He told me of his early years when he worked in Connecticut, but, he
said, he wanted to pursue “further” graduate work, so he returned to
Missouri where he took his PhD at University of Missouri. I told him my
sister had taken her PhD at Missouri and the conversation turned to
areas of expertise. I asked what his field was and he replied, “poultry
nutrition.” So now I fancy that I know a fellow who knows more about
chicken feed than I do, notwithstanding that I raised a family on a
paycheck that amounted to about that.
I have long
believed that academia narrows fields of expertise to a fine point, and
here is an excellent illustration of that fact. Someday, some
university is going to narrow a study down to a vanishing-point, and the
recipients of the degree offered will know everything about nothing!
This little snippet is extracted from a longer post from 2012.
Image: Oregon State University
7 comments:
Sort of like getting a degree from Hoover University - a BA in vacuums?
Grace, the graduate level of the same field of study.
You are probably right. If universities selected people based on things other than letters behind their names, we would have less specialized studies and professors who might actually do what should be done in the world of higher education.
Speaking of chickens, I finally found a place here that sells chicken not raised using hormones and antibiotics. Because we had not preciously been able to find meat raised without antibiotics and hormones, I had cut down my meat intake to about 10 ounces per week. I'm also also cutting out corn and things containing soy. The pickings are slim when it comes to non-GMO products.
Vee, eating is a tricky thing unless you do pretty much as I do, i.e., eat what you like when you want it. I've probably done more reading on the subjects of GMOs, organic production and so on than you might think. Are GMOs a threat? I don't know, but I do know that starvation is a threat and there are 7.8 billion human mouths to be fed as opposed to the 2 billion or so who lived during our childhood. Are you allergic to soy products? A few people are, and food allergies are not to be taken lightly. Apart from that soy is one of the leading food products of the day. btw, a side-note that I found interesting: people of Asian descent seem generally to suffer no ill affects from soy consumption. Still and all I much prefer my burgers to be made from ground cow.
David, you can trust me when I tell you I'm not starving. When we moved to Colorado the meat market down the street from us sold meat from a Ranch that used no antibiotics or hormones. The meat had to be cooked some longer for tenderness, but it tasted great and for the first time in many years I did not have a sour stomach after eating beef. I have not found that here but did find a place that sells the chicken. If I am careful with my diet and limit meat intake, I can stay away from anti-acids.
I generally avoid milk unless it is in something I cook, always avoid tofu and artificial sweeteners, eat limited portions of meat, limit bread intake (but like toast with my non-GMO peanut butter), and I cook almost all of our meals at home - a balanced and healthy diet.
I eat non-seasoned almonds every day and use pecans and walnuts in dishes I make. Steaming or baking is the way I prepare carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, cabbage, and squash. I use bell peppers, garlic, onions, molasses, cooking wine, pepper, and a varied assortment of spices for seasoning.
I alternate my approximately two ounces of meat per meal between chicken, beef, and pork. (Hubby eats more but he controls everything with meds - BP, Cholesterol, etc.) On baked Salmon night the portion goes to 4 or 5 ounces and I make omelets on occasion.
I eat Greek yogurt to which I add fruit, and a variety of salad greens and fixings. I use small amounts of cheese on omelets and in salads.
Desserts are limited but I go totally "off script" on holidays or when we have company.
I have decided that corn and soy are the bigger problems with pesticides contained in the products. (Hominy is probably okay because fermenting fixes just about everything.) There has to be a reason why so many men now have spare tires and women muffin tops. Hmmm.
But enough defending myself...
Oh, I do get mashed potatoes in there on occasion (a favorite of Hubby's) and steamed rice (a favorite of mine).
Vee, no defense necessary. It seems to me that you are eating quite well and following my core belief as well: eat what you like. But I will still have days in which I eat more beef than you do in a week. ;-)
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