It's All About Corn (And That's a Bad Thing)

This weekend's issue of the New York Times Magazine is all about food. YAY! More importantly, it features an article by the incredible Michael Pollan, who might just be one of my favorite people in the world. I saw him speak at P.S. 1 once, and I wanted to adopt him as an uncle. If you haven't read Omnivore's Dilemma, do it now. Like, go to Amazon and buy it. It's the least preachy book ever about how the food system actually works. (Cliffs Notes: Corn rules the world.) It won't make you a crazy vegan—and I should know since I was one of those once.

Anyway, the article (click!) is all about what our next president has to know and do about food policy. It's written as a letter directed to "Mr. President-Elect." Highlights:

"Since enhancing the prestige of farming as an occupation is critical to developing the sun-based regional agriculture we need, the White House should appoint, in addition to a White House chef, a White House farmer. This new post would be charged with implementing what could turn out to be your most symbolically resonant step in building a new American food culture. And that is this: tear out five prime south-facing acres of the White House lawn and plant in their place an organic fruit and vegetable garden."

And then, so no one seems elitist:

"You’re probably thinking that growing and eating organic food in the White House carries a certain political risk. It is true you might want to plant iceberg lettuce rather than arugula, at least to start. (Or simply call arugula by its proper American name, as generations of Midwesterners have done: "rocket.")"