Michael Pollan is one of my favourite authors. After hearing him speak on the CBC Ideas program “Organics goes Mainstream”, I knew I had to read his books.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma follows the life history of four meals. He starts with a discussion of industrial farming methods, follows with two variations of organic – the big business model and that of a family farm, and ends with a hunter/gatherer meal collected from the forests near his home. What Michael really looks at is not just what we choose to eat, but how we choose to let that food be produced.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma is really a wake up call about our food system. We don’t all need to learn how to raise and butcher our own pigs, but we can support a more sustainable food system by shopping at farmers’ markets, eating locally and seasonally, and supporting food establishments that are supplied by local farms.
More than anything else, Pollan’s book is a plea for us to stop and think for a moment about our whole process of eating. Just as we get the political leaders we deserve, we also get the food we deserve. We need to think about the ways we choose to feed ourselves!
Michael Pollan
