My Facebook page is filled with shock waves. Riveting, sad news greeted food writers and avid cooks today. Readers, foodies, and food memorabilia collectors are in shock. Our culinary landscape has changed, quaked by the earthshattering news.
Conde Nast has just announced that it is closing down Gourmet Magazine. Ever since it began publication in 1940, Gourmet has been considered the leading food magazine. It was the first food magazine of our nation. Foodies, read this: Today, a culinary institution has died. To most, the news comes as a surprise. Some are arguing the merits of Conde Nast's decision to shutter one of its two food publications, choosing it over the other (its sister publication is Bon Appetit). Everyone and their brother, it seems, has an opinion.
So do I.
I grew up reading both magazines; leafing through their pages became an obsession long before I began to dream of becoming a food writer. I couldn't choose between them; they each have their characteristics, their flaws and their virtues and I love them both.
Frankly, this is a sad day for me. Personally, whether it is one or the other that ceases to exist is not what matters. One of them is gone. Another publication has closed its doors. One too many; always too many. This is devastating news. As a writer, I dread the thought of the enormous cost our economy is having on the written art, costing our nation so much in terms of talent.
As a teacher, I shudder at the thought that people might not understand the merit of feeding the culinary curiosity through words.
So pardon me if I for one, hope the future of Bon Appetit is brighter in the years ahead. And forgive me also if I hope the future of all of the great food magazines that are still in print is safe, for that matter.
I will miss Gourmet, the way I miss good friends who are long-gone. I will miss the enjoyment of our monthly date over a pot of tea; of long, leisurely afternoons playing in the kitchen, and the time spent together discovering far away lands over its glossy pages. I will miss its witty columns and innovative new recipes; the inspiration of many a meal. And mostly, the wonderful dinner conversations it sparked around my family table. Gourmet was the first magazine subscription I got as a new bride, and it has been part of my family meals ever since.
What does the future hold for food magazines at a time when so much change is coming to our publishing institutions? Perhaps the better question is: if Gourmet can't survive, are any other food magazines safe?
One thing is certain. Change happens. I am part of it, and if you are reading this blog, so are you. And I just wish to remind you that long ago, there was fear and uncertainty when the printing press was invented. So I am hopeful that good things await culinary minds within the context of the world of technology. Food writers may have to find new venues to teach and inform. But we are not disappearing.
So today I bid farewell to an old friend. Thanks, Gourmet, for the memories.
Copyright Sandra Gutierrez, 2009; All Rights Reserved.
Sandra,
I share your sadness. A staple is gone from my diet.
Just this summer I parted with some magazines I'd been holding too long. After reading your blog I walked to my bookshelf, and there she was, my last copy of _Gourmet_. "Weekend with Friends," July 2000, is all that remains of my collection. She whispers of fried chicken at the Bon Ton Mini Mart in my home state of Kentucky and bares it all in a centerfold of a Jaguar.
As I ponder her glossy ads, I note many automobile makers. Hindsight is sometimes 20/20, but the future is a little less bright without _Gourmet_.
Heather Hoffmann, M.D.
http://myacousticmemory.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Heather Hoffmann, M.D. | October 06, 2009 at 06:37 AM