The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
Selected Book Details
- Paperback
- Author: Michael Pollan
- Publisher: Penguin
- Release Date: August 2007
- ISBN-10: 0143038583
- ISBN-13: 9780143038580
- List Price: $16.00
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryA national bestseller that has changed the way readers view the ecology of eating, this revolutionary book by award winner Michael Pollan asks the seemingly simple question: What should we have for dinner? Tracing from source to table each of the food chains that sustain us— whether industrial or organic, alternative or processed—he develops a portrait of the American way of eating. The result is a sweeping, surprising exploration of the hungers that have shaped our evolution, and of the profound implications our food choices have for the health of our species and the future of our planet. |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Ok
Rating: 
Umm you can watch a movie that is on the web that covers all the info that's in this book. I understand that we need to eat more sustainable products, and that we should stay clear of GMO food products. this book was a waist of money, and the info enclosed in its covers is readily available on the web. Any foodie should already know the information that is in this book.
I'm a chef, and I guess this is a good read for a high school kid that's interested in the negative effects of humanity on the environment pertaining to food sources. I thought this book was more of a historical reference to the concepts behind the multiple course meal, I was wrong, hence forth the reason that I'm giving it 2 stars.
Mostly fascinating with occasional flights into silliness
Rating:
When the author is explaining the food chain, he's well-informed, specific, and highly entertaining. Every now and then, he lapses into deeply silly philosophical mode, particularly when he's trying to grapple with the reality of killing animals for food (whether by hunting or in the slaughterhouse), something his pampered urban upbringing has made it nearly impossible for him to do. So I could have used an editor's services in cutting out about 90% of his repetitive agonizing over whether he can actually bring himself to eat a chicken he helped slaughter or a pig he shot in the woods. But, boy, when he finally gets out of that rut and goes back to describing the intricacies of the food chain, is he ever wonderful. The first section, about the prevalence of corn in the industrial food chain, is an eye-opener. Another section, about Joel Salatin's fascinating experiment in sustainable agriculture in the Shenandoah Valley, is worth the whole book. Even the hunting-and-gathering section, which suffers most from his tendency to maunder, is stuffed full of goodies about things like mushroom cycles of life.
Fantastic Food reading
Rating:
This is a great read, it has made me very thoughtful of what I eat and where my food comes from. The run down of how much corn or things that ate corn or used to be part of corn are in fast food was very mind opening. Drink all the soda you think you are going to want for a while before you read is my only advice.
Excellent! A Must Read!!
Rating:
I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about, well, corn--the economics, the health issues and the politics all involved in growing and selling corn. I thought this book was well researched and I think that Mr. Pollen did a great job of truly involving himself in the experience. I mean, he spent a week, busting his butt on the farm, living and working with a complete stranger who, although well meaning, is a bit out of the bell curve.
I have to agree with another review regarding the meat. I am a non-red meat eater but I do eat poultry, eggs, and dairy. I didn't think that he was as sensitive as he could have been to those that choose a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.
I would highly recommend this book. I can't wait to read the Botany of Desire.
This book may change your life.
Rating:
Although occasionally sections of this book got a little bogged down and dragged a bit for me, overall it was very fascinating, at times horrifying, and frequently wittily entertaining. Pollan explores three main styles or methods of producing a meal: modern industrialized farming, as currently practiced in America, sustainable agriculture based on pasturing livestock, etc., as practiced on Polyface Farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and hunter/gatherer food production. If a book based on that premise doesn't sound like it could hold your attention and be entertaining, think again.
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