The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
Book Review: Not much to add...
Summary: 5 Stars
I have really nothing to add that wasn't already covered in earlier reviews, except to say that I too am absolutely absorbed by this book, it's informative, interesting, relevant and the writing style is simply captivating. I can't put it down!Book Review: This is no Dilemma, just a great book of knowledge
Summary: 5 Stars
The book came on time and in great condition. I am still reading it now (on meal three) and finding out a lot of things that I did not know and other things that I have just turned a blind eye to. If you want to really get your intelligence started in finding out what you are eating and how it has changed from the good ole days...start here.Book Review: The problem we love to have
Summary: 4 Stars
The fact is that we're omnivores. Huge number of vegetables (but not all), fruits (but not all), fish (but not all), and other sources (but not all) will feed us quite nicely. So, once the toxicity question is out of the way, and it's a big one, the dilemma remains: what's for supper? Why? How did it get there? What moral statement does that make? And how much do you really enjoy eating it? Feeding is a biological function, but dining is an art form, or should be. Which are you doing?
Pollan throws himself into these questions' answers. He traces a set of meals from their origin to his pan and palate. It turns out that each trace represents a specific set of human values, societal norms, and decisions that most people rarely realize have been made. His hi-tech foray starts with one of the earliest and most bizarre of genetic engineering feats: the neolithic taming of corn, making the species utterly dependent on agriculture for reproduction. He then follows modern corn from the field to the feedlot, where it fattens a cow ankle-deep in manure, to the ominously closed gates of the slaughterhouse - "food security," or so they say. In other adventures, he converts the animal to meat with his own hands. It happens once at a farm that's gone back to the ideals of organic farming but with different goals, and again as a modern hunter-gatherer.
Each trek ends in a finished meal. His family consumes the modern industrialized McMeal on the road, but he shepherds the others through his kitchen and onto the plates of his friends and family. At every step, he considers the substance of the food, along with the many social ramifications of each part of its preparation. Some episodes amuse, others appall to some extent, as they should. All of them, however, inform and invite the readers to consider their own lives and means of staying alive. Just what are you eating? And why?
-- wiredweird
Book Review: everyone needs to read this
Summary: 5 Stars
Ignorance is not bliss. Everyone should know where their food comes from. This is a shot in the arm, a real eye opener. We are destroying ourselves with the food we eat and the way we grow it.Book Review: Fascinating, eye-opening
Summary: 5 Stars
A fascinating, eye-opening read. Not many non-fiction books keep me up late at night reading!
I am a veterinarian and frequently hear pet owners say that they won't feed X brand of food to their dogs because the first ingredient is corn. After reading this book, I think: at least the dog food is honest. I just grabbed a random product from my pantry shelf to read the ingredient list. Enchilada sauce: just tomatoes and spices, right? Wrong. It contains modified corn starch, monosodium glutamate, citric acid and hydrolyzed vegetable protein: all corn by-products.
Mr. Pollan has definitely made me more aware of what my family is eating.