A Point, An Irony, and A Mission February 18, 2008

Barbara Kingsolver has a point, and it’s a good one.  With obesity on such an alarming rise (bringing along with it an array of frightening possibilities, such as diabetes and heart conditions), in addition to the general decline of food quality and thus enjoyment, Kingsolver’s intentions for a more environmental/health conscience lifestyle could not have come around at a better time.  American society is ensnared in a steady and rapid spiral downwards with no pleasant end in sight; that is, unless we recognize and acknowledge the evidence of our downfall and take the corrective steps to rectify this dire situation. 

Enchanted by the concept of food that is ready for consumption in mere minutes, particularly in a society that values the phrase “go, go, GO!” many Americans are willing to sacrifice their pleaure of eating quality food for quick, convenient products, most of which are not only detrimental to our bodies, but the planet and its creatures as well.  What we get in return for this attitude that processed foods suit our lifestyles better is an overweight, overfed, and as I see it, greasy, culture that is faced with a great irony-that which is supposed to make our lives simpler has in fact complicated it beyond reason, with health-related illnesses brought about by corn-based products slowing us down, costing us money, and diminishing our quality of life.  Doesn’t look so convenient after all, now does it?

And yet despite all the overwhelming evidence that has come to light in recent years, Americans continue to binge on processed foods at a disquieting rate.  Perhaps they don’t believe what is being said, thinking that the push for a local/organic movement is a bunch of hippies rooting for an overblown grass-roots trip, and therefore shrug it off as they munch a Double Whopper with extra cheese.  Or perhaps they believe that organic/local food is too expensive for their limited budgets, even though Americans are spending only a fraction of their income on food nowadays, compared to nearly a fifth of it earlier in the century.  Or perhaps it’s the fact that they simply don’t care-what isn’t killing them today doesn’t bother them now either.

Barbara Kingsolver does recognize these problems though.  AND she acknowledges them.  She may not move her family to their small farm on the east coast solely for the fact that she wants to shun corn/soybean-based, mass-produced food, but it doesn’t hurt her case.  She believes strongly in another reason to consume locally-grown food: it’s taste.  One would assume that even if Americans don’t value their health or the planet, that they would at least value their own pleasure that can be derived from higher quality produce.

So what will it take?  More Barbara Kingsolvers to provide multiple insights into the endless benefits to eating locally? More Michael Pollans to remind us of what we are really putting into our bodies when we consume those McNuggets? More government food pyramids, modified to guide us towards not only poultry and vegetables, but ones that don’t come from grain-fed animals or pesticide-laden monoculture farms?  Only time, and maybe the startling revelation that last year’s pants no longer fit, will tell…

Turning over a New Leaf? February 11, 2008

It’s enough to turn one’s stomach.

The knowledge that today’s agricultural market compromises the idea of food integrity by taking one of the country’s five commodity crops and turning it from a timeless vegetable to a processed food snack cake is indeed eye-catching, yet in a  less-than-flattering manner.  It would almost seem to have the opposite effect of the intended original motive, which hopes to deliver an image of the classic tale of turning whatever you touch into gold; i.e. whatever corn touches becomes delectable goodness.  However, the more institutions delve into the effects of corn on entities such as human health, the economy, and perhaps even general moral principles, the more they see in reality that their “gold” is in turn possibly a dud. 

After we began our own research in class into the detrimental effects of corn to our overall well being, and the daunting task of possibly distancing ourselves from such  “tainted” products to serve whatever cause we deem worthwhile began to formulate, I began to question how probable it would be to actually initiate such a revolt: the revolt against corn.  Reading the works of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, watching King Corn, and analyzing the works of Michael Pollan have aided the development of such ideals; ideals that push for reform on the personal front, in order to gradually push for change on the national front as well. 

