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jmc_bksI had a long, long post written about The Omnivore's Dilemma, and it disappeared into the ether. Grrr. Semi-reconstructing below.
The Omnivore's Dilemma is a fascinating book. What is the omnivore's dilemma? That as human beings, we are able to eat nearly anything, but because we aren't limited to a single food item (like, say, the koala's diet of eucalyptus), we are paralyzed by the potential choices available to us. And with so much to choose from, we don't know what is healthiest for us. Pollan also posits that this confusion in conjunction with the lack of a cohesive American cuisine, is what leads to our national neurosis when it comes to diet and nutrition. Another issue is the separation of Americans from the source of their food. Chicken comes in styrofoam packages.** Bananas "grow" in bunches at the produce counter. We have no real understanding of how what we consume is produced or grown or processed.
Pollan traces four meals from cultivation to the table, tracking the agriculture, the public policy, the economics, even the sociology of the meal.
Meal #1: McDonald's. At it's heart, McDonald's is about corn as produced by the industrial farm. But how is corn transmogrified from those silky ears into chicken nuggets? Well, twist the food chain: subsidize the growth of corn, promote its use as feed for livestock, figure out how to generate all kinds of other stuff from it. The history of corn as a grain, its evolution, genetic modification, its treatment as an object of worship, and more are all touched on.
Meal #2: Prepared from ingredients purchased at Whole Foods Market. What is "organic" farming? Where did the movement in the U.S. come from? Can there be such a thing as an industrial organic farm? Or are the two mutually exclusive? One of Pollan's points about his dinner is about the Peruvian asparagus: purchased out of season, subverts a local economy's production of foods for its own consumption to the growth of foods that are shipped thousands of miles (using vast amounts of petroleum) for American consumers.
Meal #3: Prepared from ingredients from a sustainable farm. Polyface Farm in Virginia. A small, family owned and run farm on 550 acres, only 100 acres of pasturage and cultivated ground are used to produce poultry, beef, pork, rabbits, produce and other farm goods. It is self-sustaining in the sense that each crop rotates and feeds the growth of the next. Cows trim the grass; chickens spread the manure and eat grubs; etc. It is the sort of old fashioned farm reincarnated -- serving the local community. The industrial farm is a fact of life, though, and the sustainable farm cannot support urban areas on their own. So where does it fit in terms of feeding America and changing the mind-set re: industrial = okay?
Meal #4: Hunted, gathered and grown. Pollan cultivated his own garden; hunted with other foodies for wild boar and a variety of fungi. Gathered wild yeast to bake bread. Found a neighbor to volunteer wild cherries for the after-dinner sweet. Sounded delicious, but required a massive expenditure of energy and effort, plus significant advanced planning.
The fourth meal wasn't all that interesting to me. I grew up in a community that hunted, fished and gardened, so it seemed, well, ordinary. Otherwise, the intersection of the political, the economic, the biological, and the social was fascinating.
I'm not sure I agree with all of Pollan's conclusions about big organic and small organic. He comes across as a bit patronizing when it comes to vegetarianism -- he's a little self-deprecating about it, but sort of implies that vegetarians are more highly evolved or philosophical than carnivores. Aside from that, this is a very interesting book, making me think about what I eat and look more closely at what is in the cupboard and refrigerator.
**True story: When we were small children (maybe 3 or 4), The Biochemist looked up from her dinner plate and said, "Isn't it funny, Mommy? There's a meat named chicken, and a bird with the same name!" Light bulb! The association of the food on the table to the bird was an eye opening experience.
The Omnivore's Dilemma is a fascinating book. What is the omnivore's dilemma? That as human beings, we are able to eat nearly anything, but because we aren't limited to a single food item (like, say, the koala's diet of eucalyptus), we are paralyzed by the potential choices available to us. And with so much to choose from, we don't know what is healthiest for us. Pollan also posits that this confusion in conjunction with the lack of a cohesive American cuisine, is what leads to our national neurosis when it comes to diet and nutrition. Another issue is the separation of Americans from the source of their food. Chicken comes in styrofoam packages.** Bananas "grow" in bunches at the produce counter. We have no real understanding of how what we consume is produced or grown or processed.
Pollan traces four meals from cultivation to the table, tracking the agriculture, the public policy, the economics, even the sociology of the meal.
