It's not even about the food
Editor's Note for Issue 5
Necessities create complexities. We need water to survive; Ganges River pilgrimages and the Hoover Dam exist. We need sex to reproduce; millions of years later, “It’s complicated!” shows up on Facebook as a relationship option. We need food to fuel our very existence; deep-fried Twinkies, stinky tofu, and kale smoothies compete for our attention.
But in this fifth issue of The Apostrophe, it is clear that it’s not even about the food.
Food in writing is, above all, a metaphor for human emotions, for the constraints we place upon ourselves (or that are placed on us), and for our perspectives on every other part of life.
In A Fistful of Feet, global tragedy and family relationships are transformed by food. Tomato Heart is about anything but tomatoes (for the record: sun-dried tomatoes are delicious, and I’m not sure I want to live in a world without them). Meanwhile, the savor of plum and the aroma of coffee are only alluded to in the mystical dawn of 5:45 AM in Kennedy Town. In Delhi Belly, biology competes with identity upon the battlefield of the table. And in Written in the Stars, it is man’s hubris that renders him food for the fishes.
One of the ways we celebrate food is by exploring the many ramifications of its place in our lives. It is when the outcome surprises us that we know our journey is a success.
Issue 5 of The Apostrophe will be published starting on June 1, 2024 - one piece per day, with the full PDF version published on the final day.