Kelsie Smart English 2010 T/TH 11:30-12:50 10/5/13

New Gene Caf Review

Bill Lambrechts wrote the book, Dinner at the New Gene Caf which is about GMOs and peoples life experiences dealing with the controversy. He has done a great job writing this, the points he makes are both valid and informational. An example of this would be, him writing about several different opinions on the matter. After doing a little research online, I found that all the people he quoted and their opinions match. Lambrecht helps the reader understand the creation of GM (Genetically Modified) Foods and how they affect us. He does this extremely well in a non-biased way. His main goal is for Americans to become educated about what they are consuming. Giving data about how America is behind on the times when compared to other countries. Lambrecht focuses this paper on Americans and
Figure 1 Appetizing GMOs

wishes to help open our eyes to what scientists are doing. I completely agree with becoming educated about this, especially now that I have read so much into GM foods. He gives detail on when the first plant was genetically altered, what we have come to use in order for us to mass produce food without worrying about pests, what laws have been made to inform us of what

plants are still natural vs. which ones have been changed, and shows effects on a very young insect after recently consuming only a tiny GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) amount. Lambrecht tells how the once decorated nation of family farms have become more obsolete to bigger GMO based farms, while still showing us hope of the farmers trying to keep their ethics of staying organic. Lastly, he mentions how jungles have become gold mines for further exploration of GMOs. In the first section of Lambrechts book, he shows that in America the meaning of GMOs hasnt quite hit home. Where as in other part s of the world like Europe, Japan, and Brazil the 3 letter work brings fear and confusion as GMOs are what you get when you cross genes over from traditional species of plants and animals on a quest for new traits. For myself Ive always known we were advance technologically but never understood the extent of it. The way Lambert explains this helps promote my understanding of a GMO world. I also validate that in the not so recent past, I was the uninformed American. Next, I like that he gives a timeline to help us see when the ball really started rolling with the actual construction of GMOs. In 1982 for the first time in history the National Academy of Sciences were genetically engineering a plant. Lambrecht shows this possibility through an old chemical company and highly qualified scientists. Seeing that this was over 30 years ago helps put into perspective all of the possibilities of what we have engineered in todays world of 2013. Moreover, Lambrecht helps us to see how we are able to increase our production of crops. Cry9C sounds like an exotic chemical, but instead is a tiny protein buried in the dirt. It comes from Bacillus Thuringiensis, Bt. This is a naturally occurring soil organism thats known

for its insecticidal capabilities. I never even knew we had something natural that could help with our insect problem with crops. Learning this information from Lambrecht is incredibly educational/helpful. However, he illustrates how Cry9C can become a problem if over used. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been addressed by farmers and environmentalists about growing corn that is genetically engineered to produce its own insecticides. GMO critics argue that heavy planting of Bt crops will hasten evolution of pests being able to resist Bt. Its good to see that Lambrecht can look at both sides of this natural organism and see how it can help and how it can hinder production. Furthermore, Lambrecht goes on to show how with the discovery and use of GMOs we have had to introduce new laws. He begins with a setting of just north of The Whitehouse as of the year 2000, a supermarket opened with much organically grown food. The Government released new organic standards for the food industry. These included: no pesticides, hormones, or additives. Any food with these standards can refer to themselves as 100% organic. Before writing this paper, I
Figure 2 Bill Lambrecht

had a vague idea of what organic meant; after reading the book I am now confident of the meaning. In addition to seeing how much better food can be for you by keeping it organic, he also helps us to see some negative effects of GMOs on a smaller creature. Lambrecht uses a Monarch Caterpillar as an example. After nibbling on milkweed dusted with gene altered corn,

this 3 day old insect became slower than usual; its brilliant orange marks also began to fade. Thus reflecting what was happening to its body. This part of Lambrechts work makes me wonder whats happening inside the human body? We are much bigger than a caterpillar and although the signs may go unnoticed for awhile, the overall effect will be detrimental. Next the author tells of how in only 20 years the farms of America have severely changed. He states that in 2000 many of Iowa farms from 1980 had disappeared. Reasons for this are: agricultural businesses are combining and merging, land is being consolidated, and land hungry neighbors are expanding. The few farm owners that are left, now have something new to fear: Genetically Modified Crops. Lambrecht has a great way of getting his readers to see why the average farmer from the 80s has struggled and ceased to be in business any longer. Nevertheless, Lambrecht recognizes in his book the farmers that are still trying to stay in the game naturally with their family farms. The author explains of a farmer named Paul Gebhart. Gebhart hauled five, three hundred pound pigs in the minivan he had to switch to because of the fuel efficiency. The pigs only earn him $946.06 for the hassle of leaving his home in Christian County, Illinois and commuting 228 miles. He is one of the few left producing organic pork for Sioux City, Iowa. The author does a splendid job here at by setting up the scene as something that most Americans can relate to. Im sure there are plenty of us that have been in similar situations of having had to downside and put a great deal of effort into something that has not paid off as greatly as we would have liked it to. Lastly Lambrecht is superb at setting up a scene we can imagine. He talks of Jonathan Gonzales, a collector in a Bioprospecting Program for the Smithsonian Institute. Gonzales is deep in a Panamanian Jungle when hears a howler monkey. Its been 3 hours and he has finally

found a worthy specimen: he gathers some leaves and some tender shoots. These rainforests are rich in a diversity of plant species, making them a gold rush for mining genetic resources. Through this visual from the author helps us to see how GMO research has now pierced into one of our most sacred habitats. To summarize, Lambrechts opens up a new way to broaden peoples views on GMOs. Through his research and education he is able to bring the audience into the book and connect with them on and logical and emotional level. He uses common day to day experiences of regular Americans like you and me to connect with the readers. Lambrecht is a marvelous writer, and I hope to read more of his work to come.

Work Cited
Lambrecht, Bill. Dinner at the New Gene Cafe. 1st Edition. New York, NY: Thomas Dunne Books, 2001. 3.

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