After a late-summer hiatus, Slate’s audio book club returns in October to discuss a book about the way we eat. The Omnivore’s Dilemma is the latest best seller from agricultural journalist Michael Pollan. The book traces four complete meals from their origins through their presentation on our tables. Pollan’s subjects include both a scrupulously organic feast and a decidedly inorganic McDonald’s meal.
The New York Times notes that this “thoughtful, engrossing” book deals with the anxiety of choosing what to eat in a society in which nearly everything is available.
Nowhere is this anxiety more acute, Pollan says, than in the United States. Wealth, abundance and the lack of a steadying, centuries-old food culture have conspired to make us Americans dysfunctional eaters, obsessed with getting thin while becoming ever more fat, lurching from one specious bit of dietary wisdom (margarine is better for you than butter) to another (carbs kill).
As usual, our book club members Stephen Metcalf, Meghan O’Rourke, and Katie Roiphe will gather to discuss The Omnivore’s Dilemma,and we’ll record their conversation so you can listen in. The audio segment will be ready in mid-October. We’ll announce the exact date before we post it.
Questions? Comments? Write us at Podcasts@Slate.com.
