Why We Can't Agree.

Rayner, professor of science in society at Oxford University's Said Business School and director of the United Kingdom's national Science in Society research program, grew up in Britain but lived in the United States for 20 years.

The current dispute over genetically modified crops has significant economic implications for both the United States and Europe; it cannot be understood purely in economic terms. It's also based on differing views of nature. Ask an American about nature and he'll get images of pristine mountains, forests, sparkling streams and wilderness preserves many miles from where he lives. Ask a Brit the same question and you get talk of fields, hedgerows, winding lanes and country pubs. In Britain, and in Europe in general, the countryside is where we live, not somewhere apart.

The notion of food is also tied up in this dichotomy. Europeans place a high value on regional cuisines. Food is a strong element of local identity. The United States may have regional recipe books but no strong tradition of local cheeses, wines and characteristic ingredients. U.S. restaurant goers care more about consistency--at a McDonald's or a Sheraton dining room, the product will be predictable.

Not only do Americans live apart from their ideal image of nature, they also think of food production as something that happens far away. You can fly over the Great Plains and see endless ranks of green machines growing wheat and soybeans. European food also travels great distances from farm to table, but Europeans think of their food as a product of the same countryside in which they live. Perhaps it's the perceived industrialization of food ...