The Omnivore's Dilemma
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- Create Date：2021-04-15 11:57:15
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Michael Pollan
- ISBN：1408812185
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Summary
Providing an exploration of the American food industry， this book brings a fresh perspective to the question 'what shall we have for dinner？'。 It follows each food chain， tracing the provenance of everything consumed， and is useful for those who think about where their food comes from。
Reviews
Andrea Stratton
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I love a book that makes you think。 And that’s the whole premise of this book。 Since our diet comes with many choices to make and basically happens constantly， I think this is an important topic to ponder。
Rishi Krishnan
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i can see why this won a buttload of awards
Manisha
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Listened to the audiobook。This book was super great！！ I really enjoyed it。 I wish it had more on the way the actual food industry works but that didn't take anything away from the book！ Listened to the audiobook。This book was super great！！ I really enjoyed it。 I wish it had more on the way the actual food industry works but that didn't take anything away from the book！ 。。。more
Andy Siekmeier
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The Omnivore’s Dilemma - A PrequelBefore you partake in 400 pages of the author’s contrived conundrum， it’s important to know both the theme and its reading are entirely elective。 Many of the dilemmas our modern American society face today are grave and timeless， like deadly disease and inequality， whereas others are more recent outputs of development and thus less explored: should I drive an electric vehicle vs one powered by fossil fuels; or should I eat a meal based around sustainable plants The Omnivore’s Dilemma - A PrequelBefore you partake in 400 pages of the author’s contrived conundrum， it’s important to know both the theme and its reading are entirely elective。 Many of the dilemmas our modern American society face today are grave and timeless， like deadly disease and inequality， whereas others are more recent outputs of development and thus less explored: should I drive an electric vehicle vs one powered by fossil fuels; or should I eat a meal based around sustainable plants or a dead animal？Both are similarly contemporary and also bear a degree of longevity。 Buying an electric car to sell it in 3 months would indicate either a dissatisfaction with the product， or more likely an abandoning of the values that inspired its purchased due to its inconvenience。 Ditching the veggie train after the same amount of time could mean one simply tired of the flavors， but it’s easier to imagine that the revolting over eating an animal that lead a pathetic life to end in a brutal death， that you’d rather pay to outsource than actually face， for your optional satisfaction， got annoying。 Yeah driving electric is better for the earth and future generations， but have you ever felt the rev of a v12？Sticking to veggies also offers a very paradoxical luxury in this corporate dystopia we occupy。 I struggle to imagine one other consumer behavior that rewards you quite directly for making a decision that both improves your health and reduces worldwide suffering， while also costing you less。 Wanna help kids in Africa？ Sign here。 How about getting people off the streets in your hometown？ Check please， or I’ll see you at 6am at the soup kitchen for 5 hours。 Well， if you’re absolutely crazy and don’t like cattle getting their throats slit， I’ll charge you $2。99/lb for organic tofu vs the $18。99/lb for prime rib that the slaughtered cow paid more dearly for than you。I wish I had realized a long time ago that the easiest way to make the decision was to realize it wasn’t a decision at all。 。。。more
Eduardo Rocha
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I plan to re-read some great books that I've already read and see if they are still good。And boy， this one is perfect。 I think I took even more from this book this second time。 It's a book from 2005， but it's still relevant and interesting。 The author follows （and eats） food from 4 different food chains。 The industrial one （McDonald's）， the industrial organic （the one you'll find in whole foods）， true local farmer food， and the hunter and gatherer food。 Via the examination of these 4 meals， we g I plan to re-read some great books that I've already read and see if they are still good。And boy， this one is perfect。 I think I took even more from this book this second time。 It's a book from 2005， but it's still relevant and interesting。 The author follows （and eats） food from 4 different food chains。 The industrial one （McDonald's）， the industrial organic （the one you'll find in whole foods）， true local farmer food， and the hunter and gatherer food。 Via the examination of these 4 meals， we go into really complex ideas and reflections about all things related to food。 It's really impossible to summarize anything beyond that， but I recommend this book for anyone who wants to go further on knowing what/why we eat。 。。。more
Monde
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The books are totally deserving。 I loved them， and I think they are must read。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Celia Hallan
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A well-researched， nuanced， and often funny look at the wide array of food choices available to the modern American consumer。 After reading， I will definitely be visiting the local farmer's markets more！ A well-researched， nuanced， and often funny look at the wide array of food choices available to the modern American consumer。 After reading， I will definitely be visiting the local farmer's markets more！ 。。。more
