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What are readers saying about The Omnivore's Dilemma A Natural History of Four Meals?
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-20 08:21:01.
(Language: English)
  
I didn't think much about the food industry could phase me - I know about McDonald's and corn subsidies and factory farming. This book digs really deep, however, and tells amazing stories about food, evolutionary paths, and the people who bring us our daily bread. The first two sections - Corn and Big Organic - were phenomenal. The third felt patched together, like Pollan didn't want his research and Slate articles to go to waste, mixing them together in a way that didn't mesh, let alone follow the elegance of his initial arguments. The book ends with Pollan preparing a "perfect meal" which was arbitrarily constructed and seemed an excuse to tell tales his kitchen and the colourful local characters that visited it. It was moderately entertaining, but I would much rather have read more analysis and investigation, particularly something that inspired me to take action in my own life. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-19 09:36:32.
(Language: English)
This book will forever change your view about the food industry and your attitude toward what you eat. Although much research is anecdotal, Pollan made his book into a highly succesful critique with much passion and persuasive argements.Why are we all eating "processed food" instead of the real products? Tropicana instead of real oranges, MacDonalds instead of beef? Answer: profits. One farmer can only grow and sell products in a limited fashion. Multinational coporations make millions driving raw food prices like corn to almost nothing through economy of scale, mass produce a versatile ingredient corn syrup, then use it in almost any product. The dazzling arrays of products you find on the supermarket shelf is essentially the same thing "processed" differently. The consumers would spend most of their money on marketing, packaging, and various ways of mixing and matching essentially the same ingredients.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-02-06 11:12:02.
(Language: English)
After skimming parts of this book two pages at a time while waiting for my order at Jamba Juice, I decided it was probably worth grabbing from the library for a full read. Pollan traces the path our food takes from the fields and pastures to our plates, as guided by four different food cultivation philosophies. I found the book highly enlightening, and I appreciated that the information was presented in a way that was neither judgmental nor preachy. Clearly Pollan has his own opinions, but he prioritizes expanding awareness over converting behavior. I recommend the book to anyone seeking a better understanding of where our food comes from and what some of the alternatives might be.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-22 11:42:51.
(Language: English)
I read Pollan's "Nutritionism" piece a few months ago in NYTimes Magazine and was completely blown away by his intense knowledge about food production and nutrition, his hilarious wit, and also his accessible social *and* scientific analysis. So, I went out of my way to find this book, and what an absolute pleasure it was to read! I was not surprised by his investigative journalism about the food industry, but I learned a lot more about the fundamental problem of food production in the United States today. He is such a fun, friendly, and smart writer... the material is accessible to every kind of eater, he pulls no holier-than-thou diet elitism at all! For awhile I thought the third and final section of the book when he goes hunting might have been unnecessary, but by the time I got to the end I realized how much that section serves an important purpose for the overall structure and point of the book, and for that I strongly urge anyone to read it for themselves!!!
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Catherine posted a review at 2012-03-10 03:24:39.
(Language: English)
Very interesting read, especially as most of us never bother to find out where our food came from; how many levels of processing it went through, how much energy was put into getting it onto our plates; and how much nutritional content is actually left by the time we eat it. Pollan explains the science simply but accurately. Highly recommended to anyone who needs to eat!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-19 02:17:42.
(Language: English)
While reading it feels as though Pollan is haphazardly zooming over the ethical dilemmas involved with eating in the US today. He also seems to just chuck in a liberal handful of interesting tidbits (Who knew that you could use carbon to determine how much corn a person ate over their lifetime or that the leading experts studying mushrooms don't know what they are or what they do). As you slowly digest the book you realise the compendium of food snippets, lessons in ethics, and anecdotes have given you a set of tools to understand your food. You will reexamine your food choices, but you will have the tools to do so without becoming a blindfolded fast food consumer or an unreflexive vegetarian. It embodies the overused cliche "food for thought" or, to modify a phrase the author uses, this book is "good to read and good to think".
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-07 05:46:55.
(Language: English)
Good stuff, if you're American and interested in knowing where your food really comes from. I've heard people call Pollan "preachy" and "elitist", and while I'm usually super-sensitive to charges like that, I'm not sure they apply here. I don't think the author is *commanding* anyone to eat locally/non-industrially/etc. Rather, he is trying to point out that most of us know relatively little about the origins of our food, and that if we spent just a little time edifying ourselves, our food choices might change. Not a five-star review, because I think it's irresponsible to talk about the negatives of the mass production of food and the global food market without talking about the massive (economic, health) benefits as well. But ultimately, this is a book targeted towards the overfed American, not a polemic about global food equity issues, so it's just a minor quibble.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-29 03:56:32.
