Yes, friends. Oprah and I are on some weird Food, Inc. mind-meld. Okay, so really she just re-ran the Food, Inc. episode from January today…but really, apparently great minds think alike. It's just the way it is. Deal. :)
Food 101 with Michael Pollan on Oprah
These screenshots totally crack me up! I love his rules, they are so true and so simple. I almost picked his new book "Food Rules" up today at Target, but I want to read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" first.
Now, about the film. Yes, it kind of grossed me out. Particularly one intentionally (I'm sure) grotesque scene with an overcrowded chicken coop and about 2 dozen dead chickens being piled into a mini-bulldozer. Not pleasant.
Oh, side-note, I have been saving a story from you dear readers. This story happened on our way to the beach. It.was.sick. Okay, so Twig1 says, "Oooo, mommy! Look there are ducks in that truck!". Of course, these were not ducks, but chickens stacked 12 high in a semi-truck. Their wings were poking out every which way, and some of the little doors holding them in were rusted through and hanging on by a thread. Nasty.
As I hurry up and pass the truck, I come upon another semi traveling just in front of the chickens. It was a Perdue Chicken truck with an idyllic pasture scene emblazoned on it. I drove with these trucks for about a mile and saw no less than 3 dead chickens in the middle of the road. Not smushed, not roadkill, they looked like they had just fallen out of a truck and were laying in the road…dead.
After a mile and at least 3 dead chickens they turned left and I continued on. As I passed them, I realized that they were turning into some sort of large-scale chicken operation…exactly like they showed in Food, Inc. Gross! I had a sick to my stomach moment of thinking I'd never eat poultry again. Dead chickens in the middle of the road will do that to you. Yuck. Nasty. Gross.
Okay, so about the movie. I thought it was a little eye-opening, but I had heard a lot of the information before. Reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle really opened my eyes for the first time and included a lot of fantastic information–and it was a better articulated for me. It would be a good introduction to these ideas for someone who had never thought about the food they put in their bodies.
I think the thing I need now is some practical ideas of how to assimilate into a whole foods lifestyle in a way that works for our family. I think another book will kick-start my interest and motivate me further–especially since the farmers market season is starting up again! Now I just need my local library to email me with a notice that The Omnivore's Dilemma is ready for me to pick up.
What did you guys think about the movie? Thoughts? Other articles we should read? Opposing viewpoints? Practical lifestyle changes? Let me know!