The Clarion

Issue date: 10/7/09 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: MCT Campus

Nearly 8,000 people packed the Kohl Center in response to Michael Pollan's new book "In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto." It's safe to say that the first event of University of Wisconsin-Madison's new common reading program, "Go, Big, Read," was an overwhelming success.

Pollan, a professor at the University of California-Berkley, journalist and well-known critic of modern agriculture, created quite a stir among Wisconsin's farming community, who in turn raised questions about the university's intentions when selecting the title for the first "Go, Big, Read" event. UW Chancellor, Biddy Martin, defended her decision in the Wisconsin State Journal.

"The book project is an opportunity for education and exchange, not for advocacy of a particular view," she said."It presents arguments that need to be discussed, understood and subjected to contradictory data and different points of view. I believe promoting rigorous discussion of ideas, including those that are controversial, is one of a university's particular gifts to the larger society."

While Pollan's lecture on Sept. 24 created controversy among certain communities, there were plenty of Wisconsinites present to show their undeniable support for Pollan's position on eating "real" food.

"In Defense of Food" raises some of the more important questions of our time, such as Pollan's idea of "nutritionism," the western diet and the industrialization of food. Pollan urges his readers to be educated on the difference between food and nutrients, and that it is safe to say that "real" food is anything your great-grandmother can identify as food.

During his lecture in the Kohl Center, Pollan brought some props along in defense of his argument. He pointed fingers at Kellogg's Fruit Loops, which he confessed contained 40% sugar by weight, Twinkies and Go-Gurt, among various others, as some of the examples of what Pollan called "edible food-like products," all while standing under a very large Culvers advertisement.

These small examples of food, including the apple, which sat atop the pyramid of products, shape the direction of our food culture and pinpoint where we, as westerners, got confused. The Kellogg's Fruit Loops contained more than massive amounts of sugar, it also had a great big health check on the front of the box persuading the consumer that there are healthy ingredients, it's all sugar coated, but healthy none-the-less.

Continued...

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