Comments for Food Glorious Food: Food, Foodies, Farmers Market and Handmade Food Renaissance

Comment on Blog Post #1 by dslaight

dslaight — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:38:53 +0000

I really agree with your views on beef and I think that these practices are both unethical and unacceptable. I think that we must think sustainable and begin to move towards a more organic beef industry. The things that “King Corn’ addresses are just too clear and must be dealt with.

Comment on New View of The Meat by dslaight

dslaight — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:34:36 +0000

I never knew that most food in Europe was organic but I completely agree with the fact that you look at beef differently. It is truly hard to eat something that you know was tortured basically its whole life. And when you think about it we don’t only do it to them, but we do it to them, their children, their children’s children, etc. If we were to go back to an all organic life like you mentioned you had in Europe, then we would probably all be better off.

Comment on Blog Post #2 by slambert

slambert — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:53:31 +0000

Being a firm believer in eating organic food and helping out society, I have visited several farmers markets. However, it was my first time visiting the farmers market in Union Square located on 17th Street and Broadway. The market is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between the hours of 8 in the morning to 6 in the evening. Walking around this outdoor market, I saw a wide variety of food being sold such as fish, baked goods, fruits, vegetables, as well as many other items. Aside from the fact the market was outside and there were many people, a farmers market is different from an average supermarket. A farmers market sells all naturally grown, organic food while a supermarket is more concerned about the quantity of food so therefor a lot of their fruits and other goods are not organic and have chemicals and pesticides on them. Also, a farmers market sells produce from small local business’s rather than large huge business that mass produce food like an average supermarket. Another big difference between a supermarket and a farmers market is the way they advertise their food. At a farmers market they try to show they have nothing to hide. The suppliers tell the buyers where their products are grown and make it known that their products are completely natural. This is a good way for them to advertise because people know that it is healthy and wont harm them like the pesticides in the food at the supermarket. The supermarket however, advertises their food by making it cheap and making it look delicious meanwhile, majority of the time it is harmful to our health. One stand I liked in particular was the stand with jam or jelly. When I asked what it was made of she told me it was made from all organic fruit picked from small farms with no preservatives. They also gave me a sample of the strawberry jam, which was delicious. Majority of the venders at the farmers market strongly suggest you support and buy food from their because not only is it better for you but it helps bring money into the community. The farmers market in union square is a great location because New York City is always very busy especially by union square due to the shopping areas. Having a farmers market over there attracts people to buy products even if they had not planned on it. New York City is definitely a great place for business.

Comment on blog post #1 by vvishnevetskiy

vvishnevetskiy — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:59:23 +0000

While working for the Bloomberg Campaign over the summer i was almost forced to eat fast food for the reasons evan described in the beggining of his post. It is cheap, satisfying, and well relativly good especiall when you get the crave for it. The job ended in november, right after we stopped reading these articles and i was very, very relieved to go back to homemade food. Not only is it free at home but much better tasting and better for you, you dont get a guilty concience after eating it or a weird feeling in your stomach that youd get after chinese food. Home food is clean, good and overall just better for your body. Occasionally i still get craves for mcdonalds or a grilled honey mustard snack wrap with fries but its only once in a while so it does little harm to my body.

Comment on Blog Post: 1 by mtores

mtores — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:10:35 +0000

It seems that corn is infused in everything we eat, but what is more alarming are the other additives that are in foods. All these processed food plus the fact that we eat too much adds to the problem of overweight this country. I guess we have to make wise choices when selecting our meals. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be added to our diet to maintain ourselves healthy.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by mtores

mtores — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:46:42 +0000

Your blog is insightful; it gives me an understanding that kosher is a better way of eating. I‘ve eaten kosher foods and it taste far better than non kosher foods. Just to think that we consume meats that has been killed in haste makes me want to reevaluate my eating habits. There is a positive spirit and balance in your lifestyle and you show that you stand firm in your belief.

Comment on New View of The Meat by fbacchus

fbacchus — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:26:49 +0000

I completely agree with your post. The main shock factor of the class so far was watching king corn and finding out about the cattle. I grew up in guyana, in South America. My grandparents had cows in which they used to take care of on their land. I remember when i was little that i used to chase after the cows with my family. The cows always seemed to be happy there. However as i watched king corn i began to realize that the same feeling isnt mutual with every cow. I began to realize that the food system that we support everyday is unethical and not adhering to the standards that we want them to adhere to. THere needs to be some sort of change. Like the slogan says Happy Cows come From California. Lets hope we can keep our cows happy.

