Cake Zine #8
87 x 165 mm, 252 pages
New York, US
Biannual since 2022
Editors: Aliza Abarbanel and Tanya Bush
Art director: Noah Emrich
‘Exploring art, history, and pop culture through food’
The latest issue of this little literary magazine covering art, history and pop culture through food explores the theme of ‘Spoiled Rotten’ in another stylishly presented cocktail of essays, stories and recipes. It sticks to the smaller, thicker format of their recent Steak Zine spin-off.
Turning its attention against the grain of cooking and creation to the perishing of food, this edition devotes itself to ‘decay’s vast potential and the excess that often precedes it,’ a personal essay from writer Laura Pitcher explores competitive haggis eating in Corby—aka ‘Little Scotland’, Audrey Khew muses on the Chinese tradition of Ghost Month, where offerings of food for insatiable spirits during the Hungry Ghost Festival transform sidewalks into ‘vast dining corridors’, and Hannah Benson delves into the luxury and labour of 24 hour hotel room service at New York’s infamous Waldorf Astoria. Simple text layouts are brought to life by beautiful illustrations throughout.
On the Journal
At Work With Aliza Abarbanel: ‘Our first joint project was a mutual aid bake sale fighting food insecurity in NYC that drew from our shared communities—and while we were setting it up, Tanya began pitching me on the idea of an interdisciplinary food magazine that focused on dessert through fiction, essays, poetry, recipes, and more.’
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