Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma

Not every volume will change a reader's life, but this one just might. The dilemma is this: Human beings are omnivores; we can eat just about anything, but how do we know what's best to eat? Adopting the role of food detective, the author "peers behind the curtain" of the modern food industry and finds that the industrial approach to the food chain imperils our health and planet. The four sections of the volume describe differing types of meals: industrial; industrial organic; local sustainable; and hunted, gathered and found. Clear organization and lively writing rooted in fascinating examples make this accessible and interesting. The source notes and bibliography are thorough. Though some readers may find more about certain topics than they care to know—corn, for example—motivated kids will learn much about where their food comes from and what to do about it, and they may want to seek out the follow-up volume for adults, In Defense of Food (2008). (index, not seen) (Nonfiction. 11 & up)

Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma

The dilemma—what to have for dinner when you are a creature with an open-ended appetite—leads Pollan (Journalism/Berkeley; The Botany of Desire, 2001, etc.) to a fascinating examination of the myriad connections along the principal food chains that lead from earth to dinner table. The author identifies three: the one controlled by agribusiness; the pastoral, organic industry that has sprung up as an alternative to it; and the very short food chain Pollan calls "neo-Paleolithic," in which he assumes the role of modern-day hunter-gatherer. He demonstrates the dependence of the agribusiness system on a single grain, corn, as it passes from farm to feedlot and processing plant. The meal that concludes this section is takeout from McDonald's and includes among other foods a serving of Chicken McNuggets. Of the 38 ingredients that make up McNuggets, 13, he notes, are derived from corn. This fact bolsters an earlier, startling statistic: Each of us is personally responsible for consuming a ton of corn each year. Pollan's exploration of the pastoral food chain takes two roads. Investigating "industrial organic," he assembles a meal composed entirely of ingredients from a Whole Foods supermarket. But he also visits a single, relatively small farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, where grass, not corn, is the basis of production, and cattle, chickens and pigs are raised through management of the natural ecosystem. Pollan joins in the farm work and is clearly impressed by what he learns, observes and eats here. In the final section, he learns how to shoot a wild pig and how to scavenge for forest mushrooms. The author's extraordinarily labor-intensive final meal provides a perfect contrast to the fast-food takeout of Part I. Pollan combines ecology, biology, history and anthropology with personal experience to present fascinating multiple perspectives. Revelations about how the way we eat affects the world we live in, presented with wit and elegance.

Simple, awesome
A great book that gives perspective to the food we eat. It is certainly not an easy thing to eat your regular "treat" food or cheap food after reading. I only recommend this book for strong minded people. I love the unscientific nature of this book as well. The science of biology is way too young for us to trust in the same way we trust chemistry or physics. So what we have left is the tradition of eating simple food. 

Everyone should read this book...
Excellent book on food, where it comes from and eating right.

This was a great read! I was hooked as he elegantly walked me through the horrible and then amazing ways we can feed ourselves in such a diverse world.

Wow.

this is such a BORING book
i hate the fact that i need to read it for school...
if you're interested in this type of thing, then go ahead, but i don't like it
just my opinion, though

Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

This book was well-written and thought-provoking from the beginning. It really made me look at the food I eat and where it comes from, as well as where my money goes when I buy food at the grocery ... Read full review

Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

At least three times a day I ask myself, “What should I eat?”. This seemingly simple question has become increasingly complex with the hundred of diets, nutritionists and medical experts all telling ... Read full review

Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Hoooooly crap I hated this book. Philosophically, I understand what Pollan was trying to do here. Boiled down, here's the thesis: we are too far removed from the mechanisms that create our food and ... Read full review