A Word on Food and Voting

Never has voting been more important

Mark Bittman
Heated

--

“Vote” written on a letter board.
Photo: Jenna Ardell/Getty Images

My/our positions on the hot issues of our time are not exactly hidden, although we mostly talk about food. But for the last 15 years, I have maintained that hiding behind the fun and excitement of “food” and cooking is cowardly: How food is produced, how it’s processed, and what we eat are about how we treat the land, each other, and ourselves. It matters, and so food policy matters.

So, right now, we have to be direct: You gotta vote, and you gotta vote for Joe Biden and for every single Democratic candidate on your ballot. (There may be local exceptions, but it’s going to be very hard to find a reason to pull the lever, or the e-equivalent, for a Republican.) The minute Biden becomes president, I (and most people I know) intend to be a part of the movement that pushes him toward the most progressive food policies this country has ever seen. Until then, the priority for people who see the truth is to get Donald Trump out of office.

It’s conceivable that Trump could win outright, and fears of him trying to steal the election are certainly justified. Rather than indulge in paranoid fantasies or even reiterate the many, many reasons it’s important to prioritize de-Trumpifying America so we can move toward tolerance, fairness, sustainability, love, and so on, and away from hate and what the Trumpites call “greatness” (i.e. whiteness), I will just say it again: Please vote.

--

--

Mark Bittman
Heated

Has published 30 books, including How to Cook Everything and VB6: The Case for Part-Time Veganism. Newsletter at markbittman.com.