(Language: English)
every one needs to read this book. i mean every one. the section on corn is especially compelling. polan's adheres to an evolutionary dogma which causes him to wander and miss the trees for his imaginary forest some times but it doesn't really deter to much from the fact that main theme is timely and spot on. When we industrialized the way we eat we started down a path that really fouled up our economy and our families not to menion our lands and our health. the implications for this book go beyond eating and speak to our need for a total pro-life outlook. When we mechanize the person, the farm, the food and the economy we are well down a path that leads to all sort of brave new world type of horrors.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-28 10:18:22.
(Language: English)
I listened to this 13-disc book on CD in my car while commuting to work, and it has been one of the most informative few weeks ever. Pollan manages to cover the history of the corn industry in the US to micaphilia (love of mushrooms) culture to how to prepare a brine for chicken. I leanred about the natural cycles between plants and animals, and had an insight into the different kinds of foods I eat.Occasionally Pollan will wax poetically about this or that, but sometimes he's able to catch himself and almost seem to apologize for it. The reader (Scott, maybe?) was excellent. His inflection fit everything perfect, and I htink if I ever met Pollan I would be disappointed with his voice.So if you've ever been curious about your food, or concerned about what you're feeding your children, I most definitely recommend this book. Go out and pick it up today.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-12 07:57:35.
(Language: English)
Excellent introduction to the key issues confronting our global food supply and sustainability. Quite frankly, this book dramatically changed my thinking about what I eat and has resulted in some significant lifestyle changes. Answers some important questions about the relative costs of sustainable agriculture versus factory farming, and compellingly tackles the ethical / moral questions surrounding meat consumption. Highly recommended to anyone who is new to this whole set of problems. Only criticism is that it's a bit long and at least one chapter probably could have been left out. But overall an outstanding work that everyone should read.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-05 02:08:33.
(Language: English)
This book documents three main ways you can acquire your food: (1) the current industrial food network, (2) the organic/traditional farm, and (3) foraging for it in the wild. It was eye opening to see just how damaging our current food network is to the natural world. It was also interesting to see how monocultures (such as ours) can very easily collapse with dire consequences. Polyface Farm clearly has the best method for growing and raising food. It has motivated me to start growing/raising my own food. It seems like food tastes better when you know exactly where it comes from.
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Michael posted a review at 2010-10-23 10:06:24.
(Language: English)
Pretty amazing stuff. The author is a journalist, so his journey into the depth of our food chain is eye-opening. In the final chapters, he prepares a meal made of things he's gathered and hunted on his own, from a pig to mushrooms, both in the wild, to cherries picked in a Berkley, CA, neighborhood. “Don’t you find it odd that people will put more work into choosing their mechanic or house contractor than they will into choosing the person who grows their food?"
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-18 10:11:02.
(Language: English)
After hearing so many amazing things about The Omnivore's Dilemma, I had to read it for myself. The book completely lived up to my expectations. The vast majority of its pages captured my intention, stirred my curiosity and challenged my intellect. Pollan is an excellent writer, and this non-fiction piece reads fluidly and enjoyably. I think about and view food differently now, and look forward to the challenges that the book poses to the engaged reader. With that said, I was disappointed by the last chapters of the book (with the exception of mushroom expeditions). The final sections of the book seemed disjointed to me but it is quite possible that this was because I had a harder time relating to the subject matter. At any rate, this is a fine book and I suggest reading it without hesitation.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-12 09:56:36.
(Language: English)
After hearing about this books so much, I finally broke down and read it. The first 2/3rds for the book is outstanding, a must read. The last third of the book is still good in places, though the author goes offtrack a few times and kind of ruins the pacing. Overall an amazing book making you wonder why we are subsidizing the big corporate machines that are poisoning the earth instead of the smaller, self-sustaining farmers that are a model for success. Yes, we probably cannot feed the whole country on just small farms, but we need some kind of balance, and spend any subsidies where they make the most sense.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-18 07:48:26.
(Language: English)
A very well written book that covers a topic near to my heart - food. The title's dilemma refers to the fact that as omnivores, humans can eat most anything so the question of what we should eat becomes problematic. Processed foods, organic foods, natural foods, medical foods - what to choose? Pollan echoes some of the things we joke about: what could be better for you than a processed food that was manufactured specifically for your pleasure? (Think twinkie.) And, what exactly is meant by the term organic, especially when applied to foods like organic berries? (As it turns out, very little). So as thought provoking as this book was, the question remains (at least for me) - what should I eat?
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-05-23 07:38:12.
(Language: English)
I love this book and recommend it to about everyone with whom I talk. It has changed my buying and eating habits! More importantly, it is a thorough and clear history of just where our food comes from. In this sense, the reader lunges from horrified (or you should be) to empowered as Pollan delves into the inner workings of industrial agriculture (you'll never look at corn the same way again) and industrial organic (ditto, but for mixed greens...), and finally to a more sustainable and frankly appetizing alternative. This is a must read for the whole country, which has veered so far off course in terms of constructing a food system. Excellent. Amazing book...it was page after page of epiphanies...and I was already part of the choir! Highly recommend this book, and others by Pollan!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-18 08:16:09.
