vegetable snobbery

Two articles in the NYT this morning are indicative of the snobbery that is pretty common in the nation's paper of record.  Glowing reviews of a vegetarian restaurant called "Dirt Candy" and it's dessert menu which includes eggplant tiramisu make you wonder if we are on the same planet.  They don't mention prices, but with only 18 tables in the dining area, the price per meal must come to over $100.00 just to make the rent, let alone a profit.  Meanwhile, Mark Bittman who is ordinarily an "everyman" in the kitchen is trying to convince everyone to make salads with radish tops.  WTF.  In his defense, he also has a op-ed piece highlighting the rise of food banks and local food "pantries" to combat hunger in this country.  With over 48,000,000 people eligible for food stamps and more being added to the rolls each year, it would seem this is prima facie evidence of the widening gulf between the rich and poor in the US.  Instead, the Republican nominee for President this year attempted to demonize the program and its recipients and brand his opponent as the "Food Stamp President."  Instead of proposing programs to help get these people off the programs, he wanted to abolish them.  Granny starving indeed.  The saddest part of the entire piece was Bittman noting that people who are given staples like rice and beans are ignorant of how to prepare them.  Too many happy meals and highly processed heat and eat meals have weaned an entire generation from the joy and satisfaction of preparing food using raw materiasl such as the above mentioned rice and beans and cheap vegetables like cabbage and potatoes.