I'm not a rich woman by any means, although I suppose that's a relative statement. I don't own a car or a house or even have an insurance policy, but I eat very well, live with an enormous amount of beauty and kindness, and have a pretty terrific set of friends and family and neighbors. Still, there's not a lot of extra cash in my life for things like vacations or the latest tech gadget or party dresses. So when a neighbor gave me a year's worth of old Saveur and Bon Appetit magazines, it was quite the treat. I stashed the glossy pile in a shelf near my bed, anticipating the joy of working my way through their rich and bountiful pages.
The pile sat untouched for a while, though, as I'm a bit out of the habit of reading magazines. But a few days ago, I randomly pick up an issue (Saveur, August/September 2011) and sat down for a few minutes to take a look. I turned the pages slowly (savoring the Saveur!) and was immediately immersed in its lush, glossy realms, foraging for mushrooms in China and breaking fast in the United Arab Emirates. There were pages and pages of all kinds of pesto, a gorgeous array of salsas, and an equally gorgeous selection of rums recommended for sipping or mixing. I was particularly happy to read about my neighbors in California's Central Valley, the most productive agricultural region on the planet!
After a while, though, I started to wonder about overexposure and saturation, thinking about how I used to subscribe to at least two or three different monthly magazines, sometimes more. I remembered how I would 'read' them by briskly flipping through, barely pausing to take note and gobbling up the pages like a fast food burger eaten behind the wheel at 80mph. I'd been on a magazine fast for almost two years and it was probably the lack of exposure that made the Aug/Sept 2011 issue of Saveur feel like it held more than enough information and inspiration for a lifetime.
I eyed the stack of remaining magazines next to my bed and wondered if I even needed them now. Perhaps I could make a vow to cook only from the Aug/Sept 2011 issue of Saveur for the rest of my life. Wouldn't that be fascinating? Even just one single year would be an interesting lesson in how many recipes, how many beautiful photographs, how many informative articles a body really needs to be healthy and happy. And of course, much of the world survives quite nicely on a handful, it not less, of recipes and dishes. Surely I could do the same?
As a thought experiment, the Aug/Sept-2011-issue-of-Saveur-for-the-rest-of-my-life is an interesting one and well with considering. But the truth is, I probably don't need to go through it to understand its deepest lessons of austerity and appreciation. The tension between the spare, monk-like life of simplicity and the intricate, riotous appeal of plentifulness is a rich and interesting territory. I've had the opportunity to explore both extremes and it seems to me that a life lived somewhere in the middle is a good place to be.
This tale of the August/September 2011 Issue of Saveur Magazine isn't over but I suspect I know where it is going. I'll read and absorb what I can from my wondrous pile of magazines and then hopefully I'll find someone to pass them on to, someone who can learn and appreciate them and maybe pass them on as well.
Related: Saying Goodbye To Cooking Magazines
(Image: Dana Velden)
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A life lived in the middle is the one to live indeed. Lovely post, Dana. It is a coincidence that I'm learning how to read magazines again too.
With the demise of Gourmet, I said goodbye to cooking magazines for good. I don't expect I'll pick one up again - most seem to be either 30-minute meals type magazines full of shortcuts and processed ingredients, or exotic or haute cuisine. Neither of which I actually cook. I'll stick to The Kitchn, I think. That's magazine enough for me.
This was a wonderful read. I find I don't have the time or resources to cook out of the one magazine I subscribe to (Cooks Illustrated). I can't imagine subscribing to more. I read food blogs like nobody's business, which provide me with more tempting recipes than I could never imagine making.
A great read on a cold sunday evening here in Belgium.
Great post.
I live a simple-ish life. I'm retired at age 57, I live in a rural community with only a slow internet connecction available, I don't buy fancy clothes, wear make-up, drive a fancy vehicle or participate in a lot of the consumer culture.
When I read a magazine these days, I find I'm "fighting" with it. The ads are subversive but, of course, the editorial content supports the ads. The other day I bought the current issue of Real Simple. One might think this would be "my" sort of magazine, but not so. For one thing, the ads are the same as any other glossy woman's magazine -- make-up, expensive clothes, unnecessary cleaning products, convenience foods. But what really got me was the ads "masquerading" as editorial content. Yes, at the top or bottom of the page, it says "Advertisement" but the layout of the ads matches the layout of the articles. You have to be on the ball to tell one from the other.
