This is really helpful. As a food scientist writing for a general audience, I had to lose my academic voice. The joy I feel writing as me instead as the stilted scientific writing I was trained to do!
This conversation has convinced me to get 'National Dish' ASAP. I loved Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking, and found it both personally genuine while good at recognizing and responding to prevailing narratives. I read it while in the midst of so many Soviet narratives being overly rosy, mostly spread by young US communists born after the Eastern Block collapse, or overly harsh, in typical US fashion. Dropping one of my pet peeves into the conversation, in much more eloquent fashion than I would come up with, "the neoliberal logic of marketing identities as commodities" really sold me.
This is really helpful. As a food scientist writing for a general audience, I had to lose my academic voice. The joy I feel writing as me instead as the stilted scientific writing I was trained to do!
It was very helpful to me, as well! So glad to hear this.
This conversation has convinced me to get 'National Dish' ASAP. I loved Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking, and found it both personally genuine while good at recognizing and responding to prevailing narratives. I read it while in the midst of so many Soviet narratives being overly rosy, mostly spread by young US communists born after the Eastern Block collapse, or overly harsh, in typical US fashion. Dropping one of my pet peeves into the conversation, in much more eloquent fashion than I would come up with, "the neoliberal logic of marketing identities as commodities" really sold me.
LOVE this--yes, her memoir and National Dish both cut through so much bullshit. I would love to hear what you think after you read!