Defending Food

Back in the beginning of January, NPR interviewed Michael Pollan, the author of several books related to food. The interview is in regards to his latest book, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. His advise is simple, and the book can be distilled down to seven words - "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I'm looking forward to reading it in the near future.

Here's a link to the audio interview.

NPR : Author Comes to Natural Food's 'Defense'

I'm currently reading Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. I grew up on a farm, not a corn farm, but we grew more than 1,000 acres of wheat and barley. Even with that background, this book has been an education for me. I'm only a few dozen pages into it, but so far almost every page has given me several "wow, I had no idea" moments.

Many years ago I read Diet for a New America by John Robbins. That was also an educational read, but I think Robbins' agenda was to turn us all into vegetarians. Pollan's agenda is subtler. He wants us to be aware of the costs to our health and to the environment of our food choices, and how interwoven agribusiness, politics and health have become. I recommend The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals to anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of how what's on your dinner plate ended up there.

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Reserved to Fight

Tuesday night, 2/5/08, I had the privilege of attending a screening of an upcoming documentary named "Reserved to Fight." This film follows four Marines - members of Fox Company 2/23, a Marine Reserve unit headquartered in Utah. The unit was among the first to enter Iraq during the invasion and was the spearhead into Baghdad. The purpose of the documentary is to show not the war, but how these Marines struggle to readjust to society upon their return from Iraq.

I thought the film was superbly done and is a must see. Of course, I'm a little biased. One of the producers was my daughter-in-law, Leith Tarr Christensen. It is because of this project that she and my son McKay (who was a member of the unit) met.

It will be aired this fall on PBS. The distributor and the producers also want to do a tour of colleges and high schools where the documentary would be shown. They have received enough funding to produce the film for PBS, but are seeking additional funds for the tour. If you'd like to make a contribution, they would be most grateful. Information on how to contribute as well as the trailer and other information can be found at http://www.reservedtofight.com.

Just one other note regarding Leith and Mack. They are expecting their first child, and our first grandchild. She's expected in late June. (She is a she)

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