Isabel was thrilled to attend Michael Pollan’s talk at the Salk Institute:
New York Times bestseller and science journalist Michael Pollan spoke on Thursday, March 13, to a packed auditorium about the history, culture and science of agriculture and plants. In a Q&A-style interview hosted by Salk professor and March of Dimes Chair in Developmental and Molecular Biology Ron Evans, Pollan spoke eloquently on the state of food in America and how what we choose to eat affects our health and environment. He detailed his personal foray into gardening his own food and how his research dramatically influenced his personal eating habits.
The audience listened to Pollan weave together a fascinating narrative of food movements, deftly incorporating economic, historic, scientific, political and cultural aspects into explanations of the development of food and agriculture. He discussed how humans, as the only “cooking apes,” have historically processed food, first to our advantage (fermenting and cooking) and sometimes to our detriment (substituting refined flour, sugars and artificial enhancements).
Afterwards, Pollan answered questions ranging from environmental solutions for the growing food crisis to challenges for organic farmers. The event wrapped up as guests mingled for hors d’oeuvres, discussing their own food habits.