Final Expose

Artificial in Culinary Arts

Food is a huge part of society across the globe. People around the world have food made and put before them almost three times a day, every day. In America, there is a restaurant on almost every block, making it all the easier to access these dietary needs. Of course, some of these foods come filled with preservatives, genetically modified organisms, or GMO’s, as well as much other unwanted stuff. Some restaurants still try to meet the needs of this generation without adding the artificial substances. One of these places is the Hayden Lake Country Club. Here, the chefs create what is best for the hungry country club members, and prepare it without the nasty hormones and preservatives things usually get.

There are many reasons why you should watch out on what you are consuming when eating out. Believe it or not, GMOs are in 92 percent of America’s food. Genetically modified ingredients have proven to be terrible for humans. “Of greatest concern, however, is new research regarding pesticides developed strictly for GMOs, which may prove to be the tipping point for the entire technology” (“GMOs and Pesticides…”). Pesticides were, in fact, not intended for herbicide at all, because of the chelating effect it has. This effectively protects the plant and allows it to grow faster. “This chelating action actually leads to harm for plants, as it removes important trace minerals, a fact observed by Dr. Robert Kremer, a microbiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, who conducted a 15-year study on glyphosate effects on plants and root microbiology” (“GMOs and Pesticides...”). Therefore, these plants have less effect and sustainability on humans, in the meantime hurting them as well.

These altered ingredients that go into the food of most of America’s products are slowly making an impact on the health of the community. “Pesticides and chemicals are made to kill pests that can harm the crops, so in turn, it can also attack the nervous system in the human body” (“Mead, Daryl”). These chemicals can cause anywhere from mild to severe effects on humans, and can even create allergic reactions in one's body. “Presentation is everything in cooking, but coming right behind that is the effect it has on the people. Your ingredients better be the best or prepared in the best way to better ensure the safety of the consumer” (“Gonzalez, Jose”). To know how to keep the pesticides at bay, it is best to know what is in them first.

Pesticides have many benefits, but also many hazardous side effects. “There are things like algicides to control algae, antifouling agents to kill organisms attached to boats, fungicides to kill fungi, herbicides to kill weeds, insecticides to kill insects, rodenticides to control mice and other rodents” (“Barsuglia, David”). There are ways to come in contact with these like ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. “Some pesticides can even cause things such as irritation of the eyes and skin, birth defects, damage to the nervous system, disruption to the hormone and endocrine systems and even Cancer” (“Fontana, Brett”). So knowing what to use and what not to use is a huge help.

There are many farmers and companies that actually want to stay away from these harmful chemicals. “Organic is most often the way to go. It may cost more, but taking this option and route will benefit you in the future” (“Fontana, Brett”). Organic literally means deriving from living matter. This means every ingredient in the food unchanged, natural, and straight from where it came. “Put simply, if you see the "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" seal on your food, the item must have an ingredients list and the contents should be 95% or more certified organic, meaning free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and dyes, and must not be processed using industrial solvents, irradiation, or genetic engineering, according to the USDA” (“What Does Organic…”). The other 5% on that ingredients list can only be made with additives on an approved list. So very simply put, organic is unaltered and straight from where it came. Nice.

Organic foods are just as good if not better tasting as well. They may not last as long due to no preservatives and things like that, but they are fresh, natural, and free from all the things you don’t want entering your body. “Every meal we prepare at the Hayden Lake country club we try to keep as fresh as possible, using natural and organic scratch ingredients” (“Smith, Cecilia”). The price of their food may be a little higher than the norm, but so is every other organic option out there. No wonder why those burgers from fast food restaurants are so inexpensive. And we haven’t even talked about the hormones most companies put in meats! Preservatives and GMO’s are destroying health in our society. It may not seem worth it now if you stay away from these artificial ingredients, but it all will in the end.

So many restaurants have the ability to serve their customers free-from-artificial ingredients in their food. How do you know what is and what is not? All the research is laid out here. Food can be just as good without preservatives and GMO’s, so let’s keep it that way. Natural and organic is the definitive way to go.

MLA Citations

Barsuglia, David. Personal interview. 17 January 2019. (Sous chef)

Bauer, Heather. “A Nutritionist’s Guide to GMOs”. HuffPost, 31 October 2016, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-nutritionists-guide-to-gmos_us_5813b3b7e4b096e870696566. Accessed 17 January 2019.

Boyers, Bruce. “GMOs and Pesticides- What concerns Scientists”. Calmful Living, http://calmfulliving.com/project/gmos-and-pesticides-what-concerns-scientists/. Accessed 17 January 2019.

Fontana, Brett. Personal interview. 17 January 2019. (Executive chef)

Gonzalez, Jose. Personal interview. 17 January 2019. (Line cook)

Henry, Alan. “What does Organic Really Mean?”. LifeHacker, https://lifehacker.com/what-does-organic-really-mean-and-is-it-worth-my-money-5941881. Accessed 22 January 2019.

Mead, Daryl. Personal interview. 17 January 2019. (Pantry chef)

Siegel, Kate. “What You Need to Know About GMOs”. WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/truth-about-gmos#1. Accessed 17 January 2019.

Smith, Cecilia. Personal interview. 17 January 2019. (Line cook)