Something I read today

This article from the Utne Reader was posted over at Deb's Lunch the other day. Intrigued by the sub-header (Why Michael Pollan Makes Me Want to Eat Cheetos), I printed it off and gave it a read.

The article is well conceived, and Julie Guthman (UC-Santa Cruz) presents a good argument against the "tone" of Michael Pollan's book. Her point that "fat people bear the weight" when it comes to public conversation about food and food policy is well taken. Pollan's book does seem to suggest that WE are fat because we are too stupid to eat the foods that would keep us thin.

Dr. Guthman also cautions the latest "food movements" against an anti-regulatory approach to food politics... the sense of apolitical privilege that tends to oppress.

Got me thinking.
And so, I ask: Are we, as locovores, a bunch of smug, self-righteous (and PC) idiots? No, we don't have to be. In fact, I'd argue that it's vital that we NOT be.

One of the biggest things I've struggled with, when it comes to my support of "local" and "organic" is that it's a difficult topic to discuss without coming off as completely judgmental. It's also become an increasingly difficult topic as organic farms get BIGGER and more industrialized. It's a tough thing. For me, this is a very personal issue in a great many ways -- those of you who know me probably know that. Lately, I've been pondering the issues of availability and access when it comes to organic food, and it's leading me to some pretty interesting reading. Food and social justice, it seems, are inextricably tied... and it seems Pollan, in all of his wisdom, seems to have neglected that small truth.