Interview
Michael Pollan Talks About Braises and Barbeque
Oregon Public Broadcasting, May 17, 2013
When it was time for the audience at Portland’s Newmark Theater to ask Michael Pollan a question, the first out of the gate was: what are the five things that are always in your fridge? His answer: “Eggs. Milk. Yogurt. Mustard. Ketchup.” Other people wanted to know what he thought of Mark Bittman’s idea of being vegan before six p.m. And what Pollan thought of edamame.
It was a spirited evening that centered around Pollan’s Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. In it he talks about barbecuing and braising, baking and fermenting. It’s basically his journey of learning how to cook, divided into themes: fire, water, air and earth. But like all Pollan books, the content becomes much bigger. It’s about community, spirituality and family.