[nevernever]

(I did go back 5 pages looking for another thread about this book, but was unable to find one. If one exists, please forgive this new thread!)<br><br>
Who has read this? What did you think?<br><br>
My sister recommended it to me and though I wouldn't have read it without her prompting, I'm so very glad I did. I'm about 2/3 through it right now and it has inspired me to step up my "grow my own" and "eat local" mission. I live in Iowa and have lived here all my life. I grew up (and currently live) on a corn/soybean farm. In the past two years, I have become so disillusioned with farming. This book has done an excellent job explaining some of the reasons WHY. (Including reasons I didn't even know about or consider.)<br><br>
I'd love to hear others thoughts on the book.

 

[BookGoddess]

I haven't read it but I want to. I hear it's an eye-opening book about the politics and globalization of food.

 

[nonconformnmom]

It's a fantastic book. It changed the way I view food forever; especially eggs. There is a thread about this from a few months back, I recall and it was fairly long.<br><br>
I noticed when I went to a restaurant in Charlottesville VA they had right on their menu "Polyface Farms pork chops" and I was all, "I know about them!" I'd love to buy my food directly from them; I really admire their principles (I believe the part about them is toward the end of the book, so you may not know what I"m talking about yet! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> )<br><br>
I lean toward a vegetarian diet, and I really enjoyed his chapter on the "vegetarian utopia" or whatever it is called. Lots of food for thought. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/winky.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink">

 

[mamaofthree]

I am excited about reading it... but I am number 34 on the library waiting list. LOL so it might be awhile.<br><br>
H

 

[nevernever]

mamaofthree, I think you will find it is worth the wait!<br><br>
nonconformnmom--I am just now reading about Polyface Farm. I think his ideas are brilliant. I have a good friend who recently interviewed him for an article and said he is as the book describes him; passionate and driven. What an asset to his community and I'm sad we don't have someone like him where I live. On the other hand, we're planning on growing much of our own food. Unlike Polyface, we can butcher our own animals (not sure if we can do it "for profit") but I'm not ready to go that far, just yet. We have a great butcher shop 7 miles away. . .<br><br>
Realize I'm rambling. I may go back in the forum farther to see if I can find the older thread!

 

[Literate]

I love it, yet I am bogged down half-way through. Man, it's huge, isn't it? Don't we all feel like we should never eat corn again? <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/dizzy.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Dizzy">:<br><br>
I'll have to continue it after I've finished my book club book.<br><br>
Did you all read his previous book, Botany of Desire? It's so good.

 

[Nankay]

I haven't read the book, but are you sure the corn he is referring to isn't seed corn/cattle feed corn rather than the sweet corn we eat?

 

[Literate]

Right. That is part of his point. We are eating processed feed corn in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, corn starch, etc. etc. ad nausem in EVERYTHING. And the fact that they sell "corn-fed beef" like it's a good thing!<br><br>
Does anyone else get this image from the movie The Matrix? Where humans are used as batteries to run the whole complex? That's how I feel in my more paranoid moments. Like we exist in America strictly to consume this vast amount of grade B corn. Shovel it in, folks! Step right up!<br><br>
No wonder I had to take a break from the book.

 

[mamaofthree]

I got my copy from the library.. that came sooner then I thought. LOL<br>
I was/am very excited about reading it, I heard about it on NPR a few weeks ago.<br><br>
H

 

[mnnice]

Awesome book. I read it last spring and it really hit home about how subsidized corn is when in Western NE and Eastern CO people are growing corn in the most arid, dry land.<br><br>
Makes me so happy that I have access to such a wonderful CSA and some awesome grass feed beef.

 

[Jennisee]

I recently requested this through interlibrary loan, and I can't wait.

 

[Viola]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>nonconformnmom</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7993834"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I noticed when I went to a restaurant in Charlottesville VA they had right on their menu "Polyface Farms pork chops" and I was all, "I know about them!"</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
Is that the farm in the Shenandoah Valley that was featured in an article in <i>Mother Jones</i>?

 

[nonconformnmom]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>Viola</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/8048154"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Is that the farm in the Shenandoah Valley that was featured in an article in <i>Mother Jones</i>?</div>
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I don't know but there is an entire chapter about it in the book that is being discussed here.

 

[heket]

<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/bump.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="bump"> since time has passed and more have read it. Any new thoughts/ insights?

 

[glendora]

Man. The corn. Eating the corn, with corn, with corn. Dipped in corn. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/eat.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Eat">:

 

[prettymom]

Seriously, so much corn in corn sauce leaking corn residue all over the world.

 

[Literate]

Did anyone read this and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? Which did you like better and why? I'm about half through AVM and it's a more pleasant read, in terms of feeling like maybe you can step out of the corn loop.<br><br>
Also, if you haven't read Pollan's "Botany of Desire" it is wonderful!

 

[lrmama]

I liked both AVM and OD. OD seemed to have more background information, but AVM was more easily readable (not that OD wasn't readable...it was very entertaining, but in a more depressing way!)<br><br>
DH laughs at me for railing against corn, but it just seems like a mess we can't get out from under. Who else in the world would pay farmers to produce a crop that is already over-produced massive quantities? And then feed it to animals that aren't designed to eat it in such enormous amounts? Are we ever going to re-think this and move towards a more sustainable way of life?!<br><br>
And on a side note, why should I have to buy organic food because my government won't protect me from GM ingredients? You can't buy anything without that crap in it, and if you don't know enough to know it's there, no one's going to tell you.

 

[limette]

I loved it despite the neverending corn chapter. Makes me long for my dream of a building an off grid home on enough land to grow/raise all my own food.

 

[eco_mama]

Love Michael Pollan. Loved this book. And I can't wait to read his latest. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.