Omnivore's Dilemma Ch. 15, 18, 19, 20

In Chapter 15 Pollan decides that he wants to make a meal from foods entirely found by hunting, gathering, or grown all by himself. I think this is a great idea. Pollan then tells us about how his mother scared him as a young child about picking poisonous mushrooms or dangerous fruits. She basically told him that picking up the wrong kind of fungi would probably lead to a certain death. It sounds to me like he was smothered as a young child. Before the modern grocery store children and adults alike foraged through the woods and learned from experience which foods were okay to eat and which were not. Regardless, Pollan decides to carry on with his endeavor and create his own meal from scratch.

Pollan asks his readers, "Why go to all this trouble?" He then explains how if everyone were to eat likes this there wouldn't be enough food for everyone, so really there is no point. Although a valid point, I believe that people today could find a comfortable medium between growing your own food, and buying food from the supermarket. Not only would this be a healthier alternative for people, but it would also put the food industry in check.