Roblux Craft
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thank you so much for making me smile while reading your book。 such a compelling story。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Ronron08
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This story is amazing and unique。 I am so hooked on the characters。 I love the plot and everything about this book。 I would like to Inform you that NovelStar is having a competition， you might want to join。 https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 This story is amazing and unique。 I am so hooked on the characters。 I love the plot and everything about this book。 I would like to Inform you that NovelStar is having a competition， you might want to join。 https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 。。。more
Katy
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Must-read explanation of different food production systems: conventional， organic， holistic diverse farming and hunting。
Kuan
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Learnt a lot about the food industry。 Will try to eat less meat and buy my meat based on ethical grounds instead of financial ones。
Gabriela Raczyńska
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Loved， loved， loved this book。 It totally changed the way I think about the things I eat and buy。 I loved it so much and had such an impact on me that I haven’t been able to shut up about it。
Amy
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I enjoy always seem to Pollan’s style and dedication to the subject at hand。 This was a wonderful thought exercise on what we eat and where it comes from。 An excellent example of sound and thorough argument and deeply evidenced writing。
Mark Montanye
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Very interesting about the food we eat and America's food industry。 Also sparked my fascination with Corn！ First 94 pages， all about corn and its role in our history。 Who new it would be so interesting！From understanding the industrialization of our food industry and farms， to sustainability movements。 This book is what actually made me think more about what I put into my body。 Very interesting about the food we eat and America's food industry。 Also sparked my fascination with Corn！ First 94 pages， all about corn and its role in our history。 Who new it would be so interesting！From understanding the industrialization of our food industry and farms， to sustainability movements。 This book is what actually made me think more about what I put into my body。 。。。more
Karen
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So eye-opening！ Highly recommend if you are at all interested in where your food comes from。
Eva
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I think that it’s a good opportunity to approach a new awareness about the food and its implications。 We never think about our choices and how we would change the system if we really wanted。 The author is absolutely neutral and the plot is quick and interesting。 I appreciated it。
Wodin
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Some good， some bad。Of particular note is how he can spend several pages describing Regulatory Capture， and then blame the outcome of it on Capitalism。
Nemo
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I am hesitating with a 4 star or 5 star。 When I started I thought it was a 5 star， with quite a lot of educational information about corn plantation and how it dominates the entire cycle of agribusiness from farm to cattle feeding。 Then he moves on to tell his week experience in an organic farm。 This part is generally OK， but less educational and he talks too much about animal ethics and politics。 Some parts read alike Eating Animals and Fast-food Nation。 This would be a much better book if the I am hesitating with a 4 star or 5 star。 When I started I thought it was a 5 star， with quite a lot of educational information about corn plantation and how it dominates the entire cycle of agribusiness from farm to cattle feeding。 Then he moves on to tell his week experience in an organic farm。 This part is generally OK， but less educational and he talks too much about animal ethics and politics。 Some parts read alike Eating Animals and Fast-food Nation。 This would be a much better book if the author could just stop here。 But no， he ended the book with the last part of forage experience。 This part is a boring joke。 He talked page after page about hunting， danger of forest， the ethics of killing， danger of gathering mushrooms， blah and blah。 Until he got his perfect meal。 This all reads very stupid and girlie。 Send him to Africa without money for a month， and he would start to understand what he talks about in his book。 。。。more
Dave Irwin
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A good book， if a little preachy。 It certainly sparked in me an interest in the processes that go into the food that I eat and an appreciation that I should spend some more money， perhaps， on a more sustainable diet。While I cannot say that I completely meshed with everything in the book， the author does come across more "Berkeley" and in a sense， this is a book about the fact that the author has the privilege to explore the premise of the book。What I found most fascinating was the exploration of A good book， if a little preachy。 It certainly sparked in me an interest in the processes that go into the food that I eat and an appreciation that I should spend some more money， perhaps， on a more sustainable diet。While I cannot say that I completely meshed with everything in the book， the author does come across more "Berkeley" and in a sense， this is a book about the fact that the author has the privilege to explore the premise of the book。What I found most fascinating was the exploration of the "organic" movement， and the industrial organic process。 While I think the author's opinions， once again， lean to the side of preachy， this is to be expected。 A good， well-written book， that I think others should read。 I will be recommending it to people， although I personally cannot see myself reading it again。 。。。more
