A Manifesto and a Mystery

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Micheal Pollan is exactly that--a defense of real food, but it is also an indictment of the over-processed and "edible food-like substances" we consume because they are fast or easy, of the way food is grown (and in the case of meat, the way animals are fed with the food that is grown), of additives and GMOs.   Nothing new in that, but Pollan does gives some interesting history of food science and the food industry and some statistics and examples that are startling.  

His philosophy is distilled into very few words:

Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants.

 Or...real food, smaller portions, vegetables.  

Not as easy to do in today's world, at least here in the U.S.  Is it worth the effort?  For a society raised on quick and easy, huge portions, snacks, and GMO modified heavily promoted "food-like substances," it may not be that simple.  Since I'm already checking labels, Pollan's advice to be cautious about anything with over 5 ingredients or unpronounceable additives is an easy task, but finding items that meet that qualification will not be that easy.  Right now, it is time for Farmer's Markets, which are fun and provide locally grown produce rather than what has been shipped for thousands of miles.

Our food has been altered and over-processed for at least 40 years, and our eating habits and traditions have change almost without our realizing it.  But more and more people are growing indignant about the fact that processes banned in other countries are the norm here, and most people would like our government to be more responsive to the health of its citizens.

Purchased.

Nonfiction.  2008.  Print length:  268 pages.

The Evidence Room by Cameron Harvey is set in Cooper's Bayou, a little back-water town in Florida.  Two young people have recently returned to Cooper's Bayou after long absences.  

Josh Hudson is a cop who has an obsession with finding his older sister.  Aurora Atchison has just returned to settle her grandfather's estate.  When Aurora discovers that perhaps her father was not guilty of her mother's murder, she begins digging into some old secrets that several Cooper's Bayou citizens would rather be left alone.  Josh and Aurora have sad pasts in common, and Josh, who has been placed on administrative leave and "sentenced" to working the evidence room, is inclined to help.

Both characters have tragic and depressing pasts.  It is a bit too coincidental that they both have a murdered family member, a missing family member, and more questions than answers.  The repeated assurances from many different individuals that Josh is a "good man"  got on my nerves.   Aurora doesn't need to be told more than once and having so many characters make the same remark is redundant.  

The Evidence Room is unexceptional.  I wasn't tempted to put it in the DNF pile, but neither did I find it compelling.

ARC from Minotaur Books.

Crime/Mystery.  2015.  306 pages.

Miscellaneous

I've just finished a fascinating book by Benedict Carey.  The title is How We Learn; my blog review will be scheduled closer to the release date, but I want to share a Give Away of the book on Goodreads where 50 copies are available.

I have highlighted something on nearly every page and read the book with all the eagerness that any good novel evokes.  If I don't win a copy, I've already added it to my wish list and will order my own.  Nonfiction books deserve a place on the shelf, and I have hard copies of all my brain books, even if I read them first on my Kindle.

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Like many others, I'm concerned about genetically modified/engineered foods and found Robyn O'Brien's short Ted Talk packed with information.

• Are we really allergic to food or to what's been done to it?

• 1997-2002 - doubling of the peanut allergy

Most of us have never been told that peanuts are treated with cancer-causing pesticides.

Nor have we been told that they are rotated in fields that contain genetically engineered cotton, a controversial crop used in our food supply that is treated with a weed killer linked to cancer and infertility.

We tend to only hear about the peanut allergy when it comes to peanuts in the news, but a deeper look into how we grow peanuts today unearths a lot of questions.

Since when did so many kids suddenly have a peanut allergy?  A peanut butter and jelly sandwich hasn’t always been a loaded weapon on a lunchroom table.

From 1997-2002, the incidence of peanut allergy doubled.  In the last fifteen years, there has been a 50% increase in the number of children with food allergies. About 1 in 20 U.S. children have food allergies — a 50 percent increase from the late 1990s, according to a recent CDC survey.

But that’s not where it stops.  (you can read more on Robyn O'Brien's blog)

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