Alimentum, Journal of Food Literature

[Carrot Top]

Happy happy joy joy happy happy joy!

Alimentum has lauched its online journal.

ALIMENTUM ONLINE

Quarter I, 2007

Ramona-Grocery Store Diva, Poems by Carly Sachs

In this episode: Protest in Aisle Six

plus podcast

Poetry: Two Poems by Stephen Gibson

Fiction: Carrots by Ryuichiro Utsumi;

Translated by Toshiya Kamei

Nonfiction: Cooking for a Lobsterman by Carolyn Wells

[racheld]

Fun. Looking forward to future installments.

Just one thing, far beyond poetic license---have YOU ever seen a can of snow peas? I cannot imagine that they would take well to all the steam process---their charm mostly lies in their crisp greenness after a thirty-second blanching. Certainly they'd be WAY past prime after canning. Visions of gray goop dance in my head (as opposed to the gray sludge which usually inhabits).

Of all the vegetables to put into the poem---where does she SHOP?

[Carrot Top]

Of all the vegetables to put into the poem---where does she SHOP?

←

You've got me there, Rachel.

So I googled it and came up with this:

Merrick Wild Buffalo Grill 21667 Ref: 43

Wild Buffalo Grill - With Buffalo, Cracked Pearled Barley, Zucchini, Carrots, Snow Peas, Fuji Apples. Its winter in the Rockies at a quiet cabin with the one you love, a good book and a warm fire. The taste of the west is on the menu tonight. Buffalo and a host of tasty vittles are warming on the stove. 13.2 oz. Cans

It's from

this site. They sell nice stuff like canned Turducken for the dog in your life.

[Carrot Top]

For anyone who does like the sort of writing about food that MFK Fisher represents, I highly suggest a subscription to Alimentum. There is more in the print publication than there is in this online version, much more, and to my knowledge is the only focused journal of this specific type, that is, "food writing" that is fiction not cooking class, food writing that is poetry not standardized recipe, food writing that is creative nonfiction not a report on the state of our oranges or a fawning admiration of a chef who will put food in our mouths for money (the haute and snob value of the food dependent of the $$ handed over).

It is a nicely bound little journal with art that warms and interests within, too, line drawings and illustrations.

[racheld]

It's from

this site. They sell nice stuff like canned Turducken for the dog in your life.

←

I stand with the original disbelief. AND consider the source.

That group just MIGHT have some canned, mooshygray snow peas for sale, along with their famous "Urine Off" and Vanilla rawhide.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I highly suggest a subscription to Alimentum. There is more in the print publication than there is in this online version, much more, and to my knowledge is the only focused journal of this specific type, that is, "food writing" that is fiction not cooking class, food writing that is poetry not standardized recipe,

←

I got a subscrition as a gift from my daughter who knows of my love for food writing and I have a small shelf just for those copies on my desk .. it is great stuff, Carrot Top!

[Carrot Top]

The Alimentum Spring online journal has been posted with more offerings to read.

She thinks they must have plenty of recipes.

She thinks any man who can grow something that big

must surely have a green thumb.

However, it's a woman sitting at the squash booth.

She tells Ramona that these squash are only grown for their size,

but have no other vegetable value—no one actually eats any of these.

"They're only used for their seeds, to breed bigger

and better squash."

The notion of super-size has crept into the agricultural community,

thinks Ramona, aghast, C-sections for seeds.

The woman explains that there used to be thrones for the king

and queen squash, but now they've gotten so big, they'd break the chairs,

so they lost the monarchy of the fair.

From royalty to lab rats Ramona thinks.

She knows what she has to do, but she's going to look suspicious

rolling abnormally large squash around.

She'll have to operate covertly at night,

but what if she squashes someone with a giant squash?

The print journal which has much more comes out again this Summer.

[Carrot Top]

Alimentum Online, Third Issue, for your pleasure.

A sample:

The Zebras of Nebraska and the Wild Plum Jelly

by Arra Lynn Ross

The zebras of Nebraska make jelly from the wild plums they gather on the Mopac Trail. In early September, when the plums turn red and sweet, the zebras pick them with their teeth.

As everybody knows, zebras cannot count. They are always disagreeing on how many stripes they have. One group says 312, while the other group says 213. One group says 429 and the other group says 294. One group says three and the other says, "no, no, there are clearly more!" The zebras come out from where they hide in the corn to make wild plum jelly so they can forget how many stripes they may or may not have.

To make 9 pint jars and one little half jar of jelly you need 5 pounds of plums, 6 and ½ cups of sugar, one package of pectin and a lot of time. A lot of time because wild plums are so small that you need hundreds and hundreds of wild plums.

More on the site.

[Dianabanana]

I keep a couple of these in the map pocket of the car, so I always have something nice to read if I'm stuck waiting for someone. The books are the right size, the stories/poems are the right length, and the writing stands up to repeated readings.