(Language: English)
Interesting as to how much corn affects our lives. A McD's meal of a big mac, coke, salad, fries and nuggets is well over 50% corn by the time you count the corn fed to the chicken, beef & corn by-products (corn syrup, di mono tri glycerides, etc.) used in making the food. I don't really plan to get out and experience slaughter first hand nor pick my own mushrooms -- but the book really makes you think about what you are consuming.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-16 02:56:40.
(Language: English)
I thought this was a really interesting perspective on the food we eat. I liked that although his thesis is in the direction of eating 'real', nutritious produce, he is willing to criticize the hypocrisy of the notion that eating from Whole Foods is automatically healthy or sustainable. Two of his stories were about places I've just been to! I was down in Carmel-by-the-Sea over winter break (which is absolutely gorgeous) and have a new appreciate for California agriculture. And Polyface Farms is actually just outside Charlottesville! Some friends and I are going to go visit their farm in May and learn about their sustainable farming strategies! Definitely recommend this book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-01 12:44:07.
(Language: English)
This is a great book if you want to back yourself into a corner and throw your hands up in desperation as you realize that absolutely everything sold in the supermarket is connected to some facet of the industrial military complex that is our industrialized food system. Just like his other books Pollan manages to combine extremely thorough research with an engaging story to string all the points he wants to make together. A must read for the recently food conscious, but if you already shun high fructose corn syrup and know the farmers at your local farmer's market by name, skip it because you won't learn anything, you'll just get angry.
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Todd posted a review at 2009-12-26 09:54:45.
(Language: English)
Michael Pollan knocks it out of the park with this one. Excellent read highlighting a subject that fewer and fewer people know anything about: the source of their food (industrial, organic, bio-dynamic, and hunter-gathered). And that ignorance is leading to a industrialized product that was never intended to be industrialized... which is, of course, leading to an unhealthy, oblivious population. And then of course, there are the ethical and environmental considerations. Fantastic book that should be read by as many folks as possible. We all need to think about our food and the implications of our choices... and our ignorance.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-03 11:15:45.
(Language: English)
Michael Pollan traces the paths of four meals to address the omnivore’s dilemma, the question of what we should eat given all that we can eat. The meals are each representative of a food chain: industrial, ‘big organic,’ ‘little organic’ and hunter-gatherer. Pollan does not present a single, clear alternative to industrial agriculture. What to eat is, as the book’s title suggests, a dilemma. It is likely that McDonald’s and corn will continue to dominate the food market in our lifetimes. What is important is that “a great many different alternative food chains†thrive to ensure we can continue to feed ourselves (Pollan, 2006, p. 260). The Omnivore’s Dilemma succeeds, because it compels its readers to talk constructively about what we eat and what we want to eat. It succeeds, because this dialogue is the foundation upon which consumers and policy makers are building the system of alternative food chains.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-18 08:16:44.
(Language: English)
The Omnivore's Dilemma has always been a multitude of choices because we can eat such a wide variety of foods, but how do we know what to eat in the forest or our modern-day supermarket. Truly an eye-opener about how our industrialized commercialized food chain works. I can't imagine anyone reading it without understanding that we as individuals, and as a culture, need to make some changes in how we think about and choose the food we eat. And, it's enjoyable reading that you can't put down, too.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-05-15 11:43:49.
(Language: English)
A book that will change how you look at food. The more choices we have to eat, the more educated we are in terms of what's good for us, the more we seem to fail in terms of diet. Pollan sheds an incredible amount of light on this dichotomy as we goes from one food extreme (eating a McDonald's Extra Value meal in a car going 60 mph) to foraging and hunting the ingredients for a meal that literally takes months (and about 200 pages) to prepare. An extraordinary read.
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Theresa posted a review at 2009-10-29 11:32:29.
(Language: English)
Not as "enlightening" as I anticipated, but being a Berkeley-ite by education and employment, I may be anomalously well informed about the horrors of our current food industry and more familiar than the average Joe with the concepts of sustainable farming. Still Pollan's book is a very interesting read that has re-fired my motivation to shop for food with an eye toward choosing, as much as possible, locally-grown, sustainably produced items. My only gripe: The chapter on animal rights is ridiculous and interminably dull.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-06 12:17:08.
(Language: English)
Omnivore's Dilemma has been a slow read for this English major, but well worth the effort. The writer takes you on a journey from your grocery store to the places your food originates-most of our grocery store products come from a corn field in Iowa. He then goes through large scale production of organic foods. It becomes more appetizing when he hits the local small farm in Virginia-Poly Face Farms where he spends a week working in the local food movement. I believe we should know where our food comes from and this books explains it all in full detail.
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