PS: Fettucine Alfredo is amazing.

Comment on Blog post #1 by cperez

cperez — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:54:23 +0000

Your response was short and sweet. You got right to the point and made your opinion clear. Your definition of food and then asking the question is corn-fed meat actually food, when it provides no nutrition. It was certainly a question I had never asked myself and the examples presented in the movie “King Corn” clearly support your argument.
It seems that almost everyone in our section is trying to change their eating habits ever since we have watched “King Corn” which is great, since I now know that I am not the only one who was shocked tremendously by this film.

Comment on Blog Post ! by cperez

cperez — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:45:53 +0000

Your love for meats and poultry is fascinating to me because I am only a fan of poultry not so much a fan of the meats. Therefore when I saw “King Corn”, I was somewhat relieved to I do not eat too much meat. The question you posed for the reader was great, it personalized your comment and made the reader feel what was going on just like “King Corn” did.
Your attempt to give up corn-fed beef is encouraging, I tried the same but failed in giving up corn products. Especially in a city like New York where everything is fast paced and we always search for the quickest meal. It is really hard to avoid corn products and your effort makes me want to try harder since you love meats and chicken so much.
Hopefully, you do not give up on reducing corn products too quickly.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by mcarolina

mcarolina — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:43:03 +0000

I totally understand the writers situation. I love meat. I definitely think that its not the meat thats bad for you but its the way the meat is prepared and how the animal was treated before it was slaughtered. As said in the blog the cows in the movie King Corn were put in a big pen and was fed straight corn. The lack of movement helps the cows to get meatier faster which in return helps them to get out on the market quicker. This is hurting the consumer because the meat is not healthy at all. Personally King Corn changed my mind about all my food because it made me start to look at labels which is something I never did, but now I read cereal boxes and the labels on the back of the can foods. I like that the writer mentioned the change in their own personal die that kind of helps the reader to relate.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by mcarolina

mcarolina — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:18:21 +0000

I think that the change from eating Corn Chex to eating Rice Chex was a great way to draw the reader in and kind of make the reader understand how serious the situation is to the writer. I agree with the author when it comes to the point of after watching King Corn i really changed uup my diet because i noticed my corn syrup intake was pretty high. Also, I like the visual picture that the writer creates by talking about how the lobster tries to claw his way out the pot it makes the reader feel for the lobster and kind of feel pitty for the lobster.

Comment on blog post #1 by ymaster

ymaster — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:17:16 +0000

After reading “Kosher Wars” I think it is great that you keep kosher. Being Jewish I always knew what the difference between kosher foods and non-kosher foods but I always looked at it through more of a religious point of view. Now however I see it more as a health issue and an animal rights issue. Although eating kosher is important to keep religious ideals, it was ultimately created for people to be able to eat animals without being torturous.

Comment on Blog #1 by vku

vku — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:56:02 +0000

I know what you mean when you brought up the guilt and sympathy issue. I don’t like the ideas that the animals I am eating were raised unnaturally and were probably sick before they were slaughtered for food. Many people don’t realize that these issues that seem far away from their homes don’t affect them or don’t matter but the truth is, they are the ones that are intaking the product and whatever harm is inflicted on the animal can eventually harm people too.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by vku

vku — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:50:17 +0000

I think you made a good point when you said that you do not trust the beef industry as much as you used to. It reminded me of the recent E. coli outbreak in some of the distributed ground beef. It’s a scary thought that people have to constantly worry whether or not they will get sick from eating something so simple like a hamburger. In addition, I definitely think twice before I eat animals because now I know the process it takes for them to go through before they become food, it’s disturbing.

Comment on blog post #1 by emann

emann — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:40:21 +0000

Being a religious jew myself, i also only consume kosher certified meat and understand the temptation of longing to try unkosher meat. however God has a reason behind eating kosher and if we delve deeper into the topic like this article has, we realize that we are trying to eat from an animal in the purest way possible. no pain, and treated with respect which is how it should be.

