The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan

http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9781594200823-0 - Books about "food ethics" seem to be all over the place these days. I'd heard so many good things about this book that I was eager to find out what it was all about. Pollan's basic concept is to follow a principal food chain (industrial, organic, and hunter/gatherer) from its basic beginnings to a meal on his table, in an effort to determine what, in a world filled with food that we can eat, should we ultimately be eating. I found the first section on the industrial food chain incredibly boring. Pollan discusses the production of corn in the United States, the general structure of grocery stores, and culminates in a meal from McDonald's. Too much of it was a reminder of Fast Food Nation and "Supersize Me." Given that I already understand that our supermarkets are filled with convenience foods that are pumped full of chemicals, I didn't feel the need to read anymore about what dangers they pose to my body. I almost put the book to the side forever. But, then I moved on to the organic section - where Pollan ventures out to small farms and discusses, among other things, the differences between large-scale slaughter-houses (think The Jungle) and smaller free-range farms. With local farmer's markets, I think a lot about organic fruits and vegetables, supporting locally grown foods, eating without pesticides to protect migrant workers, etc. But, I had never given much thought to meat. My assumption was always that if I choose to be a meat-eater, I have to come to terms with the fact that the animals I'm eating have probably lived the horrible lives that PETA advocates throw in carnivores' faces all the time. But, Pollan showed a very different side - places where animals are allowed to live out their "animalness" - until, of course, they are eventually slaughtered. I intend to find out more about these types of places - which because of their small sizes, will of course produce a more expensive product, but perhaps one that is more environmentally and morally sound. In Pollan's final section, he is determined to hunt his own meat and forage his own fruits and vegetables. This section had a very interesting discussion of vegetarianism - and how one justifies (to the extent one feels the need to justify) being a meat eater. Once I got past the first section, I felt like there was a lot here to chew on. This has made me much more curious about "organic" and locally-produced foods - attempting to determine what is not only better for my own health, but what is sustainable, what is economically beneficial to people I'd like benefit economically, what is good for workers and animals and the environment. For those who are equally interested, I recommend checking out my friend Francisco's blog: http://sflocalfoods.blogspot.com/. It will help you get into the Green Revolution, and on the path to all things healthy and good.

(P.S. Pollan is also from the East Bay, so I found his mention of local farms and food celebrities particularly interesting.)