The New York Times covers making your own junk food.
For Andres.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Final Portfolio
Due: no later than Thursday, March 15, 8 p.m. on your blog
Final revision of Perfect Meal essay
Optional: revision of restaurant review or memoir
Process Writing (see description below)
What is a portfolio?
Most simply, a portfolio is a way of containing your work for presentation and assessment. It represents you as a writer in this particular class—your current interests, your development as you reworked and revised your work, and your range as a budding food and travel writer. It’s like an artist’s portfolio or a portfolio a photographer might take to a job interview. But in your case, it contains pieces of writing instead of watercolors or photographs, and it’s online in the form of your blog.
What is process writing?
Process writing describes the process you went through when drafting and revising your pieces, and the thinking about yourself as a writer that you engaged in when preparing the portfolio. The jargon for this kind of writing is “metacognition”—thinking about thinking. That makes it sound heavy, but it’s actually relaxing and enjoyable, writing that celebrates the completion of your work for the course.
“What works best is simply to record what actually happened [as you reported, wrote and revised your work], with as much honesty and detail as possible—and with a spirit of calm, benign acceptance of yourself. That is, you aren’t trying to judge yourself or prove anything or reach big conclusions—just to find our what actually goes on when you write” (Elbow and Belanoff, A Community of Writers 12-13).
You don’t have to answer all these questions, but here are some points to think about as you do your process writing:
How did you discover a process for writing each piece?
When were you frustrated?
What were your breakthroughs?
What are the important changes you made throughout the quarter with each draft and workshop?
How did you decide what to write about and what was your writing and research process like?
When were readers’ comments useful?
When did you find your own way to solve a problem rather than following the suggestion of your readers? Why did this seem to work better?
When did you disagree with readers? Why?
What did writing for this course teach you about yourself?
Be as personal and colloquial as you wish—it’s essentially writing you’re doing for yourself, though the class and I will be reading it, too. Like part three of your final assignment, word count is up to you.
Important: I will not give you a final grade for the class unless you’ve included process writing—it’s not optional!
Note: if you feel uncomfortable publishing your process writing on the blog or you prefer that I be the sole reader of your piece, you may simply email it to me as a WORD file by 8 p.m. on March 15.
Final revision of Perfect Meal essay
Optional: revision of restaurant review or memoir
Process Writing (see description below)
What is a portfolio?
Most simply, a portfolio is a way of containing your work for presentation and assessment. It represents you as a writer in this particular class—your current interests, your development as you reworked and revised your work, and your range as a budding food and travel writer. It’s like an artist’s portfolio or a portfolio a photographer might take to a job interview. But in your case, it contains pieces of writing instead of watercolors or photographs, and it’s online in the form of your blog.
What is process writing?
Process writing describes the process you went through when drafting and revising your pieces, and the thinking about yourself as a writer that you engaged in when preparing the portfolio. The jargon for this kind of writing is “metacognition”—thinking about thinking. That makes it sound heavy, but it’s actually relaxing and enjoyable, writing that celebrates the completion of your work for the course.
“What works best is simply to record what actually happened [as you reported, wrote and revised your work], with as much honesty and detail as possible—and with a spirit of calm, benign acceptance of yourself. That is, you aren’t trying to judge yourself or prove anything or reach big conclusions—just to find our what actually goes on when you write” (Elbow and Belanoff, A Community of Writers 12-13).
You don’t have to answer all these questions, but here are some points to think about as you do your process writing:
How did you discover a process for writing each piece?
When were you frustrated?
What were your breakthroughs?
What are the important changes you made throughout the quarter with each draft and workshop?
How did you decide what to write about and what was your writing and research process like?
When were readers’ comments useful?
When did you find your own way to solve a problem rather than following the suggestion of your readers? Why did this seem to work better?
When did you disagree with readers? Why?
What did writing for this course teach you about yourself?
Be as personal and colloquial as you wish—it’s essentially writing you’re doing for yourself, though the class and I will be reading it, too. Like part three of your final assignment, word count is up to you.
Important: I will not give you a final grade for the class unless you’ve included process writing—it’s not optional!
Note: if you feel uncomfortable publishing your process writing on the blog or you prefer that I be the sole reader of your piece, you may simply email it to me as a WORD file by 8 p.m. on March 15.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Bittman on London's Indian food, French hot dogs, food and memory in Afghanistan, the gift of good salumi
I've encountered so many terrific food and travel pieces in the New York Times lately I just had to share.
From the Sunday travel section, my beloved Mark Bittman reviews affordable Indian restaurants in London.
From yesterday's Dining section:
A French Chef's take on the hot dog
Sips of Home, Bites of Memory: In a war-torn land, a correspondent finds solace in food
Would you try offal in a hot dog form? My grandmother always said hot dogs were made of "lips and a**holes" anyway. . . .
And what do you think of Rubin's ruminations on being a war correspondent in Kabul and the importance of comfort food to feeling safe?
Last but not least, here's A Map of Your Taste Buds Shaped Like Italy, a three-star review of a NYC Italian restaurant. Note how little he writes about ambiance and how much he writes about the food. So many of your reviews look so much the same in terms of structure. What would it look like for each of you to focus on a particular thing and allow that to drive your reviews?
From the Sunday travel section, my beloved Mark Bittman reviews affordable Indian restaurants in London.
From yesterday's Dining section:
A French Chef's take on the hot dog
Sips of Home, Bites of Memory: In a war-torn land, a correspondent finds solace in food
Would you try offal in a hot dog form? My grandmother always said hot dogs were made of "lips and a**holes" anyway. . . .
And what do you think of Rubin's ruminations on being a war correspondent in Kabul and the importance of comfort food to feeling safe?
Last but not least, here's A Map of Your Taste Buds Shaped Like Italy, a three-star review of a NYC Italian restaurant. Note how little he writes about ambiance and how much he writes about the food. So many of your reviews look so much the same in terms of structure. What would it look like for each of you to focus on a particular thing and allow that to drive your reviews?
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Your next assignment--in three parts
Your restaurant review assignment has three parts.
1. The expectation and anticipation: 500 words
Choose a restaurant to review. Choose a restaurant that serves food that represents a “vivid entryway into another culture” for you (Long 1), and that may be a kind of travel or border crossing for you personally. Write a blog post of 500 words or more evaluating your expectations of and assumptions about the experience. What personal experiences or baggage from the past influence what you think will happen in terms of the dining experience? What are your worries or concerns, hopes and desires for the meal? Reference any pertinent readings (including CYOA, classmates’ blog posts, more formal readings for the course, etc.) and conversations (in class or online via blogs) in this informal, conversational essay. Post to your blog BEFORE you go to the restaurant. The audience for this piece is, indeed, this class. (Also, rather than post a list of restaurants in the area, I'm going to let you do a little reporting on that, and we can brainstorm in class as well.)
2. The review: 1000 words
Using the restaurant reviews we're reading for Tuesday as a model, write a well-reasoned and –argued, structurally sound, utterly readable if not downright entertaining review of the restaurant you chose.
In terms of PROCESS, do background research on the restaurant and the cuisine, take notes (and maybe photos) during the meal, think long and hard about what you have to say about the experience (both the food and the place/ambiance), find a place (aka “The Butt”) on the pan-to-rave continuum where you stand, start to develop the thesis, the main points you’ll argue to support “The Butt.”
With regard to ORGANIZING/WRITING, make sure your piece has clear elements: thesis, point of view, an effective lead, evidence to support your claims, a conclusion that leaves a lasting impression, etc.). Also, provide perspective/context/background/research and analysis. Build your case and do it as artfully and appropriately for your intended audience as you can. (We'll talk more about the elements of a good review in class next week.)
Choose an intended publication and state it before the lead of your piece.
3. The evaluation
I will give you this part of the assignment after workshop. Don’t worry about it. It will be pleasant and informal and written for the class on your blog, much as the first part of the assignment.
1. The expectation and anticipation: 500 words
Choose a restaurant to review. Choose a restaurant that serves food that represents a “vivid entryway into another culture” for you (Long 1), and that may be a kind of travel or border crossing for you personally. Write a blog post of 500 words or more evaluating your expectations of and assumptions about the experience. What personal experiences or baggage from the past influence what you think will happen in terms of the dining experience? What are your worries or concerns, hopes and desires for the meal? Reference any pertinent readings (including CYOA, classmates’ blog posts, more formal readings for the course, etc.) and conversations (in class or online via blogs) in this informal, conversational essay. Post to your blog BEFORE you go to the restaurant. The audience for this piece is, indeed, this class. (Also, rather than post a list of restaurants in the area, I'm going to let you do a little reporting on that, and we can brainstorm in class as well.)
2. The review: 1000 words
Using the restaurant reviews we're reading for Tuesday as a model, write a well-reasoned and –argued, structurally sound, utterly readable if not downright entertaining review of the restaurant you chose.
In terms of PROCESS, do background research on the restaurant and the cuisine, take notes (and maybe photos) during the meal, think long and hard about what you have to say about the experience (both the food and the place/ambiance), find a place (aka “The Butt”) on the pan-to-rave continuum where you stand, start to develop the thesis, the main points you’ll argue to support “The Butt.”
With regard to ORGANIZING/WRITING, make sure your piece has clear elements: thesis, point of view, an effective lead, evidence to support your claims, a conclusion that leaves a lasting impression, etc.). Also, provide perspective/context/background/research and analysis. Build your case and do it as artfully and appropriately for your intended audience as you can. (We'll talk more about the elements of a good review in class next week.)
Choose an intended publication and state it before the lead of your piece.
3. The evaluation
I will give you this part of the assignment after workshop. Don’t worry about it. It will be pleasant and informal and written for the class on your blog, much as the first part of the assignment.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Assignment for 6th week Thursday, as promised
A review from today's New York Times by Pete Wells, the paper's current restaurant critic.
Even though his stint was short as the food critic for the New York Times, we're going to take a look at some of Sam Sifton's work:
Because the Fat Lady has to Eat
Osteria Morini
Il Matto
Kenmare, which gets zero stars
Sifton on how to eat for a living and stay healthy doing it
Sifton's My Life in Food
Round One Q&A
Round Two
Round Three
Round Four
and just for fun, To Catch a Critic
And a little from the West Coast, Los Angeles, to be exact:
Jonathan Gold takes on a food court
Jonathan Gold swoons for this joint
A different kind of review from the L.A. Times
How about from a European food critic?
Advice to a 10-year-old aspiring food critic
And just for kicks, let's let Twitter (and HuffPo) show us who's important in the world of restaurant criticism
Enjoy, meander, play around and discover what piques your interest. Make sure to read for craft--pick apart what each critic is up to in his/her reviews and how they go about achieving their effects for better or for worse. Learn from them. We'll discuss what makes a review a review and what separates a bad review from a mediocre review from a fantastic review.
Above all, enjoy!
Even though his stint was short as the food critic for the New York Times, we're going to take a look at some of Sam Sifton's work:
Because the Fat Lady has to Eat
Osteria Morini
Il Matto
Kenmare, which gets zero stars
Sifton on how to eat for a living and stay healthy doing it
Sifton's My Life in Food
Round One Q&A
Round Two
Round Three
Round Four
and just for fun, To Catch a Critic
And a little from the West Coast, Los Angeles, to be exact:
Jonathan Gold takes on a food court
Jonathan Gold swoons for this joint
A different kind of review from the L.A. Times
How about from a European food critic?
Advice to a 10-year-old aspiring food critic
And just for kicks, let's let Twitter (and HuffPo) show us who's important in the world of restaurant criticism
Enjoy, meander, play around and discover what piques your interest. Make sure to read for craft--pick apart what each critic is up to in his/her reviews and how they go about achieving their effects for better or for worse. Learn from them. We'll discuss what makes a review a review and what separates a bad review from a mediocre review from a fantastic review.
Above all, enjoy!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Workshop 1 lineup
Tuesday (posted on blog by Sunday at 8 p.m.):
Darrin
Charlotte
Andres
Daniel
Cassie
Brian
Julie
Thursday (posted on blog by Tuesday at 8 p.m.):
Zac
Kira
Shelby
Matt
Maria
Justina
Darrin
Charlotte
Andres
Daniel
Cassie
Brian
Julie
Thursday (posted on blog by Tuesday at 8 p.m.):
Zac
Kira
Shelby
Matt
Maria
Justina
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Memoir prompts, as promised
To get the juices flowing (so to speak) on your memoir assignment, here are some possible entry points:
1. Use the scene you began in class about a kitchen from your childhood to explore food, memory and one of your places of origin.
2. After "Stealing Buddha's Dinner," write about a food obsession of yours.
3. After "A Cook's Tour," "[t]hink about the last time food transported you" (10) and write about it.
4. Write about a memory of your first time with a new food, a time when you experienced a completely new flavor. What effect did it have on you?
5. Write about a longing for food that speaks to a bigger, deeper longing.
6. Write about an experience of giving up food--a particular kind of food, a particular amount, food in general--of denying yourself food.
7. Write about a time when you felt different because of the food you ate.
8. Write about "site-specific" food or things you've cooked in conjunction with other activities, perhaps inspired by Jane Kramer. Or write about food you have--or would--travel for, like Bourdain and French Laundry. "I like the idea of having to travel to experience a French Laundry meal. The journey is part of the experience--or was for me--an expression of the seriousness of one's intent . . . " (251).
These are just starting points to get you going. Feel free to write from any other place in the universe as long as it speaks to food and travel.
Whatever you write, keep an eye toward crafting scene, developing character and voice, using dialogue, allowing yourself to meander and wander into the recesses of your mind as well as inform the reader about things s/he may not be familiar with. And have fun!
1. Use the scene you began in class about a kitchen from your childhood to explore food, memory and one of your places of origin.
2. After "Stealing Buddha's Dinner," write about a food obsession of yours.
3. After "A Cook's Tour," "[t]hink about the last time food transported you" (10) and write about it.
4. Write about a memory of your first time with a new food, a time when you experienced a completely new flavor. What effect did it have on you?
5. Write about a longing for food that speaks to a bigger, deeper longing.
6. Write about an experience of giving up food--a particular kind of food, a particular amount, food in general--of denying yourself food.
7. Write about a time when you felt different because of the food you ate.
8. Write about "site-specific" food or things you've cooked in conjunction with other activities, perhaps inspired by Jane Kramer. Or write about food you have--or would--travel for, like Bourdain and French Laundry. "I like the idea of having to travel to experience a French Laundry meal. The journey is part of the experience--or was for me--an expression of the seriousness of one's intent . . . " (251).
These are just starting points to get you going. Feel free to write from any other place in the universe as long as it speaks to food and travel.
Whatever you write, keep an eye toward crafting scene, developing character and voice, using dialogue, allowing yourself to meander and wander into the recesses of your mind as well as inform the reader about things s/he may not be familiar with. And have fun!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
When Foodies hook up with non-Foodies
I found this article from the Wall Street Journal pretty interesting.
Have you ever had to negotiate this sort of thing in a relationship? What do you think?
Have you ever had to negotiate this sort of thing in a relationship? What do you think?
Monday, January 9, 2012
CYOA schedule
Our first CYOA assignment is up! Make sure to check out Andres' blog to prepare for discussion tomorrow (in addition to Stealing Buddha's Dinner, of course).
For the rest of the quarter, know that you'll have to check the following people's blogs in preparation for class on the specified dates:
Week 2
Th 1/12 Shelby
Week 3
T 1/17 Brian
Th 1/19 Matt
Week 5
T 1/31 Maria
Th 2/2 Zac
Week 6
T 2/7 Kira, Justina
Th 2/9 Daniel
Week 8
T 2/21 Darrin
Th 2/23 Julie
Week 9
T 2/28 Charlotte
Th 3/1 Cassie
Does that look correct to everyone?
Looking forward to seeing you Tuesday!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Up and Running!
Here are sites to get you started in your CYOA assignment:*Gourmet's favorite food sites
*Bon Appetit magazine online
*Food and Travel magazine online
*The New Yorker online has a terrific search function in which you can find even more recent food pieces than the ones collected in Secret Ingredients
*Every Wednesday, the New York Times has a Dining Section; and every Sunday they put out a Travel Section. There are various food and travel articles throughout the paper everyday and you can access many of the articles and blogs anytime online. It's worth spending some time on the site.
*This is a delightful radio show devoted to food
*there are, of course, cable networks devoted entirely to food and travel. Take a look here, here and here.
That should at least get you started. Don't at all feel limited to these particular sites in your hunt for your CYOA; my hope is that by bringing what you love to class, you'll expand our knowledge and resources. Also, make sure to present something to us that sustains good discussion. Showing a cooking show clip or a recipe, for example, likely won't get us anywhere. Also, make sure to find something that speaks to the marriage of food and place.
Welcome to English 208 at Kalamazoo College
If you're reading this, you're more than likely registered for the shared passages sophomore seminar Food and Travel Writing at Kalamazoo College. Congratulations. You've made an excellent choice!
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