Michael Pollan
This was a fascinating book about our nation and how we eat here in the United States. It begins with a history of the corn industry, and how we have become “corn people” because of the amount of processed foods we ingest every year. It then discusses the food industry and its constant quest to make food cheaper and to inspire us, as individuals, to eat more. Pollan begins with his discussion on corn, because his first of four meals is at a McDonald’s, a place known for high-fat, high-calorie, and high-corn content foods. Over the course of several hundred pages, he goes on to explore other meals, such as a Whole Foods “organic” meal, a farm meal, and finally a meal gathered and hunted on his own accord. Pollan delivers the main point of his book well: we are a nation without a strong food history (as opposed to, say, Italy or France) and our reliance on processed foods and corn has pushed our nation into an obesity and diabetes epidemic. In addition, Pollard notes, we have lost sight of the entire “event” of eating. Instead of enjoying a home-cooked meal made from local ingredients with family and friends, we now eat meals in our cars. While it’s not realistic that everyone has the time (and money) to prepare a home-cooked meal every night, this book made me want to focus on eating a more well-rounded, locally grown, and non-processed diet.