Danny Jensen | 1 month ago | Comments (0)
At this point I've amassed a collection of books about food--histories, cookbooks, fiction, manifestos--large enough to require a separate bookshelf. And while my friends tease me for my culinary obsessions, I just can't resist continually adding to the library. So, while I still haven't even had the chance to read Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals or Michael Pollan's Food Rules yet, I've already got my sights set on the next addition to the increasingly heated public discussion about the food we eat.
Gristle: From Factory Farms To Food Safety (Thinking Twice About the Meat We Eat) is edited by none other than musician/activist Moby and features contributions from 15 experts from across the meat industry spectrum including multiple agri-food businesses as well as in farming, environmental sustainability, animal welfare and science fields. More
Danny Jensen | 1 month ago | Comments (0)
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Michael Pollan is a busy guy these days. You can catch him on Oprah tomorrow, where he'll talking up his latest book, Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, and spreading the good word about the importance of making smart, sustainable food choices. Pollan was also recently interviewed for Time Magazine, where he answered questions about food sent in by readers, just as Food Rules was developed from advice on healthy eating habits sent in by readers.
I'm always hesitant to praise someone as a guru–which some certainly believe Pollan to be–because no one is infallible, and we each need to think critically about the choices we make, especially when it comes to the food we eat. That's why I'm happy to see Mr. Pollan use his latest book to turn the focus on all of us, and asks us to engage with one another about making smarter, healthier food choices. I think we'll all be surprised to learn how much we know intrinsically and collectively about which foods are good for us, which aren't, and how we can make wiser decisions about our diet without consulting a guru, fad or textbook.
You can watch Mr. Pollan's Time interview below, but first, here are two of my favorite responses: More
Danny Jensen | 2 months ago | Comments (0)
Food has been a particularly hot topic this year, helped in large part by the release of the eye-opening Food, Inc., the planting of a White House garden, and heightened concern over food safety and nutritional content of school lunches. To help us gain some perspective on this year in food, the blog Endless Simmer invites us to vote on who we think should be 2009's Eater of the Year. I have to say that I am inclined to vote for Michelle Obama, given her admirable commitment to getting kids excited about gardening and healthy eating, but I'm also intrigued by the suggestion of Rachel Maddow, the "foodiest newslady ever", as a possible candidate.
There are several other people and organizations that have contributed to creating a more sustainable food system and should be included on that list, and so I've made my own list below of the top five sustainable food advocates for 2009: More
Danny Jensen | 4 months ago | Comments (0)
.tungl's Flickr photostream/Creative Commons
Michael Pollan met with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer today to discuss New York City's plans to establish a sustainable food system, and while I don't yet know the full skinny on how the conversation went, I can assure you the meeting will bode well for a greener Big Apple.
The two men were also scheduled to discuss the importance of Stringer's proposal to assess New York's "foodshed" , which aims to make healthy, local food more accessible to residents. These efforts will include providing special access for state growers to city markets, government organizations purchasing from local farms, eliminating "food deserts", increasing availability of healthy foods to food pantries and food stamp recipients, as well as zoning and tax incentives for the creation of community, backyard and rooftop gardens. More
Danny Jensen | 4 months ago | Comments (0)
selma90's Flickr photostream/Creative Commons
Michael Pollan has been awfully busy these days, and in addition to the new Omnivore's Dilemma for Kids (out now!), his upcoming Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, and a live online chat last week, PBS will soon premiere The Botany of Desire, a television special based on one of his earlier books.
The Botany of Desire was the first of Michael's books that I read, and it helped ignite my fascination with food history and zeal for understanding where our food comes from, so I am really excited to see the show. By examining the intricate relationship between humans and four plants (apples, potatoes, tulips, and marijuana), Botany reveals how certain plant species have used us to their advantage and proliferated exponentially by offering attractive qualities to us. More
