The Omnivore's Dilemma is a fascinating story about where our food comes from, and it's not an overstatement to say that it changed my life. It sounds like it could be an incredibly boring read - Michael Pollan talks about the modern food production industry by following the path of four different meals, from farm to plate. However, it's anything but boring - I couldn't put this book down, and I recommend it to anyone who is curious about what they're eating.
Even though this is a non-fiction book that is full of facts and figures, it still manages to be a really interesting read because Michael Pollan is such a great storyteller. When he is telling the reader about where a McDonald's meal comes from, he visits an industrial feedlot and describes the disgusting and disturbing sights and smells of where cows are fattened up before slaughter. When he decides to find out what it's like to produce your own food, he describes a hunt for a wild boar that is both funny and frightening. He describes in great detail shooting the boar, bleeding it, and butchering it, and then describes the meal where he serves boar prosciutto to a group of friends. The Omnivore's Dilemma, at its centre, is just a really good story that kept me turning pages late into the night; an unusual way to describe a non-fiction book about the food industry.
More importantly, Pollan's book changed how I understand the food on my plate, and changed how I eat. I was a vegetarian for sixteen years because of my disgust with the industrial farming complex, and what it was doing to our health and our planet. This book changed that. Pollan makes a compelling argument that in order to change the way our food is produced, we can't just opt out of the system as I had for more than half of my life. Instead, it is important to engage in food production that is ethical and environmentally sustainable. I am no longer a vegetarian; I now take part in the system by eating local, sustainably raised meat, and supporting local farmers. This book changed what I eat, and what I feed my family. If you have any curiosity about food, or if you just like a good story, buy this book - it just might change your life, too.