HW#3

             Visiting the Union Square Market as well as a fast food restaurant deepened my existing knowledge about the dishonesty of the food industry Aside from the enormous differences in quality and quantity, I felt as if there was a connection with the vendors of the market that you can never have with a cashier or a manager in a fast food restaurant. In the Market, I met Michelle Bulich of Bulich Mushroom Farms and I was able to gain insight on how the food industry works and how some products dominate the market no matter how they affect your health. Before, I mentioned the difference between quality and quantity in these two ever growing markets; talking with Michelle made me realize the differences in quality are outstanding.

             To grow these mushrooms the workers on the farm never use sprays or additives to make the mushroom taste better or last longer, and they are grown in a mixture of horse manure and compost. On the other hand, the fast food restaurant only uses sprays and additives in their vegetables to keep them fresh. The meat is processed and comes from the leftover meat that no one wants to eat and is frozen for weeks until a customer decides to order it. Unlike the quality, the fast food restaurant easily surpasses the market in quantity because of the frozen food that is rarely thrown out despite how long it has been sitting in the freezer. The market only sells organic products which do not stay fresh for very long and are difficult to get a hold of.

             The different approaches that these two businesses have are very interesting to me, on one hand; the fast food restaurant doesn’t care about our health because it is too busy bringing in millions of dollars in revenue daily. The Mushroom farmers see food as something to be enjoyed and savored for its natural flavors and they put the people of New York as their first priority. Price is another big factor in people’s decisions to be healthier and consciously choose what is better for them. Fast food restaurants are always ready to make new promotions that attract people to buy their cheap products and the organic companies tend to be a bit over priced because their aforementioned quality.

             Usually I tend to partake in the sad daily routine of eating the garbage that is marketed to us but now I feel as if I should go that extra step to eat healthier and always look for the natural things. These differences in accessibility and quantity only stimulate our laziness and practically promote getting your food fast, no matter what its condition may be. I now realize how spoiled the food industry is and how we let that influence or lives daily.