Once again, Pollan delivers on bringing the reader back to the relationship between humans and the food we eat. Taking us through four fundamental classical elements (fire, water, air, earth) and how they act to transform raw ingredients into foods we take for granted, Pollan gives a new appreciation of how cooking by these methods have shaped our cultures and possibly been our own evolution. By combining his naturally conversational voice with complex scientific concepts, he helps us to better understand cooking and as with any good book, leaves the reader with a call to action and the drive to be a better person.

OK, so Pollan is a true New Yorker. But beyond Kimchee, he completely ignores anything but european food. For example, in the tropics, large leaves from plants were used to wrap food and stick it in the fire millenia before pots were invented. Rice, potatoes, manioc, corn, many sources of carbs and starch are not subjected to fermentation, never require "air". At least he should have looked at how Native Americans cooked, if he really wanted to go back to the roots of food. Isn't he crazy about eating local? There is a history, a long and relevant one, way before the Dutch allegedly "bought" the island of Manhattan for a few coins. It is not just women he mistreats with this book. Every culture escept Europeans are treated with disdain. Maybe he included Korean food because Samsung is beating the heck out of Apple. Apples are after all, Chinese in origin.

what a shock - it's the fault of whiny ambitious women that we all are unhealthy and eating poorly. Back to the kitchen girls so you can sacrifice for the good of all. How about we try a new way - all you men quit your jobs and take over all those highly rewarding nurturing jobs and we will see how the world looks in fifty years.