Michael Pollan has blown my mind. I’ve been staying up late reading his fabulous book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. The book takes issues that might otherwise seem disparate — global warming, the obesity epidemic, animal welfare, disease, healthy economies, and sense of community — and shows not only how connected they are, but also how they all have a common solution. Pollan looks at four different meals that one can get in America, and traces the food back to its (literal) roots.
For me, the most fascinating part (so far, but I’m only about halfway through) has been about corn. Yes, corn. He starts with U.S. price supports for corn, and articulates how this policy brings consequences like antibiotic-resistant superbugs, nasty pathogens like e. coli 0157:7 (now present in the guts of 40% of feedlot cattle!), global warming, increased dependence on foreign oil, obesity, diabetes, ecological dead zones, and other unsavory things. Along the way, the book is chock-full of brilliant insights (what, really, is in a Chicken McNugget?).
As I read, I keep thinking that I want to create some kind of powerpoint presentation, a la Al Gore, and spread his word. And I actually may do that. In the meantime, I highly encourage you all to buy his book. Seriously. It is worth every penny. And if you don’t have the pennies, then order it from your local library. No, really.
This past Sunday, my hubby Blair was looking at the New York Times magazine online and mentioned that the top emailed article was one called Unhappy Meals - authored by Pollan. He offered to read me the introduction aloud, but then was himself so fascinated that he wound up reading me the entire article - all twelve web pages of it. I love when Blair reads aloud to me - it’s something he did often during our Peace Corps years (fellas, take note: there is nothing, really nothing, more romantic than reading out loud to your lady) - and to have him reading this guy who has so rapidly become my hero? Well, it was just about the best evening I could imagine.
The article looks at food science, and how it has mostly failed to improve our health. Pollan rejects the notion that food is the sum of its parts, suggesting that there is mystery and magic in a tomato (my example) that goes far beyond a simple formula of vitamin c + lycopene + fiber and so on. And that’s why the great bandwagons of food trends (low fat! no, wait…low carb! and how about those omega 3s??) cannot be sufficient to keep us healthy. I like the approach: part philosophy, part reverence for nature, part plain old good sense. Three great lessons from the Times article: (1) If a food makes a health claim on its label, be suspicious. It’s probably not healthy. (2) Don’t eat anything your great, great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. (3) Eat more plants. I’ve filled up a shopping cart twice this week, and have tried to keep this in mind.
Anyhow, I do think I love Michael Pollan. He’s a bit of a hero for me now…perhaps even a bit of a crush. It would be wrong if it didn’t feel so right…
