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Yes.

He asks a lot of questions at the end of paragraphs in which he's spewed a lot of evidence that seemingly points in one direction. They are questions that uproot/challenge most of what he just wrote about. They are not preachy phrases-- you will only find preachy phrases ("preachy phrases" is hard to say quickly out loud- try it) used in a playful (though still very astute/fair) manner, like "food faddists, take note". Pollan has a playful voice in general. That makes me trust him, because he knows how to incorporate his personality into his research without A. advocating for his own opinions on food (or even presenting concrete opinions, for that matter), B. straying from solid research and fact/relying only on theory and experience. He really has done his research. Do I trust that the research is true? Well, it seems well-rounded-- he gives info for both sides-- so I trust him. But if I really were skeptical, it would be awfully easy for me to trace Pollan's facts (because he cites them so thoroughly) to see for myself if they're true or not. But the very thoroughness of his citing makes me trust him...; why would he bother to be so transparent if they were false citations?

There you have my reasons for trusting Pollan: 1. his intelligence shines in his ability to playfully show his personality/ideas while still staying appropriately objective. 2. he cites his sources very, very confidently.

Last thing I want to say-- in terms of the whole vegetarianism thing, I am always a believer in "everything in moderation". So, have a few local farms in every state that "peacefully" kill animals for meat, and have people eat less meat. Wasn't it like that before the world became so darn abundant and civilized anyway? That meat was a rarer food item, or at least one that was more difficult to obtain in substantial quantities than carbs, fungi or produce,-- and therefore, when it was obtained, was celebrated (Pollan mentions some traditions based around meat-- Thanksgiving turkey, ballpark franks, your great grandma's brisket...)? Yes, there are a lot of people, and yes, we live in a country of freedom and choice (I can hear the uproar now: "You can't tell me what to eat or not eat!! This is America!!")-- but, well, sorry to sound terrible, but maybe we should just have less people....? (I'm a Maluthusiast). -Emily