Is food practical? An art? Or a medium for art, like wrinkled tubes of paint? In 10 journals, it is the catalyst for conversation on a wide variety of social issues. From food safety to hunting to class and cultural identity, the topic of food has cut a bold swath of explorations through words, graphics and photography. Each of these "foodieodicals," (as Elizabeth Thacker Jones, the founder of the Food Book Fair, a creative expo on food issues explored through literature held in New York this month, dubbed them) approaches food from all three modes of communication. What binds them together -- according to their editors -- is a universal need to eat. The journals here might be viewed as the long-and-leisurely, fine-dining counterpart to fast food. But before you start feeling haughty and elitist about reading them, know that they feature a distinct clash of high and low, ugly and beautiful; photos of a grungy table after the food is cleared, lipstick stains or a field of apples. Here's a handful to bring to your coffee (or kitchen) table soon.
Fool
Founder -- Per-Anders Jörgensen
Location -- Malmö, Sweden
"We look at the world of gastronomy the same way a fashion or design magazine looks at clothes or a chair, drawing inspiration not only from food." -- PJ
This journal's subtitle is "Food insanity brilliance & love," and it lives up to its promise. Its no-holds-barred enthusiasm and worldly compass have its contributors spending days with one of the world's greatest chefs, Michel Bras, or tracking down a sagelike farm-to-table Chinese chef in the misty mountains of Zhejiang, to report on what's currently brilliant in food. Resplendent photography and a funky 1970s font type add flair to stories like crazy garnishes on a plate.
What do you see as upcoming trends in food?
"Japanese and Chinese cooking trends will continue to grow in influence. Increasingly we will look at their traditional cooking techniques. These ancient cuisines have exciting ways of enhancing taste naturally, rather than adding chemicals. We have only seen the beginning of natural processes of fermentation, drying, ageing and preservation." -- PJ
Gather JournalFounders -- Fiorella Valdesolo, Michele Outland
Location -- Brooklyn, NY
"Food defines pretty much all of my memories -- I generally remember people and places and experiences best through the meals we shared." -- FV
Founded by former fashion magazine editors, Gather Journal is a celebration of cooking and entertaining at home. Filled with recipes and beautiful photography, it swaps in artichoke petals or rusted silverware to paint its pages instead of brocade or jewelry. It's an aspirational yet practical and realistic encouragement to enjoy food with others, and learn from the entire process -- from making to savoring.
What do you see as upcoming trends in food?
"We included a piece on fermentation and I think that trend continues to grow... I've loved seeing Fernet Branca popping up on cocktail menus, and I'm hoping that Branca Menta, the brand's minty variety, is soon to follow -- it's my nonna's favorite." -- FV
MeatpaperFounder -- Sasha Wizansky
Location -- San Francisco, CA
Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress has nothing on this playful homespun journal devoted to meat. Its founding editor Sasha Wizansky launched it after completing an art project in which she asked for people's thoughts on meat. Finding that so many people had intense reactions or deep reflections on heritage and upbringing, Wizansky decided to open the topic up to more voices and histories through a quarterly. At various times sobering, ebullient, scholarly and mouth-watering, the journal dissects one subtopic of meat each issue.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"For me, the most inspiring thing about food is what it elicits in people. Just as meat is not neutral, food is not neutral. It connects us to our cultural heritage, our familial origins, our sense of rootedness in place." -- SW
Modern FarmerFounder -- Ann Marie Gardner
Location -- Hudson, NY
"What's inspiring to me is the story behind the food. Growing is fascinating. The weather is endlessly absorbing and totally relevant to the end result." -- AG
A new breed of farmers with a reverence for the history and heritage of food production is the main subject, audience and inspiration for this new quarterly magazine. Through stories about food security and climate change or how to find a farm stay in rural Italy, the magazine invites anyone who eats to the table, too. Examining food production from all levels, its founders hope to connect agriculture with popular culture.
What do you see as upcoming trends in food?
"As the organic movement has gone mainstream, we're seeing a whole new class of farmers emerge. For instance, the number of small farms grew in the U.S. for the first time in 70 years. We're on the cusp of a major change in how we eat and produce food, a move towards urban farming and self-reliance, all aided by new technology." -- AG
Put A Egg On It
Founders -- Sarah Keough, Ralph McGinnis
Location -- Brooklyn, NY
With a punk-rock aesthetic marred only by the fact that the pages are a cheery mint-green, this irreverent, whimsical food biannual focuses on "the communal joys of eating with friends and family." Stories and short snippets of prose reveal interesting characters and memories, like a somber Jean-Michel Basquiat buying smoked eel from Dean & Deluca, and recipes that actually work. Keeping things down to earth, it costs only $7 an issue and fits in your pocket.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"We literally looked around and thought, 'Well, there are too many magazines about sex right now so let's go with food.' But since then I've really fallen in love with cooking and the community of eaters and drinkers and chefs and adventurous friends that has built up around our project." -- SK
Founder -- Kelly Carámbula
Location -- San Francisco, CA
Practical cooking how-to's and long-form personal essays both find a place in the pages of colorful food quarterly Remedy. Inspired by -- and somewhat resembling -- a church's community cookbook, the journal brings together professional writers and grandmas alike with something savory to share. It's a compelling reason to run to the stove.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"I grew up a picky eater, so having the opportunity to discover new foods and flavors as an adult has changed my life. I love tasting something new and thinking about how different flavors will react with one another -- the discoveries are endless and totally inspiring." -- KC
White ZinfandelFounder -- Jiminie Ha
Location -- New York, NY
Like a group show at a gallery, this biannual magazine features unique takes on food from many different artists. Its founder Jiminie Ha knew food was rich fodder for art from her lifelong obsession with both. Each issue unites -- in big print on tall, sketchbook-sized matte pages -- works of visual and verbal art inspired in some way by food.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"Food is kind of the basic foundation for everybody. Everybody has a relationship to food no matter if they love it or hate it. I thought I'd use that as a catalyst to see how other creative people would reinterpret the theme. It's an artistic experiment using parameters and guidelines." -- JH
The GourmandFounder -- David Lane
Location -- London, UK
"Food is a focal point and a talking point. We look forward to it, plan for it and enjoy it. We always have and we always will."-- DL
Anyone unsure what it means to be a gourmand can be educated by picking up this London-based food journal. A project born from a long dinner party discussion, The Gourmand serves up substantial interviews with artists and authors, essays on rare topics like ambergris and refreshing sides like restaurant recommendations from a chef. With a good balance between words and images, this thick and sumptuously printed magazine is something to be long savored.
What do you see as upcoming trends in food?
"I believe, as with most things in an economic crisis, that good quality will win over temporary fashions. Food trends will become less about gimmicks and more about basic good food... I think a rise in the variety of wines available, especially biodynamic ones, will support the trend of ethically sourced food as people are starting to express more of an interest about the source of the food."-- DL
SaucyFounder -- Kristen Taylor
Location -- Brooklyn, NY
A quarterly publication that's the sole work of its Brooklyn-based founder, editor, writer and photographer Kristen Taylor, Saucy looks at food through curious, childlike eyes. It forages through the weeds or snowy fields for a beautiful, sunlit moment to capture and