At school, in my AP Language and Composition class, I’ve been inviting students to engage with the arguments in recent public debate around food in contemporary America. This started with “Why McDonald’s Fries Taste So Good,” by Eric Schlosser; “Consider the Lobster,” by David Foster Wallace; and “On Dumpster Diving,” by Lars Eigher. For video essays, we watched a day of Super-Size Me, and we had already seen an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations when studying travel essays. But now we’re watching Food, Inc., which was only last week nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar, and is by far the most persuasive thing I’ve seen or read on the subject. Jen and I watched it together before I presented it to my classes, and it has had its desired effect.

It has led, in the very little time that we’ve had to think about it since viewing the film, to a reconsideration of our purchases.

I’m sure I’ll blog more about this in the coming months, but in the meantime, here are a few interesting things I’ve clicked across…

  • David Roberts thinks greenies should take a deep breath and reconsider whether the Audi ad was actually making fun of them. I thought his analysis was obvious on seeing the ad the first time, during the game, but apparently some environmentalists are very sensitive. And Roberts is right about the ads overall: lame. Very lame.
  • At the Atlantic, Sophie Brickman writes about making a bacon feast for carnivores going veg. Mmmmmm, chocolate-covered bacon…
  • Anastasia Bodner, a doc student at Iowa State, makes some claims against “corn syrup myths.” Interesting reading; I haven’t had a chance to click the links.

If any readers have suggestions for stuff to read, watch, buy or eat, I’d be interested in hearing them…