Book Report: Omnivore's Dilemma

I found reading Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, a lot like eating Five Guys. It's an incredibly interesting book, hard to put down, and by the end, you feel slightly bad about what you've done. In the book's case, not that you've read it, but about the lifetime of eating you've done. Much like a post-Five Guys meal, there is a lesson to be learned, and that lesson is that most of the way we eat today isn't the way we're designed to eat, and that needs to change.



The book goes through three sections, each of which could be a very good stand alone essay. The first is about corn, and without giving too much of the book away, will turn the stomachs of economists and eaters alike. The second is about grass, sustainability, and the importance of reestablishing a food ecobalance. Finally, the third chronicles Pollan's search of a "perfect meal" that he hunts, grows, and collects himself.

All of these sections are filtered through the question of, "What's for dinner", and through all of them you'll see how what ends up on your plate, whether you make it at home or get it at a restaurant, usually isn't as holy or pretty is we'd like it to be.

The book can get technical at times, but don't let that scare you, if you're planning on having dinner tonight, or any other night, this is an important read.

If you've read the Omnivore's Dilemma, let me know what you thought. Or if you're reading Pollan's new book, In Defense of Food, like I am, let me know what you think.