Omnivore’s Dilema Chapters 12, 13, 14 October 14, 2009

Chapter 12: Pollan discusses slaughter. He goes to an open-air processing shed where they slaughter chickens. Pollan and Joel discuss the political and ethical reasons behind on-farm processing. There are pros and cons to on farm processing and industrial processing.

Chapter 13: Pollan tries to track the food that is being slaughtered to consumers. Polyface refuses to ship l;ong distance, sell into supermarkets, or wholesale it’s food. Joel claims that by refusing to do these things and refusing to use “industrial” products he is being enviormentally friendly and saving energy. Polyface market their products through quality to make up for not mass shipiping their food.

Chapter 14: Pollan decides to use Polyface foods and prepare a nice dinner for some friends. He used chicken, prepared a salad and dessert, and bought some wine. He talked about how delicious the food was. He talked about transforming raw into cooked. The chickens he was preparing, he had helped slaughter. Pollan discusses the health benefits of choosing the slightly more expensive food processed on farms like Polyface, rather than cheap, mass quantities or industrialized food.

I thought it was very interesting in Chapter 13 Pollan poses the question, “Is the unwillingness to pay more for food really a matter of affordability or priority?’ We seldom are willing to sacrafice price for quality. Even though the food processed on farms like Polyface is probably more healthy, we continue to buy bulk quantities of industrialized food found in supermarkets.

In my hometown, some families raised their own chickens and sold their eggs. People would claim that these eggs tasted “fresher” than those bought at Wal-Mart.

Besides claims that “home processed” food tastes better, how is it healthier than food purchased at supermarkets?

Articles October 2, 2009

Variable:http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626481_1373607,00.html

“What Makes You Eat More Food” 

This article discusses why we continue to eat even thought our brain tells us we are full. A habit of eating at a certain time causes you to be hungry at that time everyday whether or not you have already eaten. Sometimes you feel as though you are “saving room for dessert.” It is because your brains need for sweets has not been satisfied. If you smell a food that you like, the brain secreates insulin, which triggers salvatory glands in your mouth, causing you to feel hungry even when you are not.

Article 1:

“Sugar in coffee or tea and risk of obesity: A neglected issue.“

This peer-reviewed article deals with the effects of sugar on physical health and gaining weight. They conducted studies based on the sugar intake, along with other factors, of both males and females. They surveyed 3,290 men aged 53-75. Overall 8.8% of these men who used sugar in their coffee or tea were obese.

Article 2:

This peer-reviewed article deals with school-based Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements. Using this measurement in schools has been argued as a potential approach to addressing youth obesity. They conducted a large search on information regaurding this method and their opinion was presented to a panel of experts. They decided school based BMI measurement programs are conducted for surveillance or screening purposes.School based BMI screening does not meet all of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ criteria for determining whether screening obesity should be allowed in schools. They maintain that schools should simply encourage healthy eating and regular physical exercise.

The rest of these articles can be found on Megan’s blog!

http://megyoungs214.wordpress.com/

Class Story October 1, 2009

Once upon a time there was a puppy that loved chewing. The puppy loved chewing so much that he chewed on everything he saw. He chewed up all the shoes in the house. He liked chewing everything until there was nothing left. The house is really really small, with bright orange walls and circle rooms. One day, the puppy was chewing on something soft and fluffy, which turned out to be a cat. This cat got so pissed off that it chewed on the dog. The dog was so scared that it had a heart attack! But the cat gave him CPR and he lived and married the cat.

Absinthe September 28, 2009

This commercial appeals to the older, more sophisticated generation. It definatly targets consumers over the age of 21. It uses an old quote from Earnest Hemingway to make the drink seem like it has been around for a long time and is still popular today. It uses dark lighting an a narrater to put the audience in a more relaxed state.

chapters 6 and 7 September 25, 2009

Because of how much corn was being produced, it began showing up everywhere. It was cheap and easy to process. Corn whiskey became extremely popular because it was abundant and cheap. Corn amount to most of the surplus calories we eat.With the invention of high-fructose corn syrup the sweetener, it is in everything we eat. Chapter 7 talks a lot about fast food, McDonalds in particular. McDonalds invcented the idea of super sizing so people would eat more food even after they were full. The chapter also discusses different products and chemicals that go into fast food.

 

-This relates to my life because I used to eat fast food all the time on my way to school from work. Gross.
-I found it very interesting all the chemicals we put into our bodies that we dont even knnow about.
-Why does a person continue to eat even after they feel full?

Omnivore’s Dilemma Chapters 4 and 5 September 21, 2009

Pollan purchases a a calf for $598. He pays $1.60 per day for it’s room and board, and meds. He wanted to see how bushels of corn is fed to a steer, then transformed into a steak. His feedlot steer is raised and fed on concreter instead of out in a pasture. Everything that the steer is givin is very technical. Pollan claims he after looking at his steer he could not imagine wanting to eat it, and he wonders if a feedlot steak would taste different now that he knows what goes into raising it and how much corn it is fed. In chapter 5, Pollan discusses the differences between synthetic and natural ingredients.

 

-This relates to me because one of my ag classes in high school actually raised feedlot cows to sell at market.
-I thought it was interesting how most food animals are raised inside on concrete instead of let out to pasture.
-Why do some people argue that synthetic ingredients are actually better than natural ingredients?

Omnivore’s Dilemma 2 and 3 September 21, 2009

Chapter’s 2 and 3 of “Omnivore’s Dilemma” continued to concern corn, but the chapters went into more detail about why farmers are still planting corn, how the corn itself has change, and how the farmers are making a living selling corn. George Naylor was a farmer in Iowa where the fertile soil is perfect for growing corn. Like most farmers today, he uses a hybrid corn seed. The chapters discussed the differences in farming today versus farming in George’s grandfather’s days. Growing corn today is so technical, with the invention of chemical fertilizers and genetically modified seeds. Today farmers are primarily concerned about a high yield instead of that the money the make from a higher yield goes to the price they paid for the enhanced seed. Most of the corn actually goes to feeding animals used for meat.

 

-I thought it was interesting that it actually costs the farmers more to plant the corn than they can make selling it.
-These chapters relate to my life because I come from a very rural town and many families in my school made a living by planting and growing corn.
-What is the difference between “food corn” and “commodity corn?”

Description September 21, 2009

The ground is covered in white, but it is spring. Tiny white petals fill the back yard giving the illusion of snow. The sweet, overwhelming smell of thousands of flowers fill the humid air. High above the roof of the house, the flowers are falling from a giant. It’s arms are constantly reaching, covering the house. The trees bark is like sandpaper. The massive trunk is gnarled and rotted. Decaying wood fills your nostrils and is strangely comforting. From every angle of the house you can see the tree. It’s presence is both demanding and protecting.

pppiiiiccccc September 17, 2009

“Hide and Seek” September 17, 2009