Happily discussing "Unhappy Meals"

Have you heard of Micheal Pollan? I recently read one of his articles, "Unhappy Meals" which was featured in The New York Times. His article is basically a summary of the book he wrote, which is also worth a read! I want to summarize what Pollan explains in depth in his article, but first let me begin by giving a little background on the author himself.

Michael Pollan is an activist towards an educated food market. He “is one of the leading thinkers in the politics of food and environmental well-being.” Pollan was born into a literary family, which provided him early access to the tools he needed to become and

accomplished writer. He was written many books including Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education and more. Pollan has earned up to an M.A. from Oxford after receiving his B.A. in English from Bennington College. Pollan uses his writing skills to deliver his message of problem in the food and agriculture industries.

Now that you know more about Pollan, lets discuss his article. In summary, Pollan addresses the problems in the Western Diet. He claims that "by moving to America, people from nations with low rates of these ‘diseases of affluence’ will quickly acquire them." I think that this quote summarizes Pollan's argument very well. He is addressing that our food culture in America is dangerous to the consumers. With a combination of the nutritionist era pushing processed foods into the spotlight and the large red-meat consumption, people are harming themselves by what they eat.

Pollan wrote the article “Unhappy Meals” to urge the American public to enact change in the way American consumer eat. Pollan saw a problem in the way Nutritionism hides the detriments of processed food in favor of a few good ingredients. Pollan believes that processed foods are bad for the public, and that whole foods are what consumers would want to eat. Since the time of the articles conception in 2007, America has changed a lot. In 2010, Michelle Obama launched the “Let’s Move!” campaign in order to fight childhood obesity. This helped to inform Americans of healthy decisions towards food.

In order to work to convey his point and argue towards his ideas, Pollan used many Rhetorical devices and methods. His most used method is logos appeals, or those with which he presents facts. By citing many different events, examples and facts, Pollan attempts to convince the reader that his side must be right. While the examples he pulls are very convincing, he does miss out on possible counter arguments that may arise. For example, when discussing Nutrition based sciences, Pollan begins by stating that “scientists figured they now understood food and what the body needs from it” but

finishes the point very weakly with “But who knows what the hell else is going on deep in the soul of a carrot?” Instead of wasting the opportunity, Pollan could give some ground and agree that nutritionism can be helpful, and continue by pointing out its more dangerous pitfalls. Other than a few blunders, Pollan really drives his point home with his use of facts.

In conclusion, Pollan has a clear point that he attempting to argue for. By utilizing a lot of logos appeals, he effectively communicates his point to readers that nutritionism is bad and whole foods should make a comeback. In his long form journalism, Pollan takes the opportunity to grasp his audiences’ attention and help them see his side of the argument.