by Erin Schmiel

I have been noticing a lot of really odd to pretty disturbing displays of food art and food writing in magazines lately. Food writing and food art used to be the only the foray publications like Gourmet Magazine and their beautiful photography of gorgeous spreads of lovely meals or holiday dessert ideas.

Now, with magazines like Lucky Peach from McSweeny’s and MeatPaper (out of SanFransico) food art has gone a whole new route. Much of it is making a literal fashion statement with meat dresses, the philosophy of meat art, to creepy pig paintings in Jill Goodman’s art series, “Comment and Dissent” and one man’s quest for donuts, which is just great writing, with fun illustrations.

 

Dessert Ideas (from Gourmet.com)

Family-friendly and creative fun Halloween dessert ideas.

“Behind the Meat Dress” (from Meat Paper)

This is an interview with the designer and maker of the meat dress made for Lady Gaga by Franc Fernandez to wear at the 2010 Video Music Awards (VMA’s) awards. At first I thought it was a waste of food, but then I realized it was amazing: why not? Meat dresses! Food as a fashion statements.

“Carne Diem: What Food Art can tell us about Life and Death”  by Richard Fulmar (from Meat Paper)

This describes the purpose of food and art together in this article.

“Interview: John Crowley and Chris Adrian” (from Lucky Peach)

This is a goofy, boundary-bending magazine that mixes food and art at every turn like these pig head paintings by Jill Goodman, the tamer aspects of her art series, “Comment and Dissent.” The pig portrait is in included in this interview in Lucky Peach. See also the Gender Issue (Cover) from Lucky Peach shows off the sexy side of food.

“Richard Parks on Donuts” (from The Lucky Peach)

This depicts Parks journey through donut shop after donut shop. This is experiential writing at it’s very delicious and thoughtful.