Introduction
I have created this blog for a class at Cornell University called "Having a Lot on Our Plates: An Introduction to the Sociology of Food and Nutrition." The posts on this blog will consist mostly of...
View ArticleThe Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 4: The Feedlot
Michael Pollan discusses in this chapter of The Omnivore's Dilemma the great many things that go into feeding and raising livestock (cattle in particular) so that consumers like us can have a...
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The Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 8: All Flesh is Grass
In this chapter of The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan talks about an alternative method of producing food that is being overshadowed by the big, industrial system we have in place to provide...
View ArticleThe Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 11: The Animals
In chapter eleven of The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan focuses on the details of how Polyface Farm raises its animals. Industrial farming runs on the basis of producing extremely large quantities...
View ArticleThe Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 17: The Ethics of Eating Animals
I love eating meat. Steak, hamburger, chicken, turkey, ham, sausage, lamb, etc. you name it, I'll eat it. Reading this chapter of Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma opened my eyes to some things....
View ArticleThe Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 12: Slaughter
In this rather grotesque chapter, Michael Pollan explores and describes in detail the process of slaughtering chickens at Polyface Farm. On processing day at the farm, they gather up a few hundred...
View ArticleSwine Flu
Mike Davis discusses in his article "The Swine Flu Crisis Lays Bare the Meat Industry's Monstrous Power" yet another major problem with the meat production industry. The recent outbreak of the virus...
View ArticleGenetic Engineering
Genetic Engineering in Agriculture: The Myths, Environmental Risks, and Alternatives by Miguel A. Altieri provides a critical view of the false benefits and potential problems of using genetic...
View ArticleAmerican Cuisine
When you think of American food, what first comes to mind? For most people it is probably hamburgers, hot dogs, apple pies, etc. In his article "Eating American," Sidney Mintz analyzes American eating...
View ArticleEating Too Much
In the first chapter of Mindless Eating, Brian Wansink discusses several reasons why people eat more than they should. Surprisingly, what Wansink has found is that the reason we eat so much is not...
View ArticleThe McDonaldization of Society
George Ritzer discusses in his chapter, "The McDonaldization of Society" in Sociological Odyssey, how the process of rationalization has taken over many aspects of human society. Ritzer breaks down...
View ArticleEmergency Food
Sweet Charity by Janet Poppendieck discusses the major issues of hunger and poverty that has been prevalent for some time. She emphasizes the effects of programs such as soup kitchens and food banks...
View ArticleThe Scarcity Fallacy
"The Scarcity Fallacy" by Stephen J. Scanlan, J. Craig Jenkins, and Lindsey Peterson discusses the main causes and issues concerning world hunger. Although popular perceptions of world hunger point to...
View ArticleThe Future of Food
In chapter six of Food: The Key Concepts, Warren Belasco discusses the major complications of the world's food production and consumption, and offers a few scenarios of possible future outcomes. No one...
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