Mark Bittman, movie star

Three online videos

By Kim Carlson

May 16, 2008

You may know Mark Bittman from his popular Minimalist column and videos on the New York Times website, or from his blog, Bitten, not to mention his cookbooks, the most recent of which, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, is a popular resource around this office.

But over the last few days, Bittman’s blog has pointed to a few other notable videos in which Bittman “stars” as well.

First, there’s serious Bittman taking a stand about why we should eat less meat, not just for our own individual health but for the health of the planet as well. This one runs about 20 minutes, but the talk is excellent and informative, even for those of us who think we already know a thing or two about the issue:

Then there’s whimsical Bittman roaming around Spain with Gwyneth Paltrow, Mario Batali, and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols. It’s the trailer for a PBS program that will air this fall.

And finally, here’s the mini-Minimalist, noted on Bittman’s blog a few months back. Although Bittman doesn’t exactly appear in this one, there’s no mistaking his influence.