Analysis Of Wendell Berry's Essay 'Eating For Pleasure'

Wendell Berry (b. 1934), a farmer and environmental activist, explores in his essay “Eating for Pleasure” (1990) about the controversial issue of industrialized and processed foods that urban inhabitants consume on daily basis. The problem, he argues, is that because the food industry has unnaturally modified its produce, people no longer create a connection between food and it’s agricultural process, and therefore, people lose pleasure from consuming food. Eating with pleasure is essential because it allows an individual to appreciate his food, knowing that it was grown naturally and from the earth. In this paper, I summarize Berry’s main thoughts on the negative consequences of unhealthy food practices that urban society engages in and his solutions to develop knowledgeable, attentive and appreciate eater habits that will grant us the ability to eat for pleasure. …show more content…
Writing on the modifications of foods in production, Berry paints a picture of the lazy and passive American consumer, who at dinner, “confronts a platter covered with inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, dyed, breaded, sauced, gravied, ground, pulped, strained, blended, prettified, and sanitized beyond resemblance to any part of any creature that lived”. Companies go to extremes to alter the appearance and taste of their produce to appeal to the urban eater. But their goal isn’t to create beneficial and healthy foods, but to make profit from the hazardous products they claim as wholesome. Thus, these adjusted foods are no longer agricultural products, but industrial products, and American consumers, who do not relate agriculture to food, become the largest promoters for processed