You can post comments at the link above. There are some very interesting comments -- and I've only read the first 50 so far!Michael Pollan wrote:I’d like your help gathering some rules for eating well. My premise is that culture has a lot to teach us about how to choose, prepare and eat food, and that this wisdom is worth collecting and preserving before it disappears.
In recent years, we’ve deferred to the voices of science and industry when it comes to eating, yet often their advice has served us poorly, or has merely confirmed the wisdom of our grandmother after the fact. “Eat your colors,†an Australian reader’s grandmother used to tell her; now we hear the same advice from nutritionists, citing the value of including as many different phytochemicals in the diet as possible.
I’ve also found that many ethnic traditions have their own memorable expressions for what amounts to the same recommendation. Many cultures, for example, have grappled with the problem of food abundance and come up with different ways of suggesting you should stop eating before you’re completely full. The Japanese say “hara hachi bu†(“eat until you are four-fifths fullâ€). Germans advise eaters to “tie off the sack before it’s full.†And the Prophet Muhammad recommended that a full belly should contain one-third food, one-third drink and one-third air. My own Russian-Jewish grandfather used to say at the end of every meal, “I always like to leave the table a little bit hungry.â€
I want to create a compendium of such rules, across cultures and also time. Some of the rules readers have sent me so far are specifically about navigating the modern food landscape: “It’s not food if it comes to you through the window of a car.†“Don’t eat at any restaurant of which there is more than just one.†“A snack is not the same thing as a treat.†“If a bug won’t eat it, why would you?†and so on.
Will you send me a food rule you try to live by? Something perhaps passed down by your parents or grandparents? Or something you’ve come up with to tell your children – or yourself?
I will post your suggestions on my Web site and plan to include the best in a collection of food rules I’m now compiling. Thanks in advance for your contribution.
Michael Pollan Wants Your Food Rules
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
Michael Pollan Wants Your Food Rules
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/0 ... #more-1003
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
I saw the article, but haven't read it...yet.Nichole wrote:Great article, thanks for sharing! I am also amazed at the comments. Since you read the Times, did you see the article on the funeral museum? Interesting and fascinating (though gross to me), pictures.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
The comments run the gamut from interesting, thoughtful, and useful to kind of loony -- i guess you'd expect that.
This one made me sad:
This one made me sad:
Food is nothing more than fuel for your body, like gasoline for your car. If you can divorce as much pleasure as you can from food, it’s easier to control/restrict your calories and also eat healthier, but in some instances, less “tasty†foods. YMMV as most people don’t want to do this.
Wow. Reminds me of last night... I commented to my husband that something has "too many calories" and he goes "I remember when you used to just enjoy food." :/Thalia wrote:The comments run the gamut from interesting, thoughtful, and useful to kind of loony -- i guess you'd expect that.
This one made me sad:
Food is nothing more than fuel for your body, like gasoline for your car. If you can divorce as much pleasure as you can from food, it’s easier to control/restrict your calories and also eat healthier, but in some instances, less “tasty†foods. YMMV as most people don’t want to do this.
"Anyone can cook." ~ Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille
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apomerantz
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apomerantz
- Posts: 282
- Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:22 pm
There is a note at the bottom of the article that says:
"NOTE TO READERS: A technical problem means readers aren’t able to see many of the comments, however you can still add your comment and it will be saved and posted later. The problem should be resolved by morning."
Not sure which morning they mean, but I can only see 25, too ... ????
"NOTE TO READERS: A technical problem means readers aren’t able to see many of the comments, however you can still add your comment and it will be saved and posted later. The problem should be resolved by morning."
Not sure which morning they mean, but I can only see 25, too ... ????
Makes me sad, too. There are quite a few "eat to live, don't live to eat" comments. My take - live to eat, just make it worth eating. I'm not sure I believe there are no bad foods, but there are certainly many that shouldn't be consumed often. Cheetohs, anyone?Thalia wrote:The comments run the gamut from interesting, thoughtful, and useful to kind of loony -- i guess you'd expect that.
This one made me sad:
Food is nothing more than fuel for your body, like gasoline for your car. If you can divorce as much pleasure as you can from food, it’s easier to control/restrict your calories and also eat healthier, but in some instances, less “tasty†foods. YMMV as most people don’t want to do this.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
I noticed that, too. A week or so ago she blogged about Mark Bittman's "vegan until six" way of eating and the vegans were really vocal. One commentor wrote: "My question is why are vegans so often grumpy? Is it the diet or is it self-righteousness?"Nichole wrote:What I really hate about most of the responses is that most people are sooo condecending about it. Anyone else notice that?
