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amypeveto 's review for:
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
by Michael Pollan
“But imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a matter of course, these few unremarkable things: What it is we’re eating. Where it came from. How it found its way to our table. And what, in a true accounting, it really cost.”
In 2006 author Michael Pollan decided to write a book about the question that echoes around the world every evening: “What should we have for dinner?” Almost 20 years later his research and writing continues to challenge the way farmers, industry, and consumers approach what — and how — we eat.
This book has been floating around my periphery for years, but I avoided picking it up because I knew it would make me want to change my family’s eating habits in ways that weren’t possible. It’s only now (when I have more money and live near a large city that makes it feasible for local producers to survive) that reading a book like this could be anything other than frustrating and depressing. I agree with his premise that it’s better for animals and the Earth to eat meat sourced from local/non-industrial producers; the fact that the meat is more expensive means we’ll eat less of it overall, which is probably also a good thing for the world.
Some reviews complain that the book takes too long to get to the point, and focuses on some of the wrong things. I think that’s a reflection of the book’s age rather than its content. Pollan’s book was groundbreaking in 2006, but these days the details and arguments about feedlots, slaughterhouses, pesticides, overproduction, industrial vs. organic, and even foraging are much more commonplace. It was also published before there was widespread recognition of the prohibitive expense of organic meat production, food deserts, and other systemic issues that make it harder for most people to eat more sustainably (even if they want to). Fortunately it looks like Food, Inc. 2 (the 2023 sequel to Food, Inc.) might be recent enough to take these newer perspectives into account.
Only read this if you’re able and prepared to make changes to your dinner (and breakfast and lunch) menu.
In 2006 author Michael Pollan decided to write a book about the question that echoes around the world every evening: “What should we have for dinner?” Almost 20 years later his research and writing continues to challenge the way farmers, industry, and consumers approach what — and how — we eat.
This book has been floating around my periphery for years, but I avoided picking it up because I knew it would make me want to change my family’s eating habits in ways that weren’t possible. It’s only now (when I have more money and live near a large city that makes it feasible for local producers to survive) that reading a book like this could be anything other than frustrating and depressing. I agree with his premise that it’s better for animals and the Earth to eat meat sourced from local/non-industrial producers; the fact that the meat is more expensive means we’ll eat less of it overall, which is probably also a good thing for the world.
Some reviews complain that the book takes too long to get to the point, and focuses on some of the wrong things. I think that’s a reflection of the book’s age rather than its content. Pollan’s book was groundbreaking in 2006, but these days the details and arguments about feedlots, slaughterhouses, pesticides, overproduction, industrial vs. organic, and even foraging are much more commonplace. It was also published before there was widespread recognition of the prohibitive expense of organic meat production, food deserts, and other systemic issues that make it harder for most people to eat more sustainably (even if they want to). Fortunately it looks like Food, Inc. 2 (the 2023 sequel to Food, Inc.) might be recent enough to take these newer perspectives into account.
Only read this if you’re able and prepared to make changes to your dinner (and breakfast and lunch) menu.