Do the 2008 TBR challenge

yes I read it yes
Ulysses yes I liked it
confused but yes, yes

I, an idiot,
learned a lot about what might
charm my savage breast.

Father and son in
post-apocalyptic world
try to stay moral.

One’s fall from grace, one’s
redemption, a stark contrast
with others’ disgrace.

Baboons, biblically
named, seem human. And humans
become baboonlike.

This is an amazing, life-altering book. I truly wish everyone could read this book.

Pollan examines four different meals: a fast food meal, a meal of industrial organic food, a meal of food from a small organic farm, and a meal which Pollan creates from food he has raised or foraged himself. For each meal, Pollan traces the food from farm/origin to the meal itself, and along the way delves into the social, ecological, and ethical issues involved in food production.

One striking point that Pollan makes is about the true cost of food. People balk at paying more for food, seeking out the cheapest possible food instead of examining the food’s quality. But as Pollan points out, that $5 fast food meal is not cheaper. It’s just that the high costs are spread around, paid not at the drive-through window, but paid in terms of our damaged health, as well as the damage to nature, farmers, and animals. Americans spend only about a tenth of their disposable income on food, down from a fifth in the 1950s. Pollan says Americans spend a smaller percentage of disposable income on food than any other industrialized nation, suggesting that we could spend more on food if we made it a priority. And since food is such a major part of our health and that of our children, not to mention the pleasure good food gives us, why wouldn’t it be a priority?

Food: necessary
delightful, personal. Choose
local, organic.

With three degrees (one
from Harvard) I am still not
smart enough for this.

A zookeeper’s son
survives lifeboat with tiger,
finds meaning of life?

Parade of racists
and stereotypes clash till
man moves underground.