Omnivore's DIlemma Michael Pollan

Pollan, Michael. Omnivore’s Dilemma. New York: Penguin Press, 200

I have read this book very slowly and very carefully (being a slow food fan). I found it fascinating. The connections Pollan was able to make – the connections he forced me to make; politically, environmentally, culturally, economically and health-wise. The text is a vivid reminder of the inter-connectedness of our world.

And he is certainly a master of his trade; I have passage after passage underlined throughout the text. He engages his reader in every sensory way. His asparagus tale on page 175 is a good example. Having paid close to that price for winter asparagus – and been equally disappointed, this passage rang true for me. His ethical dilemma in purchasing the asparagus also rings true. And that for me is the mark of excellence here.

All of the “data” got tiresome. I found that in places I had to force myself to slow down, this scientist said and that philosopher said; after a while it all blurred. But I never once thought, I should go check that myself. Not once. This is an amazing statement – I google everything. But I think this is the book’s weakness. I would have been happy to give myself over to his knowledge and just, in some cases, have the end result – the story: Michael Pollan’s quest for “what’s for dinner?” And the incredible consequences of his choices. And by default our choices.

With me, Pollan was preaching to the choir. I am a firm believer in we are what we eat – or more aptly phrased take in. Corn is an important subject to me, although I don’t think the book is ultimately about corn. Not eating corn becomes, as Pollan tells us, repeatedly, is a political statement, almost an act of revolution—it is about our involvement in our personal reality. It is an act of Americanism born of fierce independence. The book is a reminder of how apathetic American have become.

Americans are fed a steady diet of headlines – without the in-depth reporting that should follow, and television that makes people like Brittany Spears rather than Joan Didion a cultural icon. And books, well books, are in decline. Myspace replaces the already compromised writing we find in email (as compared to letter writing). It is all fast food, as a culture we have become what we take in. And writing like Michael Pollan’s will be difficult for some to digest. We are fed a diet intellectually as well as physically of … um … garbage. Pollan’s ideas about food can be carried over into our intellectual life. He gave me so much to think about.