Comment on by Jonathan Farhadian

Jonathan Farhadian — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:22:48 +0000

I agree with you 100%. I too am jewish and i wouldn’t eat lobster because of the prohibition in the torah. However, now that i learned lobsters are boiled alive, I am absolutely certain that i will never eat a lobster. The fact that they are killed alive before the lobster reaches your plate is awful.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by Jonathan Farhadian

Jonathan Farhadian — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:04:26 +0000

I totally agree with you. The way cows are treated, and how they are put into a small area where all they can do is eat corn, is completely inhumane and is terrible! The way how they give cows medicine to intake all this food without their organs shutting down is awful! The fact that cows are treated this way completely diminishes my desire of eating meat.

Comment on My New Opinion On Lobsters. by emann

emann — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:02:59 +0000

its pretty disturbing to read about it, but i could imagine how much more disturbing it would be to actually experiance that. ive never eaten lobster before, and don’t plan on it, and if asked why, reading something like this would be a pretty good reason as to why i wouldnt eat it

Comment on Blog Post #1 by slambert

slambert — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:55:23 +0000

I agree with you 100%. Ever since I read “Consider the Lobster” I have not eaten a lobster. David Foster Wallace went into such detail about how the lobster is killed and brought to light that they feel pain and uncomfort just like humans do. I feel that the person consuming the lobster have a bigger role in preserving lobsters than the poeple who kill them. The less people who eat lobster, the less lobster people will have to kill.

Comment on Blog #1 by jtobias

jtobias — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:54:18 +0000

Wow! when I read this I was surprised at how much i agree with you. “It’s astonishing to find out after 17 years that you still don’t know what a crucial part of your diet really tastes like.” That line right there is so true for me as well, except that instead of 17, it’s 18 for me. I eat hamburgers at least once a week, and during the summer months it could be up to 5 times a week. I know- thats A LOT! I have no idea what’s in my meat. I absolutely have no clue. I think it is very important to know what goes into the food that we eat. From this class I started taking more of an interest of what I put into my mouth. I’ve reduced the actual corn I eat because apparently just about everything we eat has corn in it. The thing I’ve researched most about though is the hamburgers. I definitely am not going to eat as much hamburgers this upcoming summer as I did in the last one. It’s not healthy and I learned that from all of the stuff we’ve done in this class.

Comment on Blog Post Number One. by slambert

slambert — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:47:01 +0000

I agree that King Corn had a great deal of information that definitely has changed many peoples opinion about meat and corn. Even enoguh to change their diets. Like you, King Corn has made me changed my diet which consisted mostly of beef, not drastically but I am definitely a little more careful about what i consume. Watching this movie also made me realize that people in this world onl care about themselves. Corn Syrup has some harmful chemicals that most people are unaware of. People have been improving products by not using corn syrup anymore however, there are still many products that contain corn syrup. The reason people still use it regardless of the harmful long term affects is due to the fact is cheap and easy to use. People will do anything just to make money.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by jtobias

jtobias — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:42:52 +0000

I found this very blog very passionate. It’s great to see a fellow religious Jew who not only cares about the kashrut of the food that he’s putting in his mouth but the actual way the animal was treated when it was being killed. Being humane and respectful to animals is very important especially if that’s part of your religion. What was discovered about the agriprocessors was very hard to read. It depicts what those Jews were doing in a very negative way, which it was. It was horrible the way they killed the animals that were being served to us for dinner. There has to be a way to kill the animal in the most humane way. It is not right to kill them the way it was done and they clearly payed the consequences as we see in “Kosher Wars”. What my point is, is that I agree with you 100% in your view and hopefully what we read in Kosher Wars won’t occur again!
Very Nice blog

