Food writers and the recession

by Emily Matchar, Posted Apr 23rd 2008 @ 3:00PM

Writing in Slate, Sara Dickerman complains about how, despite the looming recession and sky-high food price inflation, food writers continue to rhapsodize over black truffles and $24 a pound Papillon Roquefort, without even a nod towards the fact that these ingredients cost more than many people's weekly food budgets. Any cookbook that mentions cost tends to be the kind of retro, housewifely home ec treatise that recommends things like sloppy joes and cabbage stew. Why not combine price-consciousness with foodie flair, Dickerman wonders?

Over at Salon, the always-hilarious Heather Havrilesky writes about the recession and the comforts of coupon clipping and worrying over the price of a $1 bag of dried navy beans. In hard times, people will need to get back to basics, quit obsessing about the origin of their organic lambs lettuce, return to crock pot cooking and making do. Maybe Dickerman can combine her food savvy with Havrilesky's thrift and write a cookbook?

Source

Filed Under: Magazines, Raves & Reviews
Tags: america, budget, economy, money, recipes

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

4-24-2008 @1:47PM Dean said... I love all this talk of recession... Prices are high because of oil companies wanting to retain their percentage profits, and corn is going through the roof because of mandated bio-fuel... yes.

But a recession is when six straight months of down-turn happens. That hasn't happened. We're not even close. (There are those out there that WANT it to happen or be one right now, but that's a just political lying and grandstanding. I don't think that's the intent here).

I mean, look at companies like Apple... Profits are through the roof.

People love to sling that word "recession" around... Just use it correctly, OK?
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4-24-2008 @1:17PM kevin said... I write a twice-monthy column for Gather.com named Paisano where I focus on peasant dishes -- often cheap, but really good food from a number of culinary traditions. My most recent column is here:

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977330605

And features chicken marinated in yogurt and sumac. Wonderful stuff!
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