Around the world, America is commonly associated with and recognized for being a nation of consumption and over consumption. Amongst America’s biggest imports and exports, the agriculture lands a spot in the top twenty industries of the nation. In addition, America is also notorious for having the sentiment regarding food as being the bigger it is the better it is. These factors, especially the latter, are frequently mentioned in Ozeki’s novel and eventually play as a considerable influencer in the plot. These consequences are especially true when the story’s own heroine discovers the impact that the meat industry has had on her own body. The novel begins with Jane, a young female film director and documentarian who receives a job offer working
Through the period of 1865-1900, America’s agriculture underwent a series of changes .Changes that were a product of influential role that technology, government policy and economic conditions played. To extend on this idea, changes included the increase on exported goods, do the availability of products as well as the improved traveling system of rail roads. In the primate stages of these developing changes, farmers were able to benefit from the product, yet as time passed by, dissatisfaction grew within them. They no longer benefited from the changes (economy went bad), and therefore they no longer supported railroads. Moreover they were discontented with the approach that the government had taken towards the situation.
“Don’t Blame the Eater” is an article by David Zinczenko that explains to Americans, specifically overweight young Americans, about the risks eating at fast food restaurants and its cause of affecting one’s health. In his article, he tries to address the issue about America’s food industries by using literal devices such as tone, logos, ethos, diction, and organization in order to spread his message. He begins his article by addressing the topic and as he continues writing, he supports his topic by writing about personal experience and moves onto the reasons why his topic in a serious issue. Although he shows an overall clear progress, he does tend to have a few problems with his writing that could be improved.
The Meat Inspection Act of 1906 was a result of Theodore Roosevelt reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Roosevelt was suspicious of Sinclair’s socialist attitude and its conclusions so he sent the labor commissioner and a social worker to Chicago to make surprise visits to meat packaging facilities. Even when some of the packaging plants tried to clean up the plant before the men came the two men were disgusted at the conditions at the plants and the lack of concern by plant managers. Following the report from these men President Roosevelt became a supporter of meat packaging regulation. This act stated that the USAD will inspect meat processing plants that conduct business in interstate commerce. There were 3 regulations: 1. Mandatory inspections
The 1920's was a time of change in the United States. “The Roaring Twenties” had an outstanding impact on the economy, social standards and everyday life. It was a time for positive results in the industry of consumer goods and American families, because of higher wages, shorter working hours, and manufacturing was up 60% in consumer goods. But it was also a time of adversity and opposition for others, such as immigrants and farmers. Immigrants had lots of competition when they were looking for work and they weren't treated fairly by Americans, depending on where they came from and what they believed. Farmers were paid very little because the price of food kept going down, they also had the Dust Bowl to worry about. African Americans became further infused with mainstream America during the Harlem Renaissance. They were also able to organize and elect officials who would make life better for them. The Roaring Twenties was a very exciting time to live in and we can all learn what the real world is like, and how we can prepare to be ready for it, today and in the future.
Throughout the essay, Berry logically progresses from stating the problem of the consumer’s ignorance and the manipulative food industry that plays into that ignorance, to stating his solution where consumers can take part in the agricultural process and alter how they think about eating in order to take pleasure in it. He effectively uses appeals to emotion and common values to convince the reader that this is an important issue and make her realize that she needs to wake up and change what she is doing. By using appeals to pathos, logos, and ethos, Berry creates a strong argument to make his point and get people to change how they attain and eat food.
Berry does not hesitate in using harsh words and metaphors like “the hamburger she is eating came from a steer who spent much of his life standing deep in his own excrement in a feedlot”(Berry 10). This provokes the readers to feeling horrible about industrial eating. He uses our pride while pointing to the lies of the make-up of industrial foods. He plays on human self-preservation when writing about chemicals in plants and animals which is out of the consumer’s control. He tries to spark a curiosity and enthusiasm, describing his own passion of farming, animal husbandry, horticulture, and gardening.
In the novel, The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood, the principal character Marian McAlpine establishes a well-integrated and balanced personality by rejecting the domination of social conventions, and conquering her own passivity. Through this process to self-awareness, Atwood uses imagery and symbolism to effectively parallel Marian’s journey and caricatures to portray the roles of the ‘consuming’ society.
In the early twentieth century, at the height of the progressive movement, “Muckrakers” had uncovered many scandals and wrong doings in America, but none as big the scandals of Americas meatpacking industry. Rights and responsibilities were blatantly ignored by the industry in an attempt to turn out as much profit as possible. The meat packers did not care if poor working conditions led to sickness and death. They also did not care if the spoiled meat they sold was killing people. The following paper will discuss the many ways that rights and responsibilities were not being fulfilled by the meat packing industry.
