By Claudia Garber
One week ago at Burlington’s Hen of the Wood restaurant, I shared a meal with Michael Pollan. The gathering was the epilogue to Pollan’s talk at UVM earlier in the evening (summarized in a previous Food Feed post by Eric Garza). Amidst the crackle of the open fire oven, the thick slabs of glossed wood that served as tables, and an air filled with rich aromas, I dined among some of the more prominent food systems characters on campus. After being chosen from the UVM student body to partake in this amazing opportunity, all I could ironically wonder was: what should I get from this elaborate menu? Being the generally outgoing and enthusiastic character that I am, I leaned over to Michael Pollan and asked, as I have so many times to my own mother, “What are you getting?”
Michael Pollan on stage with UVM Professor Amy Trubek. Credit: Sally McCay.
Each year the University of Vermont chooses a book that all first year undergraduates are expected to read. This year they chose 
