Never has Steinbeck’s classic novel Grapes of Wrath seemed more poignant than after viewing the movie Food Inc. Herald for its eerily perfect portrayal of America during the Great Depression, Steinbeck demonstrates the alienation of people from the land and the food it produces. Psyched to put my new subscription to Netflix to good use, I unintentionally watched Food Inc less than 24 hours after finishing Grapes. To my horror, little has changed since the era of Steinbeck’s novel.
For those who have not read Grapes of Wrath, one of the major themes running through the book is the idea of less is more. Steinbeck proposes that people are happiest when their basic needs are met and live simply. He demonstrates humanity at its most raw and basic level. Throughout the book, the characters literally struggle to make ends meat, hence the saying. Such an idea is not only foreign to most people in our generation, but foodies alike. Food, for food lovers, is about indulgence. The idea of cutting back or altering one’s diet is downright sacrilegious. Hence, I have made it a point to openly express my disdain for vegetarians, pescatarians, and vegans alike.
To illustrate my point, I once met up with my friend "Alex," who began telling me about a girl he was dating. Sensing the hesitation in his voice, I asked so what’s the catch? She has a peanut allergy he said. I replied, "CUT IT OFF!" He agreed.
Clearly, there are those who do not partake in certain foods due to culture, religion, or allergies. Abstaining in this instance is respectable. What I vehemently oppose are those who pretend to have wheat or meat allergies just so they can attempt to trim calories or be on board the latest cleanse trend. Frankly, I say get off your soap box because no one is listening. However, what if what you were eating wasn’t really food? What if your decision to eat a hamburger was also a decision to deport an illegal immigrant? I know, huge jump in logic. What does eating a hamburger have to do with immigration or patent laws for that matter? If you asked me this question yesterday, I would have given you sideways look, written you off as a yahoo, and gone about my day never giving it a second thought. After watching Food Inc I have been forced to come out of my allegorical cave and contemplate the weight of my eating habits. I used to think my meals were merely a reflection of what my tummy wanted. Now I’m faced with the sad fact that my tummy’s cravings have huge political ramifications.
Allow me to now return to my previous point on food not being food. I mean this in the most literal of senses. According to Food Inc several large beef produces have resorted to filling our meat with ammonia in order to kill any rogue E-Coli. Not only are we not eating real meat, we are being feed cleaning products. I am a burger aficionado. I love them rare, juicy, and smothered with cheese. Learning that the burger I’m eating is probably made up of several body parts of several cows and also laced with ammonia makes this carnivore want to consider the dark side- vegetarianism.
Today’s food does not from Old Mc Donald’s farm where we were taught animals sang and E-I-E-I-O, but factories ran by cheap laborers. Who better to do our dirty work than illegal immigrants who have no rights? Like Steinbeck’s characters, those damn Reds or Okies, illegal immigrants have become America’s cheap work force. A disenfranchised group, we continue to push them around and deny their basic rights so we can have cheap low quality food. Meat companies will hire these workers fully aware of their illegal status. Then in agreement with immigration, these companies provide the housing information of these workers to prevent massive raids in the food plant. As many as 15 workers a day are arrested and deported. To the factory, this is a slim margin of loss. There are hundreds of thousands of workers, all of whom are replaceable. Some of these people have lived in the US for years and only to be handed over to authorities for doing the job they were hired to do. Regardless of your stance on illegal immigrants, the behavior of these food companies lacks a basic human principle.
Coercion has been the government's method of farming since Steinbeck’s novel, a method which prevails today. Together, the government and science have helped to create a monopoly on farming. What one plants and how one plants is dictated to the farmer who must comply or face bankruptcy. Even the seeds a farmer uses is patented and infringement prosecutable. When what we eat is so tightly regulated by the government, it no longer becomes our choice but our fate.
Just as the farmers in the Grapes of Wrath found themselves being alienated from the land they once knew and loved, so have we the eaters been alienated from our food. Eating is such an intimate experience. It is difficult to imagine how one could be so removed from what is happening. But the truth is we are told what we are eating and we don’t bother to ask the simple questions. Where is my food from? What is it made of? Who is making my food?
I recently found myself laughing at can of coconut water. It was labeled a product of Thailand. Its ingredients were written in Spanish. It was packaged in New York and called Jamaican Paradise. This can alone demonstrates how removed we are from the products we consume. We have placed our faith in a system built on a facade.
There are no more farms where animals roam, where Charlotte and Wilber live. What we are eating does not come from the earth, but labs. Meanwhile, those who ask questions or see through the veil often do not have the necessary resources to support these decisions. Organic, grass fed, free range, all of these labels come at a price. Then again, one way or another we will pay. If not in our decisions to choose more responsible groceries, these expenses will reappear through costs to our environmental and health. Everyone knows there is no such thing as free lunch.
Whether you agree, the truth remains many of us are not eating what we think we are. For what may appear a simple pork chop, is really a glorified slice of bologna. A meat so patched together that we cannot trace its origins. Think about this and tell me, are you really comfortable with the status quo? Either way, both the book and the film are a worthwhile experience and I hope you consider my Marxist rant.
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