EmmaPorzee
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The books are totally deserving。 I loved them， and I think they are must read。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Judy Ma
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It was really eye-opening， but it was slightly boring， because Pollan kind of circles back and forth and repeats things he already said to minimally elaborate on the topic。Out-of-quotes:"we North Americans look like corn chips with legs。""Corn Sex""The true socialist utopia turns out to be a field of F-1 hybrid plants。""He's been killing chickens since he was ten years old and doesn't seem to mind it。""They're a decidedly comic-looking mushroom， resembling leprechauns or little penises。"Quotes I It was really eye-opening， but it was slightly boring， because Pollan kind of circles back and forth and repeats things he already said to minimally elaborate on the topic。Out-of-quotes:"we North Americans look like corn chips with legs。""Corn Sex""The true socialist utopia turns out to be a field of F-1 hybrid plants。""He's been killing chickens since he was ten years old and doesn't seem to mind it。""They're a decidedly comic-looking mushroom， resembling leprechauns or little penises。"Quotes I liked:"High yield" is a fairly。。。The higher yield of modern hybrids stems mainly from the fact that they can be planted so close together， thirty thousand to the acre instead of eight thousand in his father's day。""。。。 obscenely huge one propped up on top of the pile。 We were filthy and exhausted， but felt rich as kings。" 。。。more
Astrid
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Left unrated （read for school）。
Emily
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5 stars， obviously。 I would love to be a part of a more local， resilient food system in southwestern PA。 Luckily， there are even more options now than when this book was first published。 Heck， there's an urban farm up the street that teaches permaculture。 5 stars， obviously。 I would love to be a part of a more local， resilient food system in southwestern PA。 Luckily， there are even more options now than when this book was first published。 Heck， there's an urban farm up the street that teaches permaculture。 。。。more
Jenny Pham
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Packed with fascinating and relevant information， so here are some of my main takeaways:1。 Corn is everywhere， and the species is a smart one。 They've relied on humans for centuries， and humans have adored them。2。 Organic today no longer holds its meaning of grass fed cattle or freshly harvested vegetables with natural fertilizers; farms can't keep up with demand， and the market ultimately favors efficiency and conglomerates。3。 The American food industrial complex today simply takes away the ric Packed with fascinating and relevant information， so here are some of my main takeaways:1。 Corn is everywhere， and the species is a smart one。 They've relied on humans for centuries， and humans have adored them。2。 Organic today no longer holds its meaning of grass fed cattle or freshly harvested vegetables with natural fertilizers; farms can't keep up with demand， and the market ultimately favors efficiency and conglomerates。3。 The American food industrial complex today simply takes away the rich culture and rituals long embedded in food。 This reminds me of my drugs and the brain course where I learned that many drugs were used ritualistically， making them nonaddictive until it became a commodity and turned harmful to society。 4。 Piglets and their tails in CAFOs。。。5。 Mushrooms are amazing。 I really love Pollan's metaphor: if soil was the Earth's belly， mushrooms would be its digestive system。 It fascinates me how mushroom rely on dead material to acquire "energy" instead of energy from the sun; and some mushrooms are poisonous because they essentially digest humans from within。 He also mentioned myths， such as how the shamanic use of hallucinogenic mushrooms formed religion overtime （thanks Wasson）。6。 I always had a dissonance for domesticated anything， but I realized that it's a force of nature and domesticated animals are better off than those in the wild; but particularly for cattle， chicken， etc。 the system of CAFOs today are difficult to justify。7。 Chez Panisse = Berkeley Bucket list 8。 Because the human stomach is inelastic， producers decide to supersize and invent all these appealing processed foods。9。 A main reason for the cheapness of corn is due to governmental subsidies。10。 Humans always have room for dessert because of our instinctual bias for carbohydrate energy。11。 It's hard to look at any type of meat now without thinking of the antibodies and processed corn used to fatten it。Overall， I get bored of informative books easily， but Pollan does a fantastic job of keeping it humorous， relatable and of course enlightening。 。。。more
Isaiah Woodard
