Taste Takes Time

The Gourmand founder and editor in chief wants us to slow down and cultivate a discerning palate

MARINA TWEED

Be it food or information, the more substance we (thoughtfully) consume, the more we gain. Our personal likes and dislikes are what make us interesting, and we can develop these preferences only through experience. So how, in a world of instant gratification, do we keep our sense of taste both individual and refined?

Everybody eats, but food is about so much more than just eating. My partner and I founded The Gourmand as a means to talk not just about food but about the culture that surrounds it. To tell the stories of people who are inspired by eating and drinking — whether they’re artists or writers, filmmakers or chefs, designers or musicians — we talk to them about their inspirations, aspirations and experiences. The journal is also a place for us to collaborate with photographers, set designers and illustrators to produce photo essays, still-life features and documentary imagery, all inspired by the endlessly creative field of food. As editors, we see the magazine as a culmination of our personal interests and ideas, and its pages as a testament to food’s communicative power. Essentially, The Gourmand is about taste — in every sense of the word.

The predominant purpose of taste is to keep us alive, to prevent us from eating poison. It’s essential to our evolution, designed to entice us to eat a varied diet and stay in good health. And of course it provides the utter pleasure of eating.