omnivore's dilemma

No, this is not a discussion about eating worms or bugs or balut or any of the other less-than-savory things they ate on that show that I never watched. I’m talking about the food myths that have become mainstream “knowledge” and have catapulted the sale of some dubious health and diet books, many of which have thankfully faded into near oblivion. Think T-Factor Diet. Or Atkins for Life.

Safe-food advocate and attorney,
Bill Marler, in his Seattle law office.
                       

Photo by Tim Morris, Wired MagazineSeptember's Wired Magazine features one of the scariest technology articles I've ever read. It's not a look at how our government plans to train digital video cameras on our every move. It's not a piece on robots that are smarter than us, or small kids who can see into the future. It's not about aliens or even Silicon Valley VCs. The article I'm referring to, written, by Patrick di Justo, is much scarier than any of those things. It's called:

So you shop at farmer’s markets and your local co-op. You buy local, organic, sustainably grown and harvested food. Your coffee is grown in the shade, your chocolate is fair-trade, and your bread is homemade.  How else can you can declare your support for the cause of "local, sustainable, organic foods and the people who produce them?”

UPDATE: Tickets for the 6/3 showing of FRESH are now available at the Birchwood for $10 each. The movie FRESH, a food documentary by ana Sofia joanes, takes a look at the food industry through the eyes of some of our most celebrated farmers and thinkers. From the FRESH press release:

FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Among several main characters, FRESH features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, the recipient of MacArthur's 2008 Genius Award; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan's book, the Omnivore's Dilemma; and supermarket owner, David Ball, challenging our Wal-Mart dominated economy.

Buying a side of beef is a great way to get great quality, locally grown food at a reasonable price. But is it practical for you? A whole lot of blogs and other sites can help. I've tried to pull a few of them together.

"Lawns as totalitarian landscapes"? This is a 17-minute presentation that Michael Pollan gave in 2007 entitled "The Omnivore's Next Dilemma." The video is available here (courtesy of YouTube.com), and also on the TED.com site, which has all sorts of terrific presentations from brilliant people.