Michael Pollan

5/23 UPDATE: I had the wrong video showing here, an excellent Bill Moyers piece (which I'll post next week in some form).  Here's the correct, Colbert video. In honor of Michael Pollan's Twin Cities appearance yesterday... In case you missed it when it aired on May 13, here's Michael Pollan's 5 minute interview with Stephen Colbert.

As always, Colbert is baiting and silly (I mean that in a good way), and Pollan spars with spirit and practical smarts. Revelations include whether or not Pollan was breast-fed (his mom - shockingly - answers "no" on camera), the fact that Pollan ate Yodels after school as a kid, and a discussion of what science has done for Cheetos ("they're big!"). Enjoy:

Local, sustainable food man Michael Pollan will be at the Edina, MN Barnes and Noble (at the Galleria) tonight, Tuesday May 19 at 7:00. Here are the details, from the Barnes and Noble website (spare as they are):

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a 1.2 million member environmental action organization (which The New York Times has called "One of the nation's most powerful environmental groups"), has an exceptionally broad, ambitious mission statement:

The Natural Resources Defense Council's purpose is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life depends.

It was just over 6 weeks ago when I joined my first CSA, bought Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and started hunting down restaurants serving local, sustainable foods.

This is part one of a terrific 4-part series of talks with Michael Pollan, conducted by Cooking Up a Story about a year ago. In the short (10 minute) clip, Pollan speaks compellingly (and with humor) about local, sustainable foods, distinguishing them from "edible food-like substances" such as margarine, no-fat (no cream) sour cream, and imitation pasta.

With Easter now over, and copious amounts of ham and potatoes consumed across the nation (including my wife's Aunt Carol's house), I can turn to a question I've been mulling over in my head: what would Jesus eat?

On my friend and neighbor Kathy's advice, I just re-read Michael Pollan's outstanding letter to our nation's "Farmer in Chief," first published in the NY Times on the eve of Barack Obama's election. It's a wonderful letter, all 9 pages of it, a true embarrassment of riches. Pollan's letter starts with a summary of where we're at currently in terms of food, health, and the environment.

Rolling Stone magazine, which I'm proud (enough) to let everyone know I've subscribed to for the last 20 years, has published a list of 100 "Agents of Change" in its latest issue. Rollings Stone's list is, as always, something fun to mull over, debate, cheer for, complain about, and tear apart. This time around, they did get a few things right. Barack Obama is number one on the list, for example, and Michael Pollan is on it too.

My friend Doug sent me a great article from Slate the other day, written by Catherine Price.

My friend Chris recently pointed me to a terrific NY Times article by Mark Bittman from this past weekend. The article talks about the value of eating organic food as well as the numbers of people who are starting to buy and eat "at least some" organic food (30%, according to the article).