Author Michael Pollan says "Cheap food is an illusion" about halfway through the film Fresh. Using evidence from the film and your own experience, do you agree with him? Why or why not?
Please post your responses by class on Tuesday, November 27.
Here's a link to the film: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8gyP_Zr4xebNW84dndfbHBVN00
Cheap food is, in fact, an illusion. From personal experience, I have seen that cheap food TRIES to look and smell and taste like its more expensive substitutes. While having some similar traits, the cheaper food is not the more expensive, fresher food, and lacks nutrients. Most cheap foods are made to serve, as the film says, America’s only fear. Inconvenience. Restaurants such as Burger King, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, etc use this to their advantage. Knowing that Americans are impatient and that fresh food takes longer to make, they exploit this and give Americans cheap, fake food. In the film, they discuss how fresh, real food takes effort. Merely glancing into kitchens in fast-food restaurants and seeing their effortless assembly line for what would be a burger, tells you all you need to know. Why cheap food is an illusion is shown through its tastes and identical looks and feels to real food. A cheap burger may look like a real burger, but in reality, it is just a blob of...who knows. It does not have the same care or nutrients in it to be worth eating.
ReplyDeleteI agree that cheap food is an illusion because it truly isn’t “real food” and it has no nutritional value. According to the video cheap food is made to serve people quickly. All of the restaurants I think of when I think “cheap food” are relatively unhealthy and are just empty calories. I think of McDonalds, Wendys, Taco Bell, Burger King, and KFC. The foods they serve are made very quickly and usually fried. The cheap foods give you nothing besides satisfaction and weight gain.
ReplyDeleteCheap food is an illusion because although your body may feel satisfied and full, but you are given none of the healthy nutrients that your body needs. This food that is given in different fast food restaurants and in some big chain supermarkets is not quality and probably comes from meat that has fallen victim to industrialized farming. This way of farming creates meat that has continually received antibiotics for treating diseases and has been fed food that is not evolutionarily something that they eat. Although this is cheaper, and therefor may be more popular, it is not the healthiest option for your body and only an illusion of being nutritious. Cheap food can make one feel full, but they are full of empty calories and nutrients. This food just stays and is added weight put on as your can't absorb very many nutrients from within it. Sustainable farming is much better because there is no antibiotics within the meat and they are able to graze and eat as they are supposed to. This is super beneficial to your body, and although it costs a little more, your body will end feeling full, and actually will be full.
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ReplyDeleteI agree that cheap food truly is an illusion. I think this because the food that is cheap has been given cheap feed and tons and tons of injections to make sure that the animals do not get sick because they are industrial bread and raised together. I feel like its just like the other YouTube video we had previously watched and how humanity has bread crops to become bigger and to be able to harvest them quicker but they have lost the nutritional value that they had originally had. I feel that the same has happened to us and our cheap food. Its all been over treated rather than raised the correct way to get the true nutrients that we are supposed to get from food. In turn, cheap food tastes almost the same and can fill us up but it does not not give us the nutritional values that we would get from food that is more expensive but naturally raised.
ReplyDeleteCheap food can certainly be an illusion, and truly cheap food is not cheap in the way we would expect. When all components of what goes into making food is considered, the least expensive food is usually the most expensive in terms of the environment. Whether that be because of the lack of nutrients in the food itself or the unhappiness/ pain animal and plant wise during the process, a lot of cheap food uses not so cheap methods to make it. The documentary fresh tries to show that home farmed and organic-like foods, while more expensive, are much cheaper when it comes to more nutrients and the environment itself. From personal experience I have to agree and I believe it relates a lot to the saying “there is no such thing as free food”, which means that someone or something had to give something up to get you that food even if you did not. These two ideas I think carry the same idea, that all foods have their processes and you should not only be aware of them, but also know that the price you pay for an item is not always the most important part.
ReplyDeleteSolid, Dylan--I like how you're taking the word "cheap" in a different direction than the monetary.
DeleteI believe that cheap food is an illusion. Cheap food diminished nutritional value and made food more cheap with industrialization. While farm fresh and organic produce cost a few cents more than non-organic produce, we are gaining the nutrients we need and helping the environment. Industries strive to be faster, bigger, and cheaper but harm humans and the environment while doing so. We have become so obsessed with productivity that we become unaware of facing the consequences. If our food loses nutritional value when processed, why continue to do it when it is not even the cheapest method? We let price get in the way of our health when our health should really be our top priority.
