Food with Mark Bittman: A.J. Jacobs

Unpacking 18th century food

In 2007, I was working in publishing, at Simon & Schuster, and a friend of mine there was working on the publicity for A.J. Jacobs’s book, ​The Year of Living Biblically​; to write the book, A.J. spent one year in literal compliance with biblical rules: he was fruitful and multiplied, he grew a beard, he didn’t partake in mixed-fiber clothing.

A.J.’s new book is ​The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning​. He put his family through a lot with this one, and it’s pretty damn funny – and also poignant, as you might imagine, given what we’re currently going through. (Let’s not get into that … this is actually a fun conversation!) A.J. marched around Manhattan with a tricorne hat and a 1700s musket, and probably scared the crap out of a bunch of people – and, as they say, he learned a lot along the way. The book is a breath of fresh air, and I’d like to think that my and Mark’s conversation with A.J. is, too.

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