Food for Thought

What’s for dinner? Lobster Thermidor, organic vegetables, plantains, catfish, a slice of buttermilk cake, vegan brownies, a glass of wine: every menu choice tells a story. Food is love, for some. It can evoke memory, hide pain, provide a way of life or just a living. It is elegance, simplicity, understanding, mystery, joy, sadness, comfort, frustration and temptation—both the staff of life and the fast track to an early demise. In these pages, members of the Sarah Lawrence community (just some of the many who’ve made food their livelihood) present you with dinner, SLC style. It’s food for thought—and for fun.

Pilgrim
"We were immune to homesickness; we brought home with us, and made sure to have enough to share"... | full story

The Curmudgeon
“Maybe the solution is to eat vegetarians. After all, they are pure-grain and vegetable-fed, just like prime meat, and by their own account not superior to sheep, morally or intellectually…” | full story

Simple
This is moist, indecent delicious... | full story

Chez Vegan
Veganism isn't 24-7 tofu; it's about different grains, beans, vegetables and fruits... | full story

Grilled Fish
Prize-winning poet Kevin Pilkington has taught at SLC since 1991. His books include Reading Stone, On This Quiet Hill, Getting By and Spare Change... | full story

Vegetarians
Vegetarians are made, not born... | full story

Spoonbread
Plates of perfectly fried catfish, buttery macaroni and cheese, and savory collard greens: Southerners dining at a restaurant owned by Norma Jean Darden ’61 might easily find themselves homesick. The offerings at Darden’s two Spoonbread eateries are the sort of serious soul food usually found below the Mason-Dixon—no small feat in a landscape littered with pretenders... | full story

Myth Cycle of the Grape
"Understand the earth first,” writes Judy Beardsall ’69 in her book Sniffing the Cork, “then the glass...” | full story

Pies
A good pie can make you famous... | full story

Plantains Never Die
The alluring aroma of Yoruba dodo — fried plantains—announcing she is home. Burning sun, overburdened mango trees, fragrances suffuse the air. On hearing the sweet dodo smell, we dash through the open door. We greet her, toss our school bags aside, and sit ready to compete.... | full story

From the President's Kitchen
Does being Sarah Lawrence’s president require you to be a good cook? Perhaps not, but here we present three examples of their culinary expertise. Add a salad and you can plan your own presidential meal... | full story

The Producers
Three women whose lives have drawn them from Sarah Lawrence to the farm, the ranch, and the winery—with many interesting stopovers in between... | full story