Cheftimony Snack: Put It In Writing
“On today’s snack-sized episode, I’m sharing four food writers with you. Two are old (dead, in fact) and two are young. ”
They all write well. I toggle between old and new, sharing excerpts that I hope will inspire you to read these four writers for yourself.
The first is M.F.K. Fisher, a wonderful American writer very closely associated with food and dining. I first discovered her as the translator for what I think is the best book on food ever written, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s The Physiology of Taste (Or Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy). Today, though, I’m sharing snippets of two essays from Fisher’s Serve it Forth.
We head next to England for some thoughts from Seetal Savla of the blog SavlaFaire. Seetal is a full-time freelance writer, and she does it brilliantly. To learn more about Seetal and her work, listen to Episode 010 of the podcast. Today I share parts of two of her restaurant reviews – Holborn Dining Room and Midsummer House – and I discuss exactly why I find her to be not simply a gifted writer but a brave and compassionate one as well.
Returning to the old, you’ll hear next from A.J. Liebling, a wonderful writer most often associated with The New Yorker. Liebling wrote fantastic pieces on a range of subjects, but I like him best when he’s on about boxing and eating. Look him up, you’ll like him.
Finally, we hear parts of an essay from Chef Jenny Dorsey. This New York-based chef and artist continues to create many great things across media. Hear from Chef directly on Episode 008 of the show, and today you’ll hear me read parts of her essay Yes, This Meal Is Supposed to Make You Feel Uncomfortable (my favourite line from this piece: “Entomophagy (eating insects) is so gross, yet so sustainable — a nightmare for the woke but privileged.” – brilliant!). Like Seetal, Jenny writes on rarely-discussed topics, and she writes well. Follow Chef, to keep up with her food, her art and her writing. You won’t be disappointed.