Automats; The Seltzer Man; Food on the Next Mission to Mars

Remember the automat? What about the seltzer man? Historian Rebecca Federman and seltzer man Walter Backerman remind us of the bygone era of Horn & Hardart's automats and home seltzer delivery. Jonathan Gold reviews two new imports from Japan, both located in Japanese food courts. Michelle Perchonok tells us what's on the menu for a mission to Mars in the 2030's and food writer Peter Kaminsky outlines how to eat well and lose weight at the same time. Plus, Gustavo Arellano takes us out for Central Vietnamese charcuterie in Westminster. At the farmers' market, Laura Avery talks to chefs Kris Tominaga and Brian Dunsmoor about their new restaurant, The Hart and the Hunter, and farmer Barbara Spencer highlights some of her favorite heirloom apple varieties.

Banner image; Automat, 977 Eighth Avenue, Manhattan. Berenice Abbott. Gelatin silver print, 1936. Photo: NYPL, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs