I know I've missed the boat by a long shot, but I am finally digging into The Omnivore's Dilemma.
Sweet Jesus. So far, this volume is thrilling -- and horrifying. One moment I am hollering at the radio*, "I know! I know!" and then the next I am biting my nails, curled up in a ball in the far corner of the couch.
Corn. Corn will fill my nightmares tonight.
How many of you have read this book already? What did you think?
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*Every single copy of this book from the university library, the libraries participating in the inter-library loan program, and the county public library are on loan for the next couple of months. I finally came across the book on CD at the county public library and snatched it up. I am puttering around dusting, listening to the first chapter.
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The Omnivore's Dilemma is next on my list. I just read Michael Pollan's most recent book, In Defense of Food and it was amazing. Corn and Soy are EVERYWHERE. It's amazing.
ReplyDeletemy ex was really into this book, and would regularly regale me with tales of how CORN, IT IS EVERYWHERE, NO I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND, IT'S EVVVERRRYYYYYWHHERRRRREEE. so i think it's safe to say that "sweet jesus" was about his response to the book, as well..
ReplyDeleteOh, Alice. Sorry to bring up memories of K-A-R-L.
ReplyDeleteBut, corn really is EVERYWHERE. So. Creepy.
Will put it on my list for next jaunt to B&N. If it's what I think it's about, then yes, SWEET heaven, corn is everywhere. I love scary books like that.
ReplyDeleteLoved that book. Informative AND a good read. But, yeah, it sort of freaked me out about everything I eat. Not enough to make me actually change, but at least I'm a little more cognizant of the damage I'm doing while I'm doing it. :-)
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this book, but the way you talk about it makes me think I should. Someday I'll get on that.
ReplyDeleteFast Food Nation permanently screwed me up. I'm thinking I should steer clear of books like these.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'm probably going to go buy it at lunch because this post has me wondering...WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH CORN!?!?!
I'm going to have to settle for hearing about this from you. Just the snippets I get from my friends about all the crap that is in food makes me want to puke. I've just been trying to buy as plain of food as possible (the whole "shop the outer edge of the grocery store" theory) to avoid most weird processed stuff.
ReplyDeleteI think hating corn is a trendy thing to do, but I might agree that we've gone too far with various applications of it in our diets and in our lives. I hate books whose aim seems to be to scare everyone, though.
ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteWell - It isn't that corn in and of itself is scary, but how widely -- and how magnificently -- we've altered this food and added it to everything - INCLUDING THE ACTUAL PACKAGING ITSELF -- that perhaps calls for us to pause and ask the question, "What is food?"
Also, I don't get the impression that this book is alarmist, but raises many good causes for concern.
So far, anyway.
I agree that his example of corn is not a critique of corn, per se, but rather of the mass processing of food such that we've almost completely severed the relationship between food and eating. I think he's also trying to make the point that corn production is tied to a host of social issues---including environmental concerns and hunger---because of government policies that encourage overproduction of corn.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely interested in this book, but I'm still working on Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories and that's depressing enough.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this right now! I'm in the part about grass (the kind eaten by cows, that is)--more cheerful than tales of how corn is ALL AROUND US. And not just any old corn, but No. 2 corn, which makes me think about pencils, which are about the same color of corn, which makes me think that we are actually surrounded by invisible chunks of chopped-up pencil.
ReplyDeleteIt's enough to make a girl dream of growing her own chickens, I tell you.
Have never read the book before. Have heard of the book from many people but no one has described it quite like you. I'm definitely going to pick up a copy now.
ReplyDeleteHaving grown up growing corn and now working for the gubmnt, the corn thing was disconcerting for me too. Reinforced my belief that the gubmnt should stay the truck out of most things. In this instance they were far too easily manipulated by agribusiness. That's without me even getting on my soapbox about developing economies being mainly agriculture based so that agricultural protectionism by the first world is basically economic warfare on the developing world.
ReplyDelete:)
PB - Amen! Oh, yep. Totally agree...
ReplyDeleteI found that book really changed the way I think about food.
ReplyDeleteI now think "hello corn" whenever I look at any standard food product.
I also have stopped (almost completely) eating CAFO products in large part because of that book.
I read MOST of the book... then it was due back to the library and I couldn't finish it. I think I will just buy a second hand copy if I ever happen to see one.
Also along these line: Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Great books.