The Disappearance of “Poor”

About This Episode

What does food have to do with politics? Baker Mark Furstenberg (Bread Furst, The Breadline) and writer and food critic Corby Kummer (The Atlantic, Aspen Institute Ideas Magazine) join fellow social justice champion host Billy Shore (Share Our Strength) to discuss food, politics and community in this episode of Add Passion and Stir. When Shore asks about the political climate and issues like immigration reform, Kummer expresses concern. “This is something that every restaurant owner and food supplier and somebody who cares about food has to take on for themselves. Personal responsibility is a lot more important than we want it to be, but - in the absence of government leadership – it has to be,” he says. Furstenburg is also worried. “It’s impossible to not be affected by the political climate,” he says. “The word ‘poor’ has disappeared from our political vocabulary… [but] food is the most basic concern of poor people.” Furstenburg – who started baking after the age of 50 and went on to win the 2017 James Beard Award as the nation's Outstanding Baker– uses his bakeries to build community. His Bread Furst is in “the neighborhood in which my sister had built a monumentally important community feeling [around the iconic Politics and Prose bookstore]. My sister had done that so well with books, I really wanted to do it with bread,” he says. It is this community aspect that caused 5-time James Beard Award-winner Kummer to fall in love with food. “It’s the people [like Furstenburg] who build community at their own table. When I go to a new city, I look for the place that values community,” he shares. Hear these dynamic food lovers’ opinions on politics, community and Yelp reviews.