One thing that was really surprising was that originally, the concept behind children going to school around Labor Day and ending in June was due to freeing up children’s labor when it was needed most on the farm. Though this is just a simple fact, it just shows what has been lost throughout the years as Kingsolver discusses; something that I have been taking part of for around 13 years now I had no idea about. Another surprising thing about this reading was the huge margin between what farmers used to grow compared to what they grow now. Today, farmers grow so much produce to have each person in America eat 3,900 calories, way over what we actually need. This is also 700 more calories than what farmers produced 1980, a huge leap that was taken in just a couple decades. One thing that is kind of hard to accept is America’s “food culture”. This is because, unlike other countries, we do not necessarily have traditional foods that are passed down from generation to generation. We do not seem to have quality passed down food, instead, we have fast food and unhealthy food that is brought in to each generation, becoming a larger quantity (with less quality) as time goes.

As I grow older, the more I recognize the problems with how I eat. I am becoming more sensitive to certain things as well, making it hard for me to eat many things such as dairy or caffeine. Though it is difficult to deal with that, I am realizing, especially after learning more about the food industry, it is almost making it easier to cut out certain things in my diet. The past few months I have been making changes to my diet as I go. I already know I have a sensitivity to dairy, so that would be a start with cutting things down for myself more. I used to rely on sodas and coffee, but I have only been drinking water. This is not only a benefit for myself and health but for how the industry is and working to be less reliant on it. I have been eating more foods that aren’t processed. I would eat a lot of packaged items, but now I am sticking to grains, vegetables, fruits, and meats. I still have some processed foods, it’s hard to avoid, but the change is there to make a difference. I also recognize how bad beef can be for you. I used to never eat beef until my dad moved in with my mom and I a couple of years ago. But learning more about how much meat we eat compared to what we need, why waste those pounds of meat on unhealthy kinds, when it can be spent on poultry? Though it is still meat, it is much healthier than beef and pork. At home, we use only chicken and turkey products, even in burgers and tacos.