I think the more one limits what they eat, for whatever reason (health, ethical beliefs), or the more tied to a certain set of dietary beliefs, the more self-righteous and condescending they become.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
Oh, absolutely. Also, the more you eat in a way that runs against conventional wisdom or the social pattern around you, the more smug you tend to get about being more knowledgeable/disciplined/smarter than those hapless sheep who do't know any better.
I don't know if you're familiar with followers of Nourishing Traditions or the Paleolithic diet people, but many of them are INSUFFERABLE.
I don't know if you're familiar with followers of Nourishing Traditions or the Paleolithic diet people, but many of them are INSUFFERABLE.
Not those two groups in particular, but others...and unfortunately, I used to be one of them.Thalia wrote: I don't know if you're familiar with followers of Nourishing Traditions or the Paleolithic diet people, but many of them are INSUFFERABLE.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
I have to admit, I was hard to be around when I did Weight Watchers Core program. It was pretty funny -- the Weight Watchers people basically split into two camps: the larger group of Points followers who thought Core was just an excuse to gorge yourself and you couldn't lose weight on it, and the small, militant Core faction who believed the Points people were disgusting junkfood junkies, and anyone with any taste or discernment would do Core. The WW boards and meetings got heated at times. It's a good thing that they don't issue weapons when you get your little program booklets, because the carnage would have been terrible.
And then of course almost all of us from both programs eventually gained it all back.
And then of course almost all of us from both programs eventually gained it all back.
I haven't read through nearly all of them, and I'm not going to, but this is my favorite of those that I've seen b/c the person seems down to earth:
152.
March 9, 2009
11:04 am
I’ve enjoyed reading the comments, although I tend to disagree with those who suggest completely abstaining from anything processed or visit the farm where your food came from (how bad would it be for the enviornment if everyone picked up and started driving to farms?) or to go foraging. I have lived in big cities for the last 7 years and that’s just not practical.
I cook as much as I can, and when I eat out, I indulge at nice restaurants. I bring lunch to work (on days that I don’t or can’t, I end up with a huge sandwich that costs 4x as much as my regular lunch meal and leaves me uncomfortably engorged). I always eat breakfast, usually cereal, but sometimes (gasp) a cereal bar. I always clean my plate, which is a problem for me. Therefore, when I cook, I make sure I prepare more than the number of meals I will need and I don’t put everything on my plate. I don’t eat too much and I have leftovers for another night.
So far, this has worked for me. I’m skinny and (seemingly) healthy. Sometimes I eat fast food (maybe once a month or on a car ride as others have said). I exercise (irregularly). Is this what everyone else should do? Maybe. Probably not.
— MJR
152.
March 9, 2009
11:04 am
I’ve enjoyed reading the comments, although I tend to disagree with those who suggest completely abstaining from anything processed or visit the farm where your food came from (how bad would it be for the enviornment if everyone picked up and started driving to farms?) or to go foraging. I have lived in big cities for the last 7 years and that’s just not practical.
I cook as much as I can, and when I eat out, I indulge at nice restaurants. I bring lunch to work (on days that I don’t or can’t, I end up with a huge sandwich that costs 4x as much as my regular lunch meal and leaves me uncomfortably engorged). I always eat breakfast, usually cereal, but sometimes (gasp) a cereal bar. I always clean my plate, which is a problem for me. Therefore, when I cook, I make sure I prepare more than the number of meals I will need and I don’t put everything on my plate. I don’t eat too much and I have leftovers for another night.
So far, this has worked for me. I’m skinny and (seemingly) healthy. Sometimes I eat fast food (maybe once a month or on a car ride as others have said). I exercise (irregularly). Is this what everyone else should do? Maybe. Probably not.
— MJR
"Anyone can cook." ~ Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille
That site is quite a hoot! I wonder if he had any idea of the number of replies he would receive? (Or the diversity -- lots of opinions out there!)
I had forgotten an oldie but goodie from my childhood: "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach", which alas continued to be true in adulthood, except that I would actually finish the huge portions I was taking. No-S is really helping me to improve the eye/stomach balance!
I had forgotten an oldie but goodie from my childhood: "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach", which alas continued to be true in adulthood, except that I would actually finish the huge portions I was taking. No-S is really helping me to improve the eye/stomach balance!
And those are only the tip of the iceberg. I can't say I don't eat anything that comes from a box, but I don't eat any meals or side dishes that come from a box or a pouch.Nichole wrote:It's those people who say "you should visit the farm where you get your food" and "I don't eat anything that comes from a box" that come off as self-righteous.
I have a friend who is vegan and she doesn't consider any animal products or oils (including olive oil) to be "real food." It's not just that she chooses not to eat them, it's that NO ONE should eat them. We disagree a lot!