In corn, I think I've found the key to the American food chain.

Host: The late afternoon sun poured in through the windows, casting long, sharp shadows across the wooden table where Jack sat. The quiet hum of the world outside was a distant murmur, the kind of noise you can’t quite ignore but can’t quite focus on either. Jeeny leaned against the windowsill, her eyes lost in thought as she traced the lines of the trees in the distance, swaying gently in the breeze. The words from Michael Pollan had been hanging in the air ever since Jack had read them aloud, their weight settling over the room, a reflection on the strange and unexpected ways the world is interconnected.

Jeeny: “Pollan’s point about corn is fascinating, isn’t it? ‘In corn, I think I’ve found the key to the American food chain. If you look at a fast-food meal, a McDonald’s meal, virtually all the carbon in it—and what we eat is mostly carbon—comes from corn.’ It’s like he’s revealing the hidden backbone of our entire food system. All of the things we consume, even the things we don’t think about, come back to corn.”

Jack: “It’s strange when you really think about it. We always talk about the fast food industry like it’s this separate thing, this thing we choose to eat, but Pollan’s pointing out that it’s not just about the meal in front of us. It’s about the system that makes it happen—the farms, the processing, the very idea that so much of our diet comes from one single source. Corn. How did we get here?”

Host: The room felt charged now, as if the conversation had shifted from simple curiosity to something deeper, something almost uncomfortable in its implications. Jack leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table, his brow furrowed as he pondered the reality behind Pollan’s words.

Jack: “I think it’s because we’ve gotten so used to the idea that food is just food. You get it at the grocery store, you get it at a fast-food joint, and you don’t really think about where it comes from or how it got there. But Pollan’s saying that the whole food system is tied together by one thing—corn. Even the meat we eat in a McDonald’s meal, the fries, the soda, they all have corn in them, whether it’s from corn syrup or corn-fed beef. Corn is the foundation of it all.”

Jeeny: “It’s unsettling, though, isn’t it? We celebrate our food choices—what we eat, what we choose to put in our bodies—but when you start breaking it down, you realize how little we actually know about the food system. How processed everything is, how it’s all tied to industrial farming. The carbon in that meal, the whole meal itself, it’s all connected to a cycle we can’t escape. Corn is at the center, but are we in control, or is it controlling us?”

Jack: “That’s the question, right? Control. Pollan’s saying that we’ve built a whole system where food isn’t really about nutrition or sustainability anymore. It’s about efficiency—getting the most out of that one crop, corn, and putting it into everything. The sheer volume of corn that goes into our food is mind-blowing, and yet, it doesn’t really feel like we’re being told the truth about it. It’s almost like we’re living in this food system that’s running behind the scenes, pulling the strings, and we don’t even realize it.”

Jeeny: “And carbon—when you think about the role carbon plays in all of it, it’s a reminder that food isn’t just about flavor or even taste. It’s about energy, about what it takes to bring that meal to your plate. And what we eat has a lasting impact, on the environment and on our health. Corn, especially in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, is a huge contributor to this. It’s cheap, it’s everywhere, and it’s become the backbone of the American diet. But in the end, it’s not just food—it’s energy. And that’s a different kind of conversation.”

Host: The conversation lingered, like the slow burn of a question that couldn’t quite be answered. The air in the room felt heavier now, the weight of the words settling over them both. The idea of corn as the foundation of the American food system wasn’t just an abstract concept—it was a reality that stretched back decades, shaping the way they ate, the way they lived, and the way they thought about food.

Jack: “It’s not just a food system, is it? It’s an economy built on corn. Subsidies, farming practices, even the labor that goes into it—it’s all part of a much bigger machine. And now, we’re stuck in it. What’s dangerous is that we’ve normalized it so much. Corn is everywhere, and we don’t even question it anymore. We’ve become so reliant on it, it’s almost impossible to imagine life without it.”

Jeeny: “And that’s the paradox, isn’t it? We think we’re free to choose what we eat, that we’re making decisions based on taste, convenience, or even health. But when you look at it this way, it’s all driven by one thing: corn. Everything is tied to that one crop. So, in a way, are we really choosing, or are we just going along with a system we can’t escape?”

Jack: “I don’t think we’re as free as we think we are. And maybe that’s the scariest part. It’s not just the big picture of industrial farming, but the fact that we don’t even realize how much it shapes our daily choices. Corn is everywhere, in ways we never imagined—hidden in our drinks, our snacks, our meals. And we’ve accepted it without question.”

Jeeny: “And we’re not just talking about the food itself; we’re talking about the way it shapes the way we live—our energy consumption, our health, the way our economy is built. It all starts with that one crop. Corn isn’t just a food, it’s a symbol of the systems we’re trapped in, whether we like it or not.”

Host: The silence stretched out between them, filled with the weight of their realization. Outside, the evening air seemed to settle in, the last rays of light fading into the dark. Jack and Jeeny sat in the quiet, the reality of Pollan’s words still lingering, its implications growing with every passing second. The food they ate, the choices they made, the systems they were part of—they weren’t as simple as they had once thought. Corn, it seemed, was at the heart of it all, and in its presence, they had to wonder just how much of their lives had been shaped by something so ubiquitous, so hidden in plain sight.