This semester, we were exposed to a wide variety of food-related texts. My favorite of these texts was “Consider the Lobster,” by David Foster Wallace. This piece was so interesting to me because it conveys a very specific message about the food industry without ever expressing it in so many words. Wallace’s perspective on the Maine Lobster Festival is probably not one that you’ve heard before and the text could be really eye opening. This text helped me realize that food writing can come in all kinds of varieties and is often meant to invoke an extremely personal response within all of us, kind of like eating.

We were also prompted to go out into the world, conduct research, and find our own texts to read and share. My favorite text that I found was a gastronomical article entitled “Michelin in America,” by Priscilla Ferguson. I loved this text because I learned so much from it. Prior to reading, I had no idea what Michelin stars meant (except that they were good) or where they came from, and through this text I learned a great deal about their origin and the transformation of their usage over the years. I had no idea that Michelin came to America such a short time ago and was really interested to understand the dynamic that it now plays in our country’s food society.

By Lexi Hill

Throughout this semester, we as a class read and discussed a huge number of texts that varied in genre. I enjoyed many of them, but one that really stood out to me was David Foster Wallace’s “Consider the Lobster”. On the surface, this article (originally published in Gourmet magazine in 2004) discusses the Maine Lobster Festival, but delves much deeper into analysis of the ethics of certain cooking methods and even includes detail about the anatomy of a lobster. Wallace’s complex text also led to a very interesting class discussion where I grew to appreciate the article even more after learning new things about it from the class.

Read “Consider the Lobster” here: http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2004/08/consider_the_lobster.html

In addition to in-class readings, I worked with many unassigned texts to complete original compositions. Of those works, my favorite was the “Go Fork Yourself” podcast. I listened to dozens of podcasts in my process of creating my own, and this one was quite memorable. Hosted by Andrew Zimmer of Bizarre Foods, this podcast is incredibly informative while simultaneously witty and easy-going. It was both enjoyable and helpful to my writing process.

Listen to “Go Fork Yourself” here: http://andrewzimmern.com/category/podcasts/

During the course of the semester, we were required to read various texts that were interesting and influential on my development as a food writer. However, the one article that really stuck out to me was, “Consider the Lobster,” by David Foster Wallace. As a person that believes myself to be a lover of all creatures (except snakes), this text opened my eyes to how cruel the process of cooking a lobster really is. I enjoyed that it was kind of a taboo subject. I don’t think anyone really enjoys the thought of boiling a creature while it’s still alive, but at least for me, I never really thought about the well being of a lobster up until now. I took many pointers on his effective execution of triggering an emotional response from his audience and used them to guide me through my original composition project.

On my own, during one of my many drafting processes, I stumbled upon a short video titled, “ Anna Lappé & Food MythBusters — The Myth of Choice: How Junk-Food Marketers Target Our Kids.” Its purpose was to inform its audience of the dangers and effects of junk food and drink advertising on children and advocated for change. Although this video was discussing a serious topic, the producers made sure to maintain an entertainment factor to ensure the audience remained engaged. I used this as my primary mentor text for my genre conventions paper and it later helped me to construct my script for my final presentation.

Class reading

Overall, the text I enjoyed the most was the article “Consider the Lobster”. I throughly enjoyed the point of view David Foster Wallace employed in describing the lobster festival by writing a review in a surprisingly different manner than most reviews use. He addresses topics that are often forgotten, such as how different methods of preparation affect the lobster, which are often not thought of when being commissioned to describe a annual food festival.

Outside reading

The text that shifted my interest in food writing is a food blog called “Lady and Pups”. Having read countless texts for the various class assignments, this one stuck with me and ended up being my main inspirational mentor text. I have experienced a vast variety of food writing styles over the course of the semester and this is the one I thought spoke to me the most. The satirical and humor filled language drew me and and peaked my interest the most.

Reading about food is almost as enjoyable as eating food. I never realized how often I click on food-related articles all day long until I took this class. I usually have several food tabs open, waiting until the end of the day when I have time to peruse what caught my fancy throughout the day. Here are two articles that have wandered through my brain time and again since originally reading them. Add them to your food-reading tab queue; they’re worth it!

Jerusalem  on a Plate: Identity, Tradition, and Ownership by Yotam Ottolenghi 

My mental image of the Middle East is often limited to what I see on the news, which leaves me with a very color-neutral, war-torn, depressing image. When my parents traveled to Jerusalem earlier this year, I was so surprised by their pictures. The city looked like a tropical oasis with vibrant nearby seas, lush nature, and an array of colorful, unique architecture. Reading this article confirmed this latter description of the holy city. I appreciated Yotam Ottolenghi’s perspective and approach to both food and his city of heritage. His rich descriptions of childhood memories as a Jew in Jerusalem parallel that of his friend (and co-author of a Jerusalem cookbook) who grew up muslim in the same city. He focuses on commonalities in the article and describes cultural traditions and experiences relating to food. He leaves out politics, offering readers a refreshing chance to learn more about a city and culture that is often only viewed through the lens of religion and politics.

Tea Tuesday: Meet the Chai Wallahs of India by Layla Eplett 

I found this article while researching chai. Chai is a rich tea (and the word also means tea) that can be found on every corner in India where it is peddled by “chai wallahs.” This NPR article explores the world of chai wallahs through the eyes of Resham Gellatly and Zach Marks. Gellatly and Marks are journalists who set out on an eight month journey to travel through India and meet the country’s wallahs. This article is peppered with large, high-quality pictures paired with brief stories and quotes. The photojournalism enhances the article’s focus and invites readers to take a journey alongside the journalists to learn about the nation’s favorite drink.

Assigned Reading

My favorite assigned reading for this class was “A Guide to Venezuelan Arepas”. Everything about the piece was very colorful– from the writing to the actual display itself. The post was very interactive and engaging which made for an easy read. I also really enjoyed the cultural aspect of this post. It showcased the very strong connection that this dish has with Venezuelan culture.

http://luckypeach.com/guides/guide-venezuelan-arepas/

Independent Reading

My favorite independently chosen reading for this class was “Lost Crops of Africa: Volume III: Fruits”. Discovering this piece caused me to completely redesign the purpose of my annotated bibliography. The dedicated chapter to tamarind in this book covers a lot of good background information on the fruit. This reading showed me that tamarind is much more than just a fruit in some cultures– it also has spiritual, economic and medical significants.

https://www.nap.edu/read/11879/chapter/11#155