1. How has the red state/blue state divide affected our assumptions regarding the growing of food?
There is a perception that people who live in red and blue states are fundamentally different. This idea is flawed, but it creates a perception among blue states that red states (which happen to be the states that grow most of our food) are somehow inferior to them. This fits into an idea that has come up previously in the book that white collar work is more highly valued than physical labor.
2. What are some of the perceived ethical dilemmas associated with the inevitable correlation between death and food?
We are tempted to add a moral component to eating. Nearly every culture has an equivalent rule to the commandment "Thou shall not kill." Nevertheless, we are really deluding ourselves. As animals, we survive by consuming other life, whether it be plant or animal.
3. Based on what we've read so far, what has Barbara Kingsolver done to warrant a spot on Bernard Goldberg's list of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America?
This question may require a bit of external research to understand, but Kingsolver does include some details about the nature of "the list" as she calls it. The fact that people like Jimmy Carter are also on the list (a fact which makes her proud to be included) suggests that there is a political slant to the members of "the list." Kingsolver and her friends fine the whole situation more amusing than anything else.
4. What does Kingsolver point out as some of the differences between American and Italian cuisine?
Since this question covers the content of most of the chapter, there is no one right answer. One fact that she mentions (possibly in a previous chapter) is that dispite the variety, Italian food does have one staple ingredient that defines the menu; pasta. She caps off the chapter with a sign saying "You can taste our dirt" in Italian to demonstrate Italian pride in the process of growing food.
-Zachary Brandt
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