Part 2: Food Magazines
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Food Magazines
Over the years, different typologies of magazines developed in the U.S. The expression “magazine” refers to wide and very diverse array of publications that appear on a regular schedule and that include editorial features, columns, advertising, and other content. Food magazines generally fall under one of the following categories: - Trade and Professional: They target individuals and companies working in specific trades, industries, and professional fields. The content is tailored to the interests of each specific audience, providing updates, advice, and practical information. We can mention for instance Whole Food Magazine Links to an external site. and Kosher Today Links to an external site.. Although most of these magazines have now an online presence – usually with the most interesting material accessible to members only, printed copies are distributed directly to subscribers or at trade shows. Some, such as the monthly Restaurant Insider Links to an external site., over time have expanded their outreach to newsstands and the general public.
(source: http://www.nyrestaurantinsider.com/ Links to an external site.)
- In-house magazines: They are published by organizations and institutions, both for-profit and not-for-profit, to inform employees, clients, and customers about their own activities, initiatives etc. - Consumer magazines: They are the best known and the most visible food magazines, as they are geared towards the general public. All you can read provides an edited list Links to an external site. of the most representative magazines. Of course, what's included is debatable, but it gives an idea of the publishing landscape. As you can see, these magazines vary enormously in terms of themes, style, and readership.
One of the first American magazines in this category was Gourmet magazine, launched in 1941 by Earle R. MacAusland and discontinued in 2009 (for more about the first issue, click here Links to an external site.. As Anne Mendelson observes in her reflection on Gourmet’s first decade Links to an external site.. Links to an external site.
Today, looking back at the lively pages of the first issues can trigger considerable culture shock. Lurking behind many of the stories was a mentality that suggests an American idea of a prewar London gentlemen's club. Attitudes toward non-European cuisines and peoples veered sharply between enlightened curiosity and coarse derision, while black Americans generally showed up as semicomic stock figures in stories of the Old South[…] In those days, serious cooks took "fine cooking" to mean almost exclusively "French cooking." It was an era of unlimited enthusiasm for savory mousses and creamy sauces, with plenty of variety meats, from brains to tongue to kidneys, and an enormous amount of space devoted to fancifully named cocktails.
Many things have changed since then, of course. Over time U.S. food magazines have developed a shared language in terms of texts, images, and style. Illustrations and photographs have become a mainstay, ranging from the purely informative to the metaphorical. Full color pictures have become much more common than hand-drawn illustrations. Some are very matter of fact, aimed at showing phases of the preparation of a dish, the final result, an ingredient, or a place. Others pictures convey more than just information, embracing the visual style frequently referred to as “gastroporn” or “food porn.” In general, the concept defines all those visual strategies that focus on the pleasure derived from looking at a picture rather than from the actual consumption of food it represent, just like in pornography graphic, auditory, and narrative components make up for the actual sex act, while soliciting similar levels of bodily excitation. Close-up shots with fading backgrounds emphasize the moistness, texture, and almost tangible qualities of the food represented. Lighting and filters play an important role in visualizing food in ways that heighten sensuality and the material qualities of the object represented. Professionals known as “food stylists” help photographers achieve the desired effect by preparing and displaying the food in appetizing ways. Since what counts are the visuals, not the substance or the taste of the food, ingredients and dishes in the pictures are often actually not edible; for instance, soap would be added to coffee to create a light froth, or colored glue is used instead of melted cheese. Furthermore, the photographed objects must be able to withstand long exposition to the bright light of a set, so they are prepared in order to maintain their luscious aspect for a long period of time, which implies at times using wax or polish on the food. Similar techniques are adopted in many culinary shows on TV: extreme close-ups, use of lighting, lens filters, and artificial amplification of sounds allow the viewer to participate in the food preparation and to make up for the lack of smell and flavors. Also movies use the same tricks to make the food more appetizing on the screen, especially in those movies that focus on food as their main topic. In that case, actors are often trained by chefs in order to be able to repeat the gestures and the movements of real cooks in the kitchen.
(Source: http://howtocook.casaveneracion.com/prevent-fish-sticking-pan-frying/ Links to an external site.)
In recent years, a new generation of food magazines is acquiring visibility banking on new segments of food lovers, usually more knowledgeable than readers of traditional food magazines, open to more creative approaches to food and cooking, and also interested in cultural and social issues. These magazines are all quite creative – and sometimes provocative - in terms of approach, tone, graphic design, illustrations, and pictures. We can mention for example David Chang’s Lucky Peach Links to an external site.. Gastronomica Links to an external site., meatpaper Links to an external site., Art of Eating Links to an external site., and Diner Journal Links to an external site., The Edible magazines Links to an external site. constitute another interesting phenomenon in the food magazines landscape. Each of them focuses on the products, the artisans, the dishes, the restaurant of a specific area in the U.S. Besides the name, they all share the same ideas about farm-to-fork, community based food activism, and opposition to industrial food but maintain their editorial autonomy.
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