I gave a modest personal answer, which may not have been smart politically. When Vilsack was appointed, I was asked what I thought. And that's the difference between acting politically, and acting as a writer. Maybe it sent a message and helped the new administration see this movement out there, but I write as one and I speak as one person.
It was not a smart idea on anybody's part. I mean, there was a whole movement to draft me for secretary of agriculture, which is my idea of a complete nightmare job. Writing is what I like doing, and my contribution to the movement, such as it is, will come through my writing, not through any kind of political work. Yeah, and that part of it is, you know, kind of beyond my skill set. It expanded your base but also put you at the center of the movement. But I also wanted to bring people into the movement, people who aren't necessarily political about their food choices but are concerned about their health. I was trying to answer a question for myself, which is always the wellspring of journalism. It was a more politically calculated book. But it really grew out of so many people who read Omnivore's Dilemma who wanted me to take the next step, to say, "Okay, I know all this, now what do I do?"
It's true that In Defense of Food was a much more prescriptive book than I've written before, and in that sense it's a departure. I'm definitely conflicted by it because I feel I'm primarily a writer, a journalist, and even though I'm doing advocacy work it must be rooted in the primacy of the individual voice, and not in movement politics. Has it been a comfortable transition or are you conflicted by your new political role? You sort of morphed from reporter to advocate, and that's kind of changed your status, from journalist to leader of the sustainable food movement. In Defense of Food felt different from your other books. Michael Pollan: I never tire of hearing it.
This is an edited transcript.īill Lueders: You probably hear this every single day but I love your writing. 18 edition of Isthmus, was conducted by phone on Aug. The following interview, used in preparation for the cover story about Pollan in the Sept. Michael Pollan, the acclaimed author of five books, including The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, will be in Madison next week for a series of events as part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Go Big Read common-reading program and this year's Food for Thought Festival.
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