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It isn't very often that I opt to read nonfiction about something like food， but after reading Pollan's book Caffeine， I was persuaded to try a longer work from him。 In The Omnivore's Dilemma， Pollan attempts to make the reader more aware of the action of eating。 I come from California's Central Valley， a place thoroughly enraptured by industrial agriculture。 It was interesting for me to read a chronicle of how such an industrial method of food production could have ever developed， and the inter It isn't very often that I opt to read nonfiction about something like food， but after reading Pollan's book Caffeine， I was persuaded to try a longer work from him。 In The Omnivore's Dilemma， Pollan attempts to make the reader more aware of the action of eating。 I come from California's Central Valley， a place thoroughly enraptured by industrial agriculture。 It was interesting for me to read a chronicle of how such an industrial method of food production could have ever developed， and the interests and politics at the root of it。 I think one of the strengths of this book is that Pollan brings together ideas from biology， history， ethics， and economics， and injects his own personal anecdotes （and clear passion for food） into the mix。 The result is a book that is educational， entertaining， and personal。 In fact， some of my favorite parts of the book are his story-like and nostalgic descriptions of his days spent with various people involved in food production， procurement， and preparation。 He certainly has his own biases （as other reviewers have pointed out）， which come through in the book。 He is an omnivore， and believes that there are circumstances in which eating meat is justifiable。 If you do not hold this view， know that The Omnivore's Dilemma will likely challenge your opinion。 However， I think he offers a variety of perspectives from which to approach the issue of feeding oneself in the 21st century。 I think it is best to approach The Omnivore's Dilemma as a chronicle of how we currently do - and historically have - gotten food， rather than a strict guide for what or how we should eat。 It has changed the way I look at my daily dietary choices， and I will likely be reading more of what Pollan has to offer in the future。 。。。more
Disny
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Though kinda boring， this book is very eye-opening for me and perhaps for anyone who has read it to become more aware of the origin of the food we eat everyday。Some advice from the writer that we all should keep in mind on how we choose the food we eat:1。 Eat real food: we shouldn't eat anything our great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food; we shouldn't eat anything that has more than five ingredients or has ingredients we don't recognize nor can't pronounce; and we shouldn't eat anything co Though kinda boring， this book is very eye-opening for me and perhaps for anyone who has read it to become more aware of the origin of the food we eat everyday。Some advice from the writer that we all should keep in mind on how we choose the food we eat:1。 Eat real food: we shouldn't eat anything our great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food; we shouldn't eat anything that has more than five ingredients or has ingredients we don't recognize nor can't pronounce; and we shouldn't eat anything containing high-fructose corn syrup （that includes soda）。2。 Buy real food: go for places where we still find fresh plant and animal foods that have only minimally processed; don't buy or eat anything that doesn't eventually rot （because if it doesn't， it must be full of chemicals）; shop at the farmers market; and be your own food detective by paying attention to where our food comes from。 。。。more
Ana Stanciu-Dumitrache
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Recunosc că nu am avut dilema omnivorului pana acum， nu m-am intrebat des de unde vine mancarea mea si mai ales de ce mananc。 Citind astfel de carti incepi insa sa iti pui intrebari si sa iti doresti sa mananci constient si mai ales echilibrat。"Pollan a impartit Dilema Omnivorului in trei parti， cate una pentru fiecare lant trofic care ne sustine: mancare industrializata， mancare alternativa sau organica， si alimentele pe care oamenii si le procura singuri （vanat， cultivat， cules）。 El incheie fi Recunosc că nu am avut dilema omnivorului pana acum， nu m-am intrebat des de unde vine mancarea mea si mai ales de ce mananc。 Citind astfel de carti incepi insa sa iti pui intrebari si sa iti doresti sa mananci constient si mai ales echilibrat。"Pollan a impartit Dilema Omnivorului in trei parti， cate una pentru fiecare lant trofic care ne sustine: mancare industrializata， mancare alternativa sau organica， si alimentele pe care oamenii si le procura singuri （vanat， cultivat， cules）。 El incheie fiecare sectiune cu o masa- una la McDonald's， acasa cu familia cu alimente bio si o cina revolutionara la o ferma， constituind astfel provenienta fiecarui aliment。"Pe mine m-au impresionat cei patru ani de cercetare ai lui in scrierea acestei carti si mi-au raspuns la multe intrebari legate de alimentatia noastra。 Ce mi-a placut cel mai mult a fost alternativa sau calea de mijloc pe care ne-o propune- nici nu alegem sa ne uitam in alta parte si sa ignoram cruzimea cu care sunt tratate animalele， dar nici nu mancam doar plante。 Trebuie putin din fiecare， caci fiecare vietate are rolul ei bine stabilit in lantul trofic- fara vanator nu ar mai exista prada， fara prada nu ar mai exista plantele si semintele， etc。 Ce e cel mai important e sa stim de unde provine mancarea pe care o consumam， sa fim recunoscatori pentru ea， caci nu industria ne ofera hrana， ci natura。 。。。more
Dolly Z
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Certainly interesting
Sally
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Entertaining， informative， and it has already helped me change my lifestyle and food culture。
Mariekaye Albao
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Author's way of storytelling is so good， i suggest you join novelstar's writing competition on april。 Author's way of storytelling is so good， i suggest you join novelstar's writing competition on april。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Omnivore's Dilemma
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Omnivore's Dilemma&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft