Final Post

The most interesting or useful thing that I have learned in this course was how we overlook the consequences of the food we eat. The infographic and Tomatoland really opened my eyes to the ethical implications that occur because of the processing food needs in order for us to eat it. It matters because when we eat food, we don't normally think about how it got there or how it came to be. Who would look at a tomato and say "well, actually, it's only red right now because of ethylene gas"? I guess for me it was just the realization that I really do take some things for granted with food that I should be more cognizant about. I plan to employ this knowledge in the future by keeping it in my mind when I am eating and spreading the knowledge that I have to other people. Learning that the chickens that we eat are feed with a lot of growth hormones to the point where they cannot withstand it has made me realize the value of what protestors are fighting for and why they try so hard to spread their pamphlets and make people aware of these injustices. Pollan's piece was especially thought-provoking, with his talk about "speciesism" and how our treatment towards animals appears hypocritical.