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1. Mark talks cyclospora
You’re not likely to get cyclospora, and you’re even less likely if you eat at home. That’s not so much because your kitchen at home is cleaner than an industrial or restaurant kitchen. It’s probably not, actually.
But when you cook at home, fewer people touch your food — in fact, once it leaves the store, it’s unlikely to be handled by anyone but you, whereas in commercial settings it’ll get touched by many different people.
And although small farms may have less sophisticated handling systems than more industrial operations, they are also part of a shorter supply chain and supply fewer people. It’s not like lettuce from Mexico, which is distributed all over the country; anything that goes wrong on a small farm, by definition, has a limited impact. This is especially true of cyclospora, which is a parasite, not a bacteria, and therefore not contagious.
The big problem is that local, state, and federal health agencies have lost a lot of funding. CDC staff has been cut by twenty-five percent under Trump, and a lot of that was senior leadership. The administration has also made some cuts to FoodNet, which is a tracking system that helps figure this type of outbreak out. Twelve billion dollars in cuts to public health agencies that would be helping with the situation. Plus, people have lost health insurance. Some of them are getting sick and aren’t able to go to the doctor, or they do go to the doctor and it puts a financial strain on them.
The source has not yet been identified, and it’s a challenge, because the parasite takes at least a week and up to two to make you sick. So you’re saying to people, “What’d you eat two weeks ago? Where’d you eat that lettuce two weeks ago?” And everybody’s like, “Well, I don’t know.”
The Trump health-related budget cuts really hurt, and now you’re seeing that. It was predictable. It’s been demonstrated all over the world that Trump budget cuts are killing people. Now they’re making Americans sick. At the same time, I don’t want to say people are overreacting, but any individual is very unlikely to get cyclospora. – Mark
2. The rice I can’t stop thinking about
Holden has been at sleepaway camp for three weeks. Seems like he’s loved it. We pick him up today!
As a parent, it’s both horrible — I miss him deep in my bones; I am dying to hold hands with him — and awesome (sorry babe, one day you’ll get it), because the freedom of no obligations other than those I have to myself is, after ten years of parenting, stunning.
On one of the first nights Holden was away, Nick and I went to dinner at Twin Tails, which is a southeast Asian (Thai and Vietnamese) restaurant in Columbus Circle (top notch Central Park views). The new Executive Chef there, Adi Kangutkar, was the chef at Spice Market, which was, until it closed, one of my favorite restaurants. (It’s also where I spent my 30th birthday and, as my dad likes to remind me, locked myself in the bathroom, crying. Chalk it up to young love.) Chef Kangutkar has also spent time at Fish Cheeks and Thai Diner.
We had a lot to eat, and there were some real standouts, like the netted chicken spring rolls and the lemongrass ribs with black pepper caramel — but the one dish that I really haven’t been able to stop thinking about is the coconut rice. Our server did warn us about how good it was. Turns out it’s also very simple to make, and I got the team at Twin Tails to share it with all of us. It’s sweet (but not cloying) and will be so good with any simply grilled or roasted protein or veg. – Kate
3. Two reminders
- Our first Bittman’s pop-up is today, July 24! Come join us at the Glynwood farm store in Cold Spring from 2–7pm. We’ll have samples of all our breads (and they’ll also be available for purchase). And don’t worry — we’ll have our butter, too!
- We’re giving away a copy of Domenica Marchetti’s Italian Cookies (my Q&A with her is here), and today is the last day to enter. You can do that here. – Kate
4. Fresh tomato soup
I asked our publisher if we could share a few recipes from How to Cook Everything Vegan with you ahead of time (it comes out October 6; you can preorder it here). The first one I’m sharing is Fresh Tomato Soup, for obvious reasons. Not quite as fast as tomato soup made with canned tomatoes, and, really, it’s a totally different type of soup, a summer luxury. (And don’t forget to check out the variations — especially the peak summer variation.) – Mark
5. Gone fishin (literally, sort of?)
We are taking next week off. On Monday, I’m taking Holden to our pal Jason’s oyster farm in Wellfleet, so stay tuned for our interview with Jason and lots of pics! I’ve never been to an oyster farm (needless to say, Holden has not, either) and I’m really excited about it. If you have any questions you want answered by one of Cape Cod’s best oyster farmers, let me know. (members@bittmanproject.com or just leave it in the comments.)
Anyway — since you won’t be hearing from us next week, we wanted to leave you with a big bundle of our favorite summer recipes. – Kate
6. Our Biggest Sale of the Summer
Now through July 19th, receive up to 25% off best-selling, member-favorite brands!
Thrive Market is a convenient way to stock up on all your staples. Kate loves it for coconut milk and coconut oil, sea salt, canned tomatoes, crackers, sponges, cleaning supplies—and coffee! (Their coffee is really good.) The (small) membership fee is more than made up for with the discounts you’ll receive on every order. Try Thrive Market today and receive $20 off your first 3 orders, plus a free $60 gift of your choice!
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