Once in awhile, you come across a book that sticks with you and even causes you to reevaluate paradigms long held. Michael Pollan's "Cooked" is one such book.
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| http://michaelpollan.com/books/cooked/ |
I heard an
interview on OPB's
Think Out Loud that talked with the author, Michael Pollan about his new book "Cooked." His stories drew me into the conversation because it wasn't so much about food as it is about his family's (and society's) interaction with food. The interview intrigued me enough to go to the library and look for a copy. I wasn't the only one who heard the interview because there were 80+ people in front of my reservation.
When I finally got the book, I had just enough time to read it before our trip to Kansas. What started out as curiosity turned into fascination. The book is divided into 4 chapters, each named after one of the four ancient elements: fire, water, air, and earth. Fire explores old-style pork BBQ, water is the slow cook stew, air is bread and earth is vegetable, dairy and grain fermentation. In each chapter he wove the cultural and global history of his subject into the perspective of contemporary experts. Like any good journalist, he left his ivory tower and actually got his hands dirty under the tutelage of these experts. His trials and successes with baking the perfect loaf of bread or ideal Sunday dinner is entertaining enough but not worth a blog post.
What was really interesting for me was his challenge to the capitalistic ideals that create and undergird our modern food industry. One of the foundations of capitalism is the division of labor. I am too busy building databases to make dinner. Instead, I will take the money I earned from my labor and pay someone else to make my food for me. But am I too busy? Is the food made by the food industry worth buying? Does it really cost that much more or take that much time to make a meal myself? What are the hidden costs (both personal and societal) of buying cheap processed food? He even picked on Trader Joes for all the processed food they sell.
His challenge to the reader is slow down, shop local, and make meal times a focal point for your family. As he endeavored in these four food elements he saw his family engage with him at a new level. Both Sandi and I were fortunate to grow up in families that valued dinner time. Both of us have a good nutritional history. Both of us want to carry this legacy on to our own family. The pace of our contemporary culture is only going to speed up. But, as Michal Pollan suggested, (my paraphrase) when you are in the kitchen chopping onions, slow down and focus on chopping the onions.
