Chapter 17 (The Ethics of Eating Animals)
Precis
As more meat eaters convert to vegetarians, the ethics of eating animals and talk of animal rights come into place. Controversy stirs about the suffering that factory animals endure and how the animal's suffering is no different from that of any other human. Big corporations, like Tyson, need to consider justifying their actions or else, their actions can be registered as discrimination against a creature capable of feeling pain and an animal who tries to avoid affliction as much as we humans do. If Tyson were to stop their unjustifiable slaughtering, their profit and trust from consumers will decrease and so, they continually refuse bills against their mass production and hide the truths of the factories from peering eyes and inquiry.
Gems
"Half the dogs in America will receieve Christmas presents this year, yet dew of us ever pause to consider the life of the pig- an animal easily as intelligent as a dog- that becomes the Christmas ham" (Pollan 307).
"Humans don't need to kill other creatures in order to survive; carnivorous animals do" (Pollan 310).
"Humans don't need to kill other creatures in order to survive; carnivorous animals do" (Pollan 310).
Thoughts
I'm surprised I'm still capable of eating meat without flinching after reading most of Omnivore's Dilemma. I doubt there's a chance I can make any measurable change to the food industry, so why try to change what's been going on for the past few decades? However, I don't believe I can justify the evil slaughter of factory animals yet, I can eat meat with no hesitation. Am I a hypocrite? Of course. Am I willing to go the distance to become a vegetarian and defend the animal rights? No but, that doesn't mean animal rights aren't important to me. I was born a carnivore, why should I change?
Chapter 18 (Hunting)
Precis
In the face of a group of pigs, my rifle did not shoot willingly at first ultimately because I was not mentally prepared. After a few outings, I had succeeded in killing in a pig but I was soon overwhelmed with the same horror when the time came to treat and prepare my meal. This process was unbearable as first but then developed into acceptance of my claim of awareness, pride, and food.
Gems
"Only the hunter, imitating the perpetual alertness of the wild animal, for whom everything is danger, sees everything and sees each functioning as a facility or difficulty, as a risk or protection" (Pollan 343).
"So much of the human project is concerned with distinguishing ourselves from beats that we seem strenuously to avoid things that remind us that we are beasts too - animals that urinate, defecate, copulate, bleed, die, stink, and decompose" (Pollan 357).
Thoughts
After reading about Pollan's disgust, I wonder if we can't handle the truth now, what will happen to our food industry 50 years from now and how will we react? I know for sure that I don't want to see a pig being slaughtered or a chick being vaccinated but, we are all responsible for the mass production of meat because we have all bought and eaten the meat one way or another whether we know it or not. A label picturing a red barn and cow is the primitive picture we all have enamored in our mind as children and so, what feelings would a picture of a factory on a label induce in us?
Chapter 19 (Gathering)
Precis
Hunting for mushrooms, one can find themselves lost but yet, extremely aware of one's surroundings or rather, the ground. Mushroom is hidden, seeking no attention in obscure places in the wild. As I scavenge for exceptional mushrooms, the chance of gathering a batch of poisonous mushrooms does not escape my mind, although, as I mitigate my knowledge of gathering mushrooms, I've come to realize that it is a peculiar skill, difficult to master. However, this skill represents the self-reliance we are determined to keep although in reality we depend mostly what is most easily accessible to us without much labor.
Gems
"The mysteries of germination and flowering and fruiting engaged me from an early age, and the fact that by planting and working an ordinary patch of dirt you could in a few months' time harvest things of taste and value was, for me, nature's most enduring astonishment" (Pollan 365).
"It was such a feeling of empowerment, to feed yourself by figuring out the puzzle of nature" (Pollan 380).
Thoughts
The idea of scavenging for mushrooms seems somewhat adventurous but, by no means, do I want to even step foot near poisonous mushrooms. I try to be efficient and some may misconstrue my actions as stubborn but, I have very little patience when it comes to growing or foraging things. Personally, I love mushrooms and maybe I might like the enduring process of picking out part of nature's bounty however, time is valuable and foraging my own food isn't as important to me. It could be a hobby or just something I merely enjoy partaking in on occasions, but as a routine, I doubt I have the motivation to continue unless of course my incentives were to change.
Chapter 20 (The Perfect Meal)
Precis
There is a distinct difference between great meal and a perfect meal and luckily, I had the chance to experience the flavors of my own perfect meal composed of all the things I had hunted, gathered, and grown. The entirety of the meal was realistic in the way that some of my exceptions and rules to my meal had to be broken and the experience was more valuable than the amount of calories in another food. The gathering of all those who had contributed to the meal was prolific and most rewarding, allowing the full-consciousness of a meal to blossom. However this meal cannot serve as a solution to the all important omnivore's dilemma.
Gems
"It occurred to me that the making of this meal, by acquainting me with these particular people, landscapes, and species, had succeeded in attaching me to Northern California, its nature and its culture both, as nothing I'd done before or since. Eating's not a bad way to get to know a place" (Pollan 408).
"Scarcely an ingredient in it had ever worn a label or bar code or price tag, and yet I knew almost everything there was to know about its provenance and its price" (Pollan 409).
Thoughts
The perfect meal seems impossible to me even though Pollan had achieved preparing and consuming it. But after finishing Omnivore's Dilemma, I can say for a fact I am 400 pages less ignorant than I was in the beginning of this course. This book has mitigated my knowledge of food that I know will make me step back from the shelves of food and read some labels and nutrition facts. I hope that same day I will get to have my own realistic meal that's close to perfect and only then will I be able to experience a true attachment to my food.
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