Since beginning this blog – and the course at UTS – just three years ago, the world has changed dramatically. Back then, it seemed necessary to remind people that food was a political subject. Today, with 800 million people hungry and over one billion overweight, with food riots in the Middle East and Africa, and crops that could be used to feed the starving being diverted to make biofuel to keep the cars of the wealthy on the road – it’s bleeding obvious.
Which makes writing about food in all its forms a rapidly growing and increasingly important branch of journalism, a discipline that demands the contribution of the senses, the intellect and the enquiring and sceptical mind.
The course is designed to increase students’ sensual appreciation of food and their ability to communicate this; to understand the political and social implications of food and –increrasingly importantly – agriculture in the twentieth century and to offer a brief introduction to the historical background. And to help those who need it, to develop their journalistic skills: assume nothing, ask everything.
The course also includes a component on critical writing, especially as it relates to restaurant criticism, recipe writing, and an all important session on how to sell your writing.
“It is possible to imagine” writes Felipe Fernández- Armesto in his book Food A History, “an economy without money and reproduction without love, but not life without food.” It is an all consuming subject, one that refuses to stay in a single box. Food, its distribution, depiction and effects can also be found in the study of such disparate disciplines as economics, medicine, science, increasingly politics and, often, art.
Food is a political topic because it covers health, human rights (culinary philosopher Michael Symons has pointed out that two most basic human rights are, one, the right to eat, and two, the right to choose what we eat), the economy, culture, and tourism. How many wars have been started from squabbles over land? Land to grow food.
All this means that when the next thing that you put in your mouth – or don’t – could kill, maim, sicken or delight you, the food writer can never ever say “I don’t know what to write about.”
If, after reading these posts you would like to register for the next short course, follow the link to UTS, and type Writing About Food into the Search box. Alternately, email me, John Newton, at jnewton@newtricious.com.au
