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Jeweliann Houlette
Anthropology 1995: Food, Society, and Culture
Professor Ted Bestor
5/8/2014

Consuming Lucky Peach: The magical thing-ness of Foodieodicals

"Our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and
entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that
when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth
and the love of it and the hunger for it. [. ..] There is a communion of more than our
bodies when bread is broken and wine drunk. And that is my answer, when people ask
me: Why do you write about hunger, and not wars or love? (M.F.K Fischer, The
Gastronomical Me, 353)
Food writing has a special enticing power, not just because it can draw in and
titillate the senses, but more importantly, because it is in a position to engage with the
most primal, fundamental themes in the human experience. As Fischer emphasizes in the
quotation above, food is so finely enmeshed with longing as well as mundane everyday
experience, that food writing, if done well, can delve into the core of what it means to be
human. In writing about food, one not only has the ability to conjure up a gustatory
experience in the minds of the readers, but one can also invite others, through text, into
the kind of intimacy and satisfaction fostered by communal eating.
Despite the demise of print material in the midst of burgeoning digital media
forms, certain magazines continue to thrive in paper. One emerging category within the
print periodical genre that has a robust presence is that of the "foodieodical".
Foodieodicals are specialist magazines, as visually intricate as graphic novels, devoted

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to the minutiae of meals, as Bee Wilson, writing a piece entitled The Rise of the
Foodieodical for The Telegraph, states. Often appearing quarterly, the quality of many of
these publications is lush and substantial.
The rise of this particular literary genre accompanies the increased interest in and
hip appeal of food experiences. Wilson quotes writer Steven Poole, who dryly notes
that the kind of hipster who would once have been an indie-rock fan is now a 'foodierthan-thou' critic at a 'Food Rave', obsessing over arancini (Italian rice-balls). Reflective
of this new kind of engagement with food, foodieodicals cater to the more holistic and
near fanatical interests in gustatory realms amongst foodies. In an article listing 50 Top
Foodie Picks, the Observer Food Monthly of The Guardian includes new food
magazines in its list of items to take note of, explaining how Theres been a sudden
growth in magazines for food obsessives eager for more than just recipes. Foodieodicals
provide the kind of complete immersion in the culinary world desired by such food
obsessives.
Rather than to be disparaged as an ephemeral trend, the high level of artistry and
excellent writing in several foodieodicals indicate that these are works of import and are
fulfilling an important niche. Current noteworthy foodieodicals include Fool, a Swedish
publication, whose tagline is food insanity, brilliance & love. Reflecting a
Scandinavian aesthetic with a minimalist design and elegant model shots, Fool in some
ways feels more like it is celebrating haute-couture, not food. Wilson reports that it won
'best food magazine' at the Gourmand Awards this year. Editions of Fool sold out before
they even hit stands, notes Hannah Norwick, writing for First We Feast. Other
foodieodicals include Meatpaper, which, as the name suggests, is devoted entirely to

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meat, and is self-described as a print magazine of art and ideas about meat. Norwick
comments on the simultaneous blend of weird particularity and universality represented
by Meatpaper, describing how the quarterly really pushes the envelope when it comes to
proteins, covering topics like eating human placenta, taxidermy artistry, and the
popularity of watching unattractive men eating unattractive meat. Despite its fairly
bizarre content, Meatpaper also has a significant readership base, reflecting the unifying
power of shared interest in food, even a particular category (in this case, meat) within
food.
Why is it that foodieodicals are garnering significant popularity, even in the wake
of declining print circulation? Barbara Rowlands, writing for The Guardian, points out
the relevant etymology of the word magazine, which comes from the 16th century
Arabic term makzin or makzan, which means storehouse. The function of magazines as
storehouses of value is critical in understanding the potential of regular publications such
as these. Catering to the interests of a particular group of people, magazines can inform
and shape the tastes of its readers, and foster community by providing content of shared
value. In partaking communally and being influenced by the same literature, the
readership group, though likely not even in direct communication or contact with one
another, is introduced to the same concepts, sensibilities and influences, and are provided
more fuel to further whatever their passions may be. Rowlands emphasizes the import of
passion in particular, in the unifying power of magazines: all magazines are built
around the twin pillars that have always eluded newspapers passion and community.
David Carr, in his essay, Bringing Comfort Food to Print Fans for The New
York Times, surmises that If magazines are to survive, they'll have to become something