Our current system of corporate-dominated, industrial-style farming might not resemble the old-fashioned farms of yore, but the modern method of raising food has been a surprisingly long time in the making. That's one of the astonishing revelations found in Christopher D. Cook's "Diet for a Dead Planet: Big Business and the Coming Food Crisis" (2004, 2006, The New Press), which explores in great detail the often unappealing, yet largely unseen, underbelly of today's food production and processing machine. While some of the material will be familiar to those who've read Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" or Eric Schlosser's "Fast-Food Nation," Cook's work provides many new insights for anyone who's concerned about how and what we eat,
One of the most shocking books of the generation is Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation. The novel includes two sections, "The American Way" and "Meat and Potatoes,” that aid him in describing the history and people who have helped shape up the basics of the “McWorld.” Fast Food Nation jumps into action at the beginning of the novel with a discussion of Carl N. Karcher and the McDonald’s brothers. He explores their roles as “Gods” of the fast-food industry. Schlosser then visits Colorado Springs and investigates the life and working conditions of the typical fast-food industry employee. Starting out the second section, Schlosser travels to the western side of Colorado to examine the effects presented to the agriculture world in the new economy. Following Schlosser’s journey across the nation, he leads everything up to slaughterhouses and the main supply of income for fast food franchises – the meat. After visiting the meat industries in America, Schlosser explores the expansion of fast food around the eastern hemisphere – including the first McDonalds in Germany. Throughout Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser presents in his point of view and informative tone, a detailed disscussion of the conditions using various examples imagry and flowing diction/syntax to help support and show his audience the reasoning behind the novel.
Those in charge of the acts created by the story have had their funding slashed dramatically over the past century, to the point that their work is almost obsolete compared to that of the USDA. The 1960’s and 70’s also saw a radical change in the American belief in business. Private business became America’s choice, and emphasis on big business saw a decline (Andrews). With this decline, there was no longer strict enforcement or monitoring of large-scale business activity. For these reasons, laws involving the meat industry were no longer strictly enforced until the creation of the USDA (“Food Safety Regulation”). Despite even the creation of a multi-dimensional federal service that covers all food of the United States; budgets have still been cut concerning food safety. Outbreaks involving diseased food, even if it is not necessarily meat, are still common with all of the technology utilized today. Though The Jungle may have a had a large impact on business right after its publication, that positive impact has faded away over time, and the only reason for change within the meat industry is due to innovations in health and science
Imagine life today without sizzling steaks, favorite burger spots, or the smell of a roasting Thanksgiving day turkey. For some people, the idea is a lot easier to stomach than it is for others. As society continues to grow and advance, more people are opting for a diet that does not include meat because they are beginning to see the consequences of the ever-growing meat industry as an impending issue that can no longer be dismissed. Meat is a resource that has integrated itself into the lives of humans since the beginning, perhaps suggesting how the idea of letting it go is unimaginable to those who enjoy it. And because of meat’s extensive relationship in human survival, meat is viewed and used as a crucial dietary staple in the lives of
The meat industry today is not what it was nearly a century ago. While improvements are thought to have been made, an ever changing society has brought upon new problems that have been piled on to the previously existing ones. While these problems are not like those found in The Jungle, they do parallel how by exposing what is going on in the meat industry; new regulations would be the answer to the noted problems. The increased demand for meat has made it a rushed mutated production instead of a means to raise livestock for consumers. Taking into consideration the demand for cheap meat that will be used for in quick and high demanded products such as frozen and fast food, this demand of meat has greatly skyrocketed. Animals whose sole purpose is for the public consumption of its meat have become nothing than just an input in a function for productivity. Days where natural fed, free roaming cattle was the source of meat is long lost and a manufactured corporation has been founded instead. This new type of manufactured meat has changed the ways of norms in the livestock world to a mass, tight storage production. Natural meat grown without all these new initiatives is now a rarity. The ways of natural meat to come to the table are limited to organic meat which is expensive and hard to find.
American culture is changing dramatically. In some areas it’s a good thing, but in other areas, like our food culture, it can have negative affects. It is almost as if our eating habits are devolving, from a moral and traditional point of view. The great America, the land of the free and brave. The land of great things and being successful, “living the good life.” These attributes highlight some irony, especially in our food culture. Is the American food culture successful? Does it coincide with “good living”? What about fast and processed foods? These industries are flourishing today, making record sales all over the globe. People keep going back for more, time after time. Why? The answer is interestingly simple. Time, or in other words, efficiency. As people are so caught up in their jobs, schooling, sports, or whatever it may be, the fast/processed food industries are rapidly taking over the American food culture, giving people the choice of hot
Consumption of meat is often associated with well industrialised countries all around the world compared to developing countries. The major determinant of meat consumption in the population is mainly wealth; the higher average per capita income of a country, the higher the consumption of meat. This has become a trend in most big countries in the world, as example, America (Daniel et al., 2011). People in industrialised countries, where they are capable to afford to consume meat products, find there are five main criteria to determine the eating quality of meat products. They are tenderness, juiciness, taste, appearance, and odour (Takahashi, 1996). One of the criteria that will be highlighted in this review is tenderness. Tender meat is appreciated at higher value of money compared to non tender meat. As explained by Chambaz (2003), Angus and Limousin beef meat which were sensory tested and approved as the tenderest meat was appraised and was able to assure consumers to pay them at higher price compared to Simmental beef meat products which is less tender. This is a critical and significant point to be noted by meat industries of what consumers prefer. Ability of meat industries to produce tender meat with conventional, moderate, or advanced technology will determine the revenue as it influences consumers’ choice directly.