Omnivore Dilemma
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Chapter 15 – The Forager, p. 277
Wants to prepare a meal that author hunted, gathered, and grown himself; foraging for wild plants and animals is way the human species has fed itself for 99% of its time on earth; wants full consciousness of personally killing his meal (a pig), with help of Angelo Garro;
Chapter 16 – The Omnivores Dilemma, p. 287
Omnivores Dilemma first appeared as a paradox in a 1976 paper “The Selection of Foods by Rats, Humans, and Other Animals” by University of Pennsylvania psychologist Paul Rozin; most animals eating habits are hard wired or instinctual; rats and humans require a wider range of nutrients – we try new foods for new tastes and nutrients (wild mushrooms), but we also take a risk (poisonous?) in doing so; our teeth designed to tear animal flesh and grind plants; some nutrients we need are only found in animals, others only in plants; human brains account for 2% of our body weight but consumes 18% of our energy, all of which must come from a carbohydrate; were biased toward sweetness and against bitter flavors; bitter toxins removed by cooking or processing food, which only humans do; omnivory is what allowed humans to adapt to a great many environments all over the planet; U.S. diet is a mixture of different immigrant population preferences; French have lower rates of heart disease and obesity despite being wine-swilling cheese eaters – they eat small portions and dont go back for seconds; food marketing thrives on American dietary instability (meals of protein bars and shakes); family dinner as a casualty of capitalism (fast-food habits, each person with own preference)