Post Script

Pollan on Madison radio today

Every Tuesday, The Kathleen Show airs its "Prevention, Not Prescriptions" segment, singing up the alternative and natural in healthcare, and frowning upon the pharmaceutical.

This week, Kathleen's guest is Michael Pollan, that most prolific and eloquent advocate of healthy, local food. And Pollan is not just gracing the Mad-town airwaves; he's the guest blogger, too, offering a glimpse into his latest eat-right book, Food Rules.

(We love Michael Pollan).

Frugal and green?

 Apparently, it's cool to be both these days. This blog commentary on a new book caught our attention:

"Chris Farrell's book goes into this concept of a 'New Frugality' (...) and shows how it wors and why it's here to stay. He emphasizes that we now have a greater focus on community, the environment, and living sustainably. And he explains how the economy will shift to accommodate our new attitude towards spending."

The book is The New Frugality by Chris Farrell. Via Wise Bread.

Photo:Amazon

The iPad's green features

Over the past year, there has been much debate about e-readers vs books. Which is greener? Books may be made from a sustainable, renewable and recyclable material, but just think of the energy required to make and ship them. The e-reader, on the other hand, is a device that may not be so friendly in the landfill, and who are we kidding? No e-reader is going to last as long as a paper volume; we're going to upgrade and replace them constantly.

So the new iPad seems to be good news. According to Mother Nature Network: "It looks like the iPad will have some greener features, namely that the energy-efficient LED-backlit displays will be free of arsenic, mercury, PVC and BFR (brominated flame retardant) as well as being 'highly recyclable,' which I assume to mean that it's built to be easily taken apart at the end of its life." 

We're wondering what book stores will look like in a few years? We picture a space filled with the obligatory coffee and tea counter, e-reader rentals and download stations and a selection of gorgeous old-fashioned (paper) coffee table books. The Apple store meets Barnes and Noble. Let's hope the local, independent booksellers adapt and survive.

Bookseller talks about big box stores and Kindle

Shop local. It's an important message and one the Exchange magazine tries to deliver on a regular basis. Here's an editorial from a blogging bookseller from Martha's Vineyard, with thoughts on the real cost of buying cheaper books.

Love books? Love supporting local book stores?

Here's an iPhone app for you. It's like Urban Spoon for bibliophiles. Wherever you go, you can find local book shops, libraries and book-related events. You need never stop in at the big bookish box store again!

Food rules to live by

 Michael Pollan is king of the pithy food-based one-liner. His line "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants" has become a mantra for the slow food movement. And he's back with more. Working on a new book, "Food Rules," Pollan offers simple advice on eating right. It's not complicated, it's not science... it's basic common sense. He's still accepting submissions, so if you have a word of advice (perhaps something your grandmother said), send it his way. 

In the meantime, here's our new favorite line from Pollan: "If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't."

Via Huffington Post.

Gluten free and oh-so charming

 The lady behind this blog and cookbook is Lori Andrews, a disarming Canadian on Flickr, with her memorable moniker, The 10 Cent Designer. Andrews is an interior designer with flair, a sock monkey-maker with a love of whimsy, and a lover of the outdoors. She also enjoys eating well and has put together a beautifully-photographed gluten-free cookbook that's on our wish list (please Santa?) and no doubt many others.

There are less whimsical reasons behind Andrews' diet, as she explains on her blog: "I lived with IBS and migraines for years. Fed up with my doctor's prescription pad, I decided to take my health into my own hands. I have adopted a gluten-free, caffeine free, refined sugar-free, healthy diet. Gluten free for the migraines and bad stuff free for the IBS. I want to share my fav recipes and products with you. We purchase organic vegetables, oils, spices, fruits, berries, nuts, etc., and grass-fed red meat. I don't get migraines anymore. This is a bacon-free blog." 

See? Told you she is charming.

Buy the book at Blurb, and read Andrews' foodie blog here. If you're a fan of the interior design stuff, follow her tweets, too! 

Meet chef Thomas Keller

Thomas Keller's event at Bacchus is sold out, but you can still meet the high-brow chef. Tickets are still on  sale for a second appearance, at Lake Bistro, Wednesday December 2, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Tickets include a copy of Keller's latest book Ad Hoc At Home - a tome that promises to deliver recipes that require less culinary skill than in previous books. The book showcases more than 200 recipes for family-style meals, inspired by Keller's casual restaurant Ad Hoc in Yountville, California. For tickets, call 414-962-6300.

If you can't make it to Lake Park, then head over to nearby Boswell Books on Downer to pick up a signed copy of Ad Hoc At Home.

Not familiar with Keller? Check out this blog posting and review.

Support the library, buy some books

That may read like an oxymoron, but in the case of the book sale taking place in the Central Library's children's department, it makes perfect sense.

The Friends of the Milwaukee Public Library will host the sale of used children's books on Saturday, Nov. 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the first floor meeting room of the 814 W. Wisconsin Ave. branch.

"A book is a gift you can open again and again." -- Garrison Keillor

Food message for a young audience

Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma is being re-released on October 15, in a new young reader's edition. Featuring more photos, graphics and other new content, the book takes Pollan's healthy  eating message to the next generation of consumers.

Pollan sticks to his winning formula; bite-sized snippets of easy-to-follow advice work just as well with kids as adults:

Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't have recognized as food.

Don't eat anything with more than five ingredients, or with ingredients you don't recognize or can't pronounce.

Don't eat anything containing high-fructose syrup.

Delicious Living magazine interviewed Pollan about the new release, and you can read the interview here.