“The preparation of good food is merely another expression of art, one of the joys of civilized living.”
—Dione Lucas
Winter in Southern California means slightly cooler temperatures, lots of dark greens and cruciferous veggies in the garden, Santa Ana winds and, lately, fires. Even as we were preparing this issue for publication, there were four major fires locally in just three weeks, with power outages, evacuations of thousands, fear, uncertainty and ultimately the heartbreak of lost homes and damaged properties.
After the devastating Thomas and Woolsey fires of recent years, the sight or smell of smoke triggers a slew of raw emotions for so many. And yet, again, our incredible community stepped up, offering places to stay, help evacuating animals and, importantly, food both for first responders and for evacuees.
When you think about it, food is the key to community. Social science studies tell us that sharing food builds trust between strangers. We know that many cultural traditions are built around food and food sharing. In fact, communal meals, in whatever form, have been shown to reduce social isolation and therefore potentially improve health outcomes for all involved.
Food is also an art form. Sometimes it is the simple art of social justice, like bringing meals to displaced families, feeding the homeless population or teaching underprivileged children about growing fresh produce and cooking it. (See our story on food volunteers on page 34). Sometimes it is the art of culture, a certain dish served a certain way, wrapped in tradition (story on page 11). And sometimes it is the embodiment of creative expression, dishes created specifically for visual and flavor appeal, representative of the locale and the chef, as seen on page 28.
Originally, our intention was to make this issue about food as art, but as I look through the stories I see that art, in whatever form, is the story of resilience. And resilience is the story of humans.
So, for this season, dear reader, I wish you quiet creativity, astounding new traditions, lots of unbelievably good shared food and the strength of community experience.
