The Omnivore's Dilemma

Fascinating and well-written book then begins from the seemingly simple question, what shall we have for dinner? The omnivore can eat almost anything, but the dilemma lies in deciding what we should eat. The author begins from what he calls the National eating disorder in the US, and the book is divided into three parts. The first looks at corn (maize) and its history in the American food chain. This entails visiting farms, factories, feedlots and processing plants as the story unfolds. An interesting observation emerges from 'Naylor's curve', spurning quiet individual farmers grow more of a crop in order to compensate for the low prices, while this behaviour in turn drives prices even lower and government subsidies higher at the same time. The second part – grass - examines the history of the organic movement and the philosophical foundations provided by Sir Albert Howard. The third part culminates in 'the perfect meal' which the author prepares through hunting, foraging and growing his own vegetables. Here the food chain is at its shortest but the dilemmas of meat eating and vegetarianism are still present. No one reading this book will be able to think about food in the same way, since everything we consume has implications both for ourselves and the planet.