When we go out to eat, we never think about how our meal got to us in the first place. In a way, it fits together like puzzle pieces. Our meals go through a series of events to end up on a plate in front of us. The average American eats out about four to five times a week. We ingest these meals without thinking of all the additives and harmful chemicals added to the meat to sell for more money.
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High fructose corn syrup is a manmade sweetener used in processed foods.
(http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/high-fructose-corn-syrup.htm)
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This past week in class, I watched "
King Corn"
in class and I learned that many calves are born grass fed then given to feedlots to be held in a small caged lot. In the feedlots, they are fed grains covered in high fructose corn syrup. They have nowhere to go and gain a lot of weight and aren't allowed to roam around like
grass fed cattle. The cattle are forced to trudge around in their own feces for about on average one hundred and twenty days on a grain diet. Cows are known to get stomach ulcers if they are not slaughtered and taken off of the diet. It is more convenient for everyone because they gain weight in less time but they are sold with 9 grams of saturated fat on steak whereas grass fed cattle steak contain 1.3 grams of saturated fat.
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King Corn (2007)
(http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/king-corn-you-are-what-you-eat/)
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From my food journal, I noticed that I eat out a lot. I do not have a very close relationship with the food I consume. I get all of my food from Kroger, a Mexican meat market in town, my backyard, my grandparent's yard and local restaurants here in town. The only immediate everyday connection with my food at home is fruits and vegetables from my backyard and my grandparents' garden. In my backyard, we grow: oranges, plums, limes, tomatoes and jalapeñ
os. In my grandparents' yard, they grow a very vast variety of fruits and vegetables. The main crops we get from them are: cacti, grapefruits, mangoes, pears, peaches, cilantro, mint, limes and my personal favorite loquats. I love almost all fruits and vegetables, I have never been very picky. I would love to visit a local farmer's market for crops that are not in season and we do not grow.
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Loquats grow in bunches. My family and I call them "nisperos" in Spanish.
(http://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/lawn_garden/home_gardening/trees_shrubs/growing-loquats-in-louisiana)
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Another close connection I share with my food is when my dad or uncle go hunting. They process their meat and share it with my family members and at barbecues. They make burgers filled with jalapeños and sausage links with their deer meats. I look forward to this time of year because it is hunting season and we can have more fresh lean meat throughout the end of the year.
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This resembles the packaging.
(http://ronkulas.proboards.com/thread/50/venison-summer-sausage)
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My connection with my meals is a bit half and half but I hope to strengthen it in the near future. I want to make my connection more immediate with my food. I love gardening and producing my own fruits and vegetables. Hopefully, I will get to plant for fruits and vegetables this upcoming spring or summer.
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I want to make gardening a part-time hobby in the near future.
(http://www.blisstree.com/2014/09/25/food/vegan-diet-pros-cons/)
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As a point of clarification, cattle are not fed high fructose corn syrup. That sweetener was created for human consumption. Cattle eat feed high in various types of corn products.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog post, in particular. How interesting that you and your grandparents have access to such a variety of produce and spices. I dream of having all of that. I hate having to buy and pay so much for produce in the grocery store. Also the meat your father and grandfather process. I always say that is the only way I would not eat vegan: If I could have my own meat processed for me and I could know there weren't any harmful additives. Very interesting blog post.
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