Gold Oak Press

I had the good fortune to preview the new documentary, The Botany of Desire, last night. The film is based on the book by the same name by Michael Pollan, who was on hand to discuss the making of the film and the politics of food– all over a fine meal of cage-free chicken and organic vegetables.

Michael Pollan, as you may know, is the author of several bestsellers about the food we eat: The Omnivore’s Dilemna and In Defense of Food, An Eater’s Manifesto. Since I just happened to be reading the latter book, I was particularly delighted  to be invited to hear the author speak.

And speak he did. Pollan is articulate and forceful, making a strong argument for reform of what he calls “industrial agriculture.” Throwing out statistics designed to make your eyes pop, Pollan proceeded to illuminate why our country’s agricultural practice of focusing on commondity foods, such as corn, soybean, and wheat, has threatened our ecosystem: “monoculture” requires the widespread use of petrochemical-derived fertilizers, which burns through fossil fuels; clearing fields, using massive farming equipment, and transporting and processing commodity food pumps greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; the quantity and quality of these relatively “cheap calories” threatens our national health.

The crowd was suitably awed and appreciative, although one man asked Pollan about what seemed like a dust-up in San Luis Obispo some time ago in which an academic in the beef field took Pollan to task. Pollan skated over the details of the confrontation, but did acknowledge that elevated food prices are the main argument against his proposed reforms. We grow a lot of food cheaply now, he says, so that the equivalent of one hour’s work at minimum wage can “buy you thousands of calories at a fast food restaurant.” But what, he asks, is the quality and true cost of those cheap calories?

Regardless of where your opinions fall on the food policy spectrum–and people certainly seem to have passionate, wide-ranging views–The Omnivore’s Dilemna should be required reading for all. If nothing else, Pollan will make you think about where your food comes from and the seeming ubiquity of processed food that has become of staple of the Western Diet.

Meanwhile, The Botany of Desire, a visually beautiful film about the adaptive strategies of plants, premiers on October 28 at 8 pm on KQED. Check your local public television listings to see when it’s showing near you.