Why The Omnivore’s Dilemma Should Be On Every Eaters Reading List

I finally had the opportunity to read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which reaffirmed my faith in sustainable agriculture, and provided me with greater frustration at the government subsidized homogenization of the food system.  His journey through conventional food production, industrial organic farming, sustainable eco-agriculture, and hunting/foraging is both fascinating and eye opening.

Pollan articulates the intellectual and philosophical complexities of eating in a language that speaks to the “every man”.  While the details of his stories are often quite sensational – slitting the throat of a live chicken, or touring a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) – the tone remains unmistakably conversational.  Whether struggling with the moral implications of meat eating, or waxing poetic at the sentimentalized experience of pastoral life, Pollan refuses to take himself too seriously.  He clearly recognizes when the material gets a bit too cerebral, and gently pulls the reader back to reality by focusing on his own doubts and shortcomings in honest and at times self-deprecating ways.  All of this helped me to connect to Pollan as a person, and allowed me to trust in his first hand experience, and the conclusions derived from it.

If I had not already made the switch to pasture raised chicken, The Omnivore’s Dilemma would definitely have pushed me in that direction.  Pollan does not shy away from the unpleasant realities of CAFO’s, and makes multifaceted arguments against them.  While he acknowledges the grand umbrella cause of animal rights, he approaches it from the perspective of animal and human health – both mental and physical.  It is unhealthy for an animal to be forced to eat food that makes it sick simply because it is an inexpensive way to fatten them up quickly (thanks to the US system of corn subsidies) .  It is unhealthy for an animal to be confined in such a way that its general movement and inherent natural behaviors, such as grazing or rooting are impossible.  Relying on a system that promotes the widespread use of pharmaceuticals encourages mutation, which increases the likelihood of highly toxic drug resistant bacteria in our food.  It is equally unhealthy for the farm workers who must mentally process the killing of 400 animals an hour.  To become desensitized to the undue suffering and mass slaughter of living organisms is to loose part of the moral conscience that makes us human.

By not eating CAFO meat I have made a conscious choice to opt out of a system that I believe is corrupt and unsustainable.   The sustainably raised chicken I buy at the farmers’ market is more expensive – more than twice as much as conventionally raised birds, and nearly a third more expensive than the organic roasters available at Whole Foods -  and as a result I have had to reduce the frequency of my meat consumption.  My choice of quality over quantity compels me to fully utilize each bird I bring home, which in turn makes me feel connected to the individual chickens I consume in a way that I never did when I purchased Chicken parts at the meat counter.  I like the added accountability that comes from making informed decisions about what I choose to ingest.

When President Obama talks about creating green jobs, and “restor[ing] science to its rightful place”, he needs look no further than Polyface Farm in Swoope Virginia.   In researching grass based agriculture, Pollan spent a week learning about the diverse ecosystem of plants and animals which work in symbiosis toward the common goals of happy living and happy eating.  I was shocked by how easily I could accept the possibility of eating any kind of meat as long as I could be certain it was raised sustainably.  I haven’t been a meat eater in over a decade, and yet I would feel comfortable consuming any of the animals raised on Polyface Farm.  When a food growing system seems so well balanced, it is hard to argue that any one part of that system could be bad.  The cows, chickens, turkeys, pigs and rabbits are equally important to the health of the farm and the health of each other.  I am having difficulty justifying my own consumption of chicken while I refuse beef and pork on principal.  The very act of my arbitrary carnivory would create an imbalance in the intricate ecosystem I have come to believe in.  I can fully support those who opt out of meat eating entirely, but am less certain of my own adopted set of rules.

If our current industrialized system of monoculture crops and CAFO’s could make a switch to the ecologically sound, diverse principals employed by the Salatin family, our improved food system would overflow with green jobs for highly skilled workers.  I was surprised by the level of complex thinking and organization that is required to maintain a working pastoral system.  I confess that I have been guilty of romanticizing the idyllic sustainable farm in which nature flourishes and we reap the benefits.  While nature will flourish when left to its own devises, it can also be coaxed to partner with us, meeting our needs most efficiently when we work to maintain its preferred growing habitat.  When we finally decide to orchestrate a national food system that works with the natural preferences of the animals and plants that we wish to grow, our nutritional needs will be consistently met, with a much-reduced cost to the long-term health of our bodies and our planet.  The hard labor and sacrifice we put in now will ensure a healthier future for our children and grandchildren.