In chapters 5-8 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, there was a lot of information already talked about in class because the first three chapters are all about corn, and how corn is in about everything we consume. There were, however, many things that I didn’t know that came to light in these chapters. In chapter 7, Pollen puts the fast food industry under intense scrutiny by using an example of his family going there to eat a meal. He describes what he got, what his wife got, and what his kid got; they all ate completely different meals. Pollen’s son ate a chicken nugget, which had recently been advertized because of a new recipe containing all white meat. Pollen’s son does not describe the nugget as chicken, but as simply put a nugget. Pollen finds this disturbing, and frankly, so do I because the nugget contains thirty two ingredients, and is not even recognizable as chicken from a small child eating it. He also explains the history of the “super size.” He explains that a man who worked for McDonalds pitched the idea for years that the reason people don’t buy more than one if they are hungrier is because people hate to look fat, but if the producer were to dole out larger portions for a bit more money, people don’t feel as fat anymore. Of course they eventually adopted that strategy and it has become very successful for them.
An interesting historical reference is to the alcoholic republic of the early 19th century and how relatable that time period is to the “fat republic” we live in today. They both occurred because of an oversupply of corn. In the 19th Century, farmers had more corn than they knew what to do with, and they ended up making whiskey out of it. This allowed people to drink whiskey by the pint every single day for a low price. Corn has done the same thing to our food industry, or system as Pollen would say. Corn is used to replace sugar and other ingredients for a fraction of the price, making it a desirable ingredient for business minded people. It seems like corn is a major problem in the food industry and I can’t think of anything that wouldn’t be considered un-constitutional that could end this obesity epidemic at the hands of corn. Seeing the movie in class prepared me somewhat for the horrors this book tells, but I was still astonished at the irresponsibility shown by both the producers and consumers of all these products stuffed with corn. I poked fun at a lot of these things early on, but this book as opened my eyes, and this really is an important issue.
Post by Will Roberts
