Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Fast Food Nation

I finally finished reading 'Fast Food Nation.' I realize I'm a few years behind the craze, but we all move at our own pace.  Since there are plenty of reviews on this book already I'll just make a few general comments.
1) The beginning was good.  It really drew me in with the descriptions of Colorado.  The middle was dry with so much information I was overwhelmed and don't really remember much other than IBP stands for the Iowa Beef Processors now known as Tyson Fresh Meats.  The end picked back up and recaptured my attention.
2) It made me consider going vegetarian.  Not because of the conditions animals are slaughtered in, but the conditions the people who slaughter them work in and the treatment they receive when they are injured on the job.
3) I plan on buying more locally or organically when purchasing meat.  The practice of feeding animals other animals (cows to chickens and chickens to goats) disgusts me.  Other than the occasional bug, these animals are herbivores and should eat that way.
4) Maybe injected hormones and antibiotics infiltrate our milk and meat, maybe it doesn't...If we have to test products and worry about them causing problems in humans I'm not sure I want to risk it.  No one ever needed to test wild turkey or salmon for carcinogens and added hormones. (Until we started polluting, but that's another story.)

All in all it was good book even if it did get a little overwhelming in the middle.  I highly recommend it for people wanting to know just how big and powerful large companies such as Mc Donalds are when it comes to influencing where our meat comes from and how it is treated both alive and dead.  Other books  on my reading list:  Better Bones Better Body and Food Inc.

Lastly, when Mom was here the other weekend I introduced her to SheerBliss Ice Cream.  If you can get your hands on a can of it I HIGHLY recommend you do. Don't look at the nutrition label, just enjoy the amazing flavor.  The vanilla is so good it doesn't need anything to go with it.  If you think Ben & Jerry's or Haagen-Dazs is good, just wait until you try SheerBliss.  Because that's what it is.  Plus the cans are fun to collect.

4 comments:

  1. I'm a little afraid to read "Fast Food Nation." Sometimes it's best not to know something? I probably should at some point.

    On the surface, it does seem wrong to feed an animal to a vegetarian animal.

    -Steve

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the picture of you and your Mom!

    ReplyDelete
  3. If you watch Food Inc. soon after reading Fast Food Nation I think you would be even more likely to take the dive into vegetarianism!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete