Analysis Of Kelsey Timmerman's 'Where Am I Eating?'

I am used to living a very busy life style, so I never paid close attention to where my food was originating from. Usually when I look at my food it is more to find out its nutritional value rather than its origins. After reading Kelsey Timmerman’s “Where Am I Eating?”, it has opened my eyes to some of the horrors of the food industry. Regardless of what I have learned, changing my eating habits would be very challenging, and I do not believe it is entirely necessary. Yes, there are many negatives in the global food economy, but it is not totally corrupt as Timmerman suggests. I believe it would be very difficult to change because of the many misleading food labels, the United States has become unfamiliar with how to produce for the entirety

There are a variety of foods that people believe come from the United States because they have not taken the time to research and broaden their horizons. This makes it very difficult to detect which products are American made and which are imported. Timmerman fell into this misconception himself when he went to China to discover the truth behind apple juice. He said that “the labels going on the apple juice [weren’t] Indian Summer labels…[but] they [were] the labels of a major grocery store chain” (Timmerman 204). It is very hard to believe labels like these because, although they may say “product of the USA”, they may contain other preservatives or concentrates produced in another country. If that is the case, then that product is not solely a “product of the USA” because it has bits and pieces of other countries inside it as well. Without taking the initiative to look into what is going into the food people consume, they will be completely naive and in the dark about these facts. Plato says “the prisoners would in every

Americans have become uncomfortable with producing large amounts of food to feed its people. As a result, they are unable to handle the work load and the harsh working environment that may have to be endured to provide food for the nation. Timmerman explains how “the unemployed U.S workers who stepped into the job lasted less than two weeks…[they] were said to lack the physical stamina and mental toughness to do the job” (Timmerman 209). If the United States relied solely on its own workers, the country may likely starve due to the lack of motivation and skills. Timmerman further explains that regardless of how dangerous their occupation is for example, diving for lobsters in Nicaragua, the workers will continue to pursue their job because of the large amount of money it can bring in. (Timmerman 181) A person risking their life to make decent money shows a drive that perhaps American workers now lack. The United States may have lost this drive when it became comfortable relying on and helping other countries. It has become difficult for America to do the tasks other countries are more accustom to doing. Emerson says to “do your work, and you shall reinforce yourself” but this is not necessarily always true. He is saying to only rely on oneself and not to rely on anyone else. It is okay to seek out help in situations that may not be a strong point. Similarly, I have