Above the fruited planes

All we eat is corn, all we should eat is grass.
These pithy phrases are the most concise understanding of Pollan’s beliefs from The Omnivore’s Dilemma Parts I & II (Corn & Grass respectively).  Corn is arguably all we consume in America today, as it is the basis of what the animals we consume, consume themselves – as well as it being a primary ingredient in a vast number of foods we purchase from our supermarkets.  However, Pollan seems to imply in Part II: Grass, that grass should in fact be the foundation of the meats we consume.  Grass tends to nourish the earth, whereas corn is often seen as raping the ground.
 So we should rely on grass, rather than corn?  Well as Joel Salatin also proclaimed, perhaps they are truly "sun farmers."  What about the air, the air is rather crucial for life.  And water, I don't see many crops being grown without water!  Or even the soil, perchance we should try harvesting nourished soil.  But above all of these individual facets of farming, maybe the greatest threat is that of over-simplification.  It seems that focusing on one aspect of anything, especially food, is what has caused such issue for all these years.  Focusing merely on growing corn, or grass, or raising hoards of pigs in one location - has all caused various problems!  With corn, the replanting of the same crop has had damaging ramifications on the very ground necessary for its growth.  Grass has its own set of concerns - undergrazing, overgrazing, variety, and a myriad of other quandaries.  So as much as I love the grub's eye-view of the world, if I am really feeling the urge to look at the life of an ant and grass, I'll just watch "A Bug's Life" and then sit back and consider the entire habitat, not just what comes out of the ground.
In order to truly be sustainable, I think we'll need to consider what goes into the ground, what comes out of it, what goes on around it, and what lives off of it.   To merely contemplate one of these is narrow minded, and more than Pollan may realize, I think that is truly the issue in American and that many may have with his writing!  

I love the way you lie...

"Ah, the bounty of Nature!"
While these may not be the precise phrase that enters one's mind when surrounded by plants and produce when entering the grocery store, it is one of the facets and truths that resonated most whilst reading Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma Part I: Industrial - Corn.  It began a thought-journey as to what tools we use to deceive ourselves and how we use persuasion to subtly affect our mentality.  For its true that one does feel falsely secure in our tie to nature whilst purchasing apples that we also know have been waxed with a tinted chemical to appear as appealing as possible.  And that the strawberries I consume probably shouldn't be the size of my fist, but indeed some are that gargantuan.  But this is just the beginning of our deception.  I began going mentally through the grocery store to consider what things we do to feel better about our consumption.  Wheat Thins packaging boasts pictures of grains, as if to say "this is safe to buy and eat regularly because of the grains" and Veggie Chips/Straws feature images of the "vegetables" we only assume were somehow involved prior to the final product.  Other products tout that they include "real milk" and various vitamins that we should be getting naturally.  How easily we attempt to deceive ourselves in thinking that we are much more closely tied to nature than we really are at present!  And who knew that it all begins with the produce section?    

Bring out the fire

   Baste, marinate, rub, smoke - there are endless methods in which to prepare barbecue.  And as Cooked illuminated, there is rather intense debate in this state as to which is the "correct" method.  Though many here (and I believe Pollan himself) are predisposed to have a specific opinion, I have been given the unique opportunity to have no bias and look at this with completely fresh eyes.  For as we have discussed, in the north, "barbecue" is something that happens around a grill with family and neighbors and burgers.  In fact, I rarely think of pork when I think of "barbecue" - southern barbecue is referred to as "pulled pork" or a meat with barbecue sauce.
   However, one of the most fascinating aspects is how these came to be tradition.  Even the "mythology" surrounding "crackling" is repulsively fascinating!  And there is plenty of varied lore and familial history to explain how techniques were adopted and perfected.
  Interestingly enough, this very weekend I was given the opportunity to go to the mountains with a friend and I was introduced to a myriad of barbecuing methods and personal "regulations."  Some insist on sauce, some believe sauce to be a heresy.  Others have a secret rub they use and it makes it theirs.  Others still (as illustrated in the book) will stay up all night long to ensure that the pork is perfectly smoked.  One of the methods touted to me this weekend was a seasoned rub that supposedly worked a flavorful magic upon the meat, and while it did indeed taste good, I am still unfortunately ambivalent to which method is "best" - but each is unique in its own way!