ReplyDeleteI believe that cheap food is an illusion, if you are eating at a fast food restaurant such as Wendy's or McDonalds their food has no true nutritional value whatsoever. The meat that the provide to people is very processed and raised poorly giving it no nutrition or benefits to whoever is consuming it. People in the United States will go for whatever is cheaper leading them to eat more fast food than organic food from a grocery store. The reason I think organic food may be a little more expensive is because of the way it is raised and taken care of. Whereas cheap food and meats are raised very poorly and even though you are saving money the toll it takes on your body is not worth it. So yes, I do agree cheap food is an illusion
ReplyDeleteI took a lot of information from the video we watched in class, but it didn't fully convince me that cheap food is an illusion. There are a multitude of reasons that it is bad for you, everyone has knowledge of that. Obviously an excessive amount of fast food can take a toll on your health, that's why you have to be smart about what you eat. Depending on what restaurants we put under the fast food category, you can judge from there. I would consider Chipotle fast food, but I wouldn't necessarily consider that bad for you. If you look at what ingredients they use, and how they prepare their food, you would see that it isn't exactly bad for you. Mcdonalds on the other hand is totally different, that's what I would consider an illusion. Although most fast food restaurants preparation process isn't the best, this doesn't include every fast food chain. When speaking on organic foods, I believe that they are definitely better for you, it just comes down to the price tag, and if a company can save money knowing the consumers are still willing to buy, they'll purchase whatever is fastest and cheapest.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Joey--you're zigging when others are zagging. Chipotle is an intriguing exception--is it marketing or is it actually better? For years, consumers thought Subway was good for them because the chain did such a good job of convincing us that what they did was "fresh."
DeleteI completely agree that cheap food is an illusion because even though you are physically spending less money your also lacking all of the nutrients. In order to make food cheaper we strip out the nutrients. Yes the cheap food saves us money but the food is unhealthy which would make health problems later on in life. Sickness is also not cheap so we may not be spending a lot of money now but we could be in the future on our medical needs. If we were to spend the extra money on organic or even foods that are less processed we would be saving our selves money in the long run as well as receiving the beneficial nutrients that comes in the food.
ReplyDeleteI agree that cheap food is an illusion because for what you are saving in money, you are losing in health. It's more cost effective to get the two dollar steak that was fed grain and meat, or you could pay a little more for a cow who lived on a pasture and grazed grass. What is the point of getting a cheaper meal, if your medical bill is going to be one hundred times the cost. In the movie they talked about how industrial farming isn't even profitable until the one millionth sail. Not including all the injections you'll have to provide to keep them healthy. It's easier to naturally farm, it helps nature, it helps feed the people, it helps the cows to live a good life.
ReplyDeleteI agree that cheap food is an illusion. You may be paying 3$ for a burger which some might consider as “cheap” but you are putting unhealthy and possibly contaminated things in your body and you are indirectly contributing to the growing problems that the environment is facing including manure pollution, and bad soil. Which interestingly enough both problems can be fixed with each other. The manure from animals helps fertilize the soil, fixing both problems. You found a place to but the manure that doesn’t pollute the earth and you’ve solved the unfertilized soil problem. Unfortunately because big coorpoartaions have taken over the farming industry this does not happen. Instead they feed the animals antibiotics and other bad toxins, they spray crops with pesticides, ultimately depleting the food. There have been multiple outbrakes of disease including E.coli and mad cow disease. This is not okay. It is unfair to the farmers, the consumers and the animals. People need to be educated and they need to care for change to happen.
ReplyDeleteGood--you're making connections with the evidence here, connecting Salatin to Pollan.
DeleteI agree with Micheal Pollan, just the other day we had a contamination of E.Coli In Roma Lettuce. I believe that it would be in our best interest to turn to alternative, more ethical methods of processing our food instead of using what we have today. My only concern with a more organic method is the amount of land that would have to be used in order to give animals a more comfortable lifestyle. We already use a big portion of land for crops as it stands, but I believe that there are methods to prevent an overpopulation of livestock. Even with this concern, a organic method of livestock would be a more cost efficient way for farmers to sell their food. All of the chemicals that are used in our modern industrial method of processing food are both too economically costly and unhealthy. The more we think about these sorts of dilemmas the better humanity will be in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statement made in this video that "Cheap food is an illusion". Fast food at places like McDonald's may seem like a good deal because it can fill you up for a low cost, however it lacks some of the nutritional values that more expensive organic food can offer. I think this is what the speaker in the video was getting at with his statement and I completely agree. Many people may think that they are getting a good deal just because the food is inexpensive, but they fail to realize that there is a cost to your health if you constantly choose fast food over the healthier options just to save money.
