The Omnivore's Dilemma

To tell the truth most of the books I've read have been written by people who have been dead for multiple years.  So, this recent book pick is the first one since elementary school that I have read in which the author is still living.

This book made The New York Times Book Review; it is called The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals.  As someone who likes to cook, I thought it would be interesting to read what the New York Times Book Review calls a "[t]houghtful, engrossing... explanation of exactly where food comes from."

Shouldn't we know where our food comes from?  Of course, it would seem to be common sense to know.  Apples come from apple trees, chickens come from eggs but technological advances have changed the way in which food is produced and is cared for; not all farms and orchards are created equal.

Should it matter what food items we purchase? If one sees him or herself as a steward of the environment does what a person eat matter and is it possible to be ecologically and budget friendly in accomplishing the above?  While this book may not have all of the answers to the questions I posited, the questions I mentioned may be ones to be considered.