A Food Writer Fasts

New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman has joined David Beckmann and other activists in fasting to protect programs for hungry and poor people. As Bittman writes in “Why We’re Fasting,” the man who eats for a living made his decision during his conversations with Beckmann.

“The budget proposes cuts in the WIC program (which supports women, infants and children), in international food and health aid (18 million people would be immediately cut off from a much-needed food stream, and 4 million would lose access to malaria medicine) and in programs that aid farmers in underdeveloped countries. Food stamps are also being attacked, in the twisted “Welfare Reform 2011” bill,” he writes.

“[W]e need to gather and insist that our collective resources be used for our collective welfare,” he continues, “not for the wealthiest thousand or even million Americans but for a vast majority of us in the United States and, indeed, for citizens of the world who have difficulty making ends meet. Or feeding their kids.”

Bittman will fast until Friday; you can follow his progress via his blog. He’s the author of 10 cookbooks, several of which have won awards, and wrote The New York Times food column “The Minimalist” for 13 years.

Photo by Sally Stein

New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman will be at National Gathering 2011—both as a participant and speaker.

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