“And you tell me, friends, that there is
no disputing taste and tasting? But all life is a
dispute
over taste and tasting!” – Friedrich Nietzsche
Food writing has become a wildly popular
genre that’s not just about restaurant listings and recipe writing. These
days, the seemingly straightforward question of “What shall
we have for dinner?” has become incredibly complicated. Eating is
a political act, a cultural act, an ethical act. Perhaps
most importantly, eating is a very personal act. Some argue the
merits of writing about food as a literary genre. Others ask: “Can food be
art?” In any case, the explosion of online food writing is cultural phenomenon
worthy of discussion, and that is what this panel intends to do.
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Lobby of Drexel University Recreation
Center
Moderator: Jason Wilson, is the
author of “Boozehound: On the Trail of the Rare, the Obscure, and the Overrated
in Spirits.” Wilson edits TableMatters.com and
writes a weekly wine column for Philly.com.
At Drexel, he teaches writing and is the director of the Center for Cultural
Outreach. His new book, “Planet of the Grapes,” will be out in fall 2013.
Panelists:
Art Etchells founded Foobooz.com in 2006. The site started as a
hobby and progressed to an obsession and, finally, to a job. A Philadelphia
native, Etchells has a background in IT and considers himself a tweener, part
technical, part editorial and a Photoshop dabbler. In December, 2010 he sold
Foobooz to Philadelphia Magazine and stayed on as digital product manager. The
only food he won’t eat comes from McDonalds.
Michael Klein, editor/producer
for Philly.com/food, has
covered the dining scene in Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Inquirer and
Zagat Survey for 20 years.
Marisa McClellan is a food writer, canning
teacher, and dedicated farmers’ market shopper who lives in Center City
Philadelphia. Her first cookbook, Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches
Year-Round, is now available. Find more of her jams, pickles and preserves (all
cooked up in her 80-square-foot kitchen) at her blog, Food in Jars (www.foodinjars.com).