I have been hearing about watching Food, Inc for quite some time now. I really want to finish The Omnivore's Dilemma first though. My husband, who is not a reader by any means, has found interest in the sound of the passages I've read and wants to now watch Food, Inc too. So I am hurrying my reading, but not wanting to miss anything important.
Last night I read a passage, in the chapter about the Fast Food Meal, where Michael took his family to McDonald's in the purpose of research. Undoubtedly, his wife was reluctant to go, and his son was on cloud nine with the idea. Sounds like the usual family trip to me. My own husband and daughter practice the puppy eyes on me so that we may skip another roasted chicken and peas dinner for a moment for the convenience meal.
It broke my heart, turned my stomach and even made me question my parenting to READ some of the 38 ingredients in the McDonald's Chicken Nuggets. The favorite of my daughter and I with each trip. (Rare trips, less then once a month.) Now, I could not pronounce half of them, but it was extremely clear that most were just processed corn and food additives. They seemed no different then any of the other quick meal junk food out there. That was until I saw the line about Butane! The gas I used to fill my lighters with when I smoked. The smell filled my nose as I remembered what the stuff was. Then the thought of it ending my mouth, my veins or my child's stomach?!
All this disgust and outrage I am feeling is pointed at myself however, as I have chose to be ignorant through all this. Like most Americans I didn't question what was going on. I didn't question my government and their policies according to my food... and I surely didn't think to listen to our farmers when they were crying unfair, and going broke trying to stick to policies we shouldn't have. Though I am sure I will read more I don't agree with in the book, and be shocked twice over when I watch Food, Inc... I am choosing to no longer be in the dark.
"Ignorance is no excuse!"
The book goes into much more detail than Food, Inc but it does give you the visuals of what the animals go through. I'm so thankful to live in a place where I know how the animals are treated and what they are feed before they nourish us.
ReplyDeleteI think the visuals are what my husband needs the most. To really get things to sink in. He's not as overly concerned with such things as I am, but he recycles without asking me (in fact he started before me), he insisted on planting fruit trees which he states are his, and he remembers to fertilize, prune and water everything that is 'his' in the yard. Yet 2 years ago had 'NO' interest in gardening. He's come so far, I'm so proud of him. I hate being the one to make him realize the government is actually contaminating our food supply over costs... they are working more like part of an industry rather then a government! *grrrr* But I will leave my vents for the blog. Today is too nice a day to think about it. Today I am going plant more spinach and cabbage instead! :D
ReplyDeleteI typed out this long response, and my connection went down. Sigh. Anyway, I don't do fast food, adn I don't take my children. I allow other to take them upon occasion, but that is it. I don't think that is food, and I would rather go without. I have been criticised for this. Obviously, your research validates my opinion on this (again). YUCCH
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I recall my family used to take me to these places all the time. But. I remember there was a point when I noticed the food began to taste exactly like what it was made of. I'm furious these companies are allowed to do what they do and even package it as quality. The "new all-white meat chicken nuggets" is just the same old crap but /bleached/. They made it MORE unhealthy but sell it as if white meat is SO much healthier for kids this way. I had some recently and you can even TASTE the bleach on it. BLECH. It's disgusting and I fear the only reason I taste it was I hadn't had it in YEARS. Any of it. I worked for checkers for a while but it was disgusting. Just WORKING at those places makes your health take a rapid decline. Grease everywhere, even in the air. It caused me so many infections it was costing me more money than I was making.
ReplyDeleteThis turned out to be a life changing fabulous read! I bake some not so healthy stuff for a living, but I use real ingredients, and I use my own home grown foods in most cases. I rather eat a double dose of sugar in my stuff, then ever eat what the USDA deems as ok these days! There is NO McDonalds allowed in this house!!!
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