Although, here at Spoon, we like to pride ourselves as Northwestern’s premier source for all things food, there are a plethora of eclectic, well-written and informative food magazines out there that are well worth the read. Below, find a complete list of the trendiest food literature around.
Lucky Peach
This publication is a colorful and edgy quarterly food journal that covers a different topic in each issue. Published by McSweeney’s in San Francisco, the magazine is only available for purchase online. The issues’ themes have ranged from ‘American Food’ to ‘Chinatown.’ A recent article, titled “The Apocalypse,” provides recommendations on how to stock your bomb shelters when the world ends.
Photo courtesy of The Lucky Peach
Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture
Since 2001, this magazine has used food as a way to study different cultures and societies around the world. Its goal is to explore every facet of society that food influences, such as literature and history. Each issue explores a wide variety of topics — past articles have been written about everything from the selection of food at the 1939 World’s Fair to the foods provided at many women’s music festivals.
Photo courtesy of charliestudio.com
Diner Journal
Published by a prominent Brooklyn restauranteur, this magazine is quarterly, ad-free and includes original art, recipes and prose on every page. Each three-hole punched issue contains recipes like “bone marrow toast and lobster salad” with meticulously drawn sketches. Check it out if you’re looking to cook a bit outside your comfort zone or are seeking a bit of Brooklyn flair in Evanston.
Photo courtesy of loveloup.blogspot.com
White Zinfandel
If the trippy website doesn’t tip you off, its content surely will. This biannual publication is committed to engaging its readers in an experiment of combining food and art to evoke unpredictable cravings, reactions and interests. Each issue has a food “theme” and features dinner curated by a chef. While you must subscribe to see past issues, the website is worth a look.
Photo courtesy of ashleyrawlings.com
The Runcible Spoon
Founded in 2010 in Washington, D.C., The Runcible Spoon is a colorful and creative quarterly magazine dedicated to exploring the joy of eating through recipes, collage and prose. Each issue has unique content; the most recent is dedicated to breakfast. You can access the issues in full on the website.
Photo courtesy of behance.net
Graze
Based in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, this semi-annual publication explores not only food itself, but also the people who eat it. Graze is a literary magazine; it has no recipes or restaurant reviews, but instead is dedicated exclusively to using food as a way of seeing politics, relationships, places and events. Graze is unique, geographically relevant and ripe with food for thought.
Photo courtesy of grazemagazine.org