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The Four Meals

In The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan writes about how our food is grown -- what it is, in fact, that we are eating. The book is really three in one: The first section discusses industrial farming; the second, organic food, both as big business and on a relatively small farm; and the third, what it is like to hunt and gather food for oneself. And each section culminates in a meal -- a cheeseburger and fries from McDonald's; roast chicken, vegetables and a salad from Whole Foods; and grilled chicken, corn and a chocolate soufflé (made with fresh eggs) from a sustainable farm; and, finally, mushrooms and pork, foraged from the wild.

Let's look at the first meal (and the first section of the book) - cheeseburger and fries from McDonald's. Thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by Marta Toran on September 9, 2009 at 11:56pm: I heard this book is awesome! I just requested it from our library, can't wait to start reading it and join in on the discussion. Maybe we could come up with a way in which we could integrate some parts of it in our teaching?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kim Lightle on September 10, 2009 at 12:40pm: Marta - That's great. I'm hoping exactly that - lessons not just about sustainable agriculture but sustainability in general - whether it is energy use, climate change - all sorts of important topics. I read it with my book club two years ago and it really changed all of our lives (on all sorts of levels). The biggest change is that all of us went out and joined a CSA (community farm/garden) and we are much more aware of the consequences on the earth of the food we do choose to eat. BTW - the student version will be available October 15. If you find any resources that would be especially appropriate - please post in this space. Kim; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mary Henton on September 14, 2009 at 7:53am: The Edible Schoolyard is a resource you might find helpful, Marta. There's a short piece about here on MSP2, including video snapshot.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kim Lightle on September 14, 2009 at 10:03am: Here is an article from the NYT that talk about the economic consequences of investing in the Slow Food movement and choosing to buy local produce - Can "Slow Investing" Remake America's Food Industry.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kim Lightle on September 14, 2009 at 12:38pm: State of Your Bacon might be the article that Judy read in Time. The actual title is Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food - the article correlates nicely with the first meal.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ron on December 13, 2009 at 2:43pm: I just started reading the book and already I'm thinking about ways to bring the information into my school. We have an ecology club at school and they are looking to "green" the building. I'm thinking that this could make a great book study for the group...I also think our district could benefit from reading it. Our district has implementing "healthy choices" for kids...I think they can learn that those choices require more than simply counting calories and fat content!; ▶ Reply to This