In the fields of design and architecture, thinking about objects has shifted to thinking about systems and the vocabulary used has been changing too. The same can be said for food.
Everything to do with food is part of all sorts of systems and cycles, perhaps, when discussing these systems, we should not try and corral them into individual disciplines either. When we talk about food, it is not just science, it is not just storytelling, it is not just design, art, business or politics, it’s all of those things and more – together and interconnected – and so needs to be approached in an interdisciplinary way.
Therefore, in order to talk about food and food practice today, we also need a vocabulary that not only acknowledges and reflects but also allows us to comprehend and cope with the dynamic complexity of the systems involved. At The Common Table, we believe that food publishing should lead the way in this by moving beyond big, flat, umbrella terms such as sustainable (for whom? in which system? at what cost and what benefit?), authentic (from whose point of view? with what restrictions? with what flexibility for future adaptations?) or local (since when? for whom? at what cost?).