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In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
- Abstract
Like rock ’n’ roll, today’s food culture comes complete with superstar performers, fabled venues and festivals, vast media coverage, breathless critics, big money, and a tower of books. Notable among the authors of such books is Michael Pollan, whose The Omnivore’s Dilemma was a best-seller in 2006 and whose latest, In Defense of Food, is now far up on the charts.
In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan assumed the seemingly neutral pose of a naturalist to tell a tale of four meals. First and worst was a take-out meal from McDonald’s, consumed in the car by Pollan, his wife, and their son as they cruised through Marin County north of San Francisco. Next was a chicken dinner prepared with ingredients purchased at an upscale Whole Foods market. In the third meal, the ingredients came from a grass-based, “sustainable” farm in Virginia, while the fourth, at the apex of Pollan’s ascending order, was made from items mostly gathered or killed by the omnivorous Pollan himself.
About the Author
Edward Azlant, a new contributor, is a writer living in Northern California.
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