I don’t watch Oprah, but yesterday was an exception. It was a big day for food! Michael Pollan was a guest on her show. They chatted about his new book Food Rules and about the movie Food, Inc. I was jazzed to see how many clips from the movie they played during the show.
The show started out with a Food 101 quiz. Really interesting. See how much you know.
It would be impossible to sum up everything they talked about – I’m not that good a note-taker anymore – but there are a couple of quotes I think worthy to mention:
Oprah: “It makes you think. We all have to start paying more attention to what we put in our bodies. Do you know where your food comes from, what’s been added, what’s been taken out, what happens before a label goes on it?”
Oprah: “The consumer really is the biggest voice behind whether there will be real food or not.”Pollan: “This issue is very empowering, we get 3 votes a day. You don’t have to get every one of them right, but if you get one right a day, buying sustainable food or food that’s humanely grown, whatever is important to you, as long as you vote with consciousness, things will change.”
The entire episode isn’t available online, but you can watch an excerpt here.
Sure, there is a long way to go in getting people to be conscious of what they are eating and where it comes, but this was a giant boost into the mainstream audience.
Hooray! I'm able to comment on this post… don't know what it was, but I switched to Firefox browser and it's fine.
I missed the Oprah since I was at work, but I think that a lot of what was discussed makes sense, particularly in terms of the mindfulness and attention that should go into a decision (whatever way that decision comes out).
Seeing this on the "mainstream" might make the idea more accessible and "do-able" – not something that takes tons of effort or requires hours/space of gardening and preserving. One step, it does make a difference in the mindset, if nothing else.