刚刚清理电脑桌面的图片，发现这篇儿子几年前（13岁时) 的一篇论文作业。当时他用我的电脑为了打印吧，记不清为什么了。我通常不会删除他在我电脑上偶尔放上去的东西，也一直没有及时清理。最近在子坛里开始学着其他的爸爸妈妈关注孩子的作业和成长，于是想看看他写了些啥。啊，文中提到organic food. 昨晚我做fruit pie时还感叹呢，前天买了两个organic 苹果准备做apple pie. 有意思的是原本爱吃苹果的我最近已经一年没怎么吃苹果了，原因是我发现苹果比较容易伤胃，且儿子说不喜欢咬起来的感觉，他觉得伤牙。总之，有蓝莓等等其他水果，我也觉得苹果没有以前那么好吃了。小的时候我居住在天津附近的山区，每年冬天爸爸要买三到四框苹果，承德的苹果的确很养人，自从13岁去天津之后，就觉得城市里的水果很不新鲜味道也不是水果味儿，自此以后就吃得很少。
前天超市里这种orgainc 苹果打折，只卖0.99/lb（平时大约要2.99/lb)，而且漂亮得让我觉得不可信，猜想这里边的果肉一定很棉很酸。昨天做fruit pie时，尝了一口，哇塞！又脆又香甜好吃！看来不能够以貌取水果，不可以很主观地判断金玉其外就必然会败絮其中。削价是促销的手段，不一定是次品兜售。好了，感慨一番，把儿子的这篇作文贴出来。感觉自己有必要开始学二代移民的英文写作了，我承认自己信手写中文会很自如，可是写英文论文的确很少练习。13岁的写作能力比我这老妈要强太多，实在有太多要提高的方面。
我们在帮助孩子成长的过程中，也的反思自己，提高自己的水平，否则这情何以堪。虽说青出于蓝而胜于蓝，我还是觉得蛮吃惊的，这本地的孩子的语文比我当年能摸索出焦头烂额的作文要有内容和思想性，措词也比我当年强太多了。儿子长得高高大大，跟他吃本地食品一定有直接的关系，我们不可能水果蔬菜肉都买成organic。这孩子心智的成熟的速度之快也跟吃的荷尔蒙食品有关系吧？ :-) 诸多感慨，不再罗嗦。谨此小文，让父母们对自己的孩子多关心，多关注他们的内心世界。
《 Organic Is Good 》
Everyone in this room is all alike in one way; we have to eat to survive. What we make of our food is up to us. Over the years, scientists and researchers have found ways to "improve" the quality of the food we eat by genetically modifying them and spraying them with pesticides. These genetic modifications are said to improve the quality of the food and the pesticides are meant to keep insects away from the crops. If these genetic modifications and pesticides are so good for the crops, why do researchers always manage to find things in the chemicals that are detrimental to human health? Organic food is grown without these chemicals, and this is what benefits the people that eat the food and the people that grow the crops. Organic food is great for both the producer and consumer, as it benefits both customers and farmers in different ways.
Organic farming is good for the environment. When non-organic farmers spray their crops with all kinds of chemicals and pesticides, where do the leftover pesticides go? Into the dirt, where they are absorbed and the dirt no longer can support plant life. The pesticides sometimes go outside of the farm, and get absorbed by plants, soil, and also go in water. What this means is that pesticides will stunt plant growth, ruin soil, and destroy ecosystems by killing off animals and plants that get contaminated with the poisonous pesticides. Are insects so much of a problem that people have to harm the environment with pesticides? Organic farmers use mechanical and natural ways to prevent insects from infesting their crops. So the next time you bite into a juicy fruit, think about this. Do you really want someone spraying your food with chemicals?
Farmers who grow organic crops are also more healthy than farmers who are exposed to pesticides. Farmers who spray pesticides on their crops are more susceptible to being harmed by the pesticides since they get a firsthand experience with the harmful pesticides themselves. Paint fumes smell bad, right? When I was painting my house, it smelled AWFUL. The paint fumes were much stronger when experiencing painting firsthand, and my head was hurting a lot. Farmers who grow organic crops get more of a benefit than those who have to deal with pesticides.
Organic food is better for people who eat it. When consumed, people usually say that the organic food tastes better than the genetically modified food. The organic food also doesn't have growth hormones, genetic modifications, or pesticides on it, so you aren't ingesting any harmful material. A 4 year study done in Europe reported that fruits and vegetables organically grown had as much as 40% more antioxidants. Organic food tastes better and is more healthy, 2 added benefits in one!
Genetic modification also affects livestock negatively. Believe it or not, 80% of all antibiotics produced in the United States of America are used towards bovine and poultry farms to accelerate growth and prevent diseases. The hormones are mainly used to make the livestock reach maturity much faster than normal. Imagine yourself reaching puberty at the age of 10! You'll be growing up faster, and ready to work at a very early age. The only problem is that these hormones also negatively affect humans when we consume the meat. For example, a quote taken out of an article on these growth hormones states that:
"In the late 1970s, the U.S. banned a growth hormone (DES) known to cause cancer. Rather than destroying the leftovers, the manufacturer shipped remaining hormones to Puerto Rico where the farmers liberally injected their chicken, pork and beef herds. Shortly thereafter, thousands of children as young as two were found to have reached full sexual maturity. The cause was residual DES in meat the children had consumed."
The children reached full sexual maturity at 2 years old! Imagine someone putting their oven at 900°C to warm up a French fry. It doesn't do it well, but it gets the job done.
Organically raised livestock are different, since the livestock isn't treated with any chemicals or hormones.
Organic food is good for us because it improves the quality of our food and helps our farmers. Many people around the world are diagnosed with cancer. Eating organic will help to prevent that, and it still does taste good. Organic food is great, so why wouldn't you eat it?
