Wendell Berry
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According to Wendell Berry in his article, "The Pleasures of Eating" (1990), there has not only been a marked decline in the life of the small American farmer, as well as other rural life, but also a decline in the quality of food that the average city dweller consumes. He argues that "eating is an agricultural act. Eating ends the annual drama of the food economy that begins with planting and birth" (Berry, 1990, p. 681). Most urban dwellers, however, are so removed from the beginning of the "drama" that they really have no interest in its end. For these people, Berry states, "food is pretty much an abstract idea" (p. 682). He further argues that it is the food industry that has created this separation by consolidating several small farms and ranches into large industrial farms or ranches in an effort to increase volume, push down the cost of food production and so increase their profit. Additionally, Berry (1990) believes that the food industry is increasingly trying to sell the consumer pre-prepared food in an effort to augment their dependency on the food industry. This has created a large segment of the population that is "passive, uncritical and dependent" (p. 682) in regards to their food. Berry asserts that the average person should become more aggressive in regards to their food and their health and he suggests seven ways in which to increase participation in the food cycle. First, he suggests, find a bit of the yard, or a pot in a window a
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e, and that the food industry is more concerned with its production and profit margin than it is the health and welfare of its consumers, who are "captive audience".
The first valid point he makes is in respect to what he calls the "food drama" (Berry, 1990, p. 681). Berry points out that most people, though aware that the food had to be produced somehow, are unaware of the state of the farms, the manner of production, what chemicals were used, or even where the most basic foods have come from (1990). This, indeed, can be shown in some cases where an observer can see what is normally piled into grocery carts at any store at any given time. There are usually more frozen and snack foods than there are fresh fruits and vegetables, which were grabbed quickly and thoughtlessly.
The second valid point Berry makes is in respect to the politics and finances of food. The food industry, he says, wants to make the consumer passive and dependent, and so created prepackaged and prepared foods that make the consumer overlook their price in favor of their efficiency (Berry, 1990). In fact, he accuses the food industry of dressing food up so that the consumer does not think about where it all comes from. Yes, he does have a point since
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1238
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)
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