Food is essential to life and is a requirement for everyone. However, it is also important to understand what type of food is better for oneself and the community as whole, as well as the environment. Does junk food give you the same nutrition as home cooked food? Which is more cost effective? Does buying locally grown and sourced food help the community? The following four articles that will be analysed in this essay look a little deeper into each of these claims and considerations.
The first article by Mark Bittman entitles "Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?" delves into the culture of fast food that we are so accustomed to. The article "A Diversified Farm Prospers in Oregon's Willamette Valley by Going Organic and Staying Local" tries to establish the importance and success of growing and eating organic and local produce. In his blog "The Locavore's Dilemma", Christopher Pelletier examines the difficulties of eating only locally as well as how realistic is this approach to food. Malia Wollan in her article digresses a little and focuses on globalization of food and its effect on local farmers.
Mark Bittman uses the Toulmin argument method in his article. He claims that junk food is in fact not cheaper than food cooked at home. He provides evidence to warrant his claim by using logos, ethos and pathos. He picks on common assumptions about fast food and tries to exploit them by use of facts and quotes from various researches. He establishes logos right away by comparing the cost of buying a meal for four people at a McDonalds to the cost of cooking a well-rounded meal at home . He manages to convey that contrary to popular belief, cooking at home is not only cheaper, but healthier too. He identifies that the major issue is not that people cannot afford to cook, but that people do not want to cook, and find fast food as an easier option . He believes that what is needed is for people to change.