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special, offering heft and a kind of thing-ness that gives them value over other ways of
consuming text. Current foodieodicals transcend expectations through their material
distinctiveness. In looking ahead to the future of print publications, Rowlands is
optimistic for the way in which magazines can employ their potential: Rethinking the
magazine as a unified "storehouse" of value is a nice starting point for brainstorming new
ways for magazines to create pleasure and value for their audiences across different
media. In the hands of a strong magazine editor, myriad platforms just offer more ways of
packing that storehouse with endless goodies." Foodieodicals, by catering to those with
interests revolving around food, are at a prime position to thrive in the magazine world
because of the wide range of goodies (including exclusive recipes, interviews with
celebrity chefs, food related high quality writing and art) that they have the capacity to
offer. I would also argue that because food is best when appreciated communally,
foodieodicals in a way can simulate the existentially satisfying experience of enjoying
food with others through the medium of print.
Perhaps most outstanding in this new genre of foodieodicals is David Changs
journal Lucky Peach, which, according to Norwick, flew off shelves, with original copies
selling for upwards of $80. My first encounter with this publication was in 2011, when
my older sister bought a copy of the second issue, entitled The Sweet Spot. Delighted
by the trippy, whimsical, and irreverent art, and intrigued by the wacky recipes (which
included burnt miso butterscotch topping and Arnold Palmer Cake), I knew this was
galaxies away from Martha Stewart Living. The Sweet Spot issue featured a sheet of
45 small sticker for readers to play with, with the following instructions: Please enjoy
these fruit stickers responsibly. My favorite sticker featured T.S Eliots face and the

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words, Dare to Eat a Peach, a reference to Eliots The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock. The interactivity of these stickers reminded me of magazines that I'd loved as
a kid while the literary allusions and the tongue-in-cheek, racy humor (one sticker said
ORGANIC: Wash before using for sex stuff) indicated that this playful publication was
of a distinctly adult kind. (Needless to say, this is not the kind of publication you would
want a dignified grandma to accidentally pick up).
Lucky Peach is a self-described 'quarterly journal of food and writing' produced
by David Chang, celebrity chef of the much-obsessed over Momofuku restaurants in NY,
food writer Peter Meehan and the literary publication, McSweeneys. The Lucky Peach
website describes how Each issue focuses on a single theme, and explores that theme
through essays, art, photography, and recipes." According to Carr, Lucky Peach came
into existence after Chang, rejecting the idea of hosting a TV cooking show, began plans
to create an Ipad app with McSweeneys. The Ipad app never quite emerged; instead
Lucky Peach, as a quarterly print journal, was born in the summer of 2011, becoming a
publication that is, in Norwicks words, without a doubt the hottest thing in food
journalism today.
What are some of Lucky Peachs distinctives? One notable feature is that it
embraces long-form journalism, bucking contemporary trends. Peppering the significant
amount of text however, are many fantastic, detailed illustrations and multiple-page photo
spreads, which keeps readers eyes riveted. The layout and content is also remarkably
varied, and as Carr notes, the knitting of images and prose is done with lan", making
the publication visually irresistible. That the written pieces are penned by some of the
biggest names in the contemporary foodie world, also immediately draws interest.

