Mark Bittman is a unique voice in American food writing, an “anti-foodies’ foodie” who rejects both the “chefolatry” of gourmet mags and Rachel Ray-style pandering, writes Laura Miller in Salon. His new book, Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating, is both exceedingly ambitious—it purports to offer a diet that’s healthier, more environmentally conscious, and cheaper—and downright practical.
Bittman’s book owes a lot to Michael Pollan, who coined the mantra “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” But though Pollan “presides over this book like the Virgin Mary over a Catholic Church,” Miller observes, Bittman translates the material into advice people can follow, including recipes. It’s “sneakily revolutionary,” using its recipes to teach readers to cook, freeing them to try his sensible approach to food. (More food stories.)