The summer has proven to be somewhat frenetic. Yet in the hurriedness I found time to read The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. First off, it is very well written and lived up to The New York Times decal on the front declaring it as one of the top 10 books of the year, which is what initially captured my eye as it sat on the book store shelf.
What it has done – to date – is instilled a new sense of gratitude for the food I do eat, as well as a new consciousness about where the food I eat comes from. Naturally, this past Wednesday morning I decided to explore the local farmer’s market. All the farmers stalls proclaimed the word “organic” and the two egg sellers had “happy” chickens. Why do you call your chickens happy I asked. They have a barn and access to an outdoor yard they can go to if they want he said – groan.
The trip did yield a couple of large beets, a dozen eggs from “happy” chickens, a pound of wax beans, and a handful of basil. Last nights dinner was raw beet salad with scrambled eggs. Tonight the beans will make it to the table with basil pesto…and some sausage from some very unhappy pigs that I bought at the big box supermarket.
