Omnivore's Appetite

Before starting, the Omnivore's Dilemma I had slight disdain and intolerance for those individuals that were constantly reading foods labels to determine calories and fat content. (some have gone so far as to label me intolerant). Now I am finding myself becoming an object of my own disdain.

I find myself turning over a label to reveal the ingredient list are and to determine how much of the food's content is composed of corn. It is amazing how pervasive corn is in all of our diets.

Then to my further excitement, when I made a visit to the farmer's market I found a new farmer that sells grass fed beef. Grass, after all, is why cows have multiple stomachs! I can't wait to cook it up.

All of my excitement over the revelations in Pollen's omnivore dilemma, however are overshadowed by my best friend's dad's thoughts on the subject. (he is a farmer in Ohio and grows corn and raises his own small herd of cows). If only I could recount the many cow stories she has told me. ( like the one where her mom and dad went to a dinner and her mom won a new carhart jacket only to be stealthily traded for a test tube full of bull semen.) How can I get an invitation to these parties?
He doesn't like the current trend in organic food. He raises a valid point- what about the farmer's and families and for that matter the entire US economy that relies on the expansive industry of corn farming? Are we now so intertwined that there is no solution?

Aside from making me hyper aware of the food I am eating and learning where it all comes from I love the education pollen gives on corn sex, industrial agriculture and his myth busting of whole foods.

Omnivore's dilemma is a delightful read and has sparked so many neurons in my brain as well as conversations with friends, farmers and co-workers.

Plus, notwithstanding my new knowledge, I remain an avid omnivore, just a tad bit more conscious of the food I eat.