Confluence Literary Festival

We are a nation of people obsessed with freedom of choice- our inalienable right to decide for ourselves what is important. Each of us are faced with innumerable choices every day- what should I wear? Where will I shop? Who will I see today? What will I eat? This last choice is one that must be made several times a day, every day of the year. We cannot last long without food, but for busy people (including myself!) it is all too easy to simply grab and gobble whatever is near. The question of what to eat is a weighty one, with consequences that reach far beyond your waistline. I first began to think about the social outcomes of my diet when I was 17, bound for college and dazzled by my new freedom to make my own lifestyle decisions.

It was the summer after my senior year of high school when I picked up Eric Schlossers latest book, Fast Food Nation. Having read The Jungle (Upton Sinclair, 1906) only months before for my literature class, the cogs were beginning to turn in my mind as I pondered an unsavory industry that might not be as wholesome as it once appeared. In The Jungle, Sinclair investigated and exposed the horrifying underbelly of the pre- World War I meatpacking industry, where unsanitary conditions classified as a gross understatement and worker rights had not yet debuted as a concept. Fast Food Nation had been hailed as a modern Jungle, and I was eager to hear what Mr. Schlosser discovered as he investigated the fast food industry in the new century. He asserted that the new American diet was created out of the broad social change that occurred throughout the 1970s and 80s, as women joined the workforce and began to cook at home less. Societal pressures to achieve and accumulate wealth compounded the daily rush that pushed meals onto the back burner. This resulted in an industry driven by speed and low prices, sacrificing food quality and consumer health as well as animals and workers rights.

These days, most Americans eat out at least once a day, and the choices of where to buy that meal are nearly limitless. The ethical consequences of our food decisions are more extensive than most of us can imagine. What he shared in this book profoundly changed my perception of processed foods- and I havent been to a fast food chain since. Incidentally, I also decided to stop eating meat, because I cant tolerate supporting the industry I learned about in Fast Food Nation. Luckily there are ethical farmers who raise animals for slaughter in healthy, wholesome environments. When it comes time for dinner, we have so many choices, but how to decide?

This year I read two books that illuminated the food question and brought this issue to the center of my consciousness. I routinely put The Omnivores Dilemma (Michael Pollan) in a customers hands, imploring then to read it and declaring it the best book I have read since college. Thats a pretty hefty statement, but considering the scope of this book Im confident selling it to just about anyone that walks in the door. After reading The Omnivores Dilemma I now agree with Pollan that how we choose to eat may determine the survival of our species on this ever-shrinking planet. His book is powerful, compelling, and one that I feel should be required reading for every eater. Pollan explores several food systems- industrial, pastoral, and personal- and investigates the impact of eating from each. If youve ever been suspicious of the organic section at Wal-Mart, or questioned why local beef costs more, the answers lie within these covers.

Pollans next book In Defense of Food offers hope for the eater plagued by guilt and indecision. Where The Omnivores Dilemma raises questions, In Defense of Food delivers answers. The proposed philosophy of eating Pollan outlines is beautifully simple: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. And this, I believe, is the new philosophy for me. Vegetarian? Maybe& or maybe not. The most important thing is to eat whole foods, grown close to home. If you are interested in reading any of these books, come on in to Arches Book Company and we can set you up with some fantastic summer reading. Mention this blog and well even give you 10% off the featured titles. Heres to whole foods and whole health!