Norman Borlaug's Article

In the article that we were given, Norman Borlaug talks about the controversy involving food and biotechnology. This topic is a big issue today and there are two main points to it. The side that is for it argues that creating biotechnology into the countries food system will give the world enough food to keep the population that has a non-stop growing rate alive. Other arguments they have is that biotechnology helps in the medical world with breakthroughs for health issues. Scientists believe it is a good thing because they have hopes for using it to increase farming techniques and things such as fertlizer and seeds to make them grow in a more effiecient way. This all can lead to less starvation around the world.
The people that argue that this biotechnology is not such a good thing believe that food was meant to not be messed with, you will find that most of these people would be organic or raw food eaters. Like in Omnivore's Dilemma we learned that messing with the orgininal make up of our food is not only unethical but unhealthy and wrong. It can in the end hurt our bodies most think. Some argue that since this is a relative new thing we do not know the long term side affects which makes people believe that it is something that can eventually kill people who eat it. Not like they know this for sure but biotechnology could go either way with the good and the bad.

Chapter 15, 18, 19, & 20

From the reading in chapter 15 of Omnivores Dilemma Michael Pollan had decided that he wanted to cook a meal from foods that were only from hunting and gathering, and that were grown by himself. By doing this he can realize how it felt to be in the nomadic era and what it would be like if he didn't purchase anything from stores that could be contaminated, he knows exactly where the food hes cooking is coming from. This was something he had never usually done because of his mother frightening him from eating foods in the woods saying they were poisonous or lead to him dying. This is something that people in the past had to learn from experience, because when we didn't have grocery stores people had to find out which plants and berries were okay to eat and which were poisonous on their own. Leaving his fears behind pollan does this for himself and cooks a real meal on his own.
Pollan dicusses that this way of eating could go either way, there is a perspective that says what is the point in going to all this trouble for a meal?, and the perspective of this is the best way to eat. One strong point Pollan points out in this is life might be more chaotic this way and there might not be enough food this way. In my point of view I believe that people should and can do both. My dad, grandma, and other family members have their own gardens in their yards that we cook vegetables, fruits, and such in to have in our meals with the food from the grocery store. Some still might be against this but I believe it is a good way to live your life in a healthy and cheaper enviornment.