Adrian Miller (Breaking the Bubble of food writing)
Reading Adrian Milers article ‘Breaking the Bubble of Food Writing' some points niggled at me. In summary he was saying that food writing was usually written by “white, middle class, predominantly male” writers:
Excerpt from Interview:
“For people of color who want to tell food stories, "Black by Popular Demand" poignantly exposes the twin challenges we face: getting the key decision-makers in mainstream food media (I call them "gatekeepers") to desire our stories, and getting our own communities to devour our work.
Except for those times we self-publish, food writers try to persuade gatekeepers to publish our work. Gatekeepers are those who determine what content will go in magazines, newspapers, radio shows or websites; those who decide which book manuscripts to purchase, publish and market; those who book speakers for events, and those who approve projects and book appearances for television shows. I've been involved in food media for a decade, and I've interacted with gatekeepers in all of the fields above. Overwhelmingly, the food media gatekeepers I've met and worked with are white.”
“The final head-scratcher comes when media outlets finally choose to feature an African-American food story, and a white writer gets the assignment. Am I arguing that only people of a certain race should write food stories about their culture? No. I'm arguing for more balance in who gets the writing assignment. Depending upon the angle sought, an African-American writer may be able to tell a story with more dimension than someone unfamiliar with the culture. At the very least, that writer will avoid the kinds of mistakes that get people in a lot of trouble on social media.
I could go on, but one must ask, "Why does this stuff keep happening?" Having worked with a lot of these gatekeepers, I don't think that the main problem is overt racism. We're seeing the end product of an industry full of people living in a bubble. The gatekeepers tend to be cut from the same cheesecloth in terms of race, class and culture, and their professional and social circles are filled with similar people. This mix leads to a very narrow view of what's possible and interesting in the food universe, and an echo chamber in terms of what's trendy. Thus, the gatekeepers believe that their customers want stories from a certain range of subjects, and we readers and viewers get those stories ad nauseum. The gatekeepers may believe that they are casting a broad net, but it's actually fairly limited when diverse perspectives are taken into account.
Given the intense competition for consumers, one would think that the gatekeepers would try to grow their following with diverse stories and writers. Instead, they squeeze every ounce from proven formulas of success in terms of subjects and storytellers. So, how do we get the gatekeepers to realize that diversity doesn't mean showcasing different types of fascinating white people? The simplest answers are that we need more diversity amongst the gatekeepers, and more white gatekeepers who truly make diverse storytelling a priority, take more risks and make more of an effort to find and hire diverse food writers.”
“Most importantly, we have to continue growing our consumer market beyond cookbooks to include writing about food culture and food history. …...
The main point is that gatekeepers are constantly making business decisions, and evidence of a strong consumer demand should tip the scales in favor of more diversity.
Unfortunately, some gatekeepers will continue to limit the opportunity for diverse food stories to be told, but others are trying.”
Excerpt from interview:
“And they did what other migrants do when they got to a new place - they tried to re-create home, often through food. And if they couldn't get the same ingredient, they found substitutes. And so it becomes this national cuisine over time.
MARTIN: So in the same way that the food that we consume as Italian food - or pizza, or something like that - is really a minor part of the cuisine of Italy. It's a big part of the cuisine of the Italian diaspora. You're saying that soul food is really about the diaspora?
MILLER: Exactly. So in America, the things we think of as ethnic foods are usually the celebration foods of the old country. “
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