Omnivores Dilemma

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I've either liked or loved Pollen's books. He writes great stories but often gets too mired in somewhat wacky theories. Omnivore's Dilemma takes his wonderful storytelling ability and combines it with a journalistic look at the food industry. His idea seems gimicky but ends up being a wonderful way to unite his shorter magazine pieces into a coherent book.



Unlike Fast Food Nation, his history of the industrial food system doesn't vilify farmers and does a good job describing why human nature and commodity prices have created the perfect storm of an abundance of soy and corn.



His best section is about Polyface farms in VA. If someone ever fantasized about returning to the land this is your holy grail. It combines a practical, fuck the current system look at farming with the hard work and inginuity that we all believe that we possess. It also shows Pollen's everyman qualities to their best and makes his seem a bit like a Woody Allen character taken out of new york.



The book doesn't shock anyone into changing their eating habbits but makes us realize how wonderful eating locally can be. It also captures the joy and pride of cooking and the shared pleasure of a dinner party.






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