Andy Smith

We’re talking about vegetarianism and veganism on this week’s Food Friday Please Explain. Joining us: Amanda Cohen, Chef and owner of the restaurant Dirty Candy and author of Dirt Candy: A Cookbook: Flavor-Forward Food from the Upstart New York City Vegetarian Restaurant; food historian Andy Smith; and Rynn Berry, the historical advisor to the North American Vegetarian Society and the author of a number of books including The Vegan Guide to New York City. They’ll explain the basics of vegan and vegetarian diets and how you can cut meat and animal products from your diet without sacrificing nutrition or taste.

Today’s Please Explain is all about breakfast cereal. Food historian Andy Smith, the author of Eating History: Thirty Turning Points in the Making of American Cuisine, among other books, joins us along with Edwin Chavey, aka Mr. Breakfast, director of the Mr. Breakfast Website and "The Cereal Project," a database of 1,200 cereals made in the United States, to explain what cereals are made of, how truthful health claims made about some are, and how there got to be so many varieties.