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Chapter 17

Modern day Americans take animals for granted. We undermine their values in our lives and basically use them simply for food. Although many may view that as a natural part of life, it is not very natural to have them drugged up standing ankle high in their own manure. The cruelty we show to them is unfair. According to Peter Singer, animals should be treated just as well as humans are. They deserve better.

"If possessing a higher degree of intelligence does not entitle one human to use another for his or her own ends, how can it entitle humans to exploit non-humans for the same purpose?" (Pollan, 307)

“The stunner has a pneumatic-powered ‘gun’ that fires a steel bolt about seven inches long and the diameter of a fat pencil. He leans over and puts it smack in the middle of the forehead. When it’s done correctly it will kill the animal on the first shot.” (Pollan, 330)

This chapter made it very clear to me the way the animals have simply been tools to humans. Sure we have our pets but who has a pet pig or cow? We genetically modify them and use them as food. We even use them to get rid our excess things like corn, which is the source for why what we are doing is even an issue.

Chapter 18

For some odd reason hunting seems to be something that many kids desire. Just the thought of having a gun in your hand, that feeling of superiority, is something to want. Being that I have no experience with hunting Angelo, who is a very experienced hunter, trained me. It was quite difficult for me and even after the training and getting my own gun, I was still a bit uneasy. After succeeding in the hunt I felt an overwhelming joy. I was very proud of myself.

“I enjoyed shooting a pig a whole lot more than I ever thought I should have” (Pollan, 337)

"So much of the human project is concerned with distinguishing ourselves from beasts that we seem strenuously to avoid things that remind us that we are beasts too" (Pollan, 357)

At first I wondered how he could be so pleased with killing a pig himself. After putting myself in his shoes and attempting to understand his joy, I concluding that he was not joyful of the idea that he killed the pig. It was more of a feeling of accomplishment, since he had succeeded in essentially becoming a hunter. Still, I wonder, what does he really accomplish from this?


Chapter 19

Now that the meat part is complete it is time to hunt for the mushrooms. Many will think that mushrooms will be easy to simply be gathered, but as a person that has minimal forest experience, this is an extremely difficult task. It is also important to be careful of potentially poisonous mushrooms. In addition it was difficult to have someone assist and escort me through the forest to hunt. After all of these things happened, I was satisfied with the result and was proud to have succeeded.

"Morel hunting didn't sound like much fun, more like survival training than a walk in the woods. I crossed my finger that Anthony was just trying to scare me and set my alarm from 4:30AM, wondering why it is all these hunting-gathering expeditions had to big at such ungodly hours."  (Pollan 379)


Chapter 20

I decided to prepare a mean for my friends and family using all of the things that I personally hunted down. While the meal was not the greatest any of us have had, I found it great. Not because of the taste, but the sense of satisfaction that I gained from having done literally the entire meal by myself.

"No, little if anything about this meal was what anyone would call 'realistic'. And yet no meal I've ever prepared or eaten has been more real" (Pollan, 392)

"It occurred to me that the making of this meal, by acquainting me with these particular people, landscapes, and species, had succeeded in attaching me to Northern California, its nature and its culture both, as nothing I'd done before or since.  Eating's not a bad way to get to know a place" (Pollan 408).

Pollans ability to literally complete the entire meal, from start to finish, really impressed me. From reading other blogs, some felt that he was “overly sentimental” (Casey Smith), however I felt that he deserved to be emotional. One thing I wondered prior to the eating, was if he would actually be able to eat the meal, even after having seen all of the things while they were alive.