Food Formulas

            Last week, we watched Food Inc. in class. I knew it would be about the truth behind the food industry, but I really wasn’t prepared to see the horrors of it for myself. Halfway into the movie, it started to look really familiar, and I realized I had seen the movie before. Maybe my horrified reaction at some of the things I witnessed in the movie suppressed the memories of it, but overall, I still learned a lot the second time around.

            My biggest impression after watching Food Inc. is that food is disgusting and we should just stop eating all together. Of course, that’s not a very probable option, so my next impression is that something needs to change. They used a lot of pathos in the movie to appeal to the viewer’s emotions, and it works. With all of the overview shots of supermarket aisles, we as viewers can relate to the situation, even without knowing the truth behind it. But after watching the film, we no longer want to even step into the supermarket and buy the food that was once loved wholeheartedly. I don’t think Food Inc. will change anybody’s life dramatically, but it could make them be slightly more cautious about what they eat. After all, how can we escape this? Literally everything we buy are either raised in a disgusting environment or dosed into chemicals. The healthiest option may be to just grow vegetables ourselves, but by then, the film would have made the viewer suspicious about everything around them. Maybe the fertilizer used to grow vegetables is packed with chemicals to make the plants grow at extraordinary rates. There really doesn’t seem to be a way out of this. I do think this movie was very informative and effective. It forces you to think about the world around us, even the things that we choose not to think about. We live up to the quote “out of sight, out of mind,” but this movie really makes you wonder what else the big businesses are hiding from us.

            My food formula would probably be “eat, drink and be merry.” Honestly, I don’t think we have any more hope for improving the way we eat, especially with all the secrets of the food industry and conflicting theories. We might as well just embrace it. Eat whatever you want, but know your limits. Drink lots of water, because that may be the least contaminated product of all. Be merry, make sure every little thing you do ensures your happiness. That’s what my food formula would be.