I Want To Read: The Omnivore's Dilemma & In Defense of Food

I have been a busy moviegoer recently, and I've been lucky to see a run of good films, including Up, The Hangover, and Away We Go.

And then there's Food, Inc. A much tougher sell, I realize. It's difficult to talk about the food industry, I feel, because I don't want to sound pedantic or shrill. Yes, I was the kid who mooed at her parents when they ordered beef at restaurants, but I like to think that I've become more mature in understanding people's food preferences. On the other hand, that beef probably came from a cow who spent its whole life eating corn and standing in its own manure before being killed and sprayed down with all kinds of fun chemicals. Not to sound like a jerk, but: that's gross, right?

There are two well-known authors who offer commentary in Food, Inc.: Eric Schlosser, who wrote the excellent and highly recommended Fast Food Nation, and Michael Pollan, who wrote the two books I indicated in this post's title. Fast Food Nation covered the rise of the fast food industry, the state of farms that supplied the industry's needs (especially for beef, chicken, and corn), and the conditions for workers in slaughterhouses*. These topics are covered in Food, Inc. as well; it is my impression that Pollan's books cover other aspects of the food industry, including differences between more highly processed and organic foods.

Some people don't want to know where their food came from. Perhaps it's just because I am naturally curious, but I'm not one of them. I love to know these things, and try to adjust my grocery store purchases and restaurant choices accordingly. So these are on my to-read list, although I'm not sure when I'll get to them. Now that summer is in full swing and I'm at my summer job, I've realized that I may not have a lot of energy for books that require critical thinking. We'll see.

*To me, this was the most powerful part of Fast Food Nation. Again, not to be overly didactic, but even if you don't care about the treatment of animals or how food is processed, I think it is important to be aware of the people who do highly dangerous work so that we can have readily available meat.

PS - I promise my next post will be more lighthearted. Pinky swear.