Note: This episode was recorded remotely.
Food writer Alicia Kennedy joins us for a special bonus episode.
Following cookbook author Alison Roman's interview with The New Consumer, there's renewed discussion on a number of ongoing issues in the food industry—in particular, disparities in whose voices are heard, who gets access to audiences and platforms. Of course, these challenges and conversations are not new; but the high-profile drama Alison Roman ignited when calling out fellow cookbook author Chrissy Teigen brought the issues to the forefront among a wider, more mainstream audience.
Instead of focusing too much on the specifics of what transpired following Roman's interview, Salt + Spine producer Madeleine Forbes dialed up San Juan-based food writer Alicia Kennedy (author of the weekly newsletter From The Desk of Alicia Kennedy host of the podcast Meatless, which is on hiatus) to discuss some of the problems plaguing food media.
If you missed the whole drama, Stained Page News editor Paula Forbes (subscribe to her weekly newsletter here) has a summary:
In the interview, Roman criticized two Asian women (Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo) for having product lines before mentioning she was launching her own collection. (There were other criticisms, but I’m trying to be brief.) Over a series of tweets, Chrissy Teigen expressed her disappointment in Roman’s words…and also revealed she’s a producer on the show Roman mentioned in the interview. Roman tweeted her first apology. Teigen made her Twitter private. Roman issued a second, longer apology (click through IG above). Teigen made her Twitter public again and responds to the apology. There was also a lot of noise on Page Six.
Additional reading:
"Alison Roman, the Colonization of Spices, and the Exhausting Prevalence of Ethnic Erasure in Popular Food Culture" || Roxana Hadadi, Pajiba
"Alison Roman and Chrissy Teigen’s feud is about more than selling out" || Alex Abad-Santos, Vox
"The rise and fall of Alison Roman" || Molly Roberts, Washington Post
"Alison Roman And The Problem With Not Giving A F*ck" || Kristin Wong, The Financial Diet
"Alison Roman’s comments about Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo lit a fire. Here’s why it’s still burning." || Lena Felton, The Lily
BONUS: Alison Roman & Where We Go From Here with food writer Alicia Kennedy