The Taste of Fat

As I was researching information on gelato for an Italian culture event, I was fascinated by some of the differences mentioned about gelato in comparison to ice cream.  While it seemed intuitive that the ingredients would be slightly varied and the process would be different, I was simultaneously intrigued and disgusted when I learned that gelato in Italy has about 4-5 % butter fat, ice cream has about 15% butter fat, and American gelato has about 10% in order to meet US regulation standards on fat content.
This prodded the thought process on Americans and the fat we mindlessly consume.
  One of the great markers of gelato is its texture and flavor.  Gelato is known for rich, intense flavors - and part of the intensity of the flavor, is that one's mouth has not been coated in fat with the first taste!  Think about the cold foods we Americans consume, and whipped cream is a common topping.  As much as I love whipped cream, I despise that feeling that comes when one's mouth is coated with the fat, but I never truly contemplated that this fat was diminishing the flavor.  Moreover, many tend to eat ice cream with large teaspoons that are overflowing with as much ice cream as can be balanced on that swooped edge.  Shoveling each cool and creamy bite into eager mouths that know the reassuring coolness and hint of flavor as it is passes on to the digestive system.  And repeat process.  And again.  And ag...oh, that sad time when the bowl is empty.  How fast time flew, and it truly did because the ice cream (probably an entire carton) was probably consumed in under 5 minutes.  This is the American method.  With gelato however, there is a small spoon.  Generally these are smaller than that with which we might feed a baby.  But one can savor every taste.
Eating ice cream is a race against the melting point and the constant urge to follow one barely finished bite with the next.  Eating gelato is a process, a social activity - the way eating should be! The small spoons are perhaps something we should adopt - it forces one's brain to become involved with what one is putting into the mouth.  Or perhaps we'll just end up missing the overwhelming taste of fat.

Defiance or Defense

As one who enjoys the rich flavors and textures and combinations that food variety can bring, I truly appreciated Pollan's defense of food appreciators in the section "Beyond the Pleasure Principle."  The unique perspective that America has tried its best to avoid enjoying food, does truly seem to be unsettling in its accuracy.  How many other countries have created "rules" on how and what to eat?  In personal experience, this is something saved for America.  Friends who come from varied origins such as Nepal, Vietnam, Korea, and India, have all indicated that restraint with food is only an issue when they return to America.  However, the lack of restraint needed on their ventures does not seem to reduce the extent to which food is enjoyed, merely the mental ease with which they can eat.
So how might we go about enjoying our food once again?
Perhaps it is more than a matter of quantity and quality.  Perhaps it is merely a matter of our mindset.  What is it that we are defying that has necessitated a defense for food?  Are we defying our desires?  One might say no until we consider the "you can't eat just one" tagline that is associated with most foods we tout in America.  Are we defying our taste-buds?  Well I have apparently "tasted the rainbow," so I suppose that is not lacking either.  Perhaps we are defying intuition and food with our science.  We have defied what is real and natural so long, that we must now defend it.
It seems truly instinctive to defend lettuce and chicken over "yogurt enemas" that were apparently advocated once upon a yesteryear.  I cannot imagine the havoc that such things wrought on the human body versus the supposed detriment of animal protein on the human body.  There truly are times when just letting your spirit guide you is the best choice, and perhaps not even your spirit, I really think all it takes is understanding your pain receptors!
So I am completely prepared to stop defying natural intuition and defend food!  Science has gotten us far, but from what I've seen, nature seems to have lasted quite some time.    

Is there really nothing good to eat?!