But where to start?  Michael Pollan made an observant and excellent point when he noted that the reason many lower class people eat so poorly is due to the fact that that is simply all the can afford-cheap, processed calories that are laden with high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, etc-all derivitives of what else? Corn, corn, corn, and more corn.  And let’s face it, coming from a college student’s perspective, shopping weekly at the Whole Foods Market is simply incomprehensible finanically-wise, and buying produce at local farmer’s markets is often time-draining as well.  Sure, I could always “do my best” and shop the five-foot section of “organic produce” at my local HEB, but let’s face it-even that pitiful selection still has to be coupled with an array of processed food items throughout the store to complete the meal anyways.  Why don’t instead I construct a small garden and grow some of my own vegetables via the likes of Kingsolver?  Ah yes, nothing appeals to growing tomatoes and herbs such as parched, desolate ground located on a college-affiliated apartment complex.  My options are slimming down at an alarming rate, yet my growing distaste for corn-based products is developing at about an equal pace as well.

To risk sounding cliche, it really does start with one person to initiate change.  Each unit adds up to create a whole new empire, one that will care enough about the environment and personal health to regulate the intake of unnatural food products.  I only hope I, among others, can overcome petty obstacles in order to fulfill a duty we owe to Mother Nature-the duty to preserve the system that has sustained the world for centuries past, yet one that could potentially collapse under the strain of illogical consumption unless we make these small changes.  Besides, it tastes better anyways. =)

Toulmin Argument February 4, 2008

In analyzing chapter 7 of Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, we are able to apply the fundamentals of British philosopher Stephen Toulmin’s concept of what methods people utilize in their attempts to make a persuasive and sensible argument.  Pollan’s points about the fast food meal from McDonald’s that he and his family share on the road can be considered in these terms:

1) Claim: What you want to argue/persuade for

Pollan’s Claim: Corn has turned the “real meal” into an industrialized, fast food meal.

2) Grounds: Data and hard facts and reasoning

Pollan’s Grounds: 1 in every 3 Americans eat fast food every single day; the chicken nugget has liberated the chicken from the fork and plate, enabling consumers to eat it on the go; chicken nuggets now made with white-meat, indicating that they were previously even less associated with authentic chicken; Pollan counts 13 of the 38 ingredients of the McNugget that can be derived from corn; subtotals his family’s meal as consisting of 6 pounds worth of corn before outside influences such as corn used for transportation, packaging etc. are factored in; had individual units of meal analyzed to determine what percentage of each item consisted of corn products: soda (100%), milk shake (78%), salad dressing (65%), chicken nuggets (56%), cheeseburger (52%), and french fries (23%); noted that his family finished their meal in under ten minutes 

3) Warrant: Linking claim and grounds/legitimizing

Pollan’s Warrant: Corn is taking over the American food market, from the produce/meat to the packaging to the transportation involved.

4) Backing: Support for warrant; answers questions

Pollan’s Backing: Mentions how corn crops stretch for 80 million acres across the continent; discusses overproduction of corn and the many ways it is put to use to eliminate the surplus; points out that not only do meals rely heavily on corn-based ingredients, but the transportation of such meals requires corn for the ethanol for the vehicle’s fuel

Also, Pollan asks “Why should it matter that we have become a race of corn eaters such that the world has never seen?  Is it necessarily a bad thing?” (pg. 117)

Attests to the fact that the use of corn involves a great loss of energy-as corn passes through the food chain, the amount of calories (food energy) is reduced by a factor of ten at each level; mentions how overproduction of corn has harmed farmers-the corn crops and industrial means by which they are produced have led to soil erosion, pollution, negative health effects for communities/animals/landscape, etc.

5) Qualifier: Specifically, precision; avoiding sweeping generalization/guarantees

Pollan’s Qualifier: In many cases corn has become a vital, if not key factor, in the modern day production of foodstuffs in American society.  Under these conditions the food market has become more industrialized, which not only leads to an increase in processed goods, but an inclination to spread this production “efficiency” to the “real meal” by advocating the quicker and cheaper fast food meal as its replacement.

6) Rebuttal: Pre-empting or talking through counter-arguments

Pollan’s Rebuttal: By utilizing corn in the production of foodstuffs, capitalism is able to flourish due to profits that increase faster than the population; by expanding American’s previously “fixed stomachs,” we are able to convince them to consumer more calories, and thus deplete some of the corn surplus; fast food induces nostalgia for some, therefore becoming a sort of “comfort food” that is packed with not only memories, but carbohydrates and fat as well, all of which purportedly evoke stress relievers and feel-good chemicals in the brain