TOW #17 Mark Bitman NY Times article

People often think that becoming a vegetarian means adopting a bland, monotonous diet that exclusively grains and vegetables. However Mark Bittman, New York Times Food journalist and author of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food, constantly contradicts this line of thought by producing articles and recipes that highlight the clear benefits of vegetarianism, as well as its exciting palate. In the intro of his book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, Bittman uses exemplification and non-judgemental tone to introduce vegetarianism to his readers as beneficial and painless practice that they should incorporate into their lives.

Many people incorporate becoming a vegetarian with a lack of variety and options, but Bittman contradicts this with exemplification. He writes that his book "contains everything you need to know to cook every vegetable, fruit, grain, legume, and dairy product you can readily find," as well as "everything from plain rice, to things you may have never heard of, like seitan." By including several examples, Bittman displays that being a vegetarian does not mean your diet is revered for vegetables, and can include a variety of delicious and exotic foods. Bittman also uses exemplification to explain the benefits of vegetarianism. He explains that not only is it healthier, but leads to better treatment of animals and a reduced environmental impact. Bittman exemplifies the variety, as well of the benefits of vegetarianism, making the practice appeal more to his readers.

Despite all of the political and environmental issues surrounding vegetarianism, Bittman has a reserved and nonjudgemental tone. Assumedly most of his readers are mothers, who may feel like switching to vegetarian may be a hassle in their already busy lives. He writes that he is not trying to convince them to become a full fledged vegetarianism, but that they can incorporate meals with less meat into their lives. This approach is likely to resonate with mothers, instead of one that accuses them of feeding unhealthy, meatfilled meals to their children, an approached used by many vegan and vegetarian advocates.