Food Inc.

Watching the documentary Food, Inc enlightened me on the actual origins of the foods I eat. Although I had watched this documentary once before, the information shown was still shocking. Unfortunately, after watching the documentary, I still continued eating the same way I did pre-exposed. The documentary is impactful, but only in the moment of which you are viewing it. In that moment, watching the poor, battered and abused animals, it can make most viewers adamantly decide to go vegetarian. However, life carries on as usual and that moment becomes a mere memory. Unless the individual personally experiences the evils of fast food corporations, it is not so easy to relate. Even though I know that my food is predisposed to being from a factory farm, and the meat I eat is probably injected with steroids and other mystery chemicals, I still eat it anyway. But then again, I usually don’t think about these things when I eat. If I did, I don’t think I can get pass my feelings of nausea, as that is how parts of the documentary made me feel. [Incidentally, I was eating an apple while watching the documentary and as the documentary progressed, I suddenly lost my appetite even though there was nothing wrong with my apple.] Not only is it hard to relate, there are not that many alternatives. The documentary even shows that non-meat products such as corn and beans have also been industrialized. Can you trust any food you eat?

            The food issue that stood out the most to me was the fact that they were feeding cows corn. It is obvious cows are not meant to eat corn, as their stomach are not made to digest corn, but rather, grass. On top of being fed an unhealthy diet, the cows are standing around for the most of the day in their own manure. This can lead to bacteria entering the body and infecting the cow with E.Coli. This disease will then transfer to the food we eat. This is precisely what happened to two year old Kevin. He had eaten a hamburger and died from E. Coli. E. Coli is a fatal disease and unless corporations take care of their animals, they will be the cause of many future deaths.

            Overall, I enjoyed the film and I am very grateful to have been exposed to it. Not many people truly understand that their food does not actually come from a small farmer Joe type of environment, but that it is in fact from large industrialized farming systems. However, I am not content about one aspect of the film, which in truth, is not really the film’s fault. I disliked that big corporations refused to speak up and be interviewed for the film. Then again, I understand they may not want to talk to the people who are bashing them. Yet, by refusing to give any comments, they are only making themselves seem worse. They are not just animal abusers or people deceivers, they are also cowards.

            The agricultural corporation, Monsanto, even put up a response to Food Inc. on their website [http://www.monsanto.com/food-inc/Pages/default.aspx], yet they could not have simply done an interview for the film?

            “Eat well. Indulge moderately. Exercise.” It is important that people remember food is not their enemy; food is an essential part of life. To live is to eat. Of course, it is never good to overeat, but it is also dangerous to under-eat. That is why it is vital to eat just enough that the individual is full, but not overstuffed. Also, being selective about what you put into your body is imperative. It is best to have a varied diet, full of proteins, greens, and fruits. Indulging in sweets and salts every now and then brings thrill to life. How boring would it be if you ate bland food every day? As corny and cliché as it may sound, you really do live just once, so why waste this time by restricting yourself to unsavory food? Of course, just as I stated before, these indulgences must be taken in moderation. Stuffing your face with Twinkies is never good for you, or the Twinkie. But having one Twinkie once in a while is not bad. I personally have a sweet tooth and by allowing myself to indulge in this decadent, I feel more motivated the rest of the time to eat well. Finally, exercise is key. No matter how little you eat or how thin you appear, at the end of the day, if you don’t exercise, you are not physically healthy. Exercise helps prevent several health problems, and can improve muscle strength and endurance. Additionally, exercise can help you control your weight. There are many various ways people can exercise; they can play sports, workout at the gym, or just go grocery shopping and complete household chores. Remember, food is your friend. 

Super Size Me

In “What We Eat”, Eric Schlosser argues that fast food has accumulated a strong grip on American society and it is crucial for consumers to understand the truth behind fast food corporations. Fast food is the fastest growing corporation in America and it has led to many changes in American society from the way animals are raised to mainstream culture.

            Schlosser combines methods to support his argument. He uses description when he describes walking into a fast food restaurant. Schlosser describes, “Pull open the glass door, feel the rush of cool air…study the backlit color photographs above the counter…and moments later take hold of a plastic tray full of food wrapped in colored paper” (667-668). He describes the type of door being walked through, the feeling of the air upon entry, the collage of pictures seen while waiting on line and the colorful packaging of your order. All these descriptions adhere to the senses and readers can easily picture this scene in their head.

            Schlosser makes use of process analysis. An example for this is when he writes of how fast food came to be. Schlosser states, “America’s fast food industry…was founded by iconoclasts and self-made men, by entrepreneurs willing to defy conventional opinion. Few of the people who built fast food empires ever attended college” (670). It is ironic how much of a social norm fast food has become, yet it was created by rebels who were trying to defy norms. Most people who started these fast food giants did not even graduate college, or attend at all. These founders began this business in order to go against societal norms, yet their enterprises have now become widely accepted norms.

            Schlosser uses definition in his essay. For example, Schlosser explains, “The key to a successful franchise…expressed in one word: ‘uniformity.’ Franchises and chain stores strive to offer exactly the same product or service at numerous locations…we will make conformists out of them” (670). Schlosser states that in order to create a successful business, there must be uniformity. He then goes on to define what uniformity means in this context. According to Schlosser, uniformity is a sort of conformity, where everything is made the same for everyone.

            Schlosser utilizes comparisons in his essay. In one use of this method, Schlosser notes, “In 1968, McDonald’s operated about one thousand restaurant. Today it has about thirty thousand restaurants worldwide…The Golden Arches are now more widely recognized than the Christian cross” (668-669). He compares the number of McDonald restaurants back in 1968 and the amount in modern times. It is evident that the number of McDonald restaurants has risen tremendously since the mid 1900s. He also compares the familiarity of McDonald’s Golden Arches to the holy cross. The holy cross being the symbol of Catholic Church that has been around for much longer than McDonalds, yet the symbol for McDonalds is more well-known than the symbol of Catholicism.

             As evident, Schlosser makes use of many different methods in his essay and by doing so, he was able to tackle different parts of his argument in effective ways. Also, using different methods prevents the essay from being monotonous and engages readers more.

            Schlosser write well but his organization can be improved upon. I felt his essay was very all over the place. He would suddenly move from talking about the increase of women entering the job force to the widespread growth of fast food restaurants, which to me, did not logically flow. Also, Schlosser touched the surface of an important topic on chemical factories, but did not in-depth on it. Schlosser writes, “Much of the taste and aroma of American fast food, for example, is now manufactured at a series of large chemicals plants off the New Jersey Turnpike” (671). He is making a serious claim that fast food industries are not growing their food naturally, and that the food is actually being grown in chemical plants. He merely states this without explaining it or supporting his claim. Other than this, his essay was well written and interesting to read.

            I agree with his argument. The fast food industry has definitely made a huge leap in society. From the first McDonalds built to having a McDonalds at every street corner is definitely shocking. It is important for people to realize the consequences caused by fast food industries such as spread of obesity. However, I would have liked it if Schlosser had said more about those chemical plants he spoke about and even go further than that by explaining to readers what factory farms are. Factory farms are part of agribusiness and it is used to raise large numbers of livestock. Factory farms are typically in horrible conditions, the livestock is given steroids in order to grow big and meaty for mass consumption. Without realizing it, we, humans, are ingesting the steroids that were used on the livestock. This is harmful to the human body and who knows what others chemicals were used? Factory farming does not only harm the human who consumes the mystery product, it also harms the livestock. Since the livestock was given steroids, sometimes, the livestock grows too big for it to be able to support its own weight. When this does happen, the livestock will fall and die (due to inability to reach for water).