On a recent quest through the local Boiling Springs Ingles, a friend and I set out to see if "real food" could be found in this small locale.  While one of the "rules" indicated that "real food" shouldn't be packaged, but considering we could not include the outer circle of the store (which includes all dairy, produce, etc) - packaged food is all that remains.  So aside from conceding on packaging, we merely had to look for foods that had no additives, incomprehensible verbiage, and no health benefit claims.  

The images reveal what I consider to be the successes of this venture... 

Black beans!

The only ingredient is indeed, black beans!

Coconut Butter

While it does state that it is all natural, I don't believe that is a health benefit claim so much as it is a statement.  For the only ingredient was Coconut pulp.

Frozen Green Beans :)

This is one of the few foods that one might actually desire to eat without adding other food (ie: I wouldn't eat straight up coconut butter).  And I feel vindicated that frozen vegetables, a staple in my family, are truly just vegetables with no preservatives (other than the preserving nature of the flash-frozen process).

Unsweet (Baking) Chocolate

The only ingredient is cocoa!  

Baby Food!

Amazingly enough, these are actually what they are supposed to be!  How remarkable (ironic) that we are smart enough to feed babies pure food.

Each of these is just a food or a food plus water.

Sweet potatoes, green beans, peaches, pears, oranges, peas, etc!

As  you can see, food can be found amongst the processed, high-fructose corn syrup, packaged foods we deem so normal.  However, the fact that there this was practically a treasure hunt is disconcerting.  But probably not disconcerting enough to prevent me from buying my sugar-laden peanut butter on my next visit.  C'est la vie. 

Or if I truly want to know what I'm getting, I guess there is always baby food!  That stuff doesn't lie, and from the facial expressions of the babies eating the food, its not worth it!

Five Additional Food Rules

1. Water is a "food" group.  If you want to eat unnecessarily, drink water as a substitute.
2. Put only a small portion on your plate, less than you think you want.
    Chances are, that will be more than enough.
3. Processed food is a poor way to start your day!
    Your body doesn't need sugar-laden foods and a nutrient deficit for breakfast.
4. Never eat meat that can be stored at room temperature
      (ie: if it comes in a box or just needs water to be added)
5. Never eat foods that leave grease/oil stains like a car might.

However, these are merely some that I consider to be in my repertoire of "food rules."  They are a small addendum to the 80+ listed in Michael Pollan's Food Rules.

If you really want more...

Excess is a word that has become far too common in recent years.  We have begun to both overeat and thus over-think what we ingest, and yet the simplest answer was merely to follow intuition.  Whilst reading Michael Pollan's deliciously simple "eater's manual," there were constant tidbits of conversations I have had with my grandmother that would flash into my mind.  As a young child she grew up in the Depression-era, to hard-working parents that both worked and loved their only child - but one of the stories that always stuck out to me was one that illuminated the sacrifices of my great-grandmother.  Meal times were a family event, but unfortunately there was not a surplus of "meal" and my grandmother recalls that her father was given the largest portion because he had to go to work and continue to be the leading provider.  Then my grandmother was given the next largest portion because she needed to be healthy and focus at school, and then my great-grandmother would get what was left, if anything was indeed left.  Growing up, that story always perplexed me.  For I knew factually that food was scarce during the Depression, but how could there not be enough food in my country that my great-grandmother would have to skip meals regularly.  Seven to Eight decades later, the converse is our new dilemma.  Concepts such as needing to eat less, stopping before one is truly full, and many others are things we must think about, consciously.  But we as a generalized society have lost view of natural reality.  The season no longer influences what we eat, how we eat, or how much we eat - it merely affects our schedule.  Perhaps if we were to refocus our eyes on what is in season and which crops were actually plentiful, we would be more mindful of what we consumed.  Being more mindful, that is something that got lost along the way and perhaps has been substituted with over-thinking.  Simplify.  Just think in the first place, not too much, just think!