fireworks over Sea of Cortez
Today I am in, what you would call, a state of disrepair – deep into what I call the boomerang-effect. Two days ago I was in paradise…… I think I saw an article yesterday about seasonal affect disorder – but because I am deep in the state of it, where I can not keep a line of thought in view, I can’t remember where I saw it. I can’t get the lyrics from “Price Tag” from Jesse J, out of my head from the plane ride back, watching Pitch Perfect on a computer because the brand new United plane we were on was put into service without any tv. You guessed it – I am a little cranky today and not functioning well since my return. So, if you can, bear with me – I’m trying to get my brain functioning, and see if I can indeed write something at all relevant and coherent……
2014 – my first blog post. I am back in New Jersey from the beauty and “alive-ness” that was Baja California. I saw flowers, green plants, the blue ocean, amazing sunrises and whales frolicking – beauty which I am constantly obsessed with, camera in hand and which I consistently need to see, in person, to convince myself it still exists, during these barren months of the year here in New Jersey. But alas, this is all trickery and tomfoolery for me. I sat in the warm sun in a bathing suit, my preferred states of being, and weather in which I am known to thrive, and enjoyed listening to my family laugh and squabble over card games. I had some much-needed, first-hand proof that there is indeed still life in the non-frigid zones of the world – which, for me, oddly always generates the irrational hope that I will indeed return to Springtime in my own parallels when I step off the plane back in EWR. Often I find myself questioning the wisdom of taking such trips….. But alas, this trickery, this ability to step upon an aircraft and fly away to another clime, is itself a double edged sword. This all cruelly, has come to a screeching hault and I am back here looking out my window at the bare naked branches of the trees and the sullen ground. I’m not complaining, , I’m not – I am one lucky camper – except to myself – about my stupidity for going and expecting to feel ok now, because I never do. I am just trying to get my body and brain to function again – and because of some unknown biological and genetic scorecard, I am having a really difficult time……….. And so I am challenging myself today to see if I can get some coherent thoughts down on paper here……
First legitimate subject matter of 2014 on Kitchen-Inspirational – Protest over the term – Food Porn:
I don’t know Sarah Kieffer. I don’t know Nik Shaffer – (although I’d like to have his job). However, today when I saw that the Huffington Post published an article noting that they were doing an interview with Sarah from the Vanilla Bean Blog, a “place” of quality in my book, I took offense on the use of the term “food porn” in its title – on behalf of, well, at least myself. I have long had a more than polite disagreement with the use of this term and am hereby wondering aloud if Sarah had any feelings of conflict as this title popped into existence in relation to her work. I wonder if she would voice this concern if she did and I wonder if there are indeed, multitudes of food people who do take offense to this term. I, of course, do not speak for Sarah and I do realize that this is not the biggest travesty of the day…….
being presumptive, in honor of the Vanilla Bean Blog
Today, because of this article and because it has long been on my palate, I’ve just chosen to do a little soap-boxing on behalf of myself and my fellow food “friends”. Well, I guess it is never a good idea to assume you speak for anyone else, so I hereby amend that statement and state that I am only speaking for myself. But, I am willing to wager that there are others, and maybe even Sarah, who, at least wince at the use term, and especially when it is associated with the intended essence, origin of, and intended spirit of their “work”.
I have been to Pastry School. I have done a fair share of research and gone through a good amount of trial and error in the kitchen in my 59 years. I have strongly identified with my connection to visual imagery and its subsequent outflows in a few categories of life, food being one of them. And, while I do still consider myself to be a relative neophyte in the world of food, I guess this qualifies for something and well, I just feel justified in taking a stand on this subject.
I don’t know who actually originated the use of the term “Food Porn” and frankly, I don’t really care. I imagine it to be someone who was seeking to sensationalize something, allowed the association of these two words to appear in their brain, had some sort of ah-hah moment, and took it from there. But, of course this is pure conjecture on my part. I can’t speak for the use of perhaps billions of phrases in use in language, past and present, as regards their suitability, but I still feel compelled to speak on this one.
The benefits of having access to a computer, camera and the “publish” button, as well as the urge to “spill” one’s thoughts about something and their associated visual images is such a huge gift in today’s world – and, of course a huge bonus to the likes of me. We get a voice, an outpost, a soapbox to stand on – whereas, in previous times, we may have sat with a collection of papers in an envelope with no publisher list to mail to them to. In fact, just the prospect of imagining that we could accumulate an envelope filled with output with no one to send it to would have been a huge deterrent to allowing that creative urge to unfold. I am forever indebted to this little turn of events which allows me to spew forth into the blogosphere my thoughts and creations daily. Of course there is the double-edge-sword-effect of this as well (I guess double-edged swords are big for me today). For every statement posed on the internet, there is an opportunity for someone to reply, rebut, challenge, and even pilfer someone’s work.
But today, I made a comment registering my exception to the Huffington Post’s use of the term in their article noting an interview with the Vanilla Bean Blog. If you Google “food porn”, which, in fact, I actually did for the first time ever today – even though googling it actually qualifies me as a person who formally acknowledges this term, you will find more than a couple of sites actually wanting to and indeed using the name – and an official page on Wikipedia. Yikes, well, not surprised, not really. I have long had an issue with this term. I do understand the context in which it is used. However, I personally think this really in no way correlates with the motivation of the people in this field or behind the efforts of how these people feel when they sit down (or stand up in the kitchen) to create. I find it gives me an uneasy feeling when I try to put into context the love, warmth and creative energy that food people put into their efforts and the use of the “word” “porn”.
And so, today, I formally state my position against the use of this term and hope that it will begin a string of efforts toward the elimination of this use. I frankly doubt that anything will happen as a result of this but I remain committed to trying. Perhaps a better term could be “food iconography”.
When people identify with their connection to a passion for food in the creative sense, I highly doubt that there is any imagery connected to the connotation of porn involved. (Sorry, I guess, to all people for which the word “porn” has a positive connotation. You are entitled to your own opinion, of course.) So, I hereby, as a majority of one, launch my protest against this term. Ok, you say, you get the point, so what is the purpose of this post today anyway? I guess I am just standing up for all people out there who love food, love to create and write about food and do not want their thoughts or photos of their creative life to be considered, in any way, associated with some genré which would be known as porn, or food porn. So, there. We are formally noted. And, Sarah, and anyone else dedicated to making a beautiful blog such as yours, I stand aligned with you, and in the gesture of artists everywhere, who share my sentiments and position. So, please, Huffington Post, Nik Shaffer, and others feeling compelled to perpetuate this unfortunate association, I humbly ask that you consider other phraseology – perhaps my suggestion of “food iconography” would be a much more suitable and civilized choice.
and so, in closing, just to reassure and reiterate for myself that the world is still alive and well, in other places:
does anyone know what this is? I have never seen this before
caribbean lobster tails at Edith’s yummmmmmm
And, thank you to PBS, Julian Fellowes, and all associated, for Season 4 of Downton Abbey, which will do so much to keep me sane over the next several weeks!!!!!
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