Book Review: Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food

Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food by Paul Greenberg might seem like a rather dull subject and to be honest I am not sure what attracted me to pick this book for my Christmas read. Perhaps I was looking for answers to the questions I get on what fish to bye, perhaps it was my childhood passion for fishing or even the vague memories of the Icelandic cod war which I thought was such a strange thing to go to war over in my late teens. Whatever reason it was, I am glad I did. This is a remarkable book that is incredibly informative and educational while presenting the argument for a sustainable future for protein from our seas and oceans. The book  presents the story of four fish rather like the style of botany of desire by Micheal Pollen and as such outlines the human impact in the desire for the various traits of each fish and how we have driven each species to the edge of destruction and are now trying to control their existence through farming techniques with potentially negative affects on both the environment and the remaining wild forms.

Paul questions the choice of the species we have set our sights on and compares their compatibility for domestication with the animals we have selected for our meat based protein. The four fish species are the main characters in this book, their stories share a common plot and it is told in great detail and as you go through the pages the eventual conclusion is obvious. The characters we have selected are, Salmon, Bass, Cod and blue fin Tuna, the plot is similar for each although the individual stories as diverse as the characteristics of the particular fish. This isn't one of those finger pointing environmental books that leave you with more questions than you had at the start or make you feel guilty about your existing lifestyle choices. It offers real advice to consumers, the anglers who catch, the fishing industry, fish farmers and even the political bodies that set fishing policies.

If you eat fish and want to understand how to be more informed and make sustainable choices this is good book for you and it will also provide you with the information to get involved in the debate and lobbying for a sustainable industry that can provide our need for fish protein and the future of fish as a sustainable wild and domesticated source.

Book Review: Michael Pollen "Food Rules" An Eaters Manual

Over the holidays I went to a number of social events (well you have to really) and at most of them at least one person came up and told me they had just read this book or watched that DVD about the problems with our food culture. The story I got was a familiar one, familiar because the same thing had happened to me. There are a lot books out there which tell you the many ways your industrial food system defined diet is going to kill you and there is nothing you can do about it. There are many DVD's which graphically portray the cruelty that many of the creatures that end up on your plate have endured getting there, and there is nothing you can do about it. It's the feeling of helplessness which you are left with which is the problem and was the main issue of the conversations I was having at these social gatherings (yes alcohol was served at many of them).

Luckily I had read Michael Pollan's excellent book In Defense of Food and If you have not I encourage you to pick up a copy before you open his other book Omnivores Dilemma (and others like it) or slot that Food Inc. DVD into the player. I recommend In Defense of Food because it at least gives you some support as a confused or worried eater. The three simple guidelines he outlines at the beginning of the book are really the conclusions drawn from the contents but more than that, they form a mantra which guides the educated eater, and have guided myself, they are:

Eat Food

Not Too Much

Mostly Leaves.

However this review is not about In Defense of Food, it is about Food Rules, An Eaters Guide which is Micheal's new offering. Micheal freely admits that simple as the above guidelines are they were still quite vague and clearly needed more expansion to further aid the confused eater. And so he has released this new book.

The first thing you notice about the Food Rules is that it is small, compact in size. The idea was to provide a handy reference in rule form rather than a lot of details or background. Inside the book is basically organized in chapters around the three guidelines above and presents 64 rules (although that might be too strong) which add further definition around how to detect food, how much of it is appropriate, and why you don't need to turn Vegetarian or Vegan (unless you want to) in order to satisfy the last guideline.

In short this is a handy book for the confused eater, read out of the context of other works such as In defense of food or some other resource on industrialized food it might not make much sense. In context or when, like the people I encountered, you just have questions, it makes a lot of sense, and I recommend it for your bookshelf.

I am especially pleased about rule 64: "break the rules once in a while". Mainly because while writing this review I did snack on a packet of Smoky Bacon Crisps (Chips) I had brought back from the UK and just found in the cupboard.

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• Michael Pollan Talks to Jon Stewart - Cheap Food Makes for Bad Health (ducknetweb.blogspot.com)
• Michael Pollan's Food Rules (themoderatevoice.com)
• 64 Food Rules (fooducate.com)
• Michael Pollan On The Daily Show (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Michael Pollan's NY Times Food Rules (gatheringinlight.com)