1. Chicken breasts (4 boneless) 2. Bacon (1/2 pound) 3. Shrimp (1 pound) 4. Spinach (1 pound) 5. Tomatoes (6) 6. Ginger 7. Onions 8. Asparagus (2 pounds) 9. Button mushrooms (1 pound) 10. Loaf of good country bread

and a week's worth of recipes. The comments are, as one might expect, nitpicky and sanctimonious. I, however, was surprised by how few of these items I would buy, had I to limit my list to ten.

It's too early for tomatoes, but I agree with the spinach, onions, and asparagus. For the rest I would substitute eggs, tofu, yogurt, quinoa (if it's not among the pantry staples Bittman assumes we all have on hand), edamame, Granny Smith apples, and a lime. That leaves one free item, which might as well be chocolate. It would be a very verdant cart.

What would your ten items be?