Our Traveling Shelf discussion

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It has great information and presents a lot of what I think everyone subconsciously knows in an easy to swallow way. I learned a lot from it. But, sometimes I felt like I was drifting off and unable to concentrate on what Pollan was saying. It wasn't until Part III that I was fully immersed in the book.

There were definitely eye opening moments for me. His explanation of why isolating nutrients is a failure was really interesting as well as his idea to avoid health claims. The idea that food has a lot more to do with culture and relationships than we realized was incredible, especially when I think about the coffee culture in the United States of to-go, vs other countries where it's a time to sit and reflect. I agreed a lot with him and the book made me want to pay more attention to what I eat and if I fall into the trap of eating a "Western diet." Also, I hate going to the dentist so the idea that eating better could prevent those trips is something I can go along with.

I believe that a lot of what he said could have been said in an even more concise way, but overall I definitely enjoyed the book, learned from it, and am able to use it to reflect on my own life and those around me! Can't wait to hear what you all thought!

Caro, I agree with you that a lot of the topics that he presented were bits and pieces of information that I think I already knew or were at least familiar with. In conclusion, I thought the book was very thought provoking and I think Pollan did a decent job at organizing the content. His narrative flowed alright and it wasn't too hard to follow along. However, I didn't find myself getting super submerged or losing track of time because I was interested like one gets when you find a "goodread" (Get it? Hahah).

From the get-go, I appreciated how he states, "food is also about pleasure, about community, about family and spirituality, about our relationship to the natural world, and about expressing our identity" (p. 8). I've definitely struggled with maintaining a healthy diet and losing weight. I feel like a lot of people resort to meal prepping, strict calorie counting, and meticulous macro, micro, carb and sugar etc. tracking. While all these methods may produce the results we want, I feel like it takes the pleasure, the joy, and community out of food. I'm not saying that people who do that are doing any wrong or that they cannot get enjoyment out of that because I've attempted all of the above (but without much success, to be honest). For me personally, I would much rather find a balanced, healthy diet that doesn't require me to stress out about every piece of food I put into my body.

That brings up the controversy of how much of the food in the "Western diet" is composed of artificial "nutrients" rather than actual food. As I live in a household that predominantly consumes Korean food, I think I can also relate how Pollan compares other cultures' traditional foods and the Western diet. At home, I eat many traditional Korean dishes that are pretty healthy and natural. When not home, it's much harder to make healthy choices when a lot of the foods are highly processed.

In summary, I think it was definitely an informative read that has helped not only supplement my current health goals but also shaped them. I see that he has written other similar books and I am certainly interested in reading them as well!

What I really liked reading from the book was how Pollan described how the food we eat doesn't start at the harvesting but from the dirt. Make a plant grow faster and you lose nutrients, make a cow eat only fast grown seeds, and you lose the good fats as well. It has made me think that even though I do eat a lot of vegetables, I'm still not getting the same amount of nutrients as my ancestors did. I'm Hispanic and corn is a big part of my diet coming from tortillas, so when he said eat what my great-grandmother would recognize, I think I'm doing good on that part. But it did make me wonder how different the tortillas are made today compared to 100 years ago and if I'm eating unhealthy even though it is part of my tradition. Have some traditional foods also fallen into the trap?

Food is huge part of any culture and also a time that people get together and just relax and enjoy the food and each others company. So when Pollan started talking about Kellogg, the fact that Kellogg believe that food should not be enjoyed baffled me. I love food, and I love cooking new foods to try them out, so it seems crazy that anyone should take the approach of eating as a chore instead of an enjoyment. I also found it funny how Pollan described Europeans eating till they felt full vs. America where most people will eat till the food on the plate is gone. I didn't know it was an European thing and my friends make fun of me because I will state when I am full and eat no more, the leftovers get put away.

I really enjoyed the book and look forward to other things Pollan writes. Also, to be more aware of where food comes and how it's made is something I want to be more personally aware of.

I really enjoyed reading this book by Michael Pollan because he wrote in a language/way that it was easy to comprehend - even the sections that talked more in depth about nutrients, and food science, etc. I believe many of the points he brought up were pretty concise and relatively common sense. It's crazy to think our food system doesn't act in the ways he presents in the book. For example, talking about the health of the soil is equally as important as the moment a person consumes a product. Also, I appreciated the way he connects the ecological aspect of food production. I know it kind of gets a little "hippy dippy", but it makes sense to me; everything involved in food production (sun, soil, water, etc.) are all interconnected with one another. There's a quote by Dan Barber and says, "When you treat nature well, it gives you the gift of great food."

Food for me is a way to connect with those around me, whether it's family, friends, or acquaintances and also, eating/cooking new foods. Food is 100% a cultural experience and an easy way for people to bond over something that is thought so little of, especially in the "Western Diet". When Pollan started talking about an "Americanized diet", I just thought to myself, "What does this diet look like? Oh yeah, quick, fast and convenient eating." Not that I'm saying I never eat at fast food restaurants, but it makes me appreciate food more and what I'm eating when I can actually cherish, and share a meal with people. Pollan asks, “What would happen if we were to start thinking about food as less of a thing and more of a relationship?” I think peoples' perspective of food would change more if they were to think of food as a symbiotic relationship, rather than something to take for granted.

To conclude, I thought this was a very good read and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Pollan! Reading about food culture is super fascinating to me and hopefully we will read more books talking about food! (Also, I'm sorry if I rambled everyone!! Haha.)