Another great book on food, food production and eating in modern America. Pollan writes engagingly, and the book definitely provides some food for thought - without being a lecture. ( )

A fascinating expose of the various ways we manage to feed all the billions of people who exist in the world today. Pollan is on board with the typical "It's an outrage!" style of writing; there's plenty of that in here - but that's not at all what the book is about. The first section, on corn, does a really nice job of explaining how much of the economy is based around corn, and also a good job of explaining why things are that way, and what we might have to give up in our lifestyles if we wanted things to be different.

The other sections are much the same, one on meat farming and one on gathering wild food. Pollan is indeed given to the occasional interlude that seems to be be pretty far away from the focus of the book, but these interludes tend to enhance rather than detract; think of them as the occasional bay leaf in your chili.

All in all, it seems to be a sober discussion of the pros and cons of our system of manufacturing food. While Pollan does have an agenda, his treatment is careful, detailed, and balanced. A refreshing change from the frothing-at-the-mouth hyperbole we find in some similar books. ( )

Everything you need to know about the food you eat and more. ( )

This book is gripping and shocking, and yet helped me form my unease about our food culture into a coherent set of principles and thoughts. ( )

In the first part of the, Pollan discusses how when we shop at our local grocery store, pretty much everything we buy is made up of corn. The second part of the book goes into organic farming. He chronicles his time spent on a very sustainable farm where the farmer refers to himself as a grass farmer, as well as his interview with an executive of the popular organic brand Cascadian Farm, and describes just how different these organic companies are. Finally, Pollan ventures into the world of foraging, where he himself gathers just about everything he makes for a meal, from the mushrooms to the hunted pig. The meal he made actually sounds quite extravagant!

This was a very interesting read, and kept me engaged throughout. It will make the reader really think and consider how he or she obtains food. I feel like Pollan wrote this book in a style like a personal diary, and therefore I can make a closer connection to the arguments that he makes. ( )