Freedom is a funny thing. Even when one theoretically has freedom, there are inherent biases in the system that influence people to choose one path over another. In essence, this is what interface designers (like me) do when they present you with this UI:
or click me
It's pretty obvious which one the designer wants you to click.
The same is true for food. Yes, one could argue that we have the freedom to choose what we eat in this country. However, the system is set up with its own set of influences that push us down the path of least resistance.
It all starts with the Farm Bill. This monstrosity of the democratic process looks a hell of a lot more like socialism than any American politician would care to admit publicly. Yet it's the foundation from which our food choice are foisted upon us. For example, the corn subsidy, which is so outrageous that the vast majority of processed foods have some form of corn in them: corn syrup, corn-fed livestock, corn meal, cornstarch...
The same goes for the meat and dairy (livestock) subsidies. They get massively subsidized water rights, which is one of the primary reasons no drop of the Colorado river reaches the ocean anymore. They also get to externalize costs such as the huge pollution caused by their animals: land, water, and yes even air (Cows excrete massive amounts of greenhouse gas. Literally.).
And all this means that the government and the corporations are the ones who are ultimately deciding what you eat. By making all of these things cheap and prolific via subsidies, it makes them the path of least comestible resistance for a public that views food indiscriminately. Whatever is nearest, or cheapest, or yummiest, or marketed best, or placed at eye level on the end cap of the middle aisle of the super-convenience store, that is what is bought and eaten, likely out of its wrapper while the consumer talks on a cell phone driving 80 down the freeway in a H2 Hummer.
OK, so I'm ranting a bit here. But think about this: choose any random restaurant, then choose any random dish on the menu. Or choose any random supermarket, then choose a random product off its shelves. What are the odds that its healthful? What are the odds that it is unprocessed (or minimally processed)? What are the odds that it has fewer than 5 ingredients in it? What are the odds that it has no meat, dairy, or corn in it?
I'll give you a hint: It's the same as making love when the temperature is just barely above freezing.
or click me
It's pretty obvious which one the designer wants you to click.
The same is true for food. Yes, one could argue that we have the freedom to choose what we eat in this country. However, the system is set up with its own set of influences that push us down the path of least resistance.
It all starts with the Farm Bill. This monstrosity of the democratic process looks a hell of a lot more like socialism than any American politician would care to admit publicly. Yet it's the foundation from which our food choice are foisted upon us. For example, the corn subsidy, which is so outrageous that the vast majority of processed foods have some form of corn in them: corn syrup, corn-fed livestock, corn meal, cornstarch...
The same goes for the meat and dairy (livestock) subsidies. They get massively subsidized water rights, which is one of the primary reasons no drop of the Colorado river reaches the ocean anymore. They also get to externalize costs such as the huge pollution caused by their animals: land, water, and yes even air (Cows excrete massive amounts of greenhouse gas. Literally.).
And all this means that the government and the corporations are the ones who are ultimately deciding what you eat. By making all of these things cheap and prolific via subsidies, it makes them the path of least comestible resistance for a public that views food indiscriminately. Whatever is nearest, or cheapest, or yummiest, or marketed best, or placed at eye level on the end cap of the middle aisle of the super-convenience store, that is what is bought and eaten, likely out of its wrapper while the consumer talks on a cell phone driving 80 down the freeway in a H2 Hummer.
OK, so I'm ranting a bit here. But think about this: choose any random restaurant, then choose any random dish on the menu. Or choose any random supermarket, then choose a random product off its shelves. What are the odds that its healthful? What are the odds that it is unprocessed (or minimally processed)? What are the odds that it has fewer than 5 ingredients in it? What are the odds that it has no meat, dairy, or corn in it?
I'll give you a hint: It's the same as making love when the temperature is just barely above freezing.
Fucking close to zero.
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