Comment on Blog Post #1 by emanakhimova

emanakhimova — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:42:59 +0000

I agree with you. When i shop for food or go out to eat I don’t concern myself with where the food came from or how it got hear. As foolish as this may sound, sometimes it doesn’t even occur to me that what I am eating was once a live animal and it was kill for my gustatory needs. Not only was it killed but it was treated poorly and fed food that was not good for it and probably caused the animal to have some kind of health issues. It is so dissappointing to realize what companies do to make money, they don’t even think that what is being sold to people may cause a lot of health risks. This is probably why America has one of the highest percent obesity.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by ymaster

ymaster — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:52:22 +0000

I feel it is very important that you want to know what grass fed meat tastes like and other organic products also. I remember when I visited Israel 2 years ago, almost all the fruits I ate there were completely natural and you can really taste the difference. I ate many of the same things that I eat here; bananas, apples and oranges. But they tasted completely different. I was wondering why they tasted different there then they did here. I assumed it was because of the climate but after this class I realized that it is because most of the products here are grown with pesticides and do not the have the real flavor of the fruits. I definalty recommend trying natural fruits.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by ymaster

ymaster — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:40:11 +0000

I also feel that it is a really big deal that corn fed beef is becoming such an integral part of our diets. There are people out there our age who have never ate anything but corn fed beef. Also although many people have the choice between organic or corn fed beef, many view organic meat as more expensive and do not even bother to buy it. They consider their short term finacial situations ahead of their longterm health. I feel that if corn fed beef wasn’t used to much, there would not be such a large disparity in prices between organic meat and corn fed meat. And when the prices are close, people do not take the time to find those deals because they assume organic will be more expensive.

Comment on Blog #1 by ntoth

ntoth — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:35:22 +0000

I agree with with you when you say, “I always find a way to consume some form of beef every day, but that could even possibly be my vice.” I am just like you in this manner, I basically consider myself a carnivore. When you talk about how cattle are fed on basically corn diets to fatten them up, it brings up a point, or at least i think it does. I would ask how do they get away with selling low quality meat that is bad for people and it drastically shortens the cows lives. I’m guessing you have had the grass fed beef, I wonder how it tastes, but I think it is better on both food quality and animal comfort aspects. The cheapness aspect you mentioned is a big part of it. With corn being as cheap as it is, struggleing farmers need to support themselves and make a living, so they need to use the cheapest resource they have available. So at the end of the day i guess it matters more on people and their problems and not on the life of a cow. It is the hierarchy of society and life. Also just like you say that people will still eat candy bars, even if it is bad for them, so regulation may not even have a sizeable effect.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by cauyeung

cauyeung — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:16:27 +0000

I agree, I have never thought about how the lobster was prepared. I haven’t experienced actually killing and cooking a lobster before. That has always been my parents’ job because they are the ones who cook. But after reading Consider the Lobster, I learned about how the lobster suffers in its cooking process. After reading the article, I actually observed when my parents were cooking some lobster. It was pretty gruesome but not as much as I expected. The lobsters were already almost dead because my dad had brought them earlier in the day. I don’t think they made any noise in the pot, I think the clattering actually came from steam. During dinner that day, I ate the lobster, but not as much as I usually do. Something made me lose my appetite, but I wasn’t sure what.

Comment on Blog Post 1 by emanakhimova

emanakhimova — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:04:02 +0000

I must agree with you, i absolutely love peanut butter and jelly. Thanks to your research I am now more aware and very dissappointed that those delicious ingredients are so harmful. I cannot believe that such harmful things are contained in a sandwich that parents feed their children. It is so sad to hear what people will do to make a profit. Peanut butter consumption is now going to be cut out of my diet now as well. I just don’t understnd, if something as delicious as peanut butter has such harmful ingredients, what is next?

Comment on Blog Post #1 by gbernal

gbernal — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:02:27 +0000

My diet was also changed from the various works we discussed in class. I also could not imagine eating food that came from a bad environment. It makes me nauseous thinking that i eat food like that. After reading that and the documentary King Corn i try to find meat that is grass fed and from the kosher brand. This is because i want to cut down on how much corn i put into my body and my parents and I always trusted the Kosher brand. As for the killing of the animals, i never really cared if the animal suffers or not. In my opinion animals are here so they can feed us. It might sound cruel but i was raised watching my grandfather kill his chickens by pulling thier neck so it’s not a big deal for me. After the readings ive given it some thought, but it still doesnt make a big influence on me. Its good to know someone else was changed with the subjects discussed in class.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by emanakhimova

emanakhimova — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:56:07 +0000

Wow, i think Nathalie just ruined gatorade for me. =/ I never thought that Gatorade would be bad for you. Don’t a lot athletes drink it? Wow I really don’t know what I can eat anymore. This is so sad. I really have not been able to eat anything these past few days and all i drink now is vitamin water and regular water, but i feel like next someone is going to say something is wrong with those as well. =/

