ewee (22/26): The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan

At last, a book that I'm not abashed to admit to reading...

When I started The Omnivore's Dilemma, I knew it'd be one of the best books I'd read all year. As an avid meat eater, and unapologetic foody I faced it with some trepidation. Would it ruin my enjoyment of eating? (Easily one of the best things life has to offer, especially when paired with good company.) Would I finally have to give up my love for a perfectly cooked steak? (Medium rare, just off the grill after sitting a few minutes.) Would I be thwarted in my search for the perfect kalbi marinade? (My mom's, is obviously the answer. Achieving it is entirely another thing.)

Once I'd begun to read this book, I knew it was one to savor, and reread. So I slowed myself down, and when I felt the urge to tear through books and block out the world, I set it aside, to come back to and savor later. I couldn't read it without exclaiming (often to miz sy, more often to the dogs) at all the revelations and connections he makes.

And that's the multi-layered beauty of this gem. It's well-written enough to be an incredibly fast read, and well-researched enough to be a serious study. Pollan's prose is intelligent (big words! used well!) but also tightly woven into a gripping narrative. He's a skillful architect, bringing us from a petrol-based Mc-Meal (eaten, appropriately, while driving), through the variations of industrial, big (industrial) organic, and small (true) organic, all the way to hunting and foraging (almost) an entire meal. But despite his obviously academic roots, his writing style is accessible, engaging and even self-effacing. He's never didactic. Rather than forcing a message down your throat, he lets it unfold. Granted, he's got a very persuasive way of revealing the story, but it's skillful rather than strident.

Now that I've finished it, I know it's one of those rare treasures, and I'm glad that I bought it (hard back too!), and I'm glad to (cautiously) lend it out. Though, you'll want your own copy. And though, in my next reading of it, I will allow myself notes in the margins, so borrow it now, if you're easily distractible.

[Many thanks to mahna mahna -- it's because of him that I read Unhappy Meals in the nyt which lead me to discovering this book...]