In defense of (not eating) food
This is Kira’s plea against eating turkey. She can offer up a defense for not eating just about anything. She says she wants to be a vegetarian. What she means is that she wants to be a pasta-candy-dessert-atarian. Not that I blame her. I too am partial to a diet that leans heavily on the most vital layer in the food pyramid: the chocolate one. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but just because I’ve got the computer set up in the kitchen doesn’t mean that I’m to blame for the pan of brownies that mysteriously disappeared this week.
Some of you may recognize the blatant plagiarism creative adapting I’ve done in the title of this piece as coming from Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food. Like the Kingsolver book I mentioned last week, it’s a must-read. Food needs defending, Pollan claims, because much of what we eat today is actually not food, but “edible, foodlike substances.” Real food he defines as something that “our great grandmothers would recognize as food.” I concur 100%, and not just because both of my grandmothers were big fans of baked goods. Most food labels these days read like War and Peace, and with a couple of kids in tow that’s just too much literature to consume in the bread aisle.
Yes, another book. What–you didn’t know this blog came with a required reading list? Oh relax, there’s not going to be a test. For all I know you’re not even looking for a fearless food defender. Maybe this guy is already working for you–
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s….Carrot-Man! He’s the strong, silent, food defending-type. Be warned though; his shtick relies heavily on pushing the veggies. (Note to self: Consider getting out more. Or at least getting the camera out of the kitchen.)
Michael Pollan said that after researching and writing his book his point could be boiled down into a few short sentences: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
It’s a worthy philosophy. I’d add only this: Brownies too.
7 Replies to “In defense of (not eating) food”
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Please note..my nickname is not broccoli. I couldn’t agree with your thoughts more.
Your posts are making me hungry. BTW, was the Ruth’s Brownie Recipe from Aunt Ruth? Mmm, Baby Ruth….I mean, brownies.
I do admire you for reading so much about this stuff…. I just went to a great conference on food and moods. I think you would have liked it. Just curious…. do you ever miss reading novels?
Where do black and white cookies fall in all of this. B/c that’s my newest addiction.
I love this whole idea – eat food, eat mostly plants, eat only what you can pronounce etc. But when you head to the kitchen for a sandwich, and your whole-grain seedy 100% natural bread has gone crusty on you, I think it’s ok to whip out a few slices of Wonder from the freezer.. Perhaps I was meant to be a mom in the 70’s.
Carrot man is a little creepy. Kira could definitely gie the Chik-fil-a marketing team a run for their money. Please save the book list for me for when I have time to read again. . .Great post! 🙂
How about yummy homemade bread? Like Mom now makes! No bread machine maven she – this is the original thing – flour all over, yummy bread scarfed up by 60 odd voraciuous Hamptonites stimulated by watching cheese spontaneously appear where only milk existed before. There will surely be encores. Six sticks (perhaps clubs) disappeared in no time al all. YUes – include bread in the essentials. MSS