#9 A Comical Quest Into Food

In my previous post about the film "Fresh," the topic of organic vs non-organic food is heavily discussed. Many proponents of non-organic produce push the cheaper cost and higher efficiency in debates on whether organic food is feasible. In "Fresh," we learned that medium-scaled organic farms are more profitable than industrialized mass farming schemes but do lead to higher prices for organic products for consumers. In this post, I decided to share this delightfully funny comic that touches precisely on this economic debate over the high cost of organic foods.

In the comic, a farmer tells his cow he is only switching his farm from dairy to organic crops. Atop a tractor in a field, the cow looks incredulously at the farmer as he says, "You'll have to work a lot harder to earn your keep." The joke of the comic works on two levels: on the one hand, it plays into the fact that organic farms and organic produce cost more for consumers. The farmer plays into the high profitability of organic produce by putting his dairy cows to work in other ways. This is where the second joke comes in hand: cattle are herded and raised to graze on organic farms. They "work harder" and provide more for the land than their captive and industrialized counterparts. But instead of the cow grazing on some grass, the farmer has him plowing the field on a tractor. The outlandish humor of the cow pulling his own weight like a human makes the ad all the more effective.

    Amidst the gore and sorrow imbued in factory farms like the ones shown in "Fresh" and "Food Inc.", it is nice to view a lighthearted comic that pokes fun at the more significant issues. Do any of you enjoy comics? What types are your favorite?