American Wasteland Book Chapter 1
Introduction
The book “American Wasteland Book” by Jonathan Bloom explains how the total amount of being wasted in the country affects the different citizens in America negatively. As a result, Jonathan notes the need for us to adopt new habits to prevent this food from wasting (Bloom, 2). According to Bloom, food wastage is negatively affecting us both socially and environmentally; thus, the need to take swift action. Food is a necessity for survival. The essay summarizes the book “American Wasteland” while noting the significant events, including the characters, plot action, setting, motivation, and equipment used.
Character and Traits (Who)
The first chapter of the book reveals the main characters that the story is touching on. According to Bloom, America’s culture of excess food has resulted in food shortages among the poor. At the same time, the rich continue discarding this critical food. According to the author, Americans are the main actors since they take part in the throwing of food that can satisfy the needs of the poor (Bloom, 3). According to Statistics, the author notes that Americans throw away food in quantities to fill the Rose Bowl stadium. From such statistics, the author reveals that the food thrown away by each American every day is approximately half a pound per day (Bloom, 3). The poor and the rich are in conflict in the story since the food thrown away by the rich could be of the poor. Therefore, the poor can tell the story about the challenges they face due to edible food going to waste.
Plot/Action (What)
The book’s plot is set in motion by the author, pointing out that a lot of food is being thrown away or going to waste when it is in perfectly good condition. The author argues in the chapter that this food could be given to people who needed it. The author goes further and uses the example of what he saw when he visited an Iceberg lettuce farm (Bloom, 4). Bloom points out that he saw many farmers leaving fresh pieces of lettuce since the inspectors did not inspect the work they had done on the farm. In the American Wasteland book, Bloom states, “When he tried inquiring why the other fresh lettuce was being bypassed, one of the workers responded’ I cannot tell the reason why this one was picked.” (Bloom, 4). From the response, it is clear that the Americans are wasting fresh food.
Setting (Where)
Food wastage is something that is happening in the different areas in the American soil. However, the aspects of food wastage in this chapter take place in the Iceberg Lettuce farm, where the author notes that farmers leave behind fresh food that can be used by other individuals, including the poor. To get the full story about food going to waste, one can also visit the production companies to get a copy of this story. The author believes that food production companies are among the leading producers of food waste due to high standards. With such aspects being evident, the story’s setting will next go citing some ways on how companies and Americans can reduce wastage of food (Bloom, 6).
When (Time)
The information written about Bloom in the book was written at a time when many people were going hungry, especially the poor, while other individuals were morbidly obese. As a result, the book sheds some light regarding the history, culture and the mindset of food wastage while at the same time linking the parallel eco-friendly and sustainable food movements (Bloom, 4). The turning point in the story occurred when the author noted that food wastage cuts across all the socioeconomic distinctions. As a result, he notes that the food waste aspects can be seen as an opportunity where the country can change their habits through using the food in feeding the hungry Americans as well as boost the economy at large.
Character Motivation (Why).
A wide range of factors may prompt individuals to throw away food. According to the author, the different production companies must present quality food products to their customers. As a result, when the company notes any lettuce changes, they may decide to throw it away even if it is still perfectly fine (Bloom, 6). This is one of the motivating factors that results in Americans throwing away food in large quantities. The second reason motivating Americans to throw away food is that they produce food in large quantities. As a result, they see no need for storing the excess amount, thus throwing them away. Lastly, the outstretched food chain is among the other reasons that result in food being thrown away. For instance, lettuce’s shipment may take long before arriving at their designated market areas (Bloom, 8). Additionally, some of this lettuce may arrive when they are not in the right shape. Since most supermarkets want to give their customers the best products, they throw away some of this food.
Equipment/Prompt (How).
The wastage of food in America occurs in various ways. One of the ways in which it happens is at the farms when the workers fail to collect all the produce. Secondly, the desire of the production companies wanting to offer their best may result in them throwing away some edible food. The author states, “a lettuce that could be fine now both shows signs that it could be less in the future could end up being thrown away.” (Bloom, 8). As a result of throwing away this food, the poor remain suffering from food insecurity issues since some edible food that could benefit them was thrown away. Conclusively, the book’s story is of significance to the reader since it points out areas that are resulting in the wastage of food in America.
Dialectic Journal
Information in the “American Wasteland” is both informative. However, one of the information that stands out is when the author notes how food is wasted in manufacturing companies. For instance, the author states “all produce companies want to ensure that a vegetable picked today will just be edible but enticing to the vendor’s shelves. As a result, a head of lettuce that is perfectly good now but shows signs that it would not be ideal in two weeks would not be picked.”(Bloom, 4). This information was included in this work to show how the various production companies are taking part in the wastage of edible food in America. As a result, such information supports the theme in the journal for making it clear that food wastage is indeed happening in America. I agree with the author’s idea because, when the production companies reject this lettuce, they end up being discarded, just contributing to increasing cases of food wastage. However, I believe that instead of the production companies failing to purchase this lettuce, they can alternatively negotiate with the supermarkets to sell them the food commodities at a lower price thus minimizing issues of food wastage.
Work cited
Bloom, Jonathan. American wasteland: How America throws away nearly half of its food (and what we can do about it). Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2010. (1- 384).