Daniel D2

Michael Pollan’s perspective on the Hunter-Gatherer food chain revolves around s a

constant feeling of uncertainty with the feasibility of such notion of a food chain.

On page 298, Pollan writes, “Clitocybe illudens: the imposter.

My mother’s mushroom warnings rang in my ears. I couldn’t trust my eyes. I couldn’t quite trust

the field guide. So whom could I trust? Angelo! But that meant driving my lone mushroom

across the bridge to San Francisco. That seemed a little nuts.”

When Pollan writes, “I couldn’t trust my eyes” and “That seemed a little nuts," it

becomes evident that when he takes into consideration the actual mental labour and complexity

of foraging, the concept itself becomes unfeasible and confusing for him, especially when he

writes about the flashbacks he had from his childhood of the warnings of foraging incorrectly.

Because Pollan has an immense amount of doubt and possible fear in the concept of the

Hunter-Gatherer food chain, as shown in his memories of his childhood foraging with his

mother, it further proves that he continues to question the feasibility of the food chain being used

extensively.

Ultimately, although Pollan does find certain aspects of the food chain having some

amount of positive impact, he certainly believes that the probability and confusion it may bring

outweigh the benefits.