I’ve always liked Mark Bittman’s recipes, but I’m glad he’s moved over to the Opinion pages at The New York Times. He’s joining the voices of Marion Nestle (whom I heard speak recently, a real thrill) and Michael Pollan and others (and why aren’t there more of those others??) in advocating for serious change to our agroindustrial food system. Amen.
There are two fronts for this effort toward change: at home and in restaurants. Bittman’s latest story for The New York Times Magazine addresses restaurant food—particularly fast food.
What I’d like is a place that serves only good options, where you don’t have to resist the junk food to order well, and where the food is real — by which I mean dishes that generally contain few ingredients and are recognizable to everyone, not just food technologists. It’s a place where something like a black-bean burger piled with vegetables and baked sweet potato fries — and, hell, maybe even a vegan shake — is less than 10 bucks and 800 calories (and way fewer without the shake). If I could order and eat that in 15 minutes, I’d be happy, and I think a lot of others would be, too.
His conclusion: Yes, healthful fast food is possible—and it’s gaining traction. Healthful fast food won’t be as cheap as the Dollar Menu (of the three—fast, cheap, healthful—it seems we can have two). Small fast-casual restaurants in California (natch) are leading the way. But there’s hope: Chipotle started out with just one outlet, and look at where they’ve come.
Read more of Bittman’s article: Yes, Healthful Fast Food is Possible. But Edible?
