Better than Omnivore's Dilemma? Susan Allport's Food, Sex, Foraging and Love

Leading up to the New Year, I was (and still am) working on two distinctly different kinds of projects. One makes the connection between food and history somewhat indirectly, the other involves research on food and the history of foraging as described in earlier blog entries.

The indirectly-food-related project involves polishing an idea for an illustrated story about displaced polar bears developed in early 2008 (the image included here is a detail of a draft of one frame). Bears go elsewhere when regular food supplies disappear. This seemed like a good starting point for a "road story" involving animals and food (that is, other animals).

Right now, I'm drawing most days. I've learned a lot in the process. Birds are extremely hard to draw. Polar bears can run up to 25 miles an hour. That sort of thing.

But, I've also been thinking about one of the best books on food I've read thus far. I learned about it in the end material for Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma related to his foraging research. I'd argue that Susan Allport's The Primal Feast: Food, Sex, Foraging, and Love is better than Pollan's book-- at least for those interested in history and food (and animals in my case).

I prefer The Primal Feast because Allport explains the science of food choices, as well as politics, anthropology and the history. And Allport entertains. For example, "migrating birds have been seen gorging themselves on fermented berries, then -- drunk, disoriented, and overweight -- the unlucky ones among them smash into buildings and cars. p. 121)." I feel so validated.

She also gets into the power of meat in the animal world. I was reminded of the Simpsons' episode in which Lisa decides she's a vegetarian in spite of her father's insight, "you don't win friends with salad." Allport provides the science behind this. Winning friends with meat is nature's way.

Here's the info: Susan Allport, The Primal Feast: Food, Sex, Foraging and Love, (originally published by Harmony Books 2000, reprinted by iUniverse: Lincoln, Nebraska 2003),