I love Mark Bittman. Just in case there's any confusion, I don't know him.
But his practical, flexitarian, a word I hereby proclaim he invented (I have no idea and a quick search isn't giving me first use), approach to eating is the one I favor. I used to call myself an omnivore but I'm not. Case in point: In Japan during one of those marathon dinners (first this restaurant, then that restaurant, then then...), I was offered whale. The year was 1989 so I don't know if it's still on anyone's menu/legal but the hosts were offering a great delicacy and I was appalled. I tried turning it down by saying it was against my religion to eat it. They asked my religion. I said networking.
To prove that I eat (almost) anything (and because I've been hankering to post it), I submit this photo from a lunch we recently served while on vacation in one of the great eating fields of the world. Guess where.
It's a long way from Bittman's article in yesterday's The NY Times, "Deep Fried and Good For You," about the glories of fried food. I LOVE fried chicken and fried (not baked) falafel. Not to mention french fries (what my mother called frech frieds, quite deliberately, the English teacher) and clams and calamari and veggies... You get the picture.
Thus I was thrilled to receive this pass from Bittman yesterday. Here's the close, which is worth reading through to just in case you're willing to admit you love fried food too. (There are several recipes with the article as well.)
Take it slow and either eat the food as it comes out of the fat (you can drain on paper towels or, if you want to be fancy, a cloth napkin) or keep it warm for as little time as possible in a low oven. Myself, I like to fry when people are standing around eating the food as fast as I can produce it; that is really fun. And good for you.
