Opinion 1: Ways to reduce GMOs.
If we don’t eat GMOs, then they won’t be produced. In fact, GMOs are made by the consumers. However, these days, we cannot say that we should never ever eat GMOs. As we cannot live without capitalism, we cannot live without GMOs. For example, we are not able to fry an egg without cooking oil, are we? Instead, we should consider how to eat suitable amounts of GMOs. I am going to talk about what we can do in real life to reduce GMOs. I won’t say that “we must not eat GMOs,” as this would be rather unrealistic unless the entire nation started farming.
Let’s think. Why do we have to eat GMO foods? I think these days, single households are increasing and our taste has been changed and tamed by the major food companies. Naturally, we are going to become more distanced from natural foods.
To stay far away from GMOs, we should be passionate about healthy food and we should be diligent. I recommend that you pack a lunchbox and take it with you if possible. But it is impossible if you are doing this campaign all by yourself. To vitalize the lunchbox culture, persuade people around you. Indeed, most office workers just go to restaurants and eat there because packing a lunchbox for the day is a tiring thing. Let’s pack one side dish per person and make some kind of pact so that nobody can get out of this healthy habit.
Another problem is that we eat much more than we need to. The very first condition of dignity is to be self-controlled in eating. Lose weight and only eat a little to eat less GMOs. Try to refrain from drinking alcohol as well. The grains that are used to make alcohol are also from GMOs. If we aren’t considerate and remain indifferent about what we are eating, our body will get used to GMOs. To make our life bountiful, we need to be concerned about our own food and diet.
Opinion 2: GMOs are also a part of nature.
GMOs and ordinary crops are substantially the same. How can we say that it is bad for farmers to graft two or more crops together to make a better species? Watermelons without weeds, tangerines from trifoliate trees, etc. are all the result of genetic manipulation. We cannot say that genetic manipulation itself is bad. It is essential to have mutation in nature. Mutations are essentially needed to develop life. GMOs are just another one of the changes to our crops. What I want to say is that GMOs themselves are not bad, but we need to keep our eyes open on how it encroaches on and affects other various crops.
Historically human beings have always been resistant about new technologies. For example, when the train was first invented, people were suspicious of the safety of trains. So, they started limiting the speed of trains and they attached warnings on railroad lanes. Likewise, when new technology pops up, people feel unfamiliar about it and often think negatively. I think it is the same with GMOs. In fact, GMOs are also a part of nature, but it is only controversial because people haven’t gotten used to it yet. Think about the fact that many things that are used by us today have gone through the same difficult procedures but they have all overcome the process. Actually, GMOs have not popped up suddenly, but are the result of the improvement of a variety of crops. If you consider these things, I am sure that the dispute over GMOs will soon disappear.
The only thing that we need to be vigilant about is that GMOs are subordinated within major food companies and are used only as means of making money and that most natural foods are being substituted by GMO foods. With this point of view, we need to oppose GMOs to some degree. But I don’t think we should view GMOs as a negative thing. Also, the government should not allow GMOs to be hidden on labels and they should thoroughly check the safety of the food so that citizens can resolve their suspicions. By making safe GMOs, I hope that we can continue to enjoy good healthy foods.
★Basic
- What percentage of soybeans from all over the world are GMOs?
-81 percent of cultivated soybeans
- What are three issues that naysayers have with GMOs?
-1) GMO crops contain harsher and more noxious materials than agricultural chemicals or insecticides.
-2) The real goal of developing GMOs is to make money.
-3) Teenagers who consume a lot of GMO foods will experience earlier adolescence and the number of diseases and accidents related to GMOs will increase if GMO foods are adopted indiscreetly.
- What was the original purpose of making GMOs, and how has it changed?
- GMOs were originally an invention that used less weed-killer, and that helped resolve famines. It has changed by being used for different purposes than originally intended. The weed-killer was used too much and that caused the earth in the developing countries to become devastated. Also, most people know that the famine problems all over the world are not the result of the quantity of food but rather the distribution of the food.
★Advanced
- Do you usually eat at home, or eat out?
-I usually eat at home with my family because I feel more comfortable eating with my family.
-I usually eat out with my friends. Most of my friends do the same thing that I do. We have dinner out and then after the meal we go to cafes or bars to hang out a little more with each other.
-I usually prepare a lunchbox for my lunch. The cost of food these days is so expensive that I can no longer afford it. If I save the cost from my lunches for a month, then I can save more than 120,000 won! Also, you guys also agree to the point that making food at home is much safer and more trustworthy than eating lunch in restaurants.
- What kinds of food do you usually choose when you eat out? Do you eat alone, or do you eat with your friends?
-I prefer eating Korean cuisine[1] to other countries cuisines, and I usually eat with my friends.
-I love to eat Sushi, as it is so delicious and it also looks good. I eat with my friends all the time too. When I choose Sushi, of course not very often, all of my friends stare at me and say that it is way too expensive. But I can’t help eating it. It is too delicious for me to stay away from it for long.
-I eat alone, as it is much easier to choose what and where to eat. If I want to bring a lunchbox, then I can just sit anywhere I want and eat it. That’s all I need. Who cares if I eat alone? When I eat out I usually like to eat some street food like toast or kimbab and so on. Those things are the most delicious foods for me to have!
- How do you think the spread of GMOs into our lives takes place? Are you conscious of GMOs when you eat?
- Do you intentionally find organic products to eat? Do you believe those products are really organic?
-I always try to find organic products to eat. The media tells us to eat those foods because they are far healthier other foods.
-I really don’t care if the food is organic or not. My health doesn’t show any difference now. If I get a disease later on, then it is a problem at that time, not at this time. I would like to enjoy the present and I don’t need to pay attention to whether my food is an organic product or not.
-I don’t really trust organic products. I mean, how could the producers of those things prove that their foods are 100% organic food? How can they show us? We can’t guarantee anything, and actually, the more concerned we are about organic foods, the more likely fake organic products will come out. So, I don’t think that we should put more emphasis on organic food.
- What do you think of GMO foods?
-I think they are bad because not only do they harm the environment but our health as well.
-I didn’t know that GMO foods were first invented to resolve famine before reading this essay. However, after reading this, I think that if GMOs are made for the poor, then they should be provided to those developing countries, not to the developed countries.
-This essay is showing the negative opinions more than the positive ones. Let me say this about it. First of all, if we keep developing GMO foods, the price of food will go down as GMOs will produce more food than we currently can. Also, let’s say that there are two of the same foods but one genetically modified and the other isn’t. The one that has been genetically modified will last longer than the non modified one. We can have fresh food after a while by modifying foods genetically. Why should we be against GMOs even though we have these good reasons to support them?
- What kind of efforts can we make so that we have a healthier diet?
-To make our diet healthier, we should make a monthly diet plan. It keeps us from eating too much of one kind of food and it can help balance our diet as well.
-I think we should have regular meals. Finding time to eat is one of the most difficult things to do with a busy schedule, but if we try to make time for regular meals and succeed, our health will never be better. We should keep that in mind all the time.
-We should pay a lot of attention to our diet to stay healthy. Everyone knows that vegetables have a lot of positive components in them. For example, eating green-colored vegetables such as spinach protects you from aging and helps fight cancer as well.
[1] Cuisine: a style or quality of cooking; cookery: Italian cuisine; This restaurant has an excellent