Food Writing 101

That is probably too ambitious a title for this post as I am in no way an expert in the genre of food writing, an accomplished writer myself, nor even a prolific and well-rounded food writing reader.

But I know what I like.

I read the NYTimes food section weekly, for escapism and inspiration. The same with Saveur and Gourmet--these are recipes that I almost never cook but always clip and ingredients I often can't afford or even identify. I'm not what you would call a "foodie." First, I won't eat raw tomatoes. Salsa, ketchup, tomato sauce--fine. Slices of beefsteak, little round cherry--no way. Nor do I particularly like seafood. I like my mom's fried fish and shrimp straight from the Gulf, and cod or scrod or any other bland fish. But otherwise, no thank you. Especially sushi. And mind you, I've been taken for sushi in NYC with a Japanese native so I've seen the real thing. I'm assured I'm missing out; probably, but I'll live. And I can't eat spicy. I know, I'm from Texas, but I just can't stand the heat. There are other things I won't eat, but I will read about (or watch) almost anything--"Iron Chef" was long a favorite, and, while I would never have even tried most of the dishes, DP would have tasted most of them.

Another indication I'm not exactly a foodie: I love Taste of Home magazine. It's the ultimate in comfort food reading. My mom didn't even cook that way--I remember begging her to make hamburger helper when I was a kid--but she always had to cook from scratch! But somehow reading about a 3-can casserole and a Jello salad evokes nostalgia for my childhood. Maybe it resembles the food I ate at the school cafeteria (I wasn't a big sandwich lover and so I usually got a hot lunch).

Right now, I've got two editions of the Best of Food Writing in my car, for when the kiddos fall asleep. By my bed, I am reading A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove by Laura Schenone. Downstairs in the living room are all my magazines, the above mentioned titles plus Cooking Light, Weight Watchers Magazine, and Everyday Food, which is the one I most consistently use (and which has the least amount of actual writing). On my bookshelf are my beloved copies of Laurie Colwin's writings, a history of cookbooks, Humble Pie, plus a variety of other food writing books. And, bookmarked on my compter is Slashfood.com, my favorite website after the NYTimes. I read it regularly, plus some of the blogs of its individual contributors.

But there is no way I can keep up. The sheer volume of food writing is astounding. Indeed, a fabulous article by Molly O'Neill in the Columbia Journalism Review (excerpted in the Best of Food Writing) recounts how the genre has developed and expanded, from early how-tos for social climbing housewives in the late 19th century to middle class virtual hedonism in the late 20th century. I like both, thus Taste of Home and Saveur, and, while I won't be able to contribute much to the genre in the way of exoticism or literature, I can share some good stories and some good food.