“Whatever native wisdom we may once have possessed about eating has been replaced by confusion and anxiety. Somehow this most elemental of activities - figuring out what to eat - has come to require a remarkable amount of expert help” (Omnivore’s Dilemma: Michael Pollan. Pg 1)
When reading this I tried to relate it to my personal life by thinking back on my childhood and my eating habits back then. I use to eat things that I knew weren’t as bad as other things that I would consume, which was due to my parents. This does some how relate to me because the wisdom that my parents had given me based on eating doesn’t seem to be with me now. Its more of a feeling of eating whatever I can get my hands on most days of the week. Figuring out what to eat is something that I also go through a lot. When I was young I didn’t really have a choice of what I would have for dinner, therefor the decision wasn’t a hard one at all. As I became older and more independent I often find myself asking the question of what will I eat almost daily.
“What should we have for dinner?” is such a important and common question. When first reading the book, that question caught my attention because it was so relatable. Every other day (if not everyday) my sister, mom and I always ask each other this question. Whether its through texting, phone call, or in person...this question seems to appear in our everyday conversation. In the morning before getting on the train I call my mother and ask “What are we eating tonight” she goes “I don’t know, what do you guys want?” and I say “I don’t know, I’ll call you at lunch time and tell you.” It seems so hard to come to a final decision on what food we will have, even though to me it seems like a pretty simple question. Simple but yet such a deep question (lol).
Personally I do believe that the foods a lot of us consume are influenced by what we are told by experts. Although we as individuals choose what we eat, the process of choosing it is sometimes based on what we are told about each food, what it can do to your body, what it can cause, what it can prevent and a lot of other things that connects to health. From watching Oprah, Ellen, and a lot of other talk shows, the food segments that they have on their show which includes trainers, doctors and chefs...these shows help me to find out information about foods that I have never known. This is an example of how my foods (along with the other million viewers) are influenced by the thoughts of experts.
When a person sees an authority figure or a person who is somewhat of an expert or leader, we tend to fully engage in whatever it is they are saying and completely believe the comments or rules made by them. Therefore when we as very food indulgent people hear food experts speak about different types of foods, we automatically listen and believe what we are being told. I myself have done this plenty of times, even till this day the “facts” I’ve learned in the pass is still playing a role in my life such as eating a lot of fruits, drinking plenty of water, and eating less red meat. I have learned about all of these things from so called food experts and from people who I believed knew more than me relating to this food topic.
One thing that I took out of reading the first chapter of Michael Pollan’s book is how it could teach us how to be more responsible eaters, but how that will definitely be a challenge in the world where things such a food eating contest take place. There is a very well known hot dog eating contest that takes place in Coney Island every year...when just looking at this event its given a fun and entertaining event...but if you look deeper it can be seen as more of a abusive act towards ones self and food. Stuffing hot dogs in there mouth one after the other non stop, not for the enjoyment but for the purpose of winning a prize or being able to say that they were crowned the #1 hot dog eater. This is the perfect example of how we Americans take food for granted.
