1. Pollan explains that the omnivore’s dilemma is the problem of deciding what to eat when there are so many options. He says, “Certainly the extraordinary abundance of food in America complicates the whole problem of choice” (Pollan 1). Humans can eat many different foods, but that makes choosing harder. People have to think about what is healthy, ethical, and good for the planet. Today, this dilemma is even worse because food production is hidden. For example, deciding between organic and regular produce or between factory-farmed and free-range meat makes it even more confusing.
8. Pollan says vegetarianism is becoming popular because people are learning more about how animals are treated on farms. Labels like “organic,” “cage free,” and “grass fed” make people think about where their food comes from. He says, “I’m not completely sure why this should be happening now” (Pollan 3), but thinks social media, climate change, and changing values are part of it. Documentaries and posts on platforms like Instagram show how factory farming hurts animals and the planet. More people care about sustainability and are eating less meat to help the environment.
9. Pollan says people feel conflicted about animals. They love them as pets and see them as living beings, but they also eat them without thinking about their suffering. He says, “The life of the pig has moved out of view” (Pollan 3), meaning farms hide how animals are treated. This separation makes it easier for people to eat meat without feeling bad, even though they might care about animals in other ways. This is caused by modern farming, which hides where food really comes from.
10. Pollan talks about Berger’s essay, “Why Look at Animals?” Berger says people used to connect with animals by looking into their eyes and seeing something familiar, like emotions. This helped people see animals as sentient beings. Pollan says losing this connection makes it easier to treat animals like products. Farms and food systems hide animals from daily life, so people forget they are living beings. Pollan thinks this is important because it shows how modern food systems let people exploit animals without guilt.
2 thoughts on “Conversation 5, Heydi Canales”
Hello Heydi, I agree with you on question 8 because I’ve seen documentaries of animals on farms being treated so terribly. When I was young, watching these types of documentaries made me not want to continue eating meat because of guilt, but for some reason I still do. Videos or documentaries can change someone’s views on eating animals, make them vegetarian, or cause a person to spread animal awareness out of sympathy.
Hi Heydi, I agree with the point you make in question 8 about how vegetarianism is rising due to people caring about what they are consuming. Especially after 2020 where lots of supermarkets suffered from lack of fresh produce a lot of people have become cautious of what they are putting into their bodies. I also agree with how social media and the internet play a part in the rise. From personal experience documentaries like Super Size Me have definitely caused me to double check the ingredients I am consuming.