Comment on blog post #1 by cauyeung

cauyeung — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:53:30 +0000

I also think a lot of people eat at fast food restaurants because it’s convenient and cheap. Those are some of the main reasons I eat there too. They are literally everywhere. Recently, they built a McDonalds a couple blocks from my house, which is also a couple blocks away from a Popeye’s and a Burger King. If you walk down certain neighborhoods, there’s actually one of these restaurants on every block. And the price is inexpensive. A couple dollars will get you a full meal in a couple of minutes. A lot of people eat at these restaurants because of convenience and affordability of the food. But they should also be aware of the health risks. Although a huge percentage of people already know the health risks, they still continue to eat there. Well, what can you do?

Comment on Blog Post Number 1 by gbernal

gbernal — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:43:38 +0000

I agree with much of what you have to say Audom. Like you my diet also consisted of mostly meat and soda. They were my favorite things to eat. King Corn also informed me about what goes into our soda and how the cows are raised. Like you it kind of changed my views and used some of the solutions you came up with. I stopped drinking soda as well. I cant stop eating meat because it is my favorite food but after what you said im going to try to find some grass fed beef. I want to see if it really does taste better like you say. When it comes to fast food, i never really ate that much of it. I eat fast food like once or twice a year so that never really affected me. I really like what you have done and see that you view food quite the same as i do.

Comment on Blog Post Number 1 by elindo

elindo — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:16:21 +0000

King Corn informed me also about the myth of grass fed beef and showed high fructose corn syrup is in basically everything not just soda like I thought. King Corn was another piece of evidence to the idea that profit drives all actions in business. My view of beef has also changed since viewing King Corn. I feel like a terrible person whenever I eat fast food now because I feel like I am funding the mistreatment of cows. I am amazed that you were able to obtain grass fed beef so easily, but not surprised that it tastes much better. I would love to try grass fed beef sometime very soon. Where is this shop that you obtained grass fed beef?

Comment on Blog Post #1 by Ed Lindo

Ed Lindo — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:55:43 +0000

I also never thought about how lobster was prepared. I had no clue of the whole process and if someone told me lobsters were boiled alive I wouldn’t have believed them. This class has led me to start asking questions about how food is prepared, which is something I never did in the past. I feel you posed a key question, are the people who are eating the food guilty or are the people who carry out the killing guilty. I wonder what humans would look like if a radical movement was carried out and the killing of animals was made illegal.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by Nathalie Vargas

Nathalie Vargas — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:21:59 +0000

Something that I think is interesting that advertisers are doing now, is telling people to stop buying a certain product. It seems like more people are concerned about our health now than before and it also seems like more people are starting to realize all the corruption that the food industry brings. The other day when I was in the train, I saw a disgusting poster with a soda being poured into a cup. The cup was full of fat. The point of the poster was to show people that by drinking soda they are practically drinking all of that nasty fat. It was so disturbing to look at that and after staring at it I had to turn away. I saw the advertisement again with gatorade and ice tea being poured in. That really bothered me because I used to always drink ice tea. That poster sure did a good job at making people not want to drink those products.
I can understand why you feel as though it is difficult to change your diet. You are used to it and yes there are many products that have corn in it. However an improvement you can make is to stop buying genetically modified food, or food full of pesticides by shopping at whole foods or by buying organic food. Now, the only thing we can do at this point is hope that there is no corruption behind organic food, especially since it is more expensive. It will take a while for all of us to completely change our eating habits and hopefully one day more people will become more concerned about their health and eat better food.