ReplyDelete"Americans fear inconvenience." This is the sad truth about "cheap food" in our country. We just want the food, and only concern ourselves with how it looks and how it tastes with no further thought into what it takes for the farmer to meet our demands. Naturally, no one likes to believe, or admit, that harmful additives are going into the foods we eat. The idea of antibiotics and pesticides being injected or sprayed into our meat and plants is disturbing to say the least. The most troubling thing about what I learned from this documentary is that, in our high-tech modern society, there are ways to sustain organic agriculture that would actually prove more sustainable for consumer demands than Industrial Agriculture but for some reason, we aren't putting this into practice. Why?
ReplyDeleteAnother key point to the film is that cheap food ultimately has a cost somewhere and with only three firms processing 80% of our meat, we can almost count on paying for this somewhere in upcharges. Last and worst, the cost to our health. It's mind-numbingly revolting to think about how twisted and ass backwards the processes of our food standards work in this country. Think about it, lets dump poison into our foods, then lets deny people health care needed to repair and recover from the poison that has mutated cells in their bodies.
Disgusting.
I love the fire in the voice here, Brittny.
DeleteCheap food is definitely an illusion to our society. We put unhealthy chemicals in our crops to help them grow faster that way we can harvest them at a rapid rate, like it was said in the documentary Fresh. We are more attracted to something that is quick and cheap, like fast food because it takes less than 20 minutes. If we can grab it and go, then it is the perfect thing for our routine. However at the same time, it is very harmful for our bodies because it is greasy and you do not reap any benefits. It is a huge illusion that can turn out to be dangerous, and society is okay with it because it is cheap and convenient.
ReplyDeleteI agree cheap food is an illusion in our society. People in America want something fast and cheap. The only way to do that is by using chemicals in our crops to help them grow faster. Fast food is extremely appealing to us because its insanely fast and doesn't mean any effort to us. We are able to 100 percent just go in, grab it really fast and run out. It would fit in with peoples schedules so much easier. This idea is used so much by our society, but people over look how much this can harm our bodies. There are documentaries out there that prove constant eating at fast food restaurants hurts your body. It is extremely greasy and full of carbs. I am prone to eating out a lot too, but it is harmful to our bodies. Our society is ok with this thought because of how fast and covenant it is, making it a huge illusion to all of us.
ReplyDeleteThe irony in all this speed is that we want things fast so we can get back to work in order to make money to pay for this "cheap" food.
DeleteI agree with the statement, “Cheap food is an illusion”. I find that cheap equals low quality, in terms of nutrition. The cheap food will often taste great, like some nice McDonald’s chicken nuggets, but we all know that the quality of ingredients and nutrition at McDonalds isn’t great. Unfortunately, we live in a system where higher quality healthy foods equate to higher prices. This has caused a horrific rate of heart disease, heart attacks, and obesity in the United States. I think “Fresh” really helps the audience understand how this system has come to be. Monocultures play a huge roll in this unhealthy and cheap system. These monocultures do not focus on quality but rather quantity. This quote from “Fresh” points this out: “That’s the way the system works, you grow the most to survive.” On the bright side, “Fresh” illustrates to the audience the organic and local movement. Growing your own organic food and buying from local sources is very beneficial to your community and your health.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the statement, “Cheap food is a illusion” and its kinda surprising how profound the statement actually was. Basically, what’s he said was, that all food comes from somewhere. They said in the movie that the cheap food might be cheap to us but it puts farmers out of business so we lose all the natural stuff. Instead of pigs being free range and dealing with their waste over a wide spread area, you have a bunch of pigs in a factory who are literally sitting in their own waste. Another good example they gave was that the “real price of food might not be paid over the counter, it might be paid in the environment and health”. They also said that fertilizer from factory animals isn’t good at all because it has a bunch of chemicals and hormones in it so they basically created a pollution problem where there wasn’t one. So, it might take longer and cost a little more but buying fresh, organic stuff is actually more beneficial than I once thought.
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