Friday, June 12, 2009

A Tale of Two Michaels: Pollan and Roberts

Professor Michael Roberts reviews Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food" (after commenting on Kindle) and comes out about the same place I do (although at longer length and more politely).

An excerpt (once Roberts has gotten past praising Pollan):
So this is the tone that grates. Pollan writes as if the nutrition scientists are conspiring in a sinister plot with the food business to make us all fat and unhealthy. He doesn't actually say that but it is implied. And, well, that's just silly. The reality is that food companies exaggerate findings from food science to market their goods. But this is neither new nor surprising nor in anyway unique to food. It's absolutely ubiquitous. That doesn't make it right, but the problem surely isn't science. And by misrepresenting the problem it becomes more difficult to articulate reasonable solutions.

And, now, the real rub. Did I mention prices?
Go to Greed, Green, and Grain to read it all.

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