With the selection of popular food magazines in decline (RIP, Gourmet), it’s encouraging to see the continued crossover appeal of food journals Gastronomica and The Art of Eating, as well as the growing buzz around the relatively new magazine-journal hybrid, Lucky Peach. All three publications, which offer something for everyone, can be ordered online through their websites, and Lucky Peach has been spotted locally at the Richmond Heights Schnucks.
Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, published quarterly by the University of California Press, has been around since 2001. As in any credible scholarly journal, article submissions are peer-reviewed. At the core of each issue are said articles (heavily researched with end notes and bibliographies), such as “Women, Sabotaj, and Underground Food Economics in Haiti” and “Chocolate and Cardiovascular Health: The Kuna Case Reconsidered,” from the most recent issues. Lighter fare, including personal histories, poems, photo essays, art installations, and book reviews, all make regular appearances. A “Borborygmus: Rumblings from the World of Food”—named after the rumblings in one’s stomach— opens each issue, while a “Lagniappe”—a small gift or bonus—offers the final word. A yearly subscription runs $50 ($28 for students and retirees), and while that might sound expensive, it’s considerably cheaper than other scholarly food journals such as Food and Foodways, which are best accessed through a library database.
Falling at the other end of the food-publication spectrum sits Lucky Peach: A Quarterly Journal of Food and Writing, the brainchild of New York chef David Chang (Momofuku Restaurant Group) and Peter Meehan, a former New York Times food critic. Since “momofuku” is Japanese for “lucky peach” and the magazine’s publisher is McSweeney’s, another brainchild, this one of Dave Eggers, who wrote A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, one quickly recognizes the publication’s linguistic and literary chops. Chang and Meehan have been covered extensively in the press, for example in this Wall Street Journal article that explains how they became partners.
With a decidedly more journalistic tone that often borders on irreverent—Anthony Bourdain is a frequent contributor—Lucky Peach is also published four times a year, and its inaugural issue, “Ramen,” has achieved cult status, selling for anywhere between $50 and $150 on eBay. Issue No. 4, “American Food,” features Meehan’s Q&A with Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer-Prize-winning food critic for the L.A. Times, and Robert Sietsema, The Village Voice’s food critic, as well as a number of articles dedicated to the 1982 film Diner. Supplemental to the issue is Big Meal, a play by Dan LeFranc that recently ran in both Chicago and New York. The “Cooks and Chefs Issue” (No. 3) contains several notable chef contributors, with personal histories, recipes, and illustrations. “A Body Map to Kitchen Injuries,” a “Chef Rant,” and “The Art of Toilet Cleanliness According to Joe Beef” (a popular Montreal eatery) convey the message that restaurant work, though “cool,” is hard, dirty, and anything but glamorous. A one-year subscription to Lucky Peach comes in at an affordable $28.
Between Gastronomica and Lucky Peach sits The Art of Eating, whose subtitle, “The Authority on Food, Wine, and Taste,” gives a glimpse into both its subject matter and tone. Started back in 1986 as a newsletter by food writer Edward Behr, the journal is theme-based, like Lucky Peach, with recent issues devoted to “Central Texas Barbecue,” “Really Good Goat Cheese,” and “The State of Pork.” Anyone familiar with the story behind the restaurant chain Chipotle’s use of pasture-raised, antibiotic-free meats may recognize Behr’s name. “The Lost Taste of Pork,” a 1999 article from The Art of Eating, inspired Chipotle founder Steve Ells to switch from factory-raised animals to Niman Ranch’s farm-raised livestock. As quoted in an NPR segment by Allison Aubrey, Behr calls his role in the ground-breaking switch, “The one huge piece of good I’ve done through writing about food.” An annual subscription to The Art of Eating runs $52, with discounts for two- and three-year subscriptions. Click on “The Something to Taste” link on the journal’s website for a preview of what a typical issue offers.
Twitter users can follow all three publications for a taste of each: @Gastronomica, @LuckyPeach, and @ArtofEating.
