Catherine C. (c-squared) reviewed on 6/7/2013 + 181 more book reviews

What did I think? I think that the U.S. -- basically the entire world -- is screwed. Our food chain is so unsustainable and unhealthy that if something doesn't change soon, it's bound to fall apart. I knew that before reading this book, but Pollan's hands-on research and writing style present the facts and the argument for slow-food in a very clear and readable way. Local, seasonal food is the way to go, but with our cultural focus on and our government's obvious support of quick, easy and cheap, that will not be the mainstream any time soon, probably not until our entire system falls apart.

The four meals Pollan prepares during the course of the book are a McDonald's meal featuring corn, corn and more corn in various forms (which is why we are completely screwed), an "organic" meal of ingredients from Whole Foods (which is better, but not as much better as you would probably think), a "slow food" meal made mostly from food grown at a farm where Pollan worked for a week, and a meal that he grew/foraged/hunted himself. He argues (and I agree) that there's a growing subculture moving in that direction, with farmers markets increasing every year, more urban homesteading, and a greater focus on local, seasonal food, etc. I just don't think that movement is growing fast enough or significantly enough to counteract the economic, environmental and health impacts of the corn- and soy-fueled food chain that currently rules the land. I hate to be so pessimistic, but without a complete reversal of the current food system (which would take either a food revolution or an overthrow of the USDA), we're screwed. (Yes, I know I've now said that three times, but it's less offensive than the word I really want to use.)

I really enjoy Pollan's writing style -- mixing facts, personal experiences and humor together -- but as in The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World, he tends to be a little long-winded. Especially during the last section/meal, in which Pollan learns to hunt and forage to create "the perfect meal," I got bored. Probably because I have no interest in hunting (I'd revert to vegetarianism first) and very little in gathering mushrooms, I found myself skimming though much of this last section.

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