Part 1: The woman and the writer

The woman and the writer

In the previous unit, we examined a particular genre of food writing, restaurant criticism, and we assessed the impact of Craig Claiborne on the way Americans think, write and discuss about restaurant.

In this unit we will shift our focus to a different approach to food writing, one that is less concerned with practical matters (evaluating a restaurant or explaining how to make a dish) and more sensitive to the cultural and symbolic aspects of food preparation and consumption. In particular, we will explore the life and work of M.F.K Fisher, one of the first American authors that tool food into the sphere of creative writing.

Let’s watch Andy Smith’s introduction to Fisher

She was certainly a unique voice in the landscape of American writing, especially at a time when the most common connection between food and women – and most acceptable one for the cultural point of view - was the daily care work in domestic kitchens.

To have a sense of who she was as a writer, you can read the short piece Once a Tramp Links to an external site., Always…. You can also appreciate her writing style in the articles The New York Times has made available on an archive page Links to an external site. dedicated to her, which also include some reviews of her books.

For a more personal account of who MFK Fisher was, you can hear from her daughter Kennedy Friede Golden, who shares her memories about traveling in France, family meals, and life in Napa Valley.

The famed book editor Judith Jones, who worked with Fisher on a few books, gives us a lively, full-rounded portrait of the writer from the point of view of a friend.

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