Pleasures of Eating
Aundrenee Nash
Writing 121
Chris Jensen
May 10 2013
The Pleasures of Eating Summary and Response
In “The Pleasures of Eating” Wendell Berry wants the reader to recognize that eating is a cultural act. He believes we are eaters not consumers and that we should have more knowledge about the food we eat. Berry wants the reader to questions where the food is coming from, what condition is it produced in and what chemicals may it contains. He has found that the food industries blind us to what we are consuming and the effect it has on us. At last Berry believes that we must eat responsibly to live free.
Berry first begins with eating as an agricultural act. We think of food as an agricultural product rather than think of ourselves participating in the agriculture. Berry sees us believing we are just consumers, as we buy what we want within our limits and what “they,” the industrial food companies, want us to buy. With this we ignore the most certain critical questions, “how fresh is it? How pure or clean is it? How pure or clean is it? How free of dangerous chemicals? How far was it transported? And what did transportation add to the cost?” (Berry 231). Berry recognizes that we are naive to believe that the food we buy is produced on an agriculture farm when we have no knowledge of what kind of far or where it is located. We only know of one process, when it appears on the grocery shelf.
Industrial food companies blind us with product commercialization. “This sort of consumption may be said to be on of the chief goals of industrial production” (Berry 231). Industrial food companies have persuaded us to prefer the consumption of food that is already prepared. They have eliminated the agricultural work giving you the connivence of growing, delivering and cooking it all you for. If industrial food companies could find a way to gain profit from pre-chewing your food and feeding it to you they would do it. “When food in the minds of eaters, is no longer
Writing 121
Chris Jensen
May 10 2013
The Pleasures of Eating Summary and Response
In “The Pleasures of Eating” Wendell Berry wants the reader to recognize that eating is a cultural act. He believes we are eaters not consumers and that we should have more knowledge about the food we eat. Berry wants the reader to questions where the food is coming from, what condition is it produced in and what chemicals may it contains. He has found that the food industries blind us to what we are consuming and the effect it has on us. At last Berry believes that we must eat responsibly to live free.
Berry first begins with eating as an agricultural act. We think of food as an agricultural product rather than think of ourselves participating in the agriculture. Berry sees us believing we are just consumers, as we buy what we want within our limits and what “they,” the industrial food companies, want us to buy. With this we ignore the most certain critical questions, “how fresh is it? How pure or clean is it? How pure or clean is it? How free of dangerous chemicals? How far was it transported? And what did transportation add to the cost?” (Berry 231). Berry recognizes that we are naive to believe that the food we buy is produced on an agriculture farm when we have no knowledge of what kind of far or where it is located. We only know of one process, when it appears on the grocery shelf.
Industrial food companies blind us with product commercialization. “This sort of consumption may be said to be on of the chief goals of industrial production” (Berry 231). Industrial food companies have persuaded us to prefer the consumption of food that is already prepared. They have eliminated the agricultural work giving you the connivence of growing, delivering and cooking it all you for. If industrial food companies could find a way to gain profit from pre-chewing your food and feeding it to you they would do it. “When food in the minds of eaters, is no longer