The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

by Michael Pollan

domestication took place when a handful of especially opportunistic species discovered, through Darwinian trial and error, that they were more likely to survive and prosper in an alliance with humans than on their own.

For, brief as it is, the life expectancy of a farm animal would be considerably briefer in the world beyond the pasture fence or chicken coop.

What’s wrong with eating animals is the practice, not the principle.

When I asked the farmer why he stored his potatoes here rather than take them directly to market, he explained that, at harvest, the spuds are so full of systemic pesticides that they can’t be eaten right away. You have to wait six weeks for them to off-gas all the chemicals. Sort of like a new carpet. Only then can they be safely turned into French fries.