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Norwick comments on the red-carpet list of contributing writers, many of whom are only
known as chefs: Handing over the reigns to the chef as writers and commentators is a
symbolic power shift in the food-writing, but the magazine also manages to pull in
luminaries of traditional mediafrom Ruth Reichl to Anthony Bourdainand give them
a new platform. " In having chefs as writers, and presenting familiar figures but in
different contexts, Lucky Peach is a novel collaboration, a refreshing experience for all
readers.
At its inception in the summer of 2011, Lucky Peach quickly sold out its first
printing of 40,000 and second of 12,000 (Carr). The combined celebrity power of David
Chang and McSweeneys gave this publication much leverage in the foodie world. But
what specifically makes this publication such a coveted item? In her essay, "Consuming
Prose: The Delectable Rhetoric of Food Writing", Lynn Z. Bloom discusses some of the
qualities that make good food writing so appealing. These include its focus on abundance,
a trustworthy narrator, a fostering of community, delight, satisfaction and its ability to
serve as a vehicle of imaginative transport. Lucky Peach, in its own particularly quirky
way, fulfills all these criteria. The overarching question that this paper addresses is how
Lucky Peach does so specifically. In other words, what are some of the features of Lucky
Peach that explain its potent appeal?
Bloom declares that Food writing emphasizes abundance, not scarcity; appetite,
not abstemiousness; indulgence and overindulgence rather than dieting. Food writing by
the skinny is not to be trusted" (Bloom 351). David Chang, whose presence and
personality infuses Lucky Peach, is no skinny man. While he is not obese by any means,
its clear in every issue, from the interviews, the pieces he writes, the pictures, that Chang

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enjoys eating, and eating even to an excessive amount. The first issue of Lucky Peach,
featuring ramen as its theme, starts out with a piece titled with the ironically vague
Things were Eaten, which is an account of Dave Chang and Peter Meehans trip to
Japan to eat ramen. Meehans narrative makes it hard to not notice (perhaps it is a
deliberate celebration of) Changs indulgence in eating, with a couple anecdotes of Chang
consuming ramen past the point his body can handle (A little bit farther up the hill,
Changs second bowl of ramen at Aoba caught up to him. He darted into a pachinko
parlor to give up the goods After that Chang decided to regale us with the story of how
hed gotten sick the night before, too, after he and I had downed all those pork-fat
noodles (10)). In many ways, Lucky Peach is all about indulgence, and in particular, an
indulgence that reeks of machismo. The issues include a prominent number of meat
recipes, the quintessential masculine food of indulgence, with five of the thirteen issues
featuring meat on their covers. Lucky Peach is the antithesis to the kind of magazine that
promotes a natural, healthy, yoga-loving lifestyle. Aptly conveying its junk-food loving
persona, the back photograph of The Sweet Spot issue features someone in a chefs
apron (probably Christina Tosi, the pastry chef for Momofuku Milk Bar) sitting behind a
drying rack covered with pretzels and potato chips dipped in chocolate and covered with
jimmies, a concoction that satiates the most basic taste cravings for sweet and salty
perhaps in the most intense way imaginable.
Why, asides from its celebration of abundance, is indulgence appealing?
Indulgence is invitational (its more fun to indulge when you are with others!), and even
when it is in excess, it is a socially acceptable vice that everyone participates in. Lucky
Peachs celebration of indulgence invites readers into a shared pleasant guilt, or sense of

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devil-may-care liberating abandon when it comes to consumption. This ethos of
approachability and freedom is a consistent thread throughout the issues. For example,
in the content, with Things Were Eaten, anecdotes of Meehan and Changs sloppy
drunkenness emerge, making both these dudes relatable. At the very least, it does away
with any illusions of off-putting refinement, moral, cultural or otherwise. An
organizational opposition to bourgeouis tastes, is also reflected in the Cooks and Chefs
Issue, which features genuinely interesting interviews with Theresa Snow, an army cook
(95-101) and Julia Xiomara Alvarez Oweis, an elementary school lunch lady (70-72
(issue 3). The choice to ask people about their everyday, food-related jobs is a refreshing
subversion of expectations for interviews with such culinary stars, like with Ferran Adria
of El Bulli, for example.
The writing in Lucky Peach, while intelligent and researched, makes a point in
eschewing pretention and doing away with any kind of snooty-writer/cook-versusplebian-audience mentality. The unedited gratuitous crass language also plays a role in
making the writers behind Lucky Peach seem supremely confident (albeit at times
aggressive) in their identities as food experts, without being stuck-up. Because of the
vulgarity, reading Lucky Peach is more like a trippy foray into a male locker room, at
times, than it is a visit to a fine dining establishment. (Granted, their vulgarity is also
simply just a reflection of the machismo that pervades the male-dominated culinary
world). The following excerpt from Things were Eaten from the first issue is a prime
example of this ethos of confident expertise AND approachability in Lucky Peach:

