Often when I’m home for college, my grandmother asks what I want for dinner. Usually, I’m indifferent. I know that whatever we eat will be good. I never saw it as a dilemma until she states, “You never know what you want”. As she begins listing options, usually, I become annoyed that it is a meal we often eat or that it is unhealthy. What an individual defines as healthy and adequate differs from person. That can be a problem, especially within cooking for a group, family. Also, how do you argue with someone older (your grandmother) about what healthy is? (Usually I accept what she says because I don’t want to seem as sassing off). Anyways, there are many misconceptions about what healthy is and this differs by culture and even generation among African-Americans and most ethnic groups. I hope I haven’t gotten to astray. Back to the excerpt at hand, there were some agreements in Pollan’s work that I liked among disagreements, and work that compels me to search more into the abundant world of food.

While reading I wrote notes to my reactions of the story. They are listed below in this post.

Disagreements: The author speaks on how our biological factors such as taste buds help to, predispose us toward sweetness. I disagree, partially. I believe that often we have an urge for sweetness. It is one of our taste buds. However, I believe that our societal factors such as living in America has largely shaped the need for sweetness. Sugar is in everything!

“Certainly the extraordinary abundance of food in America complicates the whole problem of choice”. Maybe greed isn’t helping us and variety is fine! There are so many people, corporations that waste food. However, I find it very pleasant to be able to choose between various cuisines in stores and restaurants.

Michael states that, “The lack of a steadying culture of food leaves us especially vulnerable to the blandishments of the food scientist and the marketer, for whom the omnivore’s dilemma is not so much a dilemma as an opportunity.” I can understand that food can be manipulated and misunderstood because it is vast. However, most people eat what they are accustomed to. Some of us eat out of disparity and may not consciously think about what we are consuming. Especially living in a society that is fast paced often.

 

Agreements: Michael Pollan states, “The lack of a steadying culture of food leaves us especially vulnerable to the blandishments of the food scientist and the marketer, for whom the omnivore’s dilemma is not so much a dilemma as an opportunity.” Scientists should be engaging in work to benefit humanity and options are great. However, an education in agriculture is essential as well. It will help lessen our anxieties.

Furthermore, Michael explains, “follow the food chains that sustain us…a small number of actual meals”. That is a great idea, I don’t think one can go wrong with intuition too much.

Provoking Thoughts to Explore: It is interesting that Pollan notes that humans have so much brain space and time yet make such poor decisions in regards to eating healthy.

The following are also intriguing Michael Pollan quotes that I admire: “What I try to do in this book is approach the dinner question as a naturalist might, using the long lenses of ecology and anthropology, as well as the shorter, more intimate lens of personal experience.” I believe that science should not be ignored. However, everyone knows what works best for them. While some might be lactose and tolerant others might be fine and really need or desire to consume dairy for their own health. Also, quantity matters in decisions as well.

 

The second quote by Michael Pollan I like is: “….the very open-endedness of human appetite is responsible for both our savagery and civility, since a creature that could conceive of eating anything (including, notably, other humans) stands in particular need of ethical rules, manners, and rituals. We are not only what we eat, but how we eat, too.” The ethics to food I believe matters a lot. That is why many of us are angry at the food industry, scientists, and our officials because they have not provided us with the healthiest and most adequate food supply. Also, workers are often mistreated whether it be through inhumane labor laws and the animals physiologically manipulated.

Lastly, I enjoyed the remark the author made about Whole Foods: “So the book’s pastoral section serves up the natural history of two very different “organic” meals” one whose ingredients came from my local Whole Foods supermarket (gathered there from as far away as Argentina), and the other tracing its origins to a single poly-culture of grasses growing at Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia”. This line shed some light for me. Often critics claim that organic isn’t as good as it claims to be. Additionally, I believe that such labels have been manipulated or adjusted for marketing purposes. I wonder when he was referring to “organic meals” if he was speaking of frozen dinners. Either way it is ironic that a local store or chain, such as Whole Foods, that is trusted generally has meals from places as far away as Argentina. I understand that some foods are needed for imports. However, I wonder how much of Whole Foods products are actually imported and exported now.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Pollan’s work and may be more patient with my grandmother about what we really should eat.