About

“But she loves them so much,” Susan cried, hoping my mother might show some sympathy. Thankfully, my mother remained steadfast and a heart-broken Susan complied. My mother had destroyed the highlight of both mine and Susan’s day.

I have always loved food. Over the years obsessions have ranged from thin-crust clam pizza to New York bagels to fresh rice noodles to soft pretzels to fish tacos. But in the past two years, my idea of good food has changed considerably. Like many people, I’ve been swept up in the local-food movement.

To keep this short and sweet, I suppose I can sum up my thoughts about food and eating with two quotes I have taken to heart these past few years:

The first, by Wendell Berry, appeared in one of his essays, The Pleasures of Eating:

“Though I am by no means a vegetarian, I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable in order to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it to be from an animal that has lived a pleasant, uncrowded life outdoors, on bountiful pasture, with good water nearby and trees for shade.”

And the second, by Michael Pollan, is from his latest book, In Defense of Food:

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”