7b

Chapter 6
Precis: In the early 19th century, a significant amount of harvested corn were made into whiskey. Instead of selling corn as just, corn, they began to be used massively to create corn syrup which is used in many ways including soft drinks. Serving sizes were also increased and allowed people to consume more calories for a cheaper price.

Gems: “The power of food science lies in its ability to break foods down into their nutrient parts and then reassemble them in specific ways that, in effect, push our evolutionary buttons, fooling the omnivore’s inherited food selection system. Add fat or sugar to anything and it’s going to taste better on the tongue of an animal that natural selection has wired to seek out energy-dense foods.” pg 107
 “Three of every five Americans are overweight;one of every five is obese.”

Questions&Thoughts: After reading this chapter, I think corn is one of the most valuable crops. It has everything a company needs to maintain a substantial profit and has multiple paths making it very important not just for one reason, but for many.
What are some possible alternatives to high fructose corn syrup that can feed America's sweet tooth while enforcing healthier dietary habits?

Chapter 7
Many Americans see fast food (majorly McDonald) as a comfort food. The simplicity of McDonald and their menu makes it much more accessible than any other restaurants where they will have to gaze down at the menu for longer periods of time.

Gems: "Whatever it is (surely the food scientists know), for countless millions of people living now, the generic fast-food flavor is one of the unerasable smells and tastes of childhood-which makes it a kind of comfort food" pg 111
"So what? Why should it matter that we have become a race of corn eaters such as the world has never seen? Is this necessarily a bad thing? The answer all depends on where you stand" pg 117

Questions & Thoughts: To answer the question in the quote on pg 117, I believe overall it isn't necessarily a bad thing at all. For foods besides the ones served in McDonald, they are all processed somehow and unnatural one way or another. Though we point fingers at these fast food chains for being unhealthy, there are plenty of other places that serve food causing obesity and diabetes. It is acceptable to say that McDonalds is the ring leader of the unhealthy fast food revelation, but they have supported and blessed us with things that make life slightly easier for the most part. It is up to us to have the mentality to fight fast food addiction for our health. 

Chapter 8
Precis: Polyface farms support the natural cycle of life, though it restricts the rate of production it leaves the work to nature. These farms portrays the natural beauty of the relationship between animals and grass by letting each animal do its thing which keeps the farm healthy as well as the cattle. Things grown in the farm are used for the community, creating a fine line between the industrial farms that mass produce.

Gems:"If you ask Joel Salatin what he does for a living (Is he foremost a cattle rancher? A chicken farmer?) he'll tell you in no uncertain terms, "I'm a grass farmer". pg 125
"Polyface Farm stands about as far from the industrialized sort of agriculture as it is possible to get without leaving the planet" pg 130

Thoughts & Questions: By placing the products harvested at the Polyface Farm into the global market, would it alter the "natural" process or would the financial aspects force them to mass produce? Would it even be possible without changing the rules of the farm?
Would you buy the meat from Polyface farm for its natural growth if the prices were double of industrial meat? Is quality really that important to us?

Chapter 9
Precis: The word organic brainwashes people into believing that they are eating the healthiest products on the market. The reality of it is harsh, to know that the "organic" product you just bought is no different from the mass produced product next to it. Companies are utilizing the word organic to attract more consumers, and people are eating it with no knowledge about the process but just to make themselves feel better.

Gems:“Artificial manures lead to artificial nutrition, artificial food, artificial animals and finally to artificial men and women" pg 148
“Cuddled by us and our chemicals, the plants see no reason to invest their resources in mounting a strong defense" pg 180

Thoughts & Questions: I believe the usage of chemeicals have a very negative long term affect. As seen with medication, germs and bacteria have a way to become more resistant to things that may halt their movement or kill them. By harvesting 100% artificial crops, somewhere down the road, the food industries will begin to see a downfall where they are unable to keep up. By enforcing more organic and natural growth, we may be able to work our way around it.

Chapter 10
Precis: The consumption of grass by cows slows down the industrial speed of processing food. Therefore grass fed cows do not make enough money for big industries. The only way to produce enough meat for everyone is to mass produce.

Gems: “We should call ourselves sun farmers. The grass is just the way we capture the solar energy” pg 189
“Cows eating grasses that had themselves eaten the sun: The food chain at work in this pasture could not be any shorter or simpler” pg 195

Thoughts & Questions: Is there any way to industrialize rotational grazing effeciently? Or will the major profit coming from the industrial process overwhelm any chance of change or hope?