Bon appetit

I love food writing. I cannot say that enough. I read a book once called The Tomato in America: early history, cookery, and culture and I still talk about the randomness that I learned. Even more than food writing, I love eating and drinking (not to the excess that I once did in another life, far, far away) and talking about food. So of course, I was devastated when Conde Nast discontinued Gourmet magazine. And then, when Bon Appetit's first cover after the loss of Gourmet featured a skillet with a Taste of Home-esque meal, I was disappointed they did not step up to Gourmet's standards. However, this month's cover (a gorgeous chili-glazed Salmon with sugar snap peas and greens) is an improvement over the prior issue's homely skillet.

The gourmet-loving public does not need any more magazines with home-style suggestions. We've rediscovered a love of taste, of real food grown with real labor and prepared by real hands. We need region-specific articles, ads from local suppliers, and a way to communicate the difficulties and rewards of a locavore lifestyle. And now I'll conclude this post while I fantasize about establishing my own publication...