2018-04-15
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Guiding Questions
how does what the writer says relate to my own livingexperience? Why does the subject matter? Does the writer’s thoughts conflict with mine? Can I challenge some of the writer’s arguments? etc.
All the food mentioned in the book are very common in our daily life but all of them have very long stories. I am interested in the writer's perpestive because he raises questions for us to think: how should we treat food in our daily life：As commodity or as the present from the nature as a result of great evolution?
11/4/2018
Today’s reading task is from the beginningto Page 31. For a book like this, I strongly recommend you read theINTRODUCTION so as to have a thorough idea about where this book will lead you.During the reading, feel free to omit the terminologies, the statistics,whatever you don’t like, but do focus on looking for the writer’s opinions aswell as evidences, cause my questions are gonna pertain to those arguments andlogics.
Q1: Tracing back to the very beginning ofthe food chain (such as the producing area/the food processing company), where do you think YOUR last supper come from?
The food of my supper today is a kind of wild grass my brother and his son brought home this afternoon when they went hiking in Zhaogong Mountain. It really tastes good! After having some basic knowledge of the writer's view, I think this kind of wild grass is the food that comes from phontosynthesis.
Q2: How does the author connect chickennugget with corn?
the food of chicken and all the raw material to make chickennugget all come from corn.
12/4/2018
Today's reading task is Chapter Two The Farm(page32-56)
Question 1: Since 1920s, the yields of corn have raised from about 20 bushels per acre to almost 200 bushels per acre. Why or how are the yields able to increase so much?
The efficiency of producing corn is greatly promoted by the modern technology including the modenized machines and fertilizer. Also the famers have a strong desire and motivation everyday to further promote the output of corn.
Question 2: Where does the excessive fertilizer end up?
the excessive fertilizer will be washed out of the farmland into rivers, streams, and finally into sea and will also evaporate into the air.
13/4/2018
Today we’ll have a rather easy reading:Chapter Three The Elevator (pp 57-64). In this Chapter, Pollan depicts what thegrain elevators are like, and the possible manipulating forces behinds those“giant barns”.
Question 1: How does the government manage to keep corn production high and corn prices low?
Government takes kind of administrative and fiscal policy to ensure the "floor price" and give subsidy to famers, making famers less vulnerable to the fluctuation of the market. That is to say, those farmers live in a relatively "safe" environment and they do not care so much about the real needs of the market as long as their corn can be sold in a reasonable price.
14/4/2018
Today’s reading task is Chapter Four The Feedlot (pp. 65-84).
In this chapter, Pollan traces the life of a steer (牛) from its birth place to its feedlot. It used to take a cattle 4-5years to get slaughtered, but now the growing time has been compressed to 16months. In this highly unnatural process, something wrong must ensue.
Question 1: What problems do cattle have when their staple food is corn?
they are not natural corn eaters, so theri ruminent stomachs are not designed to effectively digest corn. There might be a lot of troubles in their stomach and get sick if they are forced to eat corn.
Question 2: What risks can human have if people do not properly dispose the feedlot wastes?
those wastes will finally go into human body through food chain.
Question 3: After reading this chapter, do you want to eat industrial meat anymore?
I think i will. At first,I do not know the REAL difference of industial meat and the "real" meat. Maybe the price tag will tell a lot. Second, I do not cook a lot. If I eat outside, I believe most of the restaurants will use industrial meat.
