Last week I read a piece by Meghan Daum, an author I love, that spoke to our obsession with technology in a witty, sarcastic way. The content itself was nothing new--nothing you haven't heard before. She spoke about our 'there's an app. for that' culture and our fixation and attachment to our mobile devices. The solution she jokingly came up with: create an app that effectively turns off your mobile device until self-reflection has truly been achieved, giving you an enforced breath of fresh air. Now while I can't guarantee the following publications will do just that, I will say there's something about print. And it delights me to no end that there are still small food publications out there doing their thing in this very difficult, very online media-driven society we now live in. So Happy New Year and get reading ya'll! Let's ring in 2011 by turning a few pages.
Image from 3191 Quarterly
1) Fire and Knives is dubbed "new writing for food lovers." Former Guardian food-blogger Tim Hayward's London-based quarterly gives established and new writers alike an outlet to write about and publish pieces on what they love most: food. And it's often difficult to find long-form stories these days in small print publications, but that's not the case here. You'll find long stories, great photo essays and random but endearing tributes and diatribes touching on a variety of food cultures. The publishers are adamant about not having an online version of the publication, but you can subscribe to the charming, small-sized, matte quarterly and get it in the mail. The old-fashioned way.
2) 3191 Quarterly It's a bit of a stretch to call 3191 Quarterly a "food publication" but I'm putting it here anyway because it's so much about our everyday life and food is so inherently intertwined within that. This publication is from Stephanie and Maria, the gals who bring you the brilliant blog, 3191 Miles Apart. The gist of the blog? Each woman is from Portland (one in Maine, the other in Oregon) and post images and thoughts every Friday "about simple living and our current inspirations". So it's not surprising that in their seasonal quarterly publication, you'll find beautiful photographs and pieces on domestic life, food and drink, travel, hopes/dreams, family, and the everyday minutae that make up our daily lives.
3) Sweet Paul began as a food blog and now they do a quarterly magazine which you can actually view in its entirety online (current Issue). For those of you paper-lovers out there (myself included), you can also buy a print version. Begun by Paul Lowe, New York food and prop stylist, the food photography here is, as expected, stunning and soulful. And the content is rich and inspired: the most recent issue covered everything from unexpected gift wrapping ideas to creating beautiful woven lamp shades or baking homemade treats for your pooch.