Cooked by Michael Pollan
"Earth"

On an academic level I've always been aware that we share our world with trillions of microscopic creepy-crawlies, but it's another matter entirely to hear exactly how such organisms affect my life on a daily basis. I had no idea that fermented foods had such a culture heritage to them; besides for grain alcohol I'm not sure that I ever thought of fermentation as a universal cultural norm, as Pollan does. I don't enjoy sauerkraut or pickled things however; and I am skeptical of this whole pro-microbial counter-culture that has developed around it. Overall we live in a culture that, as far as lethal diseases are concerned, is healthier than any other in history. And we have done this by learning how to fight bacteria. Until the scientific consensus shifts towards the opposite end of the spectrum, I'm afraid that I'm going to keep fighting bacteria with just as much bitterness and venom as always. Did anyone besides me enjoy the story about the cheese nun though? Pollan manages to find some incredibly unique individuals in his travels. Do you believe that microbes can make the difference for our culture health-wise? Or is this just more of Pollan's sensationalized wishful-thinking.