Even Fish Eat Corn – The Omnivore’s Dilemma #2
A few weeks ago, I said that I would need a good reason to become a vegetarian. After my reading this weekend, I am moving in that direction. Chapters 4 (I read 2-4) was, frankly, more horrifying than I expected it to be.
This part of the book explains why corn is everywhere. There is a lot of explanation about economics and agriculture, which will probably fascinate you if you decide to read the book, but, in a nutshell, farmers are paid a subsidy by the federal government for every bushel of corn they produce. Quality doesn’t matter, and neither does demand; in fact, it costs farmers more to grow the corn than the corn is worth, but they keep producing it so they do not go bankrupt, because they rely on the subsidy. This is dramatically oversymplifying the matter, and it makes it sound as though the farmers are at fault for the resulting ethical and environmental atrocities caused by this system, but Pollan clearly explains that the culpability should actually be directed higher up the “food chain,” to politicians and wealthy lobbyists in the agricultural and food production industry.
Because farmers are paid to produce as much corn as they possibly can, there is a lot more corn being grown than any of us could possibly use. In order to get rid of it all, corn gets processed and pumped into everything, even into farmed salmon! Chapter 4 explains how corn is used to feed cattle, animals who normally are grass eaters. Their bodies are not made for digesting corn, so they get sick – no worries, though, they are also pumped up with antibiotics to keep them from “giving out” before they are fat enough to go to market. Also, they are fed all sorts of scary things, including rendered cow fat – you heard that right, these animals are still being forced to be cannibals, even though we have learned that mad cow disease can be caused by feeding infected cow parts to other cows.
Also, these animals are fattened up as quickly as possible, before their digestive systems or other organs can give out. Pollan quotes a cattle rancher’s explanation:
“In my grandfather’s time, cows were four or five years old at slaughter,” Rich explained. In the fifties, when my father was ranching, it was two or three years old. Now we get there at fourteen to sixteen months.” Fast food, indeed. What gets a steer from 80 to 1,000 pounds in fourteen months is tremendous quantities of corn, protein and fat supplements, and an arsenal of new drugs.”
Oh, God. None of us should be eating this food, regardless of how inexpensive it is. I kept putting this book down all weekend because it was making me too upset. I don’t think this book talks about the other meat industries, but now I want to know all about what we are eating, and whether it is ethical for us to be eating it (he does say that . This is not just about health or physical aesthetics anymore – I want to make the food industry stop doing what they are doing, because it is plain wrong. I am paraphrasing Pollan here when I say that, unless and until I forget what I have read, I don’t see myself purchasing meat processed in this manner any time soon. I’m afraid to drink the milk, too, and I’m especially concerned about my daughter drinking it.
Other posts about The Omnivore’s Dilemma:
Post 1: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
Post 2: Even Fish Eat Corn
Post 3: Junk Food is Cheap Food
Post 4: Global Garden
Post 5: I Have a Garden. What’s Next, Chickens?
Post 6: Chickens and Pigs
Post 7: Honestly Priced Food
Post 8: Squash is not Poisonous
Post 9: Hunting, Vegetarians, and Animal Kindness
Post 10: Mysterious Mushrooms
Finish reading Pollan’s book all the way through before you decide you want to become vegetarian. If this is like the Young Reader’s edition, he discusses his own debate about going veg himself. And he comes up with a pretty convincing argument for not going veg. I don’t think going veg is the answer. I disagree with how these animals have been treated. It is wrong and I don’t know why other people don’t realize it. Many people don’t know how their food has been raised and they don’t want to know. One person wrote to me that she’d rather stay in ignorance. Well, ignorance is bliss, I guess, but knowledge is empowering. I used to think buying organic was a waste of money (mostly because it was so much more expensive). But now that I’m not buying processed foods or as much meat, I can afford to buy more organic foodstuffs.
This book is eye-opening, and if people don’t have time to read it, I recommend reading the kid’s version for a quicker read. I plan to read the full version myself as well, but I’m reading Fast Food Nation currently. Maybe I’ll put it on hold, or read both.
I think the hardest part is convincing other family members to change with you, especially children. My pediatrician keeps saying that if the kids are hungry they will eat what you give them, but that hasn’t happened yet in my family. Some of my kids will hold out for the longest time until they get food they like. It’s my own fault because I didn’t encourage healthier eating earlier.
Saying that voting with your dollars is futile is like saying that going to the polling station doesn’t count! I think voting with money (and telling others about why you don’t buy certain products) is very important.
Thank you for calling me on that, Michelle. I guess this book is making me feel rather jaded and insignificant. You are right – voting with my dollars is very important.
Here is what I have been thinking: Theoretically speaking, we each get one vote at the polls, and all votes count equally. My choice not to purchase corn-fed beef seems futile in the way that placing one vote for the American Idol winner seems to be a waste of time because that show allows people to vote for two hours as many times as they want to, and the calls are free.
I will still make better choices in the market, but some people vote against me three times a day at the fast food joint, others once a week in the grocery store. Also, because many families cannot afford to go organic, they will continue to eat the “bad” beef even if they would rather eat the better stuff. Farm subsidies will likely continue, regardless of whether Democrats or Republicans control Congress, and we will keep on over-producing corn.
However, I can share what I am learning with the people I am close to. Also, I DO have this blog, and maybe my posts will sway a few people who otherwise would not notice Pollan’s books.
I think it will take more than voting with dollars to effect a permanent change. Really what needs to happen is more education to the people so they know why change is important. That means, vote with your dollar (because it helps even if it’s just a drop in the bucket), then also spread the word, like Jamie is doing. When people know why they need to change, they will be more motivated to choose differently. This has worked some as big businesses have gone organic and turned to sustainable energy choices.
I understand now too, and I didn’t before. I do feel as though my “vote” is kind of futile in the scheme of things, though – what are we going to do with all of that corn? (Maybe we can fuel our cars, but this doesn’t seem likely any time soon.) I think we are going to go back to the old way of using beef for celebrations, and making sure it is 100% grass fed – I am having a problem finding too much of that here, though.
We’re doing the same thing. We haven’t had beef since mid-March, and one of my kids asked when we could make stroganoff again (it’s one of his favorite dishes). I’ll buy it when I’m ready to make it, but I can’t afford to keep it on hand like I used to when I bought whatever beef was on sale.
This is very much echoed within Food Inc. It advocates “voting” with our purchases. Don’t buy stuff that is produced from these horrific processes. I completely understand why organic things cost so much more now.