Many people supported the writing of this book in other ways. In California, Michael Schwarz generously read the manuscript and offered timely encouragement and helpful suggestions, reminding me what a good editor he was before he forsook print for television. In Berkeley, the faculty, staff, and students of the Graduate School of Journalism, and in particular Dean Orville Schell, have created a stimulating and supportive community in which to do this work. Mark Danner, an old friend and once again a colleague, has, as ever, provided a valuable sounding board. The students in my food chain class have taught me more than they probably realize about these issues over the past few years. Mesa Refuge, in Point Reyes Station, provided the perfect setting in which to write and research a key chapter. And the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has supported my research in crucial ways.
I’m especially grateful to Chad Heeter, for his dogged research and fact-checking, not to mention his willingness to accompany me on a futile quest to gather salt in San Francisco Bay. Nathanael Johnson, Felicia Mello, and Elena Conis nailed down several elusive facts just when it looked like they might get away. My assistant, Jaime Gross, contributed to this project in many ways, but I’m particularly grateful for her superb research and fact-checking.
In New York, I’m grateful for the excellent work and good cheer of Liza Darnton, Kate Griggs, Sarah Hutson, and Tracy Locke at the Penguin Press, my publishing home. Thanks to Liz Farrell at ICM. At the New York Times Magazine, where some of the material in this book first appeared, I’ve profited handsomely from the superb editing of Paul Tough and Alex Star and (before they moved on to other magazines) Adam Moss and Dan Zalewski.
In a publishing industry not known for loyalty or continuity, I’ve been blessed by the constancy of both my editor and agent. This is the fourth book of mine that Ann Godoff has edited, albeit at three different houses. At this point I can’t imagine doing a book with anyone else, which is probably why I keep following her around Manhattan. Her moral, intellectual, emotional, and financial support is a critical ingredient in the making of this book. This is also the fourth book of mine represented by Amanda Urban, a verb that doesn’t come close to capturing everything she does to keep me whole and on the proper path.
Speaking of constancy, this is also the fourth time I’ve relied on Mark Edmundson to read and comment on a book manuscript; as ever, his editorial and reading suggestions, as well as his literary judgment, have been invaluable. This time around, he (and his family) contributed in another way as well, by joining me for one of the meals chronicled in these pages. Thanks to Liz, Willie, and Matthew for their gameness, good appetite, and hospitality.
But the prize for gameness in the pursuit of a book chapter must go to Judith, who shared the two meals that bookend the book—the McDonald’s cheeseburger at one end and the wild boar at the other—and so much more. A book becomes a sometimes disagreeable member of the family for a period of years, but Judith treated this one with patience, understanding, and good humor. Far more crucial to the book, though, has been her editing. Since I first began publishing, Judith has been my indispensable first reader, and there’s no one whose instincts about writing I trust more.
Last but no longer least is Isaac. This is the first book Isaac has been old enough and sufficiently interested in to actually help me with. His own approach to food—Isaac is the pickiest eater I know— has taught me a great deal about the omnivore’s dilemma. Though he declined to taste the boar, Isaac’s contribution to this book—coming in the form of smart suggestions, stimulating conversations at the dinner table, and, on the bad days, the best comfort a father could wish for—has been more precious than he can know. Thank you.
I had further help creating this young reader’s edition of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Richie Chevat did a masterful job of adapting the book for a new generation of readers, streamlining a complex narrative without ever over-simplifying it—not an easy feat. Malia Wollan, my research assistant, contributed to the project in so many ways: gathering and researching all the new visual material, reading and commenting on each draft, and working tirelessly to insure the book’s accuracy. Alisha Niehaus, the book’s editor, somehow managed to keep the project, with its many chefs and moving parts, right on track. I’m grateful for her skillful editing, unwavering enthusiasm, and faith in both the book and its audience. Thanks also to Shanta Nevlin, for getting the word out so skillfully, and to Jasmin Rubero, for her design, and her imagination in giving visual expression to all this information.
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