Michael Pollan's Manifesto for Our Next President

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This food guru's nine-page position paper is composed of brilliant, down-to-earth advice for a president who might just be willing to legislate better access to local arugula. (Referred to by Midwestern farmers, as Pollan reminds us, as rocket.)

A few of the issues Pollan puts forth include soaring food prices, "food security," upgrading school lunches to include local produce, and farming by old fashioned sun power instead of petrochemicals. His ambitious approach to American food policy takes on issues of factory farming, oil consumption, climate change, as well as health, nutrition, and taste. A few highlights: stop subsidizing soy and corn and instead encourage a variety of produce and farms animals, establish a Strategic Grain Reserve, and plant a victory garden on the White House lawn -- with a nod, of course, to Eleanor Roosevelt.

Pollan suggests Pike Place Market might serve as a model for indoor farmers markets nationwide, and encourages the implementation of a Local Meat-Inspectors Corps, expanding the mobile abattoir program on Lopez Island.

If you want to hear more, Pollan will deliver a lecture on "Live and Unprocessed" as follows:

Bell Harbor Auditorium, Pier 66, 2211 Alaskan Way, 425-602-3272. $50 general admission; $85 for cocktail reception with Pollan. Thurs. Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.