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DAVE: Oh my God, taste the fucking broth. Just taste the broth. (watching me reach for a
spoon) You don't need a spoon. That is (slurp)that is insane. (slurp) These noodles are
insane. This broth is insane.
ME: This is some next-level shit. (slurp. Assume these continue throughout.)
DAVE: The noodles are insanely good.
ME: Totally chewy. And this broth is like...
DAVE: It's crack.
ME: Dude, I would wait in line...
DAVE: I've never actually tried crack, but this has to be as good as that. Or crystal meth.
Chang and Meehans adjectives and analogies (insane, next-level shit, crack etc.)
communicate both confidence and a naturalistic description, as if they dont have to
prove anything by using anal precision in their terminology. It is all as if to say, this is
just about two ordinary guys enjoying some really, really amazing food.
The spirit of approachability is also reflected in the type of food that is featured in
Lucky Peach. Rather than luxe, haute cuisine, Lucky Peach has a penchant for celebrating
all that is junky and wonderful in life, reflecting Dave Changs own ethos (Milk Bar, the
Momofuku bakery is famous for its original goodies such as the compost cookie,
crack pie and cereal milk). The theme of the fourth issue, printed in the summer of
2012, is American Food. The issue features multiple, unglamorous pictures of burritos,
tacos, hot dogs, as well as artwork depicting burgers, chips, onion rings and cake by artist
Steve Keen (109-113). It is a celebration of the distinctly non-gourmet offerings that
represent the American experience. In a similar vein, the theme for the recipes in the third
issue is Mothers Day, prominently featuring multiple ways to make pineapple upsidedown cake, that sweet vestige of retro America. In general, the pictures of food in the
recipes section are close-ups, shot in natural lighting, and have an amateur feel to them.
They are distinctly not orchestrated or tweaked to trigger your saliva glands, again
reflecting that ethos of crude honesty, approachability and confidence.

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Asides from the celebrity chefs and literary food writers, authentic spokesmen for
certain cuisines and food scientists help bolster the credibility, in spite of all its zaniness,
of Lucky Peach. In discussing the utmost importance that a trustworthy narrator has in
food writing, Bloom writes Readers must trust the integrity, authority, and therefore the
judgment and tastes of the authorial persona. Food writers, good friends with their
readers, must be absolutely reliable narrators. They can toy with experience, play with
their food, but not with their audience (Bloom 354). The writers for Lucky Peach include
the prominent food scientist Harold McGee, who contributes a piece to every issue that
unpacks the science behind cooking, as he does in explaining alkalinity and the reasons
for why alkaline noodles are so delicious in the Ramen issue (93-124). McGees
prominent presence, as well as other food science contributions, reflect how
understanding technicalities of chemical and physical transformation behind cooking are
one of Momofukus preoccupation and specialities. Lucky Peach also feature the work of
literary giants, including Alice Walker (in the Gender Issue), and Junichiro Tanizaki (the
Ramen Issue). Despite all its joking around, this publication takes good art seriously, thus
solidifying its credibility and trustworthiness.
While reading is a solitary activity, it is also an invitation into the community of
shared thought and experience. In the case of Lucky Peach, reading this publication helps
solidify ties with others who are interested in the particular kind of food culture that Dave
Chang and his entourage represent. Bloom writes, The most succulent food writing puts
the subject in a social setting (Bloom 353). Despite the actual individual nature of
reading as an activity, good food writing can foster an intimacy between writer and reader
that is akin to the sense of having experienced a meal together. Lucky Peach, with its food

