The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan [211]
In a publishing industry not known for loyalty or continuity, I’ve been blessed by the constancy of both my editor and agent. This is the fourth book of mine that Ann Godoff has edited, albeit at three different houses. At this point I can’t imagine doing a book with anyone else, which is probably why I keep following her around Manhattan. Her moral, intellectual, emotional, and financial support is a critical ingredient in the making of this book. This is also the fourth book of mine represented by Amanda Urban, a verb that doesn’t come close to capturing everything she does to keep me whole and on the proper path.
Speaking of constancy, this is also the fourth time I’ve relied on Mark Edmundson to read and comment on a book manuscript; as ever, his editorial and reading suggestions, as well as his literary judgment, have been invaluable. This time around, he (and his family) contributed in another way as well, by joining me for one of the meals chronicled in these pages. Thanks to Liz, Willie, and Matthew for their gameness, good appetite, and hospitality.
But the prize for gameness in the pursuit of a book chapter must go to Judith, who shared the two meals that bookend the book—the McDonald’s cheeseburger at one end and the wild boar at the other—and so much more. A book becomes a sometimes disagreeable member of the family for a period of years, but Judith treated this one with patience, understanding, and good humor. Far more crucial to the book, though, has been her editing. Since I first began publishing, Judith has been my indispensable first reader, and there’s no one whose instincts about writing I trust more.
Last but no longer least is Isaac. This is the first book Isaac has been old enough and sufficiently interested in to actually help me with. His own approach to food—Isaac is the pickiest eater I know—has taught me a great deal about the omnivore’s dilemma. Though he declined to taste the boar, Isaac’s contribution to this book—coming in the form of smart suggestions, stimulating conversations at the dinner table, and, on the bad days, the best comfort a father could wish for—has been more precious than he can know. Thank you.
SOURCES
Listed below, by chapter, are the principal works referred to in the text, as well as others that supplied me with facts or influenced my thinking. Web site URLs are current as of November 2005. All cited articles by me are available at www.michaelpollan.com.
INTRODUCTION: OUR NATIONAL EATING DISORDER
Berry, Wendell. “The Pleasures of Eating,” in What Are People For? (New York: North Point Press, 1990), pp.145–52.
Kass, Leon. The Hungry Soul (New York: The Free Press, 1994). I found the William Ralph Inge quote in this endlessly suggestive philosophical inquiry into how the particular nature of human eating defines us.
Levy, Ariel. “Carb Panic,” New York, December 12, 2002.
Nestle, Marion. Food Politics (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002).
Rozin, Paul. “The Selection of Foods by Rats, Humans, and Other Animals” in Advances in the Study of Behavior, Volume 6, eds. J. Rosenblatt, R.A. Hide, C. Beer, and E. Shaw (New York: Academic Press, 1976), pp. 21–76.
———. “Food Is Fundamental, Fun, Frightening, and Far-Reaching,” Social Research 66, no. 1 (Spring 1999). This is a special issue on food with many excellent essays.
Taubes, Gary. “What If Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat?” New York Times Magazine, July 7, 2002.
PART I
CHAPTER 1: THE PLANT: CORN’S CONQUEST
In addition to the printed sources below, I learned a great deal about the natural and social history of Zea mays from my conversations with Ricardo Salvador at Iowa State (www.public.iastate.edu/~rjsalvad/home.html) and Ignacio Chapela at the University of California at Berkeley. Ignacio introduced me to his colleague Todd Dawson, who not only helped me understand what a C-4 plant is, but generously