When did eating become an act of necessity rather than an enjoyable experience? When did people stop taking pride in their ability to prepare a healthy, flavorful meal? When did people stop regarding their food as an agricultural product and begin seeing it as the product of a cardboard box or grocery store shelf? Wendell Berry’s essay asks these questions and more as he tackles issues relating to modern food and agricultural production. He describes the average American as a passive consumer; “sitting down to a meal of pre-prepared or fast food, confronted by a platter of inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, dyed, breaded, sauced, gravied, ground, pulped, strained, blended, prettified and sanitized beyond resemblance to any part of any creature that ever lived.” But, Berry asks, would the consumer be so passive if he or she knew the facts of food production? Berry paints an ugly, albeit extreme, view of production agriculture, and argues that the industrialization of food production is to blame. In order for consumers to escape the trap of passivity, the author suggests that consumers should participate in food production to the extent that they are able. This can be accomplished by growing a small garden, purchasing food from local growers, and learning as much as possible about your food and the way it’s produced.
Discussion questions:
Why and how has the role of eating changed in our society?
Do people really care about the details of food production, and if not, why?
No comments:
Post a Comment