Triggering passages:

“Basking in the same balmy climate as the state’s active retirees…But for tomatoes to survive long enough to take advantage of that huge potential market, Florida growers have to wage what amounts to total war against the elements. Forget the Hague Convention: We’re talking about chemical, biological, and scorched-earth warfare against the forces of nature” (Estabrook 20 and 21).

“When you are tribal you don’t have slots for loving—you love. You can find a different kind of love for everyone. You love Cousin Blanche cause she was your granddaddy’s sister’s child; “Aunt” Belle, even though she aint really your blood aunt, but you feel just like she was kin to you. What I mean is, it (being tribal) gives you a big heart” (Smart-Grosvenor 10)

“The social justification for the commoditization of human beings was the alleged biological inferiority of the people who were used as property, and the divinely-determined superiority of their owners. This division of power, ownership, and labor was held in place through violence and terrorism” (Holt-Giménez and Harper).

News Media Context:

“There’s A Major Downside To Going Dairy-Free”

There are plenty of perfectly sound reasons for giving up dairy products, as a lifestyle choice or for physical health. It just means you’ll have to be mindful of incorporating other calcium-rich foods into your diet, such as broccoli and kale or fortified options like tofu and cereal. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-major-downside-to-going-dairy-free_us_58ef884ce4b0b9e98489e73d?section=us_healthy-living

Discussion:

What is a tomato? It’s a simple question with a complicated answer. As the book Tomatoland progresses it reveals an industrious history for the tomato, breed for northerners with a need for fresh vegetables. This new tomato is born out of war and greed. War and greed are becoming steadfast verbs to describe the food industry, and tomatoes are no different. We are continually sacrificing the taste of food for convenience of time.

It is important to realize the social aspects for eating and cooking for our tribes. It has historically been the arena where love is formed and bonds are forged. But we are finding, like the tomato, that our tribal bonds have become subject to that same greed. As the food industry streamlines the family table and seeks to shape it into the ultimate consumer. We are told how to eat and act at the table, and sometimes even who we should love.

My article this week speaks to the ills of not consuming dairy. It is filled with warnings about how dairy can be a vital ingredient in becoming a healthy adult. What it doesn’t mention is the ill and sickening truths about the dairy industry. But as pointed out in the article it is possible to have a healthy body without eating dairy, we just have to be more mindful of what we eat. What an incredible idea; when did we stop being mindful of our food? It started when the agriculture industry decided to wage war on nutrition and taste in favor of profit.

Works Citied

Estabrook, Barry. (2011-2012). Tomatoland. Kansas City, Missouri. Andrew McMeel Publishing.

Harper, Breeze and Holt-Giménez, Eric. (2016 March 21). Dismantling Racism and in the food system. Retrieved from https://foodfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/DR1Final.pdf.

Holmes, Lindsay. (2017 April 14). There’s A Major Downside To Going Dairy-Free. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-major-downside-to-going-dairy free_us_58ef884ce4b0b9e98489e73d?section=us_healthy-living.

Smart-Grosvenor, Vertamae.(2011). Vibration Cooking or, The Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl. Athens, Georgia. The University of Georgia Press.