Essay about The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

One does not necessarily expect books about food also to be about bigger ideas like oppression, spirituality, and freedom, yet Pollan defies expectations. Pollan begins with an exploration of the food-production system from which the vast majority of American meals are derived. This industrial food chain is mainly based on corn, whether it is eaten directly, fed to livestock, or processed into chemicals such as glucose and ethanol. Pollan discusses how the humble corn plant came to dominate the American diet through a combination of biological, cultural, and political factors. The role of petroleum in the cultivation and transportation the American food supply is also discussed. A fast-food meal is used to illustrate the end result of the†¦show more content†¦As a culture and as individuals, we no longer seem to know what we should and should not eat. When the old guides of culture and national cuisine and our mothers’ advice no longer seem to operate, the omnivoreâ⠂¬â„¢s dilemma returns and you find yourself where we do today—utterly bewildered and conflicted about one of the most basic questions of human life: What should I eat? We’re buffeted by contradictory dietary advice: cut down on fats one decade, cut down on carbs the next. Every day’s newspaper brings news of another ideal diet, wonder-nutrient, or poison in the food chain. Hydrogenated vegetable oils go from being the modern alternatives to butter to a public health threat, just like that. Food marketers bombard us with messages that this or that food is â€Å"heart healthy† or is â€Å"part of a nutritious meal†. Without a stable culture of food to guide us, the omnivore’s dilemma has returned with a vengeance. We listen to scientists, to government guidelines, to package labels—to anything but our common sense and traditions. The most pleasurable of activities—eating—has become heavy with anxiety. The irony is, the mo re we worry about what we eat, the less healthy and fatter we seem to become. The answers Pollan offers to the seemingly straightforward question posed by this book have profound political, economic, psychological, and even moral implications for all of us. Beautifully written and thrillingly argued, The Omnivore’s Dilemma promises to change theShow MoreRelatedBook Review: The Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan631 Words   |  3 PagesThe Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan brings to light the food choices Americans make on a daily basis. In chapters 1, 2, and 3, of The Omnivores Dilemma, Pollan addresses the issues related to food to enlighten the reader of Americas poor food production processes and its unhealthy consequences. After informing the reader where food really comes from, he educates the reader about healthy food options that one should take on a consistent basis. Near, the end of the book, the author takes a lookRead MoreThe Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan: A Study of What We Eat795 Words   |  3 PagesThe Omnivores Dilemma: A Study of What We Eat by Michael Pollan It is very easy to be amazed at the variety of products that can be found in todays supermarkets, all over the world. The United States in particular is a society of consumers, and many in this country would expect no less than full shelves of everything from produce, to meats, to snacks, etc. However, what most consumers today fail to realize is that the variety seen in most supermarkets in this country is really not too variedRead MoreThe Perpetuation of a Sadistic Society: Analysis of Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five and Pollans The Omnivores Dilemma1510 Words   |  6 Pagesnovel Slaughterhouse-Five and Michael Pollans The Omnivores Dilemma share little in common. The former is a novel about the Second World War, addressing themes like post-traumatic stress disorder and the senselessness of war. The latter is a non-fiction treatise on agro-business, addressing themes like public health, food security, and the morality of killing animals. A deeper probing reveals striking similarit ies between these disparate works. Vonnegut and Pollan both do address slaughterhouses;Read MoreOmnivores Dilemma1260 Words   |  5 PagesOmnivores Dilemma In the book Omnivores Dilemma, author Michael Pollan explains the many deficits that he perceives in the ways in which food is distributed in the United States of America. Pollans harshest criticisms are aimed at the food production companies and the ways in which they have bastardized the natural system of food production and turned it into a system which is dependent on fossil fuels; specifically the way that processed corn has become a staple of food products includingRead MoreOmnivore s Dilemma By Michael Pollan1657 Words   |  7 PagesBenecia Felix COL:Earth Book Review Omnivore’s Dilemma By Michael Pollan Michael Pollan is the author of several New York Times bestseller books including the Omnivore’s Dilemma. He is a professor of journalism at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Michael Pollan’s perspective on food is that we should know what is in it and where it comes from, who grows it and how. The theme of this book is the industrial revolution for food. Its purpose is to make awareness that our food is gettingRead MoreThe Omnivore s Dilemma By Michael Pollan1122 Words   |  5 PagesThe Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan is a comprehensive look into the present day food culture of the United States. Throughout the book the author tries to find out the true composition of the diet that is consumed by Americans on a daily basis. There is an excessive dependence by the American population on the government to know which food is good for them. This paper will critically analyze the book as well as the stance that the author has taken. Since there is a deluge of information aboutRead MoreAbstarct. This Paper Will Review And Discuss Michael Pollan’S1444 Words   |  6 Pagesdiscuss Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, A Natural History of Four Meals, which was named a New York Times best seller. Michael holds the prestigious title of the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Journalism at Berkeley, as well as being a contributor to the New York Times Magazine. He also has the distinction of being named one of the one hundred most influential people in the world by Time magazine. The author will discuss the book, its references to the omnivores dilemma, but mostRead MoreThe s Dilemm A Natural History Of Four Meals847 Words   |  4 Pagesexpert’s advises. However, there is one man, Michael Pollan, wrote â€Å"Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals†, published in 2006, and he wants to persuade general public to rethink their food choices and relation with food, and provo ke their awareness of eating. Pollan builds up his credibility by approaching the question through various perspectives, and by critically analyzing the issue of eating disorder. To illustrate his claims, Pollan explains his key words of his work via his narrativesRead MoreSummary of the Omnivores Dilemma1336 Words   |  6 Pages  October  2007]   The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals By  Michael  Pollan      Penguin  Press,  New  York,  NY.  2006,  450pp.  ISBN  1†59420†082†3  [Hdbk.,  $26.95]   Reviewed by William F. McKibbin and Todd K. Shackelford Florida Atlantic University, Dept. of Psychology, Davie, FL 33314 USA [E-mail: wmckibbi@fau.edu, tshackel@fau.edu] The  Omnivore’s  Dilemma  is  the  latest  book  by  Michael  Pollan,  best  known  for  his  previous  best† selling  work,  The  Botany  of  Desire.  Here,  Pollan  has  crafted  a  well†written  and  enjoyable  Read MoreAnnotated Bibliography of Omnivores Dilemma566 Words   |  2 PagesOmnivores Dilemma Annotated Bibliography Horrigan, L., Lawrence, R., Walker, P. (2002). How sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture. Environmental Health Perspective. In this article, Horrigan agrees with Pollan that there is definitely a problem with using corn-based feed for animals who are to then be fed to human beings. Specifically, Horrigan examines both animal feed and the danger of other forms of pollution which have an