October 14, 2007

the omnivore's dilemma


The Omnivore's Dilemma has been on my list to read for awhile now. After reading an interview with Michael Pollan on Grist the other day, I decided I need to move the book up to the top of my "to-read" list. Pollan has a new book coming out this winter which is a follow-up to this one, so I'd love to read it before then. Anyone with me? I was thinking we could do a virtual book-club type thing.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
is about the ethics and ecology of eating. The book was named one of the ten best books of 2006 by the New York Times and the Washington Post. It also won the California Book Award, the Northern California Book Award, the James Beard Award for best food writing, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

A summary of the book reads as follows: "In this groundbreaking book, one of America’s most fascinating, original, and elegant writers turns his own omnivorous mind to the seemingly straightforward question of what we should have for dinner. To find out, Pollan follows each of the food chains that sustain us—industrial food, organic or alternative food, and food we forage ourselves—from the source to a final meal, and in the process develops a definitive account of the American way of eating."

I'm looking forward to learning more about how food in the US is farmed and what kinds of considerations we should be making. So, if you're interested in participating, the first step will be to obtain a copy of the book. I'll post further details soon. I'd love to know if you are going to read it with me - just leave a comment below.

2 comments:

Kristi @ Sunday Afternoon said...

I really want to read this book as well! I don't know if I have the time, but I'm willing to give it a try.
You may also be interested in this http://www.kingcorn.net/, if you haven't heard of it already.

Anonymous said...

I LOVED this book! Botany of Desire (an earlier book) is a fantastic read too. I just finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver which is along the same lines...and another one to add to the list!