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related essays, as well as its recipes, and exposure to exclusive Momofuku information
cultivates a sense of closeness with David Chang et. al, not possible otherwise. The
sensory stimulation of the publication (great writing and art on high quality paper) seems
to suggest Lucky Peach positions itself as food for the mind, for the eyes, for the hands.
Above all, Lucky Peach is delightfully entertaining. Bloom describes the
paramount importance of pleasure in food writing: Readers are looking for insight,
entertainment, relaxation, even more than for information (except in cookbooks), and can
count on food writers to provide these" (Bloom 355). Lucky Peach delivers in this regard
with its combination of excellent writing and artwork. An edgy, tongue-in-cheek whimsy
is evident even with a cursory glance at the cover of each issue. For example, the first
issue (on ramen) features a photograph of a whole chicken being lowered into a huge pot.
From the chickens butt, three eggs are depicted as shooting out, that advertise that the
issue contains seven egg recipes. The first issue also features a graphic homage to the
pantheon of Ramen star chefs in Japan by artist Mike Houston (24-29), that create a
delightful visual and mental contrast with the technical description of ramen chefs and
ramen science. For example, one of these homages feature a woodcut of Junichi
Shimazaki who was one of the ramen chefs featured in Meehans travelogue Things
Were Eaten. Representative of the Ramen Gods, Shimazaki features an Elvis Presley
style outfit, while holding out a bowl of ramen from which a guitar and dragon,
intertwined, are bursting forth. The caption underneath reads Bow down to the blazinghot doctrine of Junichi Shimazaki, the "Ramenbilly King" 'You WILL eat Akita
Prefecture Chicken-oil broth in a bowl varnished by nanotechnology IN TOTAL

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SILENCE!" (29). This kind of over-the-top and highly skilled artwork is representative of
the Lucky Peach ethos of excellence, even in ridiculousness.
Lucky Peach fulfills Blooms prescription that good food writing should be
informative and imaginatively engaging, especially when presenting unfamiliar material:
"Readers don't have to know much about food (though writers do) to enjoy reading about
it. (Bloom 355). Many of the recipes featured in Lucky Peach involve ingredients that are
exotic, inaccessible, and perhaps even dubious for those not familiar. For example, in
Issue Six (theme: The Apocalpse), several Thai recipes are presented, all involving
jellyfish as their main ingredient (135-142). Thought it is noted that jellyfish can be
obtained at Japanese grocery stores, the likelihood of readers being able to find jellyfish
and replicate these dishes seems rare. And yet, recipes are not necessarily valued for their
practicality and re-creatability. Here, it is perhaps because of the foreignness and
inaccessibility, that these recipes are particularly exciting to imagine.
The imaginative flair of the chefs behind Lucky Peach are prominently reflected
in the recipes in the Ramen issue, which incorporate the usage of instant ramen in novel
ways, for example in creating cacio e pepe, (an Italian cheese and pepper pasta dish) (6869) and gnocchi parisienne by making a kind of dough with the instant ramen noodles
(72-73). Another such recipe, from the Mothers Day recipe collection in Issue Three
(reader recreation of which is likely improbable) is the unconventional combination of
Rice Krispie, Amazake (Japanese sweet rice wine), and Apple (142). Again, reading
about such exotic combinations, possibly because they are so unfamiliar, is entertaining
and transportive. Here, in such unique flavor and texture combinations, Chang reveals the

