9.14.2011

Cooking and Eating...Together



Gatherings via Kinfolk Journal...

“…We recognize that there is something about a table shared by friends, not just a wedding or once-a-year holiday extravaganza that anchors our relationships and energizes us….We have come together to create Kinfolk as our collaborative way of advocating the natural approach to entertaining that we love…consistent with the way we feel entertaining should be: simple, uncomplicated, and less contrived…”

Kinfolk Magazine Manifesto








Previous four images from The Selby: Alice Waters 40th anniversary celebration + The Edible Selby dinner in Brooklyn


Heather Taylor's new webisode series...

It goes without saying that all sorts of magical occurrences are possible when you bring people together over food. It's a powerful thing to create and share a meal with others. It forces collaboration and openness and a bit of humility... When you eat with others you expose your likes and dislikes and habits, you meet a basic human need while also (hopefully) experiencing one of the great human pleasures. It's primal and necessary.

And good food just spurs conversation... Almost all of the juiciest bits of info and the deepest wells of knowledge seem to get shared over the breaking of bread.

I’ve mentioned several times in this space my love of creating and sharing a meal with friends…One of my all-time favorite things to do is entertain at our house, but when you can do it in a collaborative way, with everyone pitching in to create something special and delicious, it produces a really lovely camaraderie.

From a simple family dinner where we clink glasses and share the best part of our day to my friend Buck’s tradition of having a group dance party/clean-up after her (frequent) large and raucous dinner parties, I think this act of "collaborative" cooking and eating is restorative and essential.

There are some really fantastic things happening on the interwebs of late that celebrate this idea of food as the catalyst for a sort of intimacy between people. I'm in love with Heather's new webisodes on L.A. in Bloom celebrating her love of cozy cooking and entertaining...They are so, so good. Similarly, I'm a bit obsessed with the (relatively) new online and print magazine Kinfolk, as it reveres the simple gathering, infusing it with a well-deserved meaning and specialness. (I just snapped up a print version of the magazine in its second run.)

And then there's the matter of Todd Selby's photographs of Alice Waters' 40th anniversary dinners for Chez Panisse, which are sort of blowing my mind... Can you imagine the conversations happening, the ideas being hatched, the awesomeness blooming at those dinners? I've looked at those images countless times in an attempt to soak-up some of that cozy, foodie goodness through photographic osmosis.

Here's hoping...

11 comments:

Brittany said...

it's a food revolution! i'm so glad to see this movement of food-as-togetherness. it's almost funny though because, 100 years ago, that's just WHAT YOU DID. you ate together. now it's such a rarity that when it happens, people get positively ECSTATIC.

Maryli said...

I love this perspective on food too. I'm obsessed with it. Kinfolk has totally readjusted my attitude towards entertaining at my home...

Joslyn said...

Bee -- you're spot on...it is what you did even when i was a kid (less than 100 years ago ;-)

sad that it seems so novel now, but good nonetheless that it's making a "comeback"!

ox

Heather Taylor said...

Awww thank you so much for including me! So glad you like the webisodes. Means a lot!

Chelsea said...

I hear you. I love this post. Eating good food with friends and/or inspiring people is my favorite thing in life.

We Blog Artists said...

totally...my Life has always revolved around food,friends and family...it's the BEST way!

hugs
Char.x

PJ said...

ah, this makes me so glad to be off to a picnic dinner/concert in the park tomorrow! it's a simple equation, right? a late-summer evening + a blanket on the grass + good food + friends + music = joy.

Dallas Shaw said...

such great photos. Really looks like such a nice time
dallas
http://dillydallas.blogspot.com

Megan Taylor said...

I love how food brings people together!

Welcome! said...

i love this post! i don't know if i've said hi yet but i've been reading your blog for a few months and just adore it. so, hi and thanks for writing really inspiring and creative posts. x, kate!

Woking Girl said...

This is my very favorite blog. I check it first of all each day, and so it was a great surprise to see myself sat at the table in this first shot. I ordered the new Kinfolk mag after this lovely post. I'm from England and roasty dinner gatherings on long tables with friends is my idea of happiness.
Thank you for keeping me inspired daily!