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

Into it

It can be very dry in the first half but by the second half it’s engaging and tied everything together!

Epic journey into mindful eating

The approach Pollan takes to explore different modes of food production is educational but even moreso entertaining. Every reader who hangs with the author all the way through is given a new foundation for making food choices.

Good view point

I’m a whole plant based eater and it was still such an interesting view point and it definitely opened my eye to how industrialized I still eat 😳 I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in knowing where their food really comes from. Or at least a portion of it.

What is it your eating?!?

I learned a ton about where our food is grown. How it is grown. And how healthy or not it is for us. Set yourself in the right path with what you’ll learn in this audiobook

You owe yourself to listen to this book

This book is big, and the reason it's big is because there's a lot to say about this subject. You may decide to not change anything in your habits, but at least you'll be making a conscious decision. This book talks about how a lot of other people make decisions for us on what we eat in a journalistic way that is not radical. Tells it like it is, backed up with research. I thank the writer for getting this book out there and the reader/producers for making it possible for me to get its contents during my commute.

Crucial Material, Narrated Wonderfully!

If you have any interest in the status of that which we call "food" in our modern day society, then this is the audio book for you. Take with a grain of salt the naysayers who kvetch about the "bore factor" or the "terrible narration" of this piece... It's a work of scientific non-fiction, for goodness sake!! Of course it is chock full of research and detailed information, but written in such a way as to be wholly engaging, fascinating and relevant right now. (If you are bored when confronted with fact-filled research, then consider fiction as, perhaps, a better suited medium) The narration is wonderful!! After reading some of the other reviews, I worried that the narrator may prove unpalatable, but I didn't find that to be the case at all. I listen to a *lot* of audio-books, and found Mr. Brick's representation of Michael Pollen's work to be perfectly lovely. He weaves a vibrancy into what might be a bit overwhelming at times into a tasteful and easy to listen to body. If you live in the U.S. and you are a consumer who purchases food in this country, you must read this book!

life-changing

This book was life changing for me. I thought I knew a lot about what I ate, but Michael Pollan opened my eyes to what I am putting in my mouth and my family's mouth . After listening to this book I became a full fledged vegetarian - that was about 10 months ago. I still cook meat for my family, but am much more thoughtful about what I buy. He can drone on a bit, however, and goes into more detail than necessary, at times.

Great reporting, very informative book

This is fantastic reporting by Michael Pollan on the state of food production in the US.

He first points out the huge problems of Industrial food production in the US with emphasis on Corn. He also talks of Legislative actions that encourage this cycle of producing Corn at the expense of everything else and it's pervasive destructive effect on the farmers and the ultimate consumers, that is, us.

Then he goes on to Organic farming which is also now almost or fully Industrial with a cynical play on not using antibiotics but then treating animals almost the same way (with CAFOS and other contraptions of industrial farming).

The last part is on Alternative farming methods that have sprung up in the US as a reaction to Organic Industrial farming and how this is done very well and with consideration for nature. Nature in general and nature of animals.

Pollan in writing this book has travelled to the Midwest Corn Belt as well as Alternate Farms and watched the action first hand including slaughter of animals where he was allowed to do this.

Very eye opening and extremely important book in my opinion.

wake up, obese America

Superbly written, albeit a bit long-winded in places. The narrator does have some of the previously mentioned "whiney" attributes, however, his command of accentuation and short stops in long sentences more than makes up for any shortcomings.
This book should scare the heck out of us, I am disgusted with the typical fat American way of thinking when it comes to food: make it cheap, make the portions huge, and I really don't care about the consequences.
I can only say that I am overjoyed to live in Europe, where I have choices regarding purchasing food, and I am not forced to consume mass-produced, hormone and antibiotic-laden material.
The part on hunting and gathering, which comprises about a third of the book, could be a bit shorter but overall this is an excellent 'read' (listen).

A must read

So intresting to know know where your food comes from and how it is made and processed, this book has changed the way I eat.