The Omnivore's Dilemma

A Natural History of Four Meals

By: Michael Pollan

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

The best-selling author of The Botany of Desire explores the ecology of eating to unveil why we consume what we consume in the 21st century.

"What should we have for dinner?" To one degree or another, this simple question assails any creature faced with a wide choice of things to eat. Anthropologists call it the omnivore's dilemma. Choosing from among the countless potential foods nature offers, humans have had to learn what is safe, and what isn't, which mushrooms should be avoided, for example, and which berries we can enjoy. Today, as America confronts what can only be described as a national eating disorder, the omnivore's dilemma has returned with an atavistic vengeance.

The cornucopia of the modern American supermarket and fast-food outlet has thrown us back on a bewildering landscape where we once again have to worry about which of those tasty-looking morsels might kill us. At the same time we're realizing that our food choices also have profound implications for the health of our environment. The Omnivore's Dilemma is best-selling author Michael Pollan's brilliant and eye-opening exploration of these little-known but vitally important dimensions of eating in America.

We are indeed what we eat, and what we eat remakes the world. A society of voracious and increasingly confused omnivores, we are just beginning to recognize the profound consequences of the simplest everyday food choices, both for ourselves and for the natural world. The Omnivore's Dilemma is a long-overdue book and one that will become known for bringing a completely fresh perspective to a question as ordinary and yet momentous as "What shall we have for dinner?"

©2006 Michael Pollan (P)2006 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Gold Medal in Nonfiction for the California Book Award • Winner of the 2007 Bay Area Book Award for Nonfiction • Winner of the 2007 James Beard Book Award/Writing on Food Category • Finalist for the 2007 Orion Book Award • Finalist for the 2007 NBCC Award

"Thoughtful, engrossing . . . You're not likely to get a better explanation of exactly where your food comes from."—The New York Times Book Review

"An eater's manifesto . . . [Pollan's] cause is just, his thinking is clear, and his writing is compelling. Be careful of your dinner!"—The Washington Post

"Outstanding . . . a wide-ranging invitation to think through the moral ramifications of our eating habits."—The New Yorker

Learn about the food you eat

Would you listen to The Omnivore's Dilemma again? Why?

Not necessarily. I like listening to books I have not yet heard.

What did you like best about this story?

The research that went into the book

Any additional comments?

He did an excellent job giving the reader the interesting background about what really goes into our food

my dilemma

love the book. after listening you learn 2 things. First, corn is the route of all our problems. Second, I don't really want to eat meat any more, but not sure veggies are that good for you.

Enlightening perspective

Educational, inspirational, enlightening, and even comical at times. Enjoyed it but also felt sad about the food industry and how deeply it is corrupted. Also sad that traditional farming, "grass farming" is not important to that nation anymore, that so many people close to look away or become vegetarians. Good read. It allows for more conscious thought when eating

captivating and so Mr. Pollan

Michael Pollan is arguably one of my favorite authors these days. I so appreciate his in-depth investigations and explorations of our food and where it comes from. As someone committed to teaching Next Generation to be curious about their food and where it comes from, I thoroughly enjoyed every morsel of this book.

we should think about our food more

Pollan does an excellent job of investigating the current state of our food system. The historical and scientific background information is especially valuable. I found the book easy to listen to and fascinating.

My only minor quibble is with how much of a fan Pollan clearly is of his new friends, the sustainable farmers and foragers. He loses a small amount of credibility by becoming so personally involved. Some of this personal involvement adds pleasant levity to the title, as well, so it's not a major problem.

What we eat

I would recommend to those who have interest in what we eat and how it comes to us. If you don't have this interest the book is to long to enjoy. Well researched and well written Pollan provides a cornacopia of information on four meals from the history of corn to an appreciation of what it means to be a hunter.
As good as Brick is I think he is the wrong narriator. His voice brings an officious air to the book which I don't believe is intended but easy to assume.

Eye opening sorry

Great story of how our food lands on our plates. He discusses both sides of the potential moral dilemma of being an omnivore. Excellent narration!

Great discussion of how and what we eat

This book gave a great discussion of how we eat. It tied together significant storylines of our typical meal and gave me a lot to consider about what to eat and how we get it.

Additionally, the audiobook was well produced with a good performance.

The Omnivore's Dilemma

The dilemma is that we're at the top of the food chain and have too many choices to make for dinner. Behind a lot of these choices is the industrial food chain, examined in the book, which is not a pretty picture. Behind some other choices are sustainable, pastoral chains beneficial to the environment, to the links along the way and to us.

The author, Michael Pollan, is articulate and personable. I had the feeling of being among several guests at a dinner table as he shares his insights. Never preachy or strident, the author describes the landscapes of his experiences, emotions and ideas from which we can determine for ourselves what food choices are best for us.

The author takes us through a natural history of four meals: from the land, which produced the food, to what we're about to eat. The first is from corn to McDonalds, next is Rosie the chicken, then the truly pastoral farm and finally the author's own hunting and gathering. As we sit around the dinner table, the author reminds us that we're eating the body of the Earth.

What is, in my opinion, an excellent book is made even better by the reader's narrative style. I've listened to a lot of audiobook readers and Scott Brick is among the best.

vital and scholarly

If you made it to this the 42nd review, I would like to share a quick testamony. How we handle the land that feeds us is not a small matter. This book is a tome, a large and deeply researched piece, not to be confused with entertainment. After working in the health food industry and watching, first hand, much of what this book has to tell, I cannot put words on how grateful I am this information has been gathered and presented.