Friday, July 22, 2011

Omnivores Have Options


I have now read this book twice. It is the most complete story of food that I have ever read and it has left a deep impression on me. In The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals Michael Pollan tells the entire story of four meals. These stories are not simply where the ingredients came from geographically, but evolutionarily. It is simultaneously about food nutrition, culture, ethics and environmental impact.
The four meals begin at the McDonald's drive-thru, taking the reader through the history of corn to explain the animal-for-food industry and the fossil fuel costs of the calories we consume.
My favorite meal was the local and ethical Polyface Farms. Reading about the natural food systems working in harmony under the supervision of a grass farmer was incredibly inspiring. Nature has so much to teach us!
Michael Pollan also has a great TED talk discussing some of the themes from his books.
I highly recommend that you become familiar with his work if you consider yourself a foodie.

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