Chapter 11-
Joel Salatin farm is self-functioning due to his little interference with the natural arrangement of his farm. The animals and plants all work with each other, like they are mentally and physically engineered to do. By letting his farm run uncultivated, it allows an increase in efficiency because these organisms are genetically inclined to work the way they do. This is better than forcing efficiency on the creatures from "refining" because it goes against natural which ultimately causes a downfall.
Gems-
"But in a biological system you can never do just one thing, and I couldn't add many more chickens without messing up something else" (Pollan pg. 213).
“By contrast, the efficiencies of natural systems flow from complexity and interdependence-by definition the very opposite of simplification...To measure the efficiency of such a complex system you need to count not only all the products it produces but also all the costs it eliminates: antibiotics, warmers, pesticides, and fertilizers.”(Pollan pg. 214).
“Relations are what matters most, and the health of the cultivated turns on the health of the wild.” (Pollan pg. 225).
My thoughts-
Joel understands that everything has an effect and an outcome. I understand that most farms aren't self ran like Salatin's, but they are working for larger corporations and they are the ones who set these rules. Why aren't they aware of the outcome of their cheaper methods? If they are aware why don't they care? Why doesn't it effect them?
Chapter 12-
Unfortunately, animal slaughter is apart of the farming process and is something Salatin has to do. The USDA prevents him from slaughtering cows and pigs, and even though they are against the way he slaughters his chickens, there are no rules prohibiting it. Although I considered slaughtering chickens brutal, I contributed to the process because I am a meat eater and it is necessary to participate and kill chickens if I am going to eat them. Salatin on the other hand enjoys slaughtering because he has more piece of mind killing chickens himself rather than sending them away to be processed industrially.
Gems-
"We do not allow the government to dictate what religion you can observe, so why should we allow them to dictate what food we buy?" (Pollan pg. 236)
"It was hard to watch. I told myself the spasms were involuntary, and they probably were, I told myself that the birds waiting their turn appeared to have no idea what was going on in the cone next to them. I told myself that their suffering, once their throats were slit , was brief." (Pollan pg. 231)
My thoughts-
I really respect Pollan for killing those chickens because it is important as a meat eater to experience what goes behind the meat you eat. If the opportunity ever presents itself, I believe I should contribute too because I definitely love eating meat.
Chapter 13-
Salatin's food cost more than industrial food does but this is because the food quality is better. The reason why local farmers like Salatin aren't as popular is because the industrial food industry is based on convenience and lower prices so food quality isn't really payed attention to. The polyface farm sells its meat to local markets rather than shipping it around the country like industrial food is delivered. A lot of energy is taken to industrialize food and ship it out across the nation it is a fact that is overlooked.
Gems-
"So it makes evolutionary sense that pastured meats, the nutritional profile of which closely resembles that of wild game, would be better for us." (Pollan pg.267)
My thoughts-
I don't get it. Food is industrialized, packaged, and shipped around the country to lower prices and add convenience but in a way, convenience has decreased. To my it makes more sense to have several local farmers rather than several super markets. It seems like a lot of energy is being put into lower quality food which blows my mind! Not only are we affecting our bodies health but we are also damaging the health of the planet. And for what? A quick buck for corporations and the appeal of having all our food in one place for consumers.
Chapter 14-
At my last week at the Polyface farm, I cooked a meal for Joel and his family using only food from the farm. I made two slow roasted chickens, cooked corn, a salad, and a souffle. The meal was very good and the chickens from the farm had added omega-3 and vitamin E so the meal was more nutritious.
Gems-
"When chickens get to live like chickens, they'll taste like chickens, too" (Pollan pg. 270).
My thoughts-
Quality food has a spirit to it and makes you feel a certain way. Sometimes after eating very good food, I am put in a certain mood lively mood. I get the opposite feeling from eating food like McDonald's. Although I grew up loving McDonald's, I feel heavy, tired, sick, and gross after eating it now. And this led me to ask, is the way meat is raised (and processed in most cases) affect the feeling you have after you eat it? Maybe the author was happy after eating an organically grown chicken because the chicken was raised happily and freely!
Chapter 15-
The next step in my journey of understand food was to hunt and gather it myself. Like the vast majority of the nation, I too was raised on the industrial food chain so I felt uncomfortable adjusting to foraging food in the forest. Thankfully my friend Angelo put me through a hunter education coarse to help with my lack of preparation. Although I was having trouble adapting to the gathering my own food from the wild, I did gain a respect for nature through this experience.
Gems-
"... it's hard to explain why humans would have ever traded such a healthy and comparatively pleasant way of life for backbreaking, monotonous work of agriculture." (Pollan pg. 279)
"....hunting and gathering (and growing) a meal would perforce teach me things about the ecology and ethics of eating that I could not get in a supermarket or fast-food chain or even on a farm" (Pollan pg.280)
My thoughts-
How would life be different if agriculture never became popular and the most dominant resource for food? It makes me questions how much does food really effect? Has agriculture made us more or less civilized?
Chapter 16-
Humans do not only eat to gain energy but we eat for satisfaction, comfort and to experience culture. This is due to the fact that our minds are relatively larger than our stomachs. We judge food based on how familiar we are with it and how our taste buds react to it. As omnivores, we are able to eat a variety of things which leads to the separation of good food and bad food and ultimately begs the question, "what should I eat?"
Gems-
But rats and humans require a wider range of nutrients and so must eat a wider range of foods, some of them questionable. Whenever they encounter a potential new food they find themselves torn between two conflicting emotions unknown to the specialist eater, each with its own biological rationale: neophobia, a sensible fear of ingesting anything new, and neophilia, a risky but necessary openness of new tastes" (Pollan pg. 288)
My thoughts-
I find it interesting that rats share the same approach to food as we do. We apparently eat "with our brains" which is something that rats do as well. I like the fact that we are able to enjoy and adapt to many different foods and I believe if that weren't the case, food processing would be even more popularized. What would be the need for any real food if we aren't searching for the pleasurable benefit? We could be fed industrialized, bland slop for breakfast lunch and dinner with artificial nutrients and not have anything to complain about, because in that case food would be more of a necessity and what ever gives us energy, we will take.
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