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influence of Ferran Adria, celebrity chef of El Bulli, who in his relentless innovation, is
idolized amongst foodies.
The imaginative boldness of Lucky Peach often enters the territory of the very
weird. The way in which Lucky Peach toes the line between wackiness and sophistication
and pushes the envelope in terms of what it is ok to do in a food related magazine, must
appeal, in particular to the younger, hip foodie crowd. One recipe in Issue two,
embodying this kind of ethos, is the Ham and Cheese corn-cookie sandwich, created by
Christina Tosi, pastry chef of the Milk Bars in Manhattan (72). This recipe is almost an
incarnation of a childhood dream of eating cookies all the time and so still feels safe. In
contrast, one work that intentionally and yet playfully disturbs is the series of drawings
entitled Total Massage by artist Celeste Byers. This work is born from a preoccupation
with sexuality and ripeness and features psychedelic rotting pieces of fruit placed in
sexually explicit positions. Byers writes, I started this series by juxtaposing plants with
human diseases and disorders. The carrot piece was influenced by alibinism, and the
banana piece was STD-inspired (52-57). The incorporation of Byers work in which
food is depicted in a terrifying way, stomach-churning way, reflects Lucky Peachs deep
interest with food, even for qualities outside of its pleasure-supplying potentials.
Bloom points out how good food writing parallels the creative satisfactions in
cooking, as she declares Food writing is full of happy endings (357). More elemental
than the concluding pleasures of cooking however, is that of eating, which is probably the
best analogy to make when reading Lucky Peach. Indeed, handing over $12 bucks and
reading the 175 pages of Lucky Peach, from cover to cover approximates the sensation of
pigging out at the trippiest smorgasbord imaginable, after which one experiences a

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pleasant sensory-overload coma. The approachable narrative personas, the longform
writing seasoned with deliciously wicked illustrations and photos, all featured on thick
matte paper, means each issue of Lucky Peach is a resoundingly happy ending. In terms
of its trajectory, Lucky Peach, as maximing its thing-ness as a foodieodical in the midst
of an increasingly abstracted digital world, looks like it will have a pretty rosy future as
well.

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Works Cited
"50 Top Foodie Picks from Observer Food Monthly." The Observer. Guardian News and
Media, 17 Mar. 2013. Web. 08 May 2014.
<http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/mar/17/50-top-foodie-picksobserver-food-monthly>.
"ABOUT." Lucky Peach. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014. <http://lky.ph/about>.
Bloom, Lynn Z. "Consuming Prose: The Delectable Rhetoric of Food Writing." College
English 70.4, Special Focus: Food (2008): 346-62. JSTOR. Web. 08 May 2014.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/25472275?ref=searchgateway:85b57876aa603ce34316bd6b3eb0f615>.
Carr, David. "Bringing Comfort Food To Print Fans." The New York Times. The New
York Times, 31 July 2011. Web. 08 May 2014.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/business/media/lucky-peach-magazine-acomfort-to-those-preferring-print.html?pagewanted=all>.
Chang, David, Peter Meehan, and Chris Ying, eds. Lucky Peach: Ramen 1 (2011)
Chang, David, Peter Meehan, and Chris Ying, eds. Lucky Peach: The Sweet Spot 2 (2011)
Chang, David, Peter Meehan, and Chris Ying, eds. Lucky Peach: Cooks and Chefs 4
(2012)
Chang, David, Peter Meehan, and Chris Ying, eds. Lucky Peach: American Food 4
(2012)
Fisher, M. F. K. The Gastronomical Me. New York: Duell, Sloan, Pearce, 1943. Print.
"Main Menu." Momofuku Milk Bar. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014.
<http://milkbarstore.com/>.

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Norwick, Hannah. "Awesome Food Magazines You Should Be Reading."
FirstWeFeastcom. Complex Media, 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 09 May 2014.
<http://firstwefeast.com/eat/20-awesome-food-magazines-you-should-be-readingif-youre-not-already/>.
Rowlands, Barbara. "The Fall and Rise of Magazines from Print to Digital." Digital
Content Hub. The Guardian, 7 Mar. 2013. Web. 8 May 2014.
<http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-networkblog/2013/mar/07/fall-rise-magazines-print-digital>.
Wilson, Bee. "The Rise of the Foodieodical." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 30
June 2007. Web. 08 May 2014.
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/9910995/The-rise-of-thefoodieodical.html>.