The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Book review by Deane Barker • • tags: food •
An image of the cover of the book "The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals"

It’s…okay. It’s very, very drawn out. The author attempts to trace back the origins of his food. The first chapter is on corn, but interestingly he manages to trace food back to oil – the petroleum based fertilizers that everything grows from. The chapters on beef and chicken processing are interesting too.

After that, I feel like the book gets muddled. When he started to go into mushroom hunting, I feel like he lost his way.

Pollan is a ponderous writer, and there’s a lot of of this book that could be cut way, way down.

Book Info

Author
Michael Pollan
Year
Pages
450
Acquired
  • I have read this book. According to my records, I completed it on .
  • A hardcover copy of this book is currently in my home library.
Links to this – Bet the Farm: The Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America January 19, 2023
This is a story of a metro couple from the Bay Area who move back to Iowa to take over the husband’s father’s farm. It’s…depressing, in many ways. Farming is a tough industry, and this couple endures crisis after crisis. There’s no glamour in it. It’s just a tough slog. Example: farming is not...