Comment on Blog Post 1 by Nathalie Vargas

Nathalie Vargas — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:05:29 +0000

It is disappointing to find out that companies sell products with ingredients that harm consumers just because of the profit they are making. What is it that needs to be done for people to remind themselves that ethics is linked to food? Producers of food should be ethical because they are dealing with something that will affect millions of people so they should make sure their food product is healthy. Last year, my forensics teacher warned my class about peanut butter and told us to not buy brands such as skippy or jiff because they have hydrogenated oil. She said that the healthy peanut butter is the one that is made only of peanuts and salt. It is sad to see that people who sell food really do not care about their customers and just worry about their own benefit. When did people loose the sense of what really maters and start being selfish and unconcerned about others?
What you said about people continuing to eat food that is bad for them is true and there may be many factors that lead to that. It is either because they do not have money to afford better goods, or because (like you said) they are not educated. Also, they may not care about being healthy or not and worry more about other things. People do not usually change the bad life style they have until they hear bad news from a doctor telling them to. Besides becoming more educated on food, I believe that products that have the potential to kill people should be taken off the market. There are people that may not have the chance or resources to educate themselves on what they are eating so instead of giving them the chance to eat unhealthy, those products should just be taken away. If the FDA actually regualted well enough than all the awful food would not be around as much and genetically modified food would have labels! I wonder what the farmers who produce genetically modified food eat. I bet their food is pure, without bacteria, pesticides or gene modulations.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by emanakhimova

emanakhimova — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:28:06 +0000

I completely agree. I do feel like if I have been ok for this long then how can changing my eating habits now change anything. Actually, yesterday when my family sat down for dinner, I saw the meat that my mom cooked and i leterally felt nauceous and ended up not eating it. All I could think about was English class and the poor little animal that was killed for me to eat. = (

Comment on Blog Post 1 by chu

chu — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:15:01 +0000

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a great snack; it’s easy to make and fast when you’re in a rush. I was surprised to find out that peanut butter contains hydrogenated oils in it because peanuts are supposed to be full of protein and somewhat healthy. I feel like we also grew up with Jiff and Skippy commercials on the television all the time. After reading your blog, I thought about how mothers are usually associated with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They make them for their children afterschool and for lunch but would they continue to do so if they knew the truth behind it just because it’s so easy?

Comment on Blog Post #1 by mramlochan

mramlochan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:57:55 +0000

Meat has always been a part of my regular diet too. It’s really hard for me to ever give up eating meat, I can never see myself eating a salad for an entire meal. Besides, I don’t think it’s the meat in general that’s bad for you, it’s the fat that comes with it. That probably explains why people eat fish when they want to eat healthier, because fish spend their time swimming and all of that. I’m no expert on the subject, but it makes sense doesn’t it?
As for the soda drinking, I never drink much soda to begin with, but watching King Corn has given me a new appreciation for being cautious about it.
It’s great that you’ve taken the stuff you’ve learned in class and told your family members about it. I did the same, my sisters were interested, but I somehow get the feeling that my mom had no idea what I was talking about.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by chu

chu — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:50:37 +0000

I like how you brought up the fact that the health of America is suffering from the food choices we are proviced with. Even with all the calorie counts and nutrition labels on food, seldom people take the extra 5 seconds to look at it. Companies provide the information but people aren’t using this information. Our bodies aren’t being fed the right quality foods and in the long run, it will definitely ruin our health.

Comment on blog post #1 by mramlochan

mramlochan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:45:29 +0000

I definitely agree with you about the convenience and affordability of fast food. After all, who can deny a cheap meal? What people don’t realize is that the cheapness of what they consume comes at a cost, not only their own health but at the cost of so many cows that suffer. I think if the government did more to inform people about what they’re eating, like the calorie count on the fast food items, more people would start to care about what they eat. Of course there will always be the people that’ll treat the calorie count as a high score they should rack up, but that’s on them. Aside from everything else, I like your enthusiasm and the fact that you’ve made a genuine change in diet. Education ain’t worth squat without application, you know?

Comment on Blog Post #1 by zjackiewicz

zjackiewicz — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:51:40 +0000

It’s true that it’s difficult to totally change your diet after what’s been learned in class. I think the reason for that is because most of us think that if we’ve been eating this type of food all our lives and are still alive, then it must mean that it can’t be that bad and therefore, we’re not totally strict on what we decide to eat. But I’ve realized that making decisions based on the fact that you’re not dead (yet) from what you’re eating is really not a good reason to keep doing it, because it does cause health complications. What we’ve learned in class is all the information that we didn’t want to know and that’s why most of us still need to take time to adjust to it.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by zjackiewicz

zjackiewicz — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:29:36 +0000

I think it’s interesting that you corresponded cheap food to what it actually is – cheap quality. Many people fail to realize that because they would rather save money. And I can agree with you that most people would rather not know where their food comes from like you did before watching King Corn. I was even one of those people. I’ve actually never been a fan of burgers, but I find it interesting how some people can eat a burger knowing that there was some gross process involved. And they would rather not know because it would ruin their experience of eating that burger. People need to be focused on the health risks involved, not primarily on the money they want to save. They also should realize that preferring not to know where their food came from probably means that they know it’s totally bad for them and therefore should stop eating it.

