Final Exam Question 2...

Final Exam Question 2:

Write an essay that opposes, supports or qualifies this quote…
“Food in our culture is one aspect of a larger nightmare”

Food in our culture is one aspect of a larger nightmare. Well to give this quote definition, what does “our culture” and “larger nightmare” mean? The way I would define our culture is, based on the mix of capitalism and urban-pop. The larger nightmare falls under two completely different yet interactive aspects to the human being which are body & mind, or physical & mental. I am concentrated on the larger nightmare being in the topic of food. The larger nightmare means a physically harming consequence to the young growing body (keep in mind, my generation is adolescence), due to lack of nutrience in processed food. The larger nightmare is obesity in children and physical risks in human bodies. The mental consequence to the larger nightmare is a disconnection between the people and the food they are eating. The loss of emotion, value and appreciation in food, which can be blamed on the “mechanic way” food, is processed. So yes I support this quote, I don’t oppose it or qualify it because speaking on a larger and global context, food in our culture IS one harming aspect of the larger nightmare.

As discussed in my previous paper, the present of food is based on the IFS (Industrial Food System) where most of the foods we are eating today is processed or “raised” under factories. Food processed like what we eat, loses its basic nutrience and protein that earth grown plants and animals naturally have. Industrial food factories raises crops, kills animals, and “constructs” our foods at an extremely fast pace for the fast paced life that we all have in this society & culture. Also to feed the millions of us, which throws a demanding need for the excess of food. In my culture, teens my age, kids younger and of course the adults as well are eating extremely processed and unhealthy food, food containing preservatives as well as artificial flavoring. It is correct to say that these harmful foods come from machines and are artificially man-made rather than coming from the earth, from dirt and nature as it should. These companies putting unhealthy foods (like snacks and junk food) on the market naturally think of the profits they are making and what they are earning rather than the effect this has on the consumers. However, if I can speak for my generation, I would say that these consumers also are not taking the initiative to stop what they are eating and realize the consequences. Obesity is becoming large in adolescents, resulting from unhealthy eating habits from an earlier age. This causes serious health risks like respiratory and heart problems, which can lead to fatality later on in the future. However, who is to blame for this… the companies or that person’s own eating choices? The answer is both. The larger nightmare has been progressing since food became global and unnaturally processed.

When I talk of food in my argument, I talk of many things such as the way of eating food as well as where the food comes from and how it is processed. Most of the foods we eat, and I mean the basics such as milk from cows, animal meat, eggs etc. come from “Factory Farms.” These farms aren’t your typical red barn and green pasture but they are excessive in size, polluted and wasted, misusing in Pharmaceuticals and extremely disregardful to animal welfare (Harrison, Jeff.) Government owned, these farms are international, meaning they exist in various countries. In these farms cattle feedlots generally have thousands of animals cramped in one place. These animals are cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, goats etc. The egg-laying area of the farm can house over one million chickens in one area. There is minimal room for these animals that can be large in size as well as no sunlight or fresh air. Animals like chickens are de-beaked and tails of cow and pigs are amputated. This is to adapt these animals to factory farm conditions and space. The misuse of Pharmaceuticals in animals means that hormones are fed as well as antibiotics to the animals in order to quicken the growth. The waste created by this large number of animals is handled in a way that can pollute air and water. Bacteria from waste contaminates waterways which disrupts aquatic ecosystems and kills sea creatures. What does this way of farming mean to us? How does it affect us? In terms of health, the same bacteria from this waste can contaminate the food we eat and seriously harm us. There have been reports of mad-cow disease and e-coli in meat from fast food restaurants such as McDonalds which has already resulted in fatality. The plants and fruits coming from industrialized factories are unnaturally grown with the use of chemicals such as pesticides, a chemical coming from a nerve gas. This in itself sounds like a nightmare and this is where our major foods come from.

The work in these factory farms shows a huge disconnection between the workers and what they are handling. The souls they kill and work they do which has no emotion. Nowadays in our society, we see people running down the street to catch the bus with their lunch in their hand. Or others working on their computer while eating their lunch so that they can quickly continue their work. During school we have 45 minutes to eat, so we go to the nearest, quickest and easiest place to eat which is usually a fast-food chain restaurant. In our society we are running a fast time schedule like the fast paced industrial farms or industrial factories. We, speaking on a large general context, have grown accustom to eating fast, eating without enjoying the food or eating without knowing where the food came from. We have lost the ability to make relationship with our food. In countries like Italy, there are old traditions like the siesta, where everything like stores close down for certain hours. During this time kids go home from school and workers stop working in order to sit down with family (or friends) and eat a meal. They like many people and civilizations around the globe, have built their relationship with food and take their time in eating and enjoying every bite. In smaller towns, those that farm and do the extra effort in raising and cultivating the food they eat at home have also made an emotional connection to what they are eating. Years ago, the cultural aspect to eating was a communal event where everybody can come together and enjoy the meal but in this culture, we seem to have lost that. That is the second half of this large nightmare.