Response to Food, Inc.

1) My biggest impression after watching Food, Inc. was definitely one of pure disgust, yet pride. I was truly disgusted at how these multi-billion dollar corporations treated their workers, treated their farmers, who they claim to treat well and praise daily. However, I was even more disgusted at our American government see how these corporations falsely inform the public, how they treat their employees, how they toy with illegal immigrants, and yet they do not blink an eye. They keep their mouths shut because of how much money these corporations bring in to the country. Not particularly food issues, but the way that the poultry/meat companies treat their farmers, and the way that they import and export illegal immigrants stood out to me the most. The food conditions, the bacteria outbreaks, the way the chicken and cattle are treated, I already knew about most of that. So it wasn't necessarily shocking. In my junior year of high school, we spent a good two months talking about these same food issues in my AP Language class. The food itself aside, I never really saw how these employees, the suppliers were treated by the supposed "good guys". It mortified me how a company could be so relentless, so brutal, so heartless against the people who supply them with their product. If I ran such a food company, I would make the treatment of my employees one of my top priorities, because essentially, they are the ones who put the product on the shelves. I would make sure to take care of my farmers especially, because they breed and take care of the main source of the product; of the chickens, the cattle, the pigs etc. On the topic of immigration, I never could have imagined that the government would let these corporations get away with importing and exporting them daily. With how how hard the U.S. government cracks down on illegal immigrants, how could they let it happen so regularly and smoothly?! That is what honestly baffled me the most about this film. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this film very much. I felt much pride in these journalists for exposing such horrible conditions, for going after every possible outlet to tell each side of every story in terms of such food issues. I was left with no questions about each topic, that's how I know that it was an overall good film. I actually found it really funny when Michael Polan came on the screen. Because in my junior I read his book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and I had to write paper after paper on that one book and it's discussed food issues. Polan's introduction into the corn part of the movie was actually lines from his book, which I found amusing yet annoying because I couldn't stand reading over 100 pages about corn. 

2) The food mantra that I personally live by is, "Eat until you're satisfied, not too much, not too little, and drink lots of water." In Michael Pollan's essay, Escape from the Western Diet, he basically pushes eating more organic, healthy foods that processed junk food. Which yes, I agree with, but most Americans cannot afford to live such a lifestyle. Yes, food companies and the government need to rearrange the prices so that healthy foods are less expensive that the unhealthy foods, but that is obviously not going to happen anytime soon. I know that I cannot afford to live like that all day everyday, even thought I try my best to. On the other hand, Mary Maxfield, in her essay, Food as Thought: Resisting the Moralization of Eating, argues that food is neutral, that the ideas of "healthy and unhealthy foods" are programmed into us by society. I agree with Maxfield more than I do with Pollan, society has told us what's right and wrong, and once we accept that, we can freely make our own choices on what to eat without a second thought. 

Eric Schlosser's Argument

            Eric Schlosser's argument is that fast food corporations have changed America in every possible way. Schlosser gives the general overview of his argument in the third paragraph of the excerpt of his book, Fast Food Nation "During a relatively brief period of time, the fast food industry has helped to transform not only the American diet, but also our landscape, economy, workforce, and popular culture. Fast food and its consequences have become inescapable, regardless of whether you eat it twice a dat, try to avoid it, or have never taken a single bite" (Schlosser 3). He describes in the introduction how large fast food industries such as McDonald's have become part of everyday American culture. How they have become a large part of our economy, especially when it comes to providing jobs. How they have even manipulated the government in order to be able to do whatever they pleased. Schlosser uses all main nine methods in his introduction, Narration, Detail, Description, Argument, Process Analysis, Definition, Comparison & Contrast, Cause & Effect, and Classification. Because this is the introduction to a larger book, it needs to describe everything that is going to be discussed in the pages to come, which is why he blends together so many methods, because a book is essentially every method combined into one genre. 

            I particularly like his writing style very much. It was all very cohesive, easy to follow, and interesting at the same time. I learned a lot in 7 1/4 pages, more than I thought I could have. The way he constructed this excerpt definitely makes me want to read the rest of his book. I thought that his argument was very relevant, especially now in this day and age when it's changing so fast. The argument itself was very well put together, even in the introduction. I can't imagine what the rest of the book is like if the introduction was this informing and engaging.