Comment on Blog Post #1 by sfrancois

sfrancois — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:56:20 +0000

People have an option when it comes to the food that they eat but they are unaware of that fact. Maybe it’s the responsibility of the government to inform it’s people of these options, and why one way is much better than the other. However, the responsibility shouldn’t only be left up to the government; people should take the initiative as well to learn what they are polluting their own bodies with. I completely agree with you in your last sentence: people aren’t looking at the bigger picture.

Comment on Blog Post ! by sfrancois

sfrancois — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:37:52 +0000

It’s really interesting that you actually tried to find something you could eat that didn’t have traces of corn in it. This is why it’s so hard to cut corn out of daily lives: almost everything we eat can be traced back to a form of corn ingredient.

Eating meat is something I can’t seem to have control over. For my religion I sometimes give up eating meat for lent, and it is the hardest thing to do for me. What’s dinner without meat on the side?

Comment on Blog Post: 1 by bstewart622

bstewart622 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:53:48 +0000

McDonald’s has always played a major role in my diet. I use to eat it for breakfast, and for lunch. Then I narrowed down to eating McDonald’s only at lunch time. I never really thought of McDonald’s as a major problem until recent class discussions and readings. We recently had a discussion about brands. A brand becomes a form of trust for people. Brands have a promise. Most people will look at a label(brand) before they think twice about where their food came from, or the process it has to go through to be prepared.
In the movie “King Corn”, they talked about how a measly burger and fries, could effect our health enormously. The two young men’s purpose in this documentary was to expose what really was in our food. As Americans, we fail to really explore or question what we are eating. We simply assume that whatever taste good to us is healthy. The Two young men in the movie showed how much corn was in our daily diets. We can practically pick up any food around us, and it will have some source of corn in it. Corn in everything we eat is not healthy. Most people including myself would be surprised to find out that its in everything from our sodas to our meats. The two young men explained by eating a simple meal from McDonald’s how serious the effects of corn in all our food provides. Another thing that intrigued me was that natural corn wasn’t being added into our food. They have to alter the corn before they put into our food. In “King Corn” they displayed the process of making corn syrup, in which they had to add hazardous chemicals into the syrup for it to be completed. I was furious to know that these companies put hazardous chemicals into our food, all because it saves them money. It really makes me wonder, “Is the taste of the food, worth my health?”
In result of previous class discussions on food, I find myself trying harder to stay away from the sodas and the fast food restaurants, because I know its not healthy for me. There were times when I would drink sodas for breakfast, and now I stop myself from walking to the vending machine in the morning before class. The discussions on food have really effected my diet and my thoughts on the food industry.

Comment on Blog Post: 1 by vezyris

vezyris — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:40:29 +0000

I know that a lot of people were disturbed when they found out the truth about the food they’re eating, but I wasn’t as surprised. I had a good idea about what was involved when eating fast foods and drinking soda because that’s something I studied in high school. When I first learned about how animals were being treated and fed I was shocked but it didn’t influence me to stop eating meat because in reality its almost impossible to control what you eat. Meat is a very important part of my diet and I usually don’t feel satisfied when its not part of my meals. Its hard for me to have a meal that is strictly made up of vegetables so I usually have to have some sort of beef, pork, lamb or chicken. Basically, I’m trying to say that since meat has always been part of my diet it would be very hard to just eliminate it, especially foods like cheeseburgers. In King Korn, we learned that the cows were being fed corn as appose to grass. The more industrialized food becomes, the harder it is to regulate, because it always comes down to money and demand. Companies wouldn’t be able to afford to feed cows a healthy diet because it would take longer to plump them up. For along time cows have been fed foods that would help them grow faster and get fatter. In order to do that companies usually feed them things that aren’t safe for us to consume. Health wise, this was one of the primary issues brought up but there’s also a moral debate. In Kosher Wars and Consider the Lobster the ethical issue behind the production of foods. Animals get abused and mistreated before they are killed for our enjoyment, and Kosher Wars explains how Kosher meat is specially prepared and killed. In Consider the Lobster David Foster Wallace explains are brutal the process of preparing lobster. In order to cook the lobster it has to be boiled alive which is really sad. I wasn’t a big lobster fan before but after hearing this I think I made up my mind about boiling a live animal. These facts can really change someone’s opinion on foods that they love but personally I think it would be really hard for me to stop eating cheeseburgers or other meat products. At least now I’m more aware of what I’m eating so I think I might limit the amount of fast food meat I consume (even though I couldn’t control myself and had 3 big macs yesterday).

