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A novel where the protagonists struggle with uncomfortable philosophical implications of death and consumer society. While I don't let these issues affect my life as deeply as these characters, this book percolates these ideas into my mind having it affect my day to day life. I think it may be doing these because unlike many novels, these ideas stand up to philosophical analysis.

Dillilo describes a tourist attraction called the most photographed barn in America. After seeing the people taking photos of the barn, Murray proclaims "once you've seen the signs of the barn, it becomes impossible to see the barn."

"Cynicism flourishes in air-conditioned rooms."

Pollan describes the transformation from horse reliant farms filled with hay, to synthetic fertilizer reliance farms with nothing but black soil. He goes on to describe the reasons for corns domination: it's able to grow close together is what it amounts to. Government influence also played a major role. Earl Butz enforced government policy influencing corn yo be dominant during times of high prices and demand.

Intro so far is phenomenal. He talks about the lack of food culture in the US, which affects how much we sway towards new food trends. In comparison, since countries like Italy have such firm food cultures, they are much less likely to change in response to things like the Atkins diet. These traditional food cultures can help explain why other countries fare better health-wise