Meal #1: McDonald's. At it's heart, McDonald's is about corn as produced by the industrial farm. But how is corn transmogrified from those silky ears into chicken nuggets? Well, twist the food chain: subsidize the growth of corn, promote its use as feed for livestock, figure out how to generate all kinds of other stuff from it. The history of corn as a grain, its evolution, genetic modification, its treatment as an object of worship, and more are all touched on.
Meal #2: Prepared from ingredients purchased at Whole Foods Market. What is "organic" farming? Where did the movement in the U.S. come from? Can there be such a thing as an industrial organic farm? Or are the two mutually exclusive? One of Pollan's points about his dinner is about the Peruvian asparagus: purchased out of season, subverts a local economy's production of foods for its own consumption to the growth of foods that are shipped thousands of miles (using vast amounts of petroleum) for American consumers.
Meal #3: Prepared from ingredients from a sustainable farm. Polyface Farm in Virginia. A small, family owned and run farm on 550 acres, only 100 acres of pasturage and cultivated ground are used to produce poultry, beef, pork, rabbits, produce and other farm goods. It is self-sustaining in the sense that each crop rotates and feeds the growth of the next. Cows trim the grass; chickens spread the manure and eat grubs; etc. It is the sort of old fashioned farm reincarnated -- serving the local community. The industrial farm is a fact of life, though, and the sustainable farm cannot support urban areas on their own. So where does it fit in terms of feeding America and changing the mind-set re: industrial = okay?
Meal #4: Hunted, gathered and grown. Pollan cultivated his own garden; hunted with other foodies for wild boar and a variety of fungi. Gathered wild yeast to bake bread. Found a neighbor to volunteer wild cherries for the after-dinner sweet. Sounded delicious, but required a massive expenditure of energy and effort, plus significant advanced planning.
The fourth meal wasn't all that interesting to me. I grew up in a community that hunted, fished and gardened, so it seemed, well, ordinary. Otherwise, the intersection of the political, the economic, the biological, and the social was fascinating.
I'm not sure I agree with all of Pollan's conclusions about big organic and small organic. He comes across as a bit patronizing when it comes to vegetarianism -- he's a little self-deprecating about it, but sort of implies that vegetarians are more highly evolved or philosophical than carnivores. Aside from that, this is a very interesting book, making me think about what I eat and look more closely at what is in the cupboard and refrigerator.
**True story: When we were small children (maybe 3 or 4), The Biochemist looked up from her dinner plate and said, "Isn't it funny, Mommy? There's a meat named chicken, and a bird with the same name!" Light bulb! The association of the food on the table to the bird was an eye opening experience.
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no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 08:28 am (UTC)I had a problem there with ground beef for about six months. I couldn't figure out where the eye lashes went. (Please don't tell me if you know) Every once in a while I realize what I am eating but being raised on meat and potatoes it doesn't seem weird. I just get weird ideas every once in a while.
Also, my husband and I talk about what kind of changes will take place in a world with no oil. Super markets will sure look funny when they don't have what we're used to.
CindyS
Meat, fish and oil
Date: 2006-08-18 01:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 12:06 pm (UTC)Like the chicken story. I wish I could remember when I made the connection; even though it played a big part in my decision to be a vegetarian, I can't remember that sort of lightbulb moment, oddly.
He wasn't so much hopeless . . .
Date: 2006-08-18 01:13 pm (UTC)I need to edit my post. I had a lot more thoughtful stuff included in the draft that disappeared. The reconstructed version is still missing pieces.
Re: He wasn't so much hopeless . . .
Date: 2006-08-18 05:49 pm (UTC)I don't tend to follow the non-cookery discussions, but if you're interested, eG's a great place for debate on food and related topics.
Re: He wasn't so much hopeless . . .
Date: 2006-08-18 06:48 pm (UTC)Re: He wasn't so much hopeless . . .
Date: 2006-08-19 07:20 am (UTC)Intellectually I have been trying to come up with a way to be more connected to food. I think we, (Can/Us) have so many options that we don't know what eating healthy entails. Sure, some are taught about vegetable gardens but it's not something I learned about growing up. I love the idea of home cooked meals but with there only being two of us, it's easier to eat fast then to sit and figure out what to buy, cook and then clean.
Too bad I only read romances because this book would probably be right up my alley.
CindyS