New York's Food Book Fair: Why Food Writing Matters

Food magazines, food memoirs, food web sites, cookbooks, food art — the resources for food today are seemingly endless. So New York City's Food Book Fair, happening this coming weekend May 4 to 6, is an obvious source of excitement for those on the food scene — a gathering of food authors, chefs, artists, and curators under one roof.

The Food Book Fair came together through organizer Elizabeth Thacker Jones' desire to expand food studies into the public sphere. Jones, a graduate student at NYU in food studies, says she was exposed to all sorts of books, not just on making food, but on the issues behind food.

"Now is a pretty important time for us to look at the state of our food system," Jones says, noting the dichotomy between the increasing obesity rates in America and the growing number of malnourished populations in the world. "I think everyone is going to experience food studies at some level."

Jones says there is a large diversity of opinion in the food studies realm — understandably, given the array of panelists at the Food Book Fair. From authors like Tamar Adler (An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace) to food publishers like Ed Behr (The Art of Eating) to food professors like Marion Nestle (Food Politics, Why Calories Count) to performance artists like Jennifer Rubell, the fair's participants offer panels on food as it relates to design, culture, art, media, even pornography. Not to mention the overwhelming number of books featured at the fair — more than 100 books.

Adler says she's excited to hear from other people that are writing about food and cooking right now. Most of the cookbook authors she follows, she says, aren't alive anymore. "It will be cool to meet ones that are [alive], that are shaping the food sphere," she says.

And while some may worry that the food publishing industry is fading — as most publishing businesses seem to be — it's an industry that lasts, says Behr. Behr, who began writing The Art of Eating in 1986 (just barely catching the crest of the food wave, he says), continues to study cookbooks and food texts published as early as the 1950s and older.

"I feel like some people in publishing believe that what we do is crumbling around us," Behr says. "So there are worries and concerns, but I attempt to find the pros in food publishing."

Adler says she's looking forward to exploring the print medium in the world of food — and not television. "It's so neat to think about not sitting around and talking about Top Chef, but to look at the writing that's being done," she says.

Among those pros: the niche, independent, food publications are on the rise, Behr says. "Even though they are outside the mainstream [food magazines], these magazines seem to be doing quite well," he says. Indeed, the "Foodieodicals" panel on May 6 is a popular choice at the fair: Behr will join other editors and writers from Diner Journal, Edible Brooklyn, Meatpaper, Lucky Peach, and other food publications for a meet-and-greet and signings. "These editors really put their heart and soul into these food magazines," says Jones.

Plus, food as a medium isn't just limited to publishing, says blogger and curator Nicole Caruth. Caruth, who began blogging about food and art as early as 2006, says the intersection between food and art is growing.

"When I started blogging, no one was talking about food and art," Caruth says. "Now, I do my monthly column about food and art [called Gastro-Vision, for the PBS-affiliated Art21 blog] — and I could probably do a weekly column now, because there's so much happening."

Exploring food in other mediums makes people think about food and its different implications, both on a fun and serious level, Caruth says. "People seem to be aware of just how diverse food is, and how many conversations you can have about it," she says.

That's why having conversations about food studies is so important, says Jones. Consumers should be thinking about food systems as much as they thought about home economics in the 1970s and '80s, she says. "If we could understand how complex the food system is, how it impacts everything that we do and eat, and how we can improve it — that's what's most powerful," she says.

More coverage and interviews on the Food Book Fair.