So I find I'm more satisfied with the life I've chosen if I simply avoid magazines, along with mainstream TV.
How much do I need this new thing? Am I taking full advantage of what is already before me? Yes. These are questions I need to be asking more often.
Like mdorothy, I am a boomer (about to turn sixty) and like her, I am pretty dropped out of the American culture (ditto on the tv bit). I was able to retire from a fast paced, media-steeped, graphic design career well over a decade ago. At the time I was receiving an ungodly number of magazines (many free due to my profession) that I mostly skimmed and sometimes lingered over before they were passed on or recycled. They were a significant source of inspiration for creativity on demand, which is challenging to churn out year after year.
When I quit the rat race for a more soul satisfying job, I turned off all the subscriptions along with donating all the suits. Directing a large nonprofit for a pittance in tee shirts and chinos proved to be heaven but mostly for how it invited a reassessment of everything in the face of folks who had so little.
Over time and without much effort, we scaled way back so that time and people became the priority. All that comes with rampant capitalism suddenly looked remarkably unappealing. In its totality, this shift was radical enough to actually cost us some friends but we said "oh well" as we viewed that as just another reduction of excess.
I occasionally pick up a magazine offered in an office or salon but I find, like mdorothy, the design is such that it kills interest. Whenever I've miss a certain publication, I just look up their website and imbibe for free for a few minutes. It is enough.
From this graphics professional's point of view, magazines are not skinny books. One is certainly not expected to read every page or even look at every photo. They are more like cocktail parties than books. One should keep moving and linger only where there is real interest.
A magazine's use-by date expires slower than a newspaper but they do get dated so peruse and pass them on .... trusting there are plenty of fabulous (free too) sources of inspiration in the world. If that proves challenging, it may help to remember that keeping old magazines is how more than a few folks started down the primrose path of hoarding without realizing it.
I chose to subscribe to Saveur when I got one of those magazine deals. My subscription lapsed, but I'm about to renew it. No, I don't cook out of it that often, but the articles are lovely and evocative. It is some of the best food and travel writing I've ever read. I can't afford to travel often, so I travel by reading. Saveur is one of the best things for this.
I am in complete agreement with mdorothy and suzemagoo...
if my sister didn't pass on a few magazines I wouldn't read any.
Too much stuff you don't need...too many convenience items - both food and otherwise.
Who's going to care about your "stuff" when you're gone?
i love a well-designed magazine of any kind, and our food mags here in australia are pretty magnificent. i love the colour and inspiration and when you tag all the pages, even if you know you'll probably never make anything. i'm an editor, so i do know how to employ critical thinking, but ... i love the day dreaming with a good mag.
send the pile my way when you've finished with them!
I love Dana's posts. My favourite part of AT.
I have a room dedicated to my cookbooks...Perhaps I really need to rethink that whole thing..Boatloads of Bon Appetit and Gourmets, taste of home, cooks illustrated, cooks country....not to mention the hardcover books...maybe it's time to purge some of it after all.
This is why I am only subscribed to Lucky Peach - it only comes 4x per year, so I have a full 3 months to absorb it before cutting out the recipes (and any particularly nice pictures) and recycling it.
Suzemagoo, I'd love to sit down for a drink with you. I feel like you would have a ton of wisdom to pass on.
I enjoy cookbooks, but I find them hit or miss in terms of my financial investment in them. Magazines offer relatively little financial investment (let's say $15 a year vs. $20 a cookbook) and flexibility. I was part of the switchover to Bon Appetit after Gourmet folded (sigh) and found that even if the current issue of Bon Appetit didn't have a ton of dishes I wanted to cook, it was so cheap (relative to buying a whole cookbook) that I didn't mind.
I love a well-designed cookbook, but a lot of them focus so much on the visuals that they don't give good recipes or good fundamentals. It's one of the reasons why I like Cooks Illustrated so much. Once you learn the fundamentals, you can do anything. A lot of recipes ignore this and go for the cheap and easy route.
Thanks Kristina. I believe it would be a mutually satisfying exchange -- just like we sometimes do with Christmas cookies : )