Food Inc.

Anger can be a very destructive thing. But I think a lot an be said for how much anger can also change things positively. Last night I watched Food Inc., and it sure did get me angry! Luckily I'm quite certain this boiling of the blood is a good thing. I was disgusted to find that there are only 13 slaughterhouses in the entire U.S. that process our meat. That means that one burger patty contains thousands of cattle. Gag me now! I guess it does make sense if you think about it. I mean how else do you think McDonalds could make their burgers taste exactly the same around the country? (Everybody say yay for uniformity...) But on top of that, all those millions of pounds of meat are basically controlled by only three or four companies. Capitalism at it's best, right? Well, needless to say I sure did relish my trip to the farmer's market this morning!!

But even more interesting than the raw numbers and facts that the film shocked me with were the characters. All the people that were interviewed are generally from the same "side" of the argument because the corporations all declined to be interviewed. But even among them, none of them were really on the same page. It was interesting to see those who were purists in comparison to those who believed there was no winning without concessions. The film shows an organic expo in California where all the so-called "good guys" are showing off their products. It's not until the viewer gets a tour of the companies that their true nature is revealed. The camera scans the booths and we pass the holistic looking Kashi Cereals only to be told that it's just been bought by Kellogs. Tom's toothpaste is now owned by Colgate. Pepsi bought Naked Juice.

In the end, it's hard to see all the views and decide where you yourself come down. Obviously I would like a world where all the food was local and organic, where the workers were treated with respect and the animals were cared for lovingly. But looking at the utter monstrosity that we have helped create makes me realize that you can't just change from one to the other overnight. Somewhere along the way there have to be stepping stones. And yet again I am caught, who wants to be a sell-out after all? I guess I'll just have to go work on some more small-scale farms and focus on doing my little part as best I can for the time being.