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

What ought to be our evening meal? This seemingly straightforward subject has always been a conundrum for omnivores like us. Choosing what to eat will always cause worry when you can consume almost everything that nature (or the grocery store) has to offer, particularly since some of the meals may shorten your life. America suffers from what can only be called a national eating problem these days, shielded by one food trend after another. The omnivore's dilemma has returned with a fury, presenting us with a confusing and dangerous food environment in the form of the contemporary American supermarket and fast-food establishment. The health of the ecosystem that supports life on Earth is at risk, in addition to the health of ourselves and our children.

In the ground-breaking book The Omnivore's Dilemma, one of America's most intriguing, inventive, and sophisticated authors applies his own voracious intellect to the apparently simple problem of what to eat for supper. Since the discovery of fire, humans have been faced with this conundrum. However, as noted by best-selling author Michael Pollan, the response we give to it at the start of the twenty-first century might very well decide whether or not our species survives at all. Shall we get a quick burger? Something natural? Or something we ourselves hunt, harvest, or plant?

In order to find out, Pollan tracks every food chain that supports human life—industrial, organic, or alternative foods, as well as food that we gather for ourselves—from its origin to its end, creating an authoritative portrait of the American diet in the process. His captivating story transports us from cornfields in Iowa to labs studying food science, from fast-food restaurants and feedlots to organic farms and hunting areas, all the while highlighting our dynamic coevolutionary connection with the few plant and animal species that support us. Every time we eat, Pollan uses his special combination of investigative and personal journalism to uncover the roots of everything we eat, exposing the things we unknowingly consume and elucidating how our preferences for certain foods and tastes are a reflection of our evolutionary heritage.

For all of us, Pollan's unexpected responses to the straightforward issue this book poses have significant political, economic, psychological, and even moral ramifications. In the end, this is a book about creative solutions as much as it is about problems, and Pollan argues that, in terms of eating, doing the right thing is often the best thing one can do. The Omnivore's Dilemma is a masterfully written and compellingly argued book that has the power to alter our perception of politics and the joy of food. Anyone who reads it will never look or taste the same for supper again.