For the past year, I have read and re-read Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, which is basically about where out foods comes from and how it gets to our tables. Having grown up in my parent's grocery store – slicing lunchmeat for our customers standing next to my father's butcher block – I have had an intimate relationship with our food choices. At the age of 16, I rebelled against veal and so began my food activism.
Pollan's writing so well describes our dilemma. In his most recent book, In Defense of Food, he provides the simplistic of advice: eat whole foods, eat mostly plants, and don't overeat. There are so many questions to sort out, like, 'How slow is my own personal slow food movement?' 'Is something labeled "organic" really organic?' As I try to squeeze some more production from my backyard garden, I wonder how far away can a food source be to still be considered "local" and what are the conditions? What impact do my food choices have on this planet? Is raw really better than cooked? So many issues go into our choices. Can we sit down to a meal content with our decisions, and for that matter, can we afford what we philosophically know is best?
This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2009.