Eating in Berkeley is conspicuous consumption in the most literal sense. The city, with its ubiquitous sidewalk cafes and perennial picnic weather, is designed for public mastication. This is no accident, for every mouthful you take in Berkeley is an opportunity to make a statement, whether political, philosophical, artistic, or affirmational.
I, for one, think it’s rude to talk with your mouth full. Hence a website devoted to silent eating: eating meant to be done in private, perhaps with relish, perhaps with a pinch of shame. These recipes advocate no particular food movement, slow, fast, or bowel. This is not to deny that my resistance to the gourmetization of my sandwich has any political undertones, or that there’s any degree of irony in using such a public medium to record my private recipes. It is only to insist that my primary motivations for this particular act of rebellion are, in reverse order, annoyance, a lifestyle that allows for a little too much procrastination, and a love of tossing unpretentious ingredients together and tasting the results.
Tags: berkeley, food politics
