How Much to Describe Food
I'd like fewer adjectives, but not everyone agrees.
You may have seen a thread I sent out on 10/24/22 asking you to comment on what you’re working on or whether you have a question about food writing. I neglected to notice that the thread was set for only paid subscribers to comment. That was my mistake. It should have been available to everyone!
Still, a few people commented. This one caught my eye, from Luu Thuong Giang:
I am still struggling until now with describing food using less adjectives, "to show" and not "to tell," although you have given us tips and exercises in "Will Write for Food". Are there particular ways to practice food writing more efficiently? Thank you.
My reply followed:
Yes, this comes up a lot in food writing. You could try to release yourself from describing the dish much at all. Unless it's something few have heard of or tried, you don't have to say much. There are other things to write about: a story about your family, the history of the dish, a way to make part of it in advance, the unusual way you have gathered ingredients together, a technique that makes the dish special.
I thought about my answer more in the next few days. Yes, it’s valuable, in a recipe headnote, to get readers excited about a dish by describing it. Here’s a good example: “…a big bowl of spicy beef broth with braised carrots, rice noodles, and plenty of crunchy onion and cilantro over the top.” What’s particularly good about this sentence is that it’s not just a list of adjectives before a noun.
There’s more on this Woks of Life recipe post, perhaps because food bloggers feel they have to write at length for Google analytics. Kaitlin Leung discusses how she flavored the soup, whether it’s stew or soup, and then takes readers through the dish with step-by step photos before concluding with the recipe.
I cruised around the web to look at other headnotes and descriptions. Deb Perelman gives you a free tutorial on what goes into an excellent salad in her headnote for Apple and Cheddar Crisp Salad.
Molly Yeh tells how she came up with pizza latkes, followed by a description:
because omg what is better than a crispy fried potato pancake that is topped with melty gooey cheese-pull cheese??? or if you look at it the other way, what is better than a pizza that basically has a hash brown crust???
Lots of adjectives and punctuation here. It’s not my style but it must work for Molly and her audience.
The bottom line is that if you want to be efficient about food writing, look at the work of successful bloggers and authors you admire and learn from them. They’re probably doing it right!
P.S. See this blog post: The Worst Food Writing Words.
What I’m eating:
Speaking of pancakes, I couldn’t resist these or the guava pancakes I ate at a hipster Hawaiian coffee shop. To see them, click on the Instagram photo and then swipe right.
Consults
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One-hour consult: $250
For years I've had a five-hour minimum for consulting. But now, through Delicious Experiences, you can book a Zoom call with me for just one hour or more. If you’ve wanted to start your dream cookbook, get your book published, or get better freelance assignments, let’s move you forward. I’ve talked with writers at all levels about a variety of food-writing topics.
What I'm Reading
Booklist’s Top 10 Cookbooks: 2022. The lists keep coming! Including These Are Our Favorite New Cookbooks for Fall, from Outside magazine. And Best no-waste cookbooks for tasty and sustainable home cooking. And The best cookbooks to buy in autumn 2022, where cookbook author Diana Henry looks at favorite UK and Canadian cookbooks for the Telegraph. And 10 Must-Have Canadian Cookbooks.
Are you going to the Cherry Bombe Cooks & Books event Nov. 5 and 6 in Brooklyn? The schedule is full of writers and chefs.
Here’s the official trailer for the new movie, The Art of Eating: The Life of M.F.K. Fisher.
Best Photography Backdrops for Food Bloggers. The pros know what a difference they make for your photography.
Butter Boards Are In. Spread the Word. (Unlocked New York Times article.) Please make it stop. And now TikTok’s Peanut Butter Boards are a Sweet Take on the Viral Trend.
Have you entered the 2023 James Beard Awards? You have between now and November 30 to enter your best work.
The Great Food Instagram Vibe Shift. “…a shift in both vibe and aesthetic that’s underpinned by generational changes, a diversification of food creators, and a long-simmering frustration with the platform’s entrenched culture of curation.”
TikTok Creators Are Reinventing the Scathing Restaurant Review. Fake outrage to drive views.
Publishing a Cookbook: What to Keep in Mind. I’m pleased that the author referenced my book, Will Write for Food.
At 86, Jacques Pépin Isn’t Slowing Down. (An unlocked New York Times article.) He had to build a second kitchen to please his wife, because of all the media people who came over.
Recipe Testing 101. Food Blogger Pro breaks down the process for you.
How does Melissa Clark come up with her recipes for the New York Times? Listen to this Fresh Air interview.
The Wine Writers’ Symposium will be held next March. Apply for a fellowship to attend. Deadline is Nov. 16 for up to 24 positions.
‘Black Power Kitchen’ and the legacy of cookbooks on a mission. Charlotte Druckman discusses the radicalization of cookbooks, including those by Black, suffrage, second-wave feminist and Taiwanese authors. (An unlocked Washington Post article.)
Why this Bay Area author is ready for criticism of her Puerto Rican cookbook. Illyanna Maisonet stands by her changes and explains why she updated traditional recipes. (Possible San Francisco Chronicle paywall.)
On Food Writing. Alicia Kennedy and Charlotte Druckman discuss food writing as literature. Lots of great book recommendations here.
The Quiet Star Behind Just One Cookbook, the Internet's Favorite Japanese Recipe Blog. With 5 million followers, blogger Namiko Chen and her husband have a dedicated following for her cooking.
Dessert cookbook co-authors found recipe for love and marriage. A sweet story about Rose Levy Beranbaum and her new husband Woody. They have matching “Partners in Creme” aprons.
News About Clients and Students
Saveur published Majed Ali’s first piece, Sweet Caraway Scones with Salted Butter and Figs. I helped him with the pitch and article.
30 Essential Jewish-Authored Cookbooks included Faith Kramer’s book, 52 Shabbats. Faith is a former student.
Kate Ryan won the annual award for Food Writing from the Irish Food Writing Awards. Kate attended my writing workshop in Chinon, France.
Pat Tanumihardja’s book, Ramen for Everyone, is a Junior Library Guild pick. It doesn’t launch until March 2023. I coached Pat on a prior cookbook proposal.
(I like to brag about food writing accomplishments here. Send me an email: dj@diannej.com.)
Thanks for Reading
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Dianne Jacob
Editor, Writer and Coach
Email: dj@diannej.com
Website: http://www.diannej.com
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My Books
Will Write for Food: 2021 4th Edition
Disclosures: I am an affiliate of Food Blogger Pro, Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Are YOU going to Cooks & Books this weekend?!? I'll be there on Saturday if so! Really looking forward to the Edna Lewis conversation with Nina Williams-Mbengue!
I agree with you, sister! Although I use adjectives but they're usually for something else...and agree with Wayne's comment. He's much more wittier than I am.