Decades before doomscrolling, psychologists called the sometimes-obsessive dread “mean world syndrome” and linked it to television’s vivid imagery — but news apprehension is primal and universal. So too is one of the tools we underuse to address it: food.

While the concept of calories provides a convenient way of packaging all our food and health concerns into one unit of measurement, there is no way it can contextualize in any meaningful way the value of food for individual human beings.

Mulling over real alternatives to calorie bombs, wishing for a rise in “public restaurants,” understanding ultra-processed food a bit better, and cooking up a storm with my Instant Pot.

There is a pattern through which a food is “discovered” and then rebranded to be foisted upon the nation. The exotification around these foods, which usually grow best in formerly or currently colonized lands, mirrors a desire for the escape of the tropical environment. But more people eating them hasn’t made the places where they grow more resilient, ecologically or economically, and the devastation of climate change might mean it won’t even be able to feed the people for whom it already grows.

“Meet Mill,” the copy on the website reads. “The odorless, effortless, fully automated food recycler.” After using the Mill – I named mine Joshua, because the accompanying app prompts you to give your gadget a name – for around two months, I can confirm that this tagline is true. With few restrictions on what can go into it and its unique capacity to turn food scraps into shelf stable grinds that can then be composted weeks later, the Mill is a fantastic gadget to have around.

Contraband has spiked in the prison systems. The most surprising new entry? Seeds. Within prisons, fruit and vegetable seeds have become a popular contraband for people looking to change their diet. And at ​Georgia’s Central State Prison​, several men have revived the previously defunct greenhouse therapy program and begun to put their green thumbs to work.

Beautiful cookware, consciously-made shoes, sweet personalized things, elevated headphones, an amazing food recycler, the gift of sleep, the best coffee, and food, and food, and food.

How do you measure cruelty? Is it a human quality to oppose cruelty to animals? Do we care more about animals that are cute and smart? Once we’ve said yes to factory farming, does it become difficult, morally, to parse out other specific practices (such as force-feeding a young duck)? And when it comes to change, where does the responsibility lie – who should be driving that change? Today, in partnership with FoodPrint’s “What You’re Eating” podcast, we explore the idea of “cruel and unusual” foods – namely veal, foie gras, and octopus.

Can our concerns for the fates of animals be addressed through behavioral change alone? Can we shift the food system without sacrificing convenience, affordability, and taste? Is capitalism the only route to systemic transformation? Can veganism be reconciled with the realities of feeding a growing world population? Can veganism scale without sacrificing its values? An excerpt from ‘The Good Eater,’ by Nina Guilbeault.

The most charming glassware, a beautiful sweater, Mark’s go-to flowers, things to eat, a cozy blanket, lots of jewelry, some of our favorite cookware, and much more. And, as always, if you can’t buy for a mom, or don’t want to buy for a mom – buy something for yourself.

An enthusiastic recommendation goes a long way, and our team is nothing if not a group of readers, and we promised you a gift guide devoted to books, so we’re delivering. Also! We loved so many books this year that we decided to make the list all-inclusive — ie, not just food-related.

We’ve officially launched our new home ​here​ (markbittman.com will take you there, too). Before you head over there, we’ve got a few things to share to make sure your site experience runs smoothly.

We have been talking about building a website that would wow you (and us) for years, and I’m happy to say we’re doing it.

Coming out of Thanksgiving weekend, we’re bursting with gratitude — for our Bittman Project community, the ability to purchase and cook wonderful nutritious food, and the joy of eating with friends and family. The best way we know to demonstrate our appreciation is to offer something back.

If you’re my age – 73 – Thanksgiving is “JFK season,” a phrase originated by the subject of a recent Scott Sayere piece. Kennedy was shot on November 22, a Friday; Thanksgiving was the following Thursday. In my family, that was a busy time, anyway, because my parents’ wedding anniversary was November 23 and, for good measure, my mother’s birthday a week later. Throw in the occasional early Hanukkah and in some years, it was a full week of ritual, remembrances, and celebrations.

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