have people found? What if it was money? what if it was more money? Student can try their very best but might just not have what it takes to fit the requirements, "you want milk and cookies. well if the oven is broke you only getting milk." What if student could be promised that good grades would lead to success?
This overlaps with the segment of having success based on a persons name. Well, one researcher believes that a child's name has no impact what so ever on their success . He talks about a father who chose to name one son, loser and the other son winner. in this situation turns out that the more successful one was in fact Loser. While the other son, Winner did not live up to his name. Now what exactly does that prove? Another researcher admitted that in his company names do matter. He helped prove his theory with a much more fact based experiment. where he took the same resume, summited one with a primary white name and the other with a primarily black name. This Resulted in the white name getting a call back much much sooner than the black name. It took some where like 5 weeks longer for the black to receive a call back. why is that? He seems to believe that people associated black names with harsh living condition, and poor education. While the white name is thought about with a respectable family situation and a high level of education.
In seems to me people feel more comfortable with hiring a person with a primarily white name than a primarily black name. which I can relate to eating foods that people feel more or less comfortable with. in my mind, foods with certain names are uneatable. I, tend to proceed with cautious when eating foods like veal, , calf's liver, tribe. Foods like those or foods like rabbit are just foods that make me feel uncomfortable. in the same sense that company chose white names over black because of comfortably.
its funny the way our world works, and almost impossible to understand. Being told so many different points of view it is hard for anyone to distinguish the truth. advisement's purposely tell us what they want to and we chose to believe it. Part of believing has to do with what you want. majority of the time people will chose to believe something because they simply want it to be true, which is easier than accepting reality. All these ideas overlap in so many ways, and all contradict each other. Freakonics tries to answer the difficult question we face, but there seems to be different answers all over the place. Is one more right than the other? does data, statistics, experiments prove it to be true? is there anyway to get a clear true answer to our question?

Book Talk C

Chapter 11

Rise and shine at 6am. The Salatins are already up and working on the farm. Pollan spends a day learning the pieces of the whole operation. Morning chores consisting of: Feeding and watering the boilers and moving their pens. The movable pens allow the chickens to eat the grass after the cows and fertilize the soil with what comes out the other end. Then there is the Egg mobile where the laying hens are. This impressive device makes retrieving the eggs easier. Everything functioning at the farm runs on a schedule, which leads to its success. And everything functions in a way where it is all connected, “This farm is more like an organism than a machine.”(213) The rabbit-chickens there in pens suspended over an area where the chickens get to mine for worms. The making of manure to compost takes place in the barn itself, which conveniently saves on heating costs. It both hard to describe and understand since a system like this has countless variables involved.

Chapter 12

A farm produced food. Having animals on the farm eventually ends in killing them. I cannot imagine what it was like for Pollan to witness the ‘slaughtering’. I would imagine for some that might make eating the food more challenging. So, Pollan describes the process beginning with rounded up the chickens into boxes. Then they are individually placed into cone like tools that slit their throats. Although it is not senseless killing Pollan is not to comfortable killing all these chickens. But if you can see you food being killed you know that it is fresh. Although this might not prove that it are well healthy, but at least it is fresh. Having a cleanlier, less painful for the animals and more organized way of slathering animals allows fro a success business. More places should take this example.

Chapter 13

Once the food on the farm is ready to be then what? where does does all this food go? Still living on the Polyface farm Pollan shadows their way of life. It starts early in the morning when the brothers deliver the food to local restaurants. he does the deliver so people can get what they want. "dont you find it odd that people will put more work into choosing their mechanic or house contractor than they will into choosing the person who grows their food?" I mean there is just way to many of us to each have a certain farmer who supplies us with food. A form of this is shown with people who have nutritionists. Even then people still dont know where their food is coming from. its such a simple idea that is not addressed in peoples lives. where does your food come from? seems like such an easy answer. But yet no one knows, no one knows where their freaking food comes from. The substances we fuel our bodies with multiple times a day and no body knows? honestly its just getting frustrating. people are getting careless, they dont consider where it comes from. no one asks questions. Pollan points out that americans currently spend 10 percent of their salary on food, decreased from the 20 percent people used to spend in the 1950's.

Chapter 14- THE MEAL

After his experience on the farm Pollan plans to cook a meal. He gathers what he needs on the farm, the chickens that he took part in slaughtering, the eggs that he gathered. A long process of working, but Pollan does it and seems pleased with the result, , "There was nothing terribly subtle about this meal, but everything about it tasted completely in character." He can take ease when eating everything because he knows the whole life cycle of each part of the meal. I think it was a little creepy he pictured the chickens when eating the prepared meal. In my mind, Pollan lacked some sensitivity there.

