Summary of the Omnivore’s Dilemma

HumanEthologyBulletin,October2007 The Omnivores Dilemma A natural History of Four Meals ByMichaelPollan PenguinPress,NewYork,NY. 2006,450pp. ISBN1? 59420? 082? 3Hdbk. ,$26. 95 Reviewed by William F. McKibbin and Todd K. Shackelford Florida Atlantic University, Dept. of Psychology, Davie, FL 33314 USA E-mail email&160protected edu, email&160protected edu TheOmnivoresDilemmaisthe latestbookbyMichaelPollan,bestknownforhispreviousbest? interchangework,TheBotanyofDesire. Here,Pollanhascraftedawell? writtenandenjoyable explorationof manhoodrelationshipwithfood.Thebookiswrittenforalayaudience,butis considerablebyall. Pollanbeginsbyfocusingonaseeminglysimpletonquestion,Whatshouldwehavefordinner? Theanswer,itseems,isnotsosimpleforomnivoreslikeus. Pollanguidesthe endorserby examiningthe collarmajortypesoffoodproductionanddividesthebookintothesethree areas Industrial(focusingonthemodernfoodindustrys credenceoncorn),Pastoral(focusingon organicfoodproduction,both good-lookingandsmallscale),an dPersonal(focusingonpersonally huntingandgathering peerlesssfood).Thefirst,Industrialsectionofthebookdemonstratesthatnearlyeverythingweconsumein Westernsociety,particularlyinAmerica,isinsomewayderivedfromcorn. The treat foodsthatseemastapleofmodernlivingarederived for the most part(ifnotwholly)fromcorn. Even foodssuchaseggs,chicken,fish,andbeefare essentiallyderivedfromcorncows,chickens, andfisharecoercedtoconsumeafoodthattothemis exceedinglyunnatural. Ifw