Saturday, March 1, 2008

2008-03-01 In Defense of Food



We had Grandma's high school book club friends and their husbands over for dinner. As an activity we tried to write a few 'Pollanisms' based on the book “In Defense of Food.” The author, Michael Pollan, condensed the book into a short diet mantra (“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”) that has a haiku-like resonance, and its 2-3-2 sequencing lends itself to some tweaking.

How much wisdom can you pack into a seven-word, Pollanesque slogan?

Some examples:

Ate plants. A big heap. Still hungry.

Love eggs. Eat ice cream. Check cholesterol.

Trust God. Love thy neighbor. Give thanks.

Pray daily. Share with others. Find joy.

Be honest. Tell the truth. Then run.

Depression sucks. Time is wasted. Breathe deeply.

Earn ten. Only spend nine. Happy one.

Go out. Turn Television off. Live life.

Listen carefully. Think it over. Then decide.

Didn’t listen. Pushed button anyway. Died suddenly.

From Grandma's friends:

Let go. Trust in God. Have Joy. (Julie Baker)
Stay active. Love the Lord. Feel joy. (Marsha Quist)
Parent wisely. Teach children especially, To love. (Paula Heath)
Don't worry. Think the worst. Enjoy life. (Susan Hertz)
Get up. Pick it up. Put away. (Bonnie Yeates)
Dark chocolate. Makes you happy. Share often. (Helen Hinckley)
Smile nicely. Agree politely, then - Play golf. (Henry Yeates)
Listen carefully. Play the game. Rule justly. (Julie Baker)
Walk daily. Look both ways. Enjoy friends. (Tom Heath)

3 comments:

Hans and Michelle said...

Sleep long. Breathe in deeply. Eat Fritos.

Tom Heath said...

Play hard. When you win, Be Humble

Hans and Michelle said...

I like that one.