Chapter 15

This was the first part on the way to creating Pollans last meal, the one that he prepare solely on ingredients that he hunts, gathers and grows. The hunting-gathering position is not a common life style anymore. That’s because it is unnecessary, we have everything accessible to us. A task most of us today probably could and would not do. The lifestyle we have developed is creating a shattering effect on our survival skills, now that’s only a theory I believe. Unlike today’s world, this method of hunting and gathering shows a person "in full consciousness of what was involved" in making the meal. But today we are hidden from the world where our food is produced? We have evolved into a lifestyle where people are blind consumers. Can it be fixed? We can’t use the method of hunting and gathering, Pollan points out that there is simply to many of us.

Chapter 16

Omnivores = eats a wide range of foods. Therefore can live in a variety of climates and places. The only challenge is to consider if the food being consumed is safe or not. Through eating with reoccurring uncertainty we have become more aware of what we should and should not eat, along with our taste preferences. By memory we get a better understanding of the boundaries of our food. We have been able to develop through this whole life style, unlike koalas that are stuck eating according to their strict diet. Human have figured out the different ways to obtain, cook, and eat food. Which fortunately has put us on the top of the food chain. Pollan does not fail at seeing the problem with this.

Pollan started with this idea of America having an eating disorder. At first I did not understand what exactly he meant. After reading as far as I have Pollan is on the verge of fully exemplifying this idea. He explains how a single magazine article has the power to completely change the way people interpret food. We do not have a culture that is deeply rooted with traditions about food, so our mind are easily changed.

Book Talk B

Chapter 6

From experience I am under the impression Americans are known for eating more than they should. Pollan supports that by explains how we have all been some of the ways we have been heavily influenced to eat more than what is healthy. People simply just eat what is in front of them. Once they eat that the meal is over, because people do not want to look like “gluttons” as Kroc would describe it. Which describes McDonald’s business tactics. This is an example of a company that has reduced prices in bigger serving sizes just to raise profits. This same scenario is a parallel to cokes bottles which have increased in size from 8 ounces to 22 ounces today. While people prefer bigger quantities of food, they are gaining weight, putting a stress on their metabolism, which only eventually leds to health problems.

This information all seems a little more obvious to the naked eye. it is clear that american suffer from big portioned meals. this is shown simply in most restaurants, and just the phyical state of our bodies. All people have to do is to become more aware of food quantities.

Chapter 7

The final chapter of Pollans industrial food section. After depriving where all the food really comes from this part is eating the actually meal. It must be hard eating the meal after knowing what he does now. The strange thing is, American never seem to question where the food comes from. Do they care? Is it worth knowing? People give themselves the answers they want to hear for the most part, so have no problem chowing down. But the industrial meal he now is eating, processed and all containing corn. Although we may not eat corn as it is naturally, it ends up in our food. The energy used to that process is abysmal, “the amount of food energy lost in the making of something like a Chicken McNugget could feed a great many more children than just mine.” (118)

Chapter 8

Another beginning of another interesting quest all about Pastoral Grass. Where Pollan actually visits a farm. It is filled with different types of crops and filled with livestock like chicken, turkey, rabbits, and eggs. The farm run by a “Grass farmer” named Joel Salatin. He is that type of farmer due to the fact that his farm would not be possible without the production of grass. It provides the working farm with food for the animals, which leds to manure for more healthy grass to grow. The animals all help out with the natural system of growing food. No fancy machines, but a fully functional natural system of food production if you ask me.

Chapter 9

I would just like to say WHOLE FOODS IS GREAT! My family gets most of our food there, we are proud and returning costumers because we seem to think it is just better. I don’t have a good enough reason to explain our preference. But that is why I found this chapter particular interesting. Pollan visits one of the many whole foods stores. He begins to read the labels; on top of that he does what most people don’t and started to question the truth of the labels. Bringing up the question; do the label express reality or just inspiring wording? Pollan talks about the expectations people have acquired. People need food to be accessible all the time, in different varieties and they want to feel good about where their food comes from, “The word ‘organic’ has become one of the most powerful words in the supermarket.” Where does this thinking come from? Well, pollan traces it back to 1940, J.I Rodale who spread the idea of healthy food through his writing in a magazine.

Chapter 10

Salatin refers to himself as a “grass farmer.” That’s the main factor keeping his farm functioning. He has a designated area for his cows to graze, Although grazing has a precise schedule. If the cows eat to early, you increase the risk of killing all the grass. On the other hand if the cows eat to late the grass is fibrous and so they wont eat it. Who knew there was so much strategy involved? Along with timing and other props like electric fences Salatin has created an efficient functional system. So Pollan is curious; why people have moved on from the system of agriculture. Well as it turns out, in our benefit grass is not always the best meal for cows. Most of the time grass can have an effect on the quality of meat, which is risky for business. However corn feeds cows and produces more meat faster. Not to mention how much cheaper corn is.

I would not that thought grass would be so challenging to grow and sustain. This is book continues to trace our methods back to very the very beginning. It further investigates all the little factors that make our way of life functional. Everything is connects, where everything has an effect on something else. Without parts of this book Its hard to see past a certain point in the series of events.

