Summary/Critique
Obesity is a thorn that keeps on pricking the modern society. This is the reason as to why Grossman wrote the article “Food for Thought (and for Credit).” In this article, she looks at the reason as to why the menace of obesity has struck the society hard. The argument has it that this is all due to the preference to the convenient fast foods that are highly consumed by the modern society. Rather than judge the quality of food from the nutritional value it offers, the modern society goes with the policy of ‘more for less” (Grossman Para 4). The people have further deviated from the do-it-yourself (DIY) system to the current system where chefs and waiters define the food sector. Fast-food sellers such as McDonalds have upped their game. They sell foods with more calories today than they used to in the 1960s. This leads to a rise in obesity rates. It is for this reasons that Grossman argues that it is time people gave a proper thought to what they eat.
Grossman’s argument has quite a number of strengths. First of al, she introduces her argument from a very convincing perspective. She starts off with a question that acts as an attention catcher. The phrase “ant to combat epidemic of obesity?” (Grossman Para 1) is an attention catcher. Anyone would be willing to find out how this menace can be controlled. She then goes on to indicate the various causes of the condition. As her argument develops, it is clear that obesity comes about as a result of taking in too much calories. She further goes on to indicate that the fast-foods, which are very famous today, are among the top culprits in propagating the ghost of obesity. With this insight, she goes ahead to discuss the differences between the society of the 1960s and the modern society. This contrast is important because the modern society is heavily affected by the epidemic as compared to the society of the 60s. Grossman (Para 5) argues that there were programs such as the Wife Ed 101 which greatly helped in transforming lives. This was later overtaken by developments where people became so busy to even make their own food. They relied on fast food vendors who, such as McDonalds, have greatly increased the amount of calories in their products over the years. Through this argument, Grossman clearly indicates that the people have a role to play in controlling the obesity menace.
There are also some weaknesses in the argument. This can be seen in the fact that Grossman discusses too many issues to be exhaustive with any. At the beginning, it is very clear that the argument is on obesity. However, as she goes on, the reader gets lost as to whether the argument is about obesity or the importance of the Wife Ed 101 program. Though the argument is largely based on the choices of food and the reasons as to why people make these choices, the nutritional aspect is given a shorter discussion. This could dilute the message.
Regardless of the flaws in the argument, it is arguable that Grossman did bring out her point. The argument is also consistent with the title of the article, “Food for Thought.” Grossman just gives the facts as they are but refrains from giving a solution or suggestions. She just raises the reader’s curiosity with regard to food choices. The article, therefore, can be regarded to as a good read.
Work Cited
Grossman, Jennifer. “Food for Thought (and For Credit)”. The New York Times, Sept. 02, 2003.
