The Perfect Meal

Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma is one of those few nonfiction books that are unsettling and force open one's eyes to things one might not necessarily want to see. It follows three food chains: agribusiness (most of the supermarket), organic (in both the Whole Foods and Farmer's Markets varieties-- industrial vs. local), and extremely local (he makes a meal from things he was directly responsible for-- gathering and hunting).

Pardon the pun, but I devoured this book. Having always been conscious of what I eat (a fan of McDonald's I am not), I was not surprised about some of the practices used to increase crop production. What I was surprised about, however, was the extent to which corn has infiltrated our society; I don't know whether I can ever look at a food in the same way. In addition, I was particularly surprised about industrial organic food production-- I see organic and assume it's better, but most times there are practices that, though they slip through the USDA's regulatory cracks, are not a far cry from agribusiness. Particularly in this vein is the grass fed burger; nearly all steers are grass fed in their youth, or they are offered grass in the last two weeks of their lives. Is this the same as pastured? The answer, I learned, is no. The Omnivore's Dilemma makes this omnivore even more mindful of what she eats, and I think that this is a good thing. That's not to say I will go on a raw food diet, or a vegan kick, but I will think twice about Fritos and chicken McNuggets.

And this made me mindful of how amazing the food at Yale can be. The Yale Sustainable Food Project, which adheres to standards of local, sustainable, and preferably organic food, offers dishes with every meal. In addition, the Yale Farm, which I had a brief encounter with at an Italian study break, gives students an opportunity to put some work in on a plot of land and to take a break from the hectic reality of daily existence. I see myself going to the farm more this year, and enjoying it.

And I will also never look at the cornfields near my house in the same way again.