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

Everyone should read this book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, its education yet entertaining, enlightening, and just good. There are some slow parts but still great book. It could also be the narrator that makes it feel slow to me at parts.

Who was your favorite character and why?

...

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Yes, sometimes i feel like he should get more action into his voice, he was very level paced and voiced the whole time so its just felt slow in certain areas

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

All of it, just and eye opening book. Its changed my perception on a lot of things

Any additional comments?

I plan on reading the rest of his books over time!

Critical Book for knowing how to be human.

I loved this book. It clarified and articulated so many issues I’ve felt about our industrial food culture but never had the wherewithal to describe. It’s non judgemental deep dive into the question “what should we be eating.” If you eat, and want your values to be in line with the way you live, this book is a required reading. It’s funny, thought provoking, and life changing.

Engaging!

It was written with metaphors, similes, and not too much detail, and narrated with enthusiasm !

I'm not religious, but this is my sacred text.

This should be read by everyone and put in the school systems right next to To Kill a Mockingbird.
As a human you are responsible to our earth to read this piece.

enlightening and entertaining

I really enjoy this audiobook, I've listened to it a few times and each time I pick up a new factoid that keeps me coming back for more

Brilliant, informative, entertaining

I actually got into this book thinking it was about vegetarianism for some reason... boy was I wrong. I learned so much about food and our culture surrounding food, the farming industry, factory farms, etc etc... corn, mushrooms, meat... what “organic” really means... it’s just a wealth of really interesting information about stuff that affects us all because we all eat. Totally recommend to anyone.

Very informative

More a journey than a research book. While researching the food industry the author many of his personal thoughts. Very informative but could have been more concise. Another very good book I rated five stars is Wheatbelly. While Pollan expounds on the omnipresence of corn, Dr. William Davis, a well known cardiologist, has written a well researched book on the dangers of genetically altered wheat.

Changed my approach to food

Where does The Omnivore's Dilemma rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is the first I've listed to that that immediately changed my behaviour, thinking and approach to a necessary daily activity that I had always assumed was based on human nature and good intentions.

What did you like best about this story?

It provided insights to a series of industries that I had never seriously considered during the first 35 years of my life, that both shocked and amazed me into taking action in my own life.

Which scene was your favorite?

The author's dialogue and rational when addressing his internal cultural conflict with completing a series of distasteful but necessary milestones necessary to achieve his objective of providing a full meal to his family and friends without depending on an industrial solution.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The FDA determination criteria for the use of "organic" and its myriad and extensive misuse in the process marketing products that are neither organic or sustainably produced.

Literally Life Changing

Where does The Omnivore's Dilemma rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best. Literally life changing.

What did you like best about this story?

The information and presentation of information.

Which scene was your favorite?

Customers going to outdoor slaughterhouse to watch food being slaughtered.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The model for mobile farming.

Must read

Excellently written for the layman, detailing the long twisted mess that is our current agricultural situation, it is a must read for every American.