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A couple of months ago the Manly Men’s Book Group^TM read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma. This is quite possibly the best non-fiction book we have read. Pollen examines four different approaches to food in the U.S. — conventional corn and soybean based industrial, industrialized organic, local “slow food” organic, and hunter/gatherer.

While Pollan has clearly come to some conclusions regarding the relative merits of each, he is able to acknowledge the attractions of the other approaches. Less a polemic and more a nuanced exploration of what we tend to take for granted, this book is a must-read.

If you’re pressed for time (aren’t we all?), and are wondering whether reading the book is worth the time commitment (or loved his book so much that you google “Pollan” regularly), check out his essay Unhappy Meals in last week’s New York Times Magazine. While not a summary of Omnivore’s Dilemma, it’s a variation on a theme and an excellent read.

And if you’re really really short on time, yet have somehow managed to get this far in this post, here’s the thesis — and opening sentences — of his essay:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

I have tickets to hear him talk at City Arts and Lectures in May. I can hardly wait.