The Omnivore's Dilemma, Ch. 8, 10, 11

In Chapter 8 of Omnivore's Dilemma Pollan paints a relaxing picture of life on an organic farm. He talks about how although it's hard work, in the end it pays off because on a farm like Polyface, the animals do most of the work and the land essentially gives back. He explains how the whole farm thrives off of 100 acres of grass, even though the farm as a whole is 550 acres. Joel's farm runs on rotations between all of the different animals living off of the farm. Each species of animal has a particular job they do that helps the farm thrive. In turn, the 100 acres of grass brings in tons of steak, eggs, beef, turkeys, and rabbits. The Polyface farm produces for the locals and although it's not necessarily an organic farm, it is not an industrial farm where only one product is grown. Joel's way of farming seems to me like it's good, honest labor; and in the end it yields just as much profit if not more than some industrial farms. I feel that this kind of farming makes more sense than any other type of farming because a multitude of food can be grown here without having to alter the land or the animals. The title of this chapter being "All Flesh Is Grass" made me think how true it is, that grass is the basis of our lives. Grass is what grows all over the earth, which feed the animals, which in turn feed humans. Without grass our entire existence would be completely different

The Omnivore's Dilemma, Ch. 12 + 13

Reading these two chapters were a bit difficult for me to do because I'm not really a big meat eater, mainly due to the fact that in order to eat the meat you have to actually slaughter animals, which is precisely what this chapter is titled and about. There's really no humane way to say it, or make it any better. In chapter 12 Pollan has to overcome the act of killing a chicken -- better yet, 300. Reading this however did make me feel very uncomfortable and almost sick what with Pollan outright describing the machinery used to kill the chickens and killing the chickens in general. The details provided were enough to show how violent and rough the act of killing is, even when it's just a chicken.

However, reading these chapters also gave me more respect for the small-town farmers out there who do things like slaughtering chickens everyday of their lives. They have to almost numb themselves to the fact that they're taking life for the benefit of humans to have a better tasting meal. While being on the Salatins' farm Pollan has to numb himself too to the inhumane treatment of the animals. Although the purpose in raising these chickens was to eventually kill them and send them off to the masses, it's still a concept that you have to move past and get over before you can actually accomplish it.

Another part of these chapters that threw me a little bit were the rules and regulations that the USDA sets for small-town farmers along with big industries. Is it really necessary for the USDA inspector to have his own bathroom? What kind of rule is that? Pollan quotes Salatin when he says that the rules are "one-size-fits-all" basically for the industries, not taking into account the individual farmers. Finally, the references to religion at the end of chapter 13 completely lost me when it came to relating them to food.

Post #2, Chapter 9

Chapter 9 discussed a couple of different ideas and concepts that all come full circle to the fact that the government is doing anything they can to please the consumer. We want healthier foods, organic foods, low-fat foods, and all these other demands that we think will help to improve our lifestyles all at a low price. Just like they say, the customer is always right. By shopping at places like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's we feel better about the foods that we're consuming because of the labels they sport. But when you really look into what it is you're eating, whether it be organic or not, you can't always decipher the ingredients or the nutritional information. By disguising what's actually in the food, the FDA and the government can pretty much make us believe what we're eating is healthier than it actually is.

I really like the fact that Pollan felt it necessary to trace the foods back to where they originated, so that he could prove how much America processes food. Taking the time to actually learn where the things you eat originate and then following them through the food chain of America is a difficult process where you can learn things that you would have died happy without knowing. The conditions that most of our food goes through are unappetizing and could peak the eating disorders in America, were all Americans to be educated on the topic. This chapter, and this book make me wonder how it's possible today to truly eat healthy and not consume the chemicals and bacteria that's in our meals everyday.