A review by plusverb
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

3.0

I wish I could give this book 3.5 stars, which is about what I think of it. The first two sections were a fascinating, detailed and broad overview of the state (and origins) of the Standard American Diet (the first section) and its booming alternatives (the second section). Alas, the third section was a rambling mess about the hunger-gatherer lifestyle, to no real point whatsoever, weirdly introspective and overly personal in a book about a universal philosophical conundrum, and just. I'll put it this way: there are nearly 50 pages devoted to his conversations with mushroom hunters. They're not particularly informative conversations either. There is a whole page dedicated to one hunter's recommendations for their first morel hunt, including a detailed description of what type of boot he should wear. I am not even kidding. I finished it just to finish it, but the third section is a real miss in light of the triumph and cohesion of the first two. I almost recommend reading only the first two sections and ignoring the third.