Comment on Blog Post: 1 by rflynn

rflynn — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:59:14 +0000

Every morning after swim practice or working out in the weight room, I walk down Lexington Avenue to the cafe on the corner of 23rd. I order scramble eggs on a bagel and I never really thought about where my breakfast came from or how it got to my plate until taking this class. “King Corn” really opened my eyes to what I was eating. After the movie I began reading labels looking for corn syrup or something related to corn. While it hasn’t stopped me from getting eggs each morning, I often find myself wondering how the chickens who made these eggs were treated. I must admit that the makers of “King Corn” have changed my drinking habits. While I was never a big soda drinker, I used to drink Gatorade all the time at practice. Now that I’ve learned what goes into corn syrup I’ve tried to stay away from drinking products that contain the poison filled substance. The fact that there are chemicals in corn syrup with a hazard label makes me wonder why these products are offered to the public.
Both “Consider the Lobster” and “Kosher Wars” have also made me think about how my food was treated before it was turned into a delicious meal. I also love to eat steak and burgers. I often wonder if the cow that was turned into my burger or steak was forced to eat corn meal and/or packed into small spaces. I wonder if the cow was killed quickly and as painless as possible or if its throat was ripped out like the ones mentioned by David Foster Wallace. Reading about how the Kosher people treat the animal before they kill it makes me feel better about eating Kosher food. I think the Kosher beliefs towards preparing food are more ethical and kinder to the animals. I think I’ll try to eat more Kosher products and stay away from products filled with dangerous ingredients like corn syrup.

Comment on Blog Post: 1 by byaqubie

byaqubie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:36:20 +0000

Being from Middle Eastern decent, food has always been a major part of my culture and daily life. Prior to this class, my only major concern about the food that I was eating was whether the meat I was eating was halal. According to Islamic law, halal meat is meat that has been killed in a certain matter similar to that of kosher meat. After reading the essay “Kosher Wars” I realized that certain Jewish practices are very similar to that of Islamic practices. For example, Muslims are also very cautious about the animals they eat. As Muslims, we are also forbidden from eating certain animals in particular pigs. The pig is considered as simply unhealthy as well as a filthy animal to eat considering a pig will eat anything and is surrounded by an unclean environment. However, similar to Jewish practices animals have to be treated with respect and not abused. When the animal is killed, certain phrases are said which essentially “blesses” the meat and makes it suitable to eat. Living in a non-Islamic country, it has always been difficult to find places which serve/offer halal meat. After reading the essay, I realize that it’s not only difficult for Muslims to find halal meat, but it’s difficult for Jews to find kosher meat as well. It’s somewhat reassuring to know that as Muslims we aren’t the only ones who struggle to practice our beliefs.

During the past two months, I’ve become much more conscientious of the type of food I eat. I’ve realized that a lot of the foods we eat have high amounts of corn syrup, much more than we would ever really imagine. After watching King Corn I’ve realized that nearly all the food we consume in America has traces of corn syrup as an ingredient. These excessive levels of corn syrup have been causing major health concerns, in particular diabetes. Having a strong family history of diabetes, this issue hits close to home knowing how much of an impact living diabetes effects one’s everyday lifestyle. Even though its not necessarily cheaper, I believe that it’s necessary for everyone’s general welfare to start eating healthier foods rather than continuing to eat processed foods.

Comment on Blog Post 1 by byaqubie

byaqubie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:35:05 +0000