Book Review: The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (Penguin Books)

Michael Pollan researched The Omnivore’s Dilemma in an effort to better understand the relationship between humans and food. Throughout the book, Pollan intertwines scientific descriptions of the various ways we obtain food as humans (industrial production, sustainable farming, and hunting/gathering) with an exploration of the philosophies that undergird the human relationship with food. He gives special attention to the broader social impacts of the food production systems including the implications for the environment, labor, family cohesion, and individuals. Finally, each of the systems he examines is contextualized by his efforts to provide his family a meal composed purely of food from each production system. As TBB students learn about sustainable farming practices in rural Thailand, The Omnivore’s Dilemma serves to connect the lives of the local food producers with the global food system of which we are all a part.

This work represents the most comprehensive contemporary examination of the role food plays in our society. Like many of our basic human functions � drinking water, providing shelter, and disposing of waste � acquiring food is an increasingly distant task for most of society. As we “modernize” our relationship to our meal often begins in a store aisle or while reading a menu. Pollan sheds light on the political, economic, and social forces that affect what food we eat and how it’s created. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the perspective and information he provides is how these forces have created a system that is built on values that most eaters don’t share. Reading this book will leave you questioning both what you choose to eat and how the fundamental structure of an industrial production system can affect even our most basic of human needs.

Robin Pendoley
Curriculum Director
Thinking Beyond Borders

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