food/porn

[plumerai]

I went to wd-50 last night, and I was planning on posting about it. But in talking to a friend about it, I found myself saying "They tied foie gras in a knot!" and "It was pizza, in pebble form!" and shuddered a little. Not because of the ethical considerations of foie gras, not because of any disenchantment with whimsy, but more the idea of, Why

Comments

[fuzzilla]

It was actually music in the "dancing about architecture" quote. I didn't know Elvis Costello said it 'til I looked it up:

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture - it's a really stupid thing to want to do."--Elvis Costello

Hmm. I dunno. If people didn't write about food, then how would you know about new restaurants/recipes, etc. Or if they didn't write about music, about new bands/concerts, etc.? If there wasn't writing about sex on the internet, how would gay teens in Mississippi know they're not freaks and there's a whole world beyond what they currently know?

Do you mean you don't enjoy reading food porn, or writing it, or either? I was never all that jazzed about journalism, but focused on that more than fiction or poetry in college 'cuz I was like "journalism has a least a snowball's chance in hell of landing me a job, I guess..." I hated having to be the person scribbling in a notebook at a concert, I wanted to be the person dancing. At heart, I want to be the performer, not the person writing about other people's performances.

And yes, a dinner with you would be far better than reading about it in a magazine! As I'm in Chicago, words are all I'll have to go on unless'n I shell out for a plane ticket (which is sometimes doable, yes...).

[fuzzilla]

Apparently there's a big debate about who said it, but they gave Elvis Costello the most credit at my first Google search result:

http://home.pacifier.com/~ascott/they/tamildaa.htm

[plumerai]

I like logistical information about food--I read the Times dining section every week, and appreciate it for its concision and general updates. I usually skip the waxing-rhapsodic pieces, though--I just want the raw goods! As for music and sex: You mention an example of somebody looking for solace through sex writing, and what I'm saying is that food is uncomplicated for me (well, food and weight and body is terrifically complicated, but as far as the enjoyment of food) so I don't crave connection that good writing on food would bring. Clearly a gay teen in Mississippi should have access to that information, and that information needs its gifted presenters. That teen should also have joyful, exuberant sex writing if that's her preference; it's just not mine. (As for music, I'm the classic example of the lazy masses--I leave the reading and writing to the mavens and innovators of the world, and I'll just keep playing my Beatles until that maven drops something at my doorstep.)

I definitely don't like writing it, for exactly what you say--I don't want to be the person taking notes under the table. It would be a perfect area for me to go into, given my dual background in food and magazines, but I have no desire. I am looking at recipe development, which would tap into the logistics angle.

Manalive, we had some good food in Chicago! That pizza place, and then that paprikash...

[fuzzilla]

I was so sad that Paprikash closed! Or relocated to the suburbs, but the one we went to was closed, anyway. I had a similar feeling when I went out for dinner with a friend last Thursday, like "this feels weirdly date-like, all tucked away in a corner of a romantical, candle-lit place..."

So "it just ain't my thing" is what you're saying? Yeah, I can dig that. I guess there is a difference between straightforward food writing and food porn, like "oh, for God's sake, just go eat the damn truffle" or whatever. I forget who, but someone earlier made an interesting comment about how at a certain point it becomes less about the subject at hand and more about showing off and, like, brandishing your class stripes or whatever.

I remember running into someone from college who asked me to write for a magazine he worked at that's actually fairly successful for what it is (I think I told you about it). I said no because I'm more interested in creative writing. My heart just isn't in writing stuff for an assignment, stuff I'm not necessarily passionate about. I felt weird about turning it down, though, like "am I telling the truth, or is it because I doubt my skills..?" Though if he said he worked at a literary magazine and did I have poems or stories I would've been like "hell yes!" and felt really excited. So: I guess there's your answer.

[plumerai]

I'd blocked out that Paprikash closed! Now I've gotta try the paprikash at the place down the street...

I guess I'm partly saying it just ain't my thing--particularly in the case of music, because while I'm passionate about music, I'm not at all passionate about knowing what's "going on" in "the scene" or whatever. (Far as I'm concerned, there's an enormous amount of music out there that already exists, so I have no real purpose for reading about the new stuff. Yes, yes, I know I'm missing out on fantastic stuff as a result, but it's just not worth my time.) I think my problem with food writing is actually more of what Sybness was saying than about it not being my thing--it so easily devolves into pretention, one-upmanship, and classism, even when what's being written about is widely affordable. (There's often an "gee whiz who knew!" tone to writing about down-home type places.)