IGX

Two books: "In Defense of Food" and "The Omnivore's Dilemma." Although IDOF was the second to be written, I actually read it first, and I think it makes more sense to read them that way.

"In Defense of Food" starts out by saying "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Pollan promptly admits that he just blew the whole book in three phrases, and then spends the rest of the book explaining the above.

His main point is that in modern society, and particularly in America, we've stopped taking advice on what and how to eat from any long-standing cultural tradition, and started taking it from scientific studies and from industry. He calls this "nutritionism:" the belief that only by picking food apart into its components and analyzing them can we know what's best to eat. And yet somehow, with all this science, we're fatter and unhealthier as a nation than any of the incredibly diverse cultures that came up with what appear to be completely incompatible dietary approaches.

He follows the history of the nutritionism idea, the research AND politics that shaped it, the various soft-pedaling and retractions that the USDA has had to do when cornered by angry agricultural lobbies (some of which defy belief), and the economics that drive a massive industry devoted to producing not food exactly, but a lot of nominally edible "food products."

Although all of this is fascinating, especially to someone who lives with a historian, the most practically useful part of the book is the end chapters, in which he expands his three-part advice into a series of ways to help the reader move towards "eating food" and eating it in a way that strengthens family and community ties.

The "what to eat" part isn't going to surprise anyone who's been around here long enough to remember WFR. But he also goes into shopping, preparation, and developing more ritual and meaning to meals.
To hit those major points, it involves slowing the hell down, buying less food overall and buying higher-quality food from farmer's markets and other local sources. More greens, less grains. Pastured beef, eggs, chicken. Eat together as a family, at the table. Eat AT a table, not standing around, driving around, or watching TV. Did I mention slowing the hell down?

This book should make you take a long look at what you eat and how you eat it. A lot of what he said my family has already incorporated into our lives, but it also got me off my butt and out to the local market. It also got me looking into Community Supported Agriculture programs, in which you buy a "share" to support a large garden (or several gardens) and then they divvy up the output and deliver a box of produce every week.

It's definitely worth a read, and is episodic enough that you could whiz right by all the history and politics and go to the advice section in the rear. You'd be missing out though, since Pollan tells a good story to go along with the practical stuff.

Damn, it's getting late. I'll write about "The Omnivore's Dilemma" tomorrow.

EDIT: here it is.

"The Omnivore's Dilemma" is a good followup to reading "In Defense of Food," even though it was written first, as it fleshes out many of the background details of the food industry that are only mentioned in "Food."

The book is constructed around four meals that Pollan ate: one "mainstream" food industry meal from McDonald's, one "industrial organic" meal bought mostly at Whole Foods, one using ingredients from a sustainable "grass farm" in Virginia, and one from ingredients that he gathered, grew, or killed himself (wild pig, garden vegetables, and mushrooms.)

Each section traces the food chain of the corresponding meal back to its origins. Whenever possible Pollan visits and describes every stage of the process, and adds second-hand info for whatever he couldn't see (like the killing floor).

The most interesting parts by far are the descriptions of the corn-based, petroleum-fueled mainstream American food industry, and its mirror image, the sustainable agriculture of Polyface farm. The Bizarro-World economics of the massive corn agricultural business, its subsidies, economies of scale, and clear unsustainability, all made my head hurt.

The section on Polyface Farm describes the multi-species approach that the farm's operators use to reduce waste and continuously improve fertility rather than degrade it. Although it's been pointed out that this approach wouldn't work in the arid western states, the overall idea begs to be looked at for adaptations to other climates.

One idea that is only briefly mentioned and needed to be fleshed out more completely is that of "food security." Pollan was prohibited from visiting any killing floors because of "security," but as the founder of Polyface mentions, decentralizing the food industry into countless local operations and many species would make it more secure. It's the Internet model: indestructibility through decentralization and redundancy.

The other two sections, on "industrial organic" and Pollan's foraged meal are interesting but not quite as compelling as the above. It was eye-opening to learn how much of the organic food available in stores comes from only two huge companies and is trucked long distances (although as he points out, it still ends up using less petroleum than traditional agriculture, and every acre that's organically farmed is one less acre of nitrate runoff).

The foraging section often comes off as self-indulgent. I really didn't need to read about Pollans' Deep Thoughts as he crouched in the bush waiting to shoot a feral pig, although that section does veer off into a well-balanced investigation and critique of the animal rights / animal liberation movement. In addition his aside about the nomadic culture of West Coast mushroom hunters is fun in a "I never knew about that" way.

To sum it up, it's a good read if you want more information on the background of "In Defense of Food" although if you only want to read one, I'd go for "Food" and its practical orientation instead.