The Washington Post • June 29, 2012
I dare you to celebrate the Fourth of July without a hamburger. What food better conveys the values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness than an all-American beef patty, grilled in the sunny confines of a grassy back yard?
A burger on the grill says: I have the day off to celebrate this great country, and I am going to relish it.
Slate • June 27, 2012
A few years ago, the chef and organic pioneer Alice Waters did a spin on 60 Minutes that managed to showcase exactly why foodies get branded as elitist. “Some people want to buy Nikes, two pairs,” she said in a casual moment at a farmers’ market. “And some people want to eat Bronx grapes and nourish themselves.”
This was vintage foodie-ism, a smug and irritating noblesse oblige transposed onto a discussion of our meals. That didn’t change the fact that much of everything else Waters said was right: The way we eat is making us sick; it’s a good idea for kids to learn to cook; even, in a more formal moment, “good food should be a right and not a privilege.” But her aside about sneakers made it unlikely that anyone not yet onboard with Waters would listen to her in the first place.
Culinate • May 10, 2012
In an effort to illustrate the American food system from the inside out, and learn more about the people who work and eat within that system, journalist Tracie McMillan worked undercover in Walmart’s produce section, in California produce fields, and at an Applebee’s kitchen.
Tracie McMillan, an investigative journalist who lives in Bed-Stuy, spent several years living and working with the people who plant, pick, stock, sell and cook our food for her eye-opening recent book, The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee’s, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table.
In the likely event that you were not at one of my events in Southern California over the last week, you may avail yourself of the links below, where you will be able to watch video to your heart’s content: Is Eating Well Just for the Rich? A conversation with KCRW’s Evan Kleiman Hosted by … Read more
It is rare to obtain this much evidence, of corruption this deep. Best snippets here, but read the full — utterly damning — piece from David Barstow: he former executive described how Wal-Mart de Mexico had orchestrated a campaign of bribery to win market dominance. In its rush to build stores, he said, the company … Read more
I’ve been besieged with emails about the NYT’s cover piece yesterday on food deserts, so here are a couple quick thoughts: (1) Food deserts have always been a crude measure Keep in mind that this is a fairly new area of public policy. I’ve long though that food deserts are a crude measure at best; … Read more
I’m pleased to say the press is still rolling in. Most notably of late: Profile of me in the alumni magazine for my alma mater, NYU (April 2012) Alumni Profile: Tracie McMillan, author of the New York Times acclaimed book, The American Way of Eating, makes the case that good, fresh food isn’t just for … Read more
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