In Defense of Food
Synopsis: We're all about healthy eating here in America - but you'd never know it by looking at our med charts. Food activist and UC Berkeley journalism prof Michael Pollan takes on health advisors, the food industry, and scientists in his latest book, which takes eating back to basics and might just make you change your diet.
About the author: Michael Pollan, winner of the James Beard Award, is the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma (named one of the 10 best books of 2006 by both the New York Times and the Washington Post), as well as several other books. Pollan is in the documentary film Food, Inc. that just hit theaters this June, and this fall PBS will air a doc based on his other best-selling book, The Botany of Desire, giving us a "plant's-eye view" of the world.
About the author: Michael Pollan, winner of the James Beard Award, is the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma (named one of the 10 best books of 2006 by both the New York Times and the Washington Post), as well as several other books. Pollan is in the documentary film Food, Inc. that just hit theaters this June, and this fall PBS will air a doc based on his other best-selling book, The Botany of Desire, giving us a "plant's-eye view" of the world.
Reading Selection Week 1:(July 6-12) Intro through Part 1, Ch. 6; 53 pages.
Culture Club
I'm gonna sort of piggyback on Alison's Q from yesterday regarding food and Culture to ask: Do we have one here in America? (Before you answer, I'm not sure Fast Food counts.)
Pollan notes the "political dustup" in 1977 regarding Senator George McGovern's Dietary Goals of the United States paper as the beginning of the nutritionism in government. I mean, it's not surprising that the beef lobby got peeved when the government was prepared to say "eat less meat," and sadly, it's not so surprising that the panel backed off and essentially caved to political pressure.
Given those kinds of powerful forces holding sway over the food we eat, how do we go about creating one? Where do we begin?
*Sidenote related to McGovern: If you've never read Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, you should check it out...it's a surprisingly (for the topic, not for HST) exciting look at the machinations of getting elected in the United States.
Pollan notes the "political dustup" in 1977 regarding Senator George McGovern's Dietary Goals of the United States paper as the beginning of the nutritionism in government. I mean, it's not surprising that the beef lobby got peeved when the government was prepared to say "eat less meat," and sadly, it's not so surprising that the panel backed off and essentially caved to political pressure.
Given those kinds of powerful forces holding sway over the food we eat, how do we go about creating one? Where do we begin?
*Sidenote related to McGovern: If you've never read Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, you should check it out...it's a surprisingly (for the topic, not for HST) exciting look at the machinations of getting elected in the United States.
Submitted by mkrolak on Tue, 07/07/2009 - 11:00pm.
In reference to the response to my original post yesterday around what eating means to people as well as to today’s question on how we go about creating a culture, I think we begin by implementing a great mantra from Ghandi that a few of my friends use, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I have been very blessed to begin to redefine our family’s eating culture with a little help from my friends. I have met a great group of parents at my son’s school, and now that summer is here, to maintain close ties until school starts back we have instituted faery ring Fridays. We gather at a friend’s house and do potluck. The meals are freshly prepared to share with friends. The kids play in the backyard and the parents enjoy wine and beer. We are even implementing a mix tape share so we can add music into the line up. At dinner we eat on the picnic table out back or table indoors and laugh and enjoy the day as it turns to dusk. This tradition is very recent, but has begun redefining how our family looks at mealtimes and also how we, as friends, look at each other. We have raw foodists, wheat allergies, vegans… doing potluck not only becomes a social gathering but a learning experience about the families.
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