Growing food.

Unfortunately I fell behind and did not get to grow food in class. However I do know what it is like to grow your own food. So I figured I would write about that experience.

My grandparents live in a very remote place of France. They live on a dirt road with about 10 other houses. There, it is not out of the ordinary to see cows roaming around. due to the fact it takes 45 minutes to get to the closest supermarket people usually only go one a week or so. Therefore people just grow their own food. Which is a big change for my family coming from New York City. There is no easy way to find a deli, and no one will delivery right to your doorstep. The way of life there is different. When we went to visit, we would be included in the routine. Sometimes going next store to the farm to get groceries. Other times to water the vegetables make sure there were no weeds or bugs. It was tricky business. You could not water to little or too much, and on top of that you had to be aware and work with the weather.

In this house we always eat meals together. Breakfast was always simple (they are French that’s how it is.) But if anything included milk or eggs well those supplies came from the cows or the goats or the chickens. Lunch and dinner always included some vegetables, which came from the garden. Someone would go outside to the dedicated farming area and pick out tomatoes, strawberries, Cucumbers and sometimes apples. I remember my sister and I being a little afraid to eat it. even though we did just see this food being pulled right from the food. Which should mean it was natural, fresh and clean. But For some strange reason we always hesitated when eating that food. It doesn’t make sense but having the food come from a supermarket just made it seem more legitimate. The fact of the matter was that the food we had been growing was all-natural; there was nothing sprayed on it, it was being taken care of, it was not being transported from anywhere else. This was the real stuff.

BOOK talk

The Omnivore’s Dilemma

by: Michael Pollan

Throughout history Americans have consistently changed their ideas about food. " The omnivores dilemma" addresses the simple questions in depth Americans have about food. Starting off with the question what should we have for dinner? A question that is answer allot differently than it would be in years past.

Already this book has brought of ideas that I have never thought about. It traces food back to where it originates from. Not only addressing the formation of food but also surfacing the topic of our eating habits. Why do we eat the way we good? What constitutes good and bad eating habits? So far I find the book intriguing.

Chapter 1

There are so many influences on the perspectives Americans have on food. People believe what is being marketed to them "...the food industry has done a good job of persuading us that the forty-five thousand different items of SKUs...in the supermarket...represent genuine variety rather than so many clever rearrangements of molecules extracted from the same plant." P.20 Dealing with the fact that corn is being marketed in many different varieties of food. American are not skeptical about where food comes from, As long as it is accessible.

After reading just this first part of the book I am beginning to wonder how the food in the supermarket came to be. I’m curious about the food I am really eating. As I start to think more and more about this topic I have yet to come up with any solutions.

Chapter Two

Us Americans dependent on Farmers to produce crops to provide us with food. The farmers are dependant on fossil fuels and energy in order to keep up production and transportation of the corps. It is a never-ending circle. Farming areas push people into other area, which causes separation between farm land and cities.

The whole system of corn production is overly complex. I did not understand what was going on till reading further into this book. Like Most people do not understand what is happening with the production of food. Is this really the most affiant way of production?

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

An original idea to handling the excess corn and fattening up cows seems to be working. However only ended up causing pollution and waste. Cows are animals that are just not used to ever being fed corn, to make that their diet is unhealthy. But I like most people probably have never stopped to think about the life of that cow. Therefore we would never know the existing process of using excess materials to speed up beef production to have low prices. So, the materials that the cow’s intake ends up in our food, which we then intake. Although the process may be cheaper for the companies, the fact is that Feeding the cows excess materials is unhealthy or both them and for us. I had never thought about the production of beef in so much detail. This was more e then I ever really wanted to know about the production of beef. Eating meat is a part of life in my opinion, but this process is wrong in the sense that it clashes with nature. Cows should not be force fed, People are selfish and greedy to do whatever makes more money faster.

Chapter five

Center for Crops Utilization Research at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. There he learned about the countless products we have been able to create from corn, plastics, Gels and syrups. At the end of the whole process there is nothing to really clean up.

Apparently it takes what is called an, “industrial eater” to eat the materials produced from corn. The challenge is to inventive new things that are interesting to consumer while using the same ingredients.

Pollan writes about processed foods, considering breakfast foods like, cereal. Cereals start priced as pennies worth of corn, this is all changed into four dollars worth. Packaging and marketing are a big factor because the ingredients tend to all is the same with all brands. Companies convey the message to eat more of their food, or buy for more money. It’s a cycle of keeps consumer interested in the product. It is the “economic logic of processing” for companies to continuously enhance and update their products. In doing so more plants and more animals suffer, because these cycles “break plants and animals into their component parts and then reassemble them into high value added food systems” (97)

We are dumb. We chose which foods to eat with such stupidity. VERY few people really KNOW what the food is. Because turns out most of the food we eat contains all the same things.