Omnivore's Dilemma: Food Post 1

Omnivore's Dilemma: Blog 1

When I look at this book, the first thing that strikes me is the title. The introduction to the book ties in nicely with the title in bringing out attention to two main questions; where does our food come from, and what should we eat? The comparison of us, omnivores, to that of specialty eaters like the Koala, draws our attention to the question "what we should eat?". In the introduction it states how "the koala doesn't have to worry about what to eat" but that for omnivores "a vast amount of of brain space is and time must be devoted to to figuring out which of all the many potential dishes nature lays on are safe to eat". When thinking about the specific causes of anxiety when deciding what to eat, these descriptions immediately sparked many ideas as to peoples' anxiety; I often thought that it might simply be deciding between how much to eat and choosing the food that provides the most satisfaction, but I never thought of the evolutionary aspect of deciding between safe and unsafe foods as main cause of our anxiety. 

With thought going into what we should eat, that leaves us with the question "where does our food come from?". In The Omnivore's Dilemma, there are three principal food chains: the industrial, the organic, and the hunter-gatherer. Despite the variations in these three food chains, it is important to note they all have more or less the same purpose of channeling energy up the food chain. While the organic and hunter-gatherer food chains are marvels in their own respective way, it is interesting to focus on the industrial food chain when seeking a reason as to why no-one really seems to dig too deeply into the question of where our food comes from anymore. With leaps in innovation in processing food, it is difficult to trace the exact roots of ingredients that exist in some way or form in the modern days industrial food chain and as a result, some of us are dissuaded from finding the origins of what we're eating. Yet with all the health standards set about today, this got me thinking as to why people are simply resorting to the processed and artificial foods instead of the healthy and organic ones. Although I try to stay health conscious, I admit that I too have given in and often lean towards foods without thinking where it even comes from or what's in it. Prices, tastes and physical appeal are what I can think of as significant reasons, but I hope to learn more as to why I subconsciously pick the industrial food chain over the organic when they can often provide me with the same utility.

What I found the most interesting about the first chapter, was the fact that regardless of which question we ask or answer, the answers are often ecologically connected. I would never have imagined how many of our daily food products contain at least some traces of corn. As I think of more and more foods, and how they all relate back to the simple kernel of corn, I'm amazed at the abundance of corn in even our extremely processed and artificial of foods. In some way it makes sense because growth revolves around the transfer of energy from sun, to earth and life; that makes me wonder, what else can be a root of so many things today?