TALKING ABOUT FOOD

I have been thinking a lot recently about how we decolonise our thinking, especially around food and drink and to be honest I have no answers but I do have a series of questions. I have a some specific streams of thinking. I am also concerned with the indigenous identity, and how it is one that sits within many other spaces. “Commonly held beliefs of the white culture attack commonly held bliefs of the Mexican culture, and both attack commonly held beliefs of the indigenous culture. […] she learns to be an Indian in Mexican culture, to be Mexican from an Angle point of view.” Gloria Anzaldua, Towards a new consciousness. Because to me this is the essential strip back we need to get to, to understand what colonialism means, and how we untangle that. But how do we engage with that language in the UK where indigenous narratives is not a known language, because ‘native’ does not mean difference? How do we connect globally with the understanding of indigeneity? There is the

Although this period in time has meant a huge dip in my work I am still writing for others, therefore I am going to link to the things that have been published since the end of March. I see this space as a place that reflects the world I am currently living in. It may continue to develop afterwards, and shift into something different, but right now I want TAF to be about my writing during this time. This writing varies because we are not just one thing - we are not simply this virus. Some of these pieces were commissioned before the crisis, but because they were published during this time they feel very much a part of my current world. DRINKS Supper magazine Why hotel bars are betting on whisky – TBC Mr Porter: The Evolution Of Whisky: How An Old Spirit Became Cool Again FOOD Sandwich Magazine Meet the indie farmer shaking up California’s food scene Pit Magazine Chef Mary San Pablo & Filipino barbecue (in print only, pdf to come)  FOOD & TRA

This is a bit of a rant, it was going to be a twitter thread but I realised I had more to say that a few posts so thought I would take the liberty of this space - after all, that is what it is here for. But, the editing - typos, spelling, phrasing etc - will all be a bit off, as I write this in rant and in rush. Two things happened yesterday that are connected, and another thing this morning that is adjacent to the same thinking.  Firstly -  I listened to Take A Bao podcast (which I am going to write about more Kavey Eats blog for next week), and I was reminded how it is pitched for a global audience, it is talking about global food trends, but what makes is so great is that it completely takes out a western-centric narrative.  This isn't a food podcast that explores politics, it is a gentle, interesting look at various interesting foods and drinks. It just takes the assumption that Asian foods are interesting to all, and that to talk about it we don't have to exotic

At the moment I am doing some pro bono work for the local publication I Love Chatsworth Road. In normal times it is a magazine and an instagram account run as a passion project by photographer Jorn Tomter. Now, it is a weekly newsletter about stories from the local area, although stretching a little further into Hackney than usual. It is a local area that is built up of small independent shops and businesses that are changing weekly - if not daily! And, a lot of people are offering services, crowd funding and doing incredible work during this time. So this newsletter offers the local community a source of info and a way for businesses to get the information out about what they have pivoted too. This is a newsletter that is positive, and I'm enjoying writing for it! Not all food, but - Here are some of the things I have written about, for the newsletter. Hackney School of Food The story of Hackney School of Food is one of community, changing spaces, the need to adapt and