Is This Piece Edible? Part II

A curated monthly food writing round-up

I’ve been juggling quite a bit this past week, so a trusty food writing round-up gives me much-needed space to polish my debut paid piece for EATEN magazine! Get ready for the grand reveal I’ll be sharing once it’s out on the stands. I’m sending a greasy high-five to my supporters at The Greasy Pen (see what I did there?) I’m extremely grateful. Now, let's jump right into some articles that caught my attention.

The first two articles are about Native Indigenous cuisine in the United States. I remember nerding out and writing about The Sioux Chef, Sean Sherman in June 2023. By November 2023, and by incredible chance, my partner got an invitation to attend a presentation by the Sioux Chef at the American Embassy, in Berlin where Sean Sherman showcased his new cookbook, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen. I’m more than glad to see his mission is still well underway of promoting native communities and foods and decolonizing the American diet. Unfortunately in America “One barrier is trying to define Native American food in a country that has no idea what that means”, if you are interested in learning about it, these are the articles for it.

• Sioux Chef Sean Sherman Envisions a Future for Native Restaurants - Eater

• Minneapolis: The US city reclaiming its Native roots - BBC

  ---

I’m becoming a Caitlin Gunther fan, she writes well and has a story to tell (bars). I was doing some research for writing my From Law Books to Cookbooks - Why Do So Many Lawyers Become Food Writers? Well, she used to be a lawyer, and look at her now, a stellar food writer. She helped prove my point with this article that I got to read with pleasure.

• I Quit My Lawyer Job to Cook in Spain. Things Did Not Go According to Plan - Bon Appétit

---

In the world of food writing, I ask myself whether to TikTok or not to TikTok? This platform dishes out trends like hotcakes and makes Instagram feel like some wack leftovers. I think I’ll stick with Instagram for now because TikTok seems to much of a brain funnel for me right now. Then again, Alicia Kennedy (who has an amazing Substack) wrote a thorough piece about normal foodies becoming the biggest names on TikTok.

Not only for the average Joe because if you have culinary talent, TikTok can skyrocket you to fame. As the second piece talks about three specific chefs in Los Angeles who blew up through TikTok. If you can throw down in the kitchen, start a TikTok!

• TikTok’s viral food stars are just regular people. How food media has evolved - Vox

• These TikTok Cooks Are Becoming the New Celebrity Chefs - Eater LA Can deli meat be part of a healthy diet? | Vox

---

Last but not least are the cold cuts and a health talk. I am a sucker for sandwiches but the deli dilemma has been on my mind for a while. I still believe there isn’t enough conversation or awareness about nitrites and nitrates which raise cancer risks and cardiovascular diseases. My farmers market has one stall that sells their cold cuts without, and it shows because the meat is gray and because I also asked. Some nitrites/nitrates hide behind other additives such as some explained in this article. Try to find preservative-free, but still, check that sneaky ingredient list instead of the front cover.

• Can deli meat be part of a healthy diet? - Vox

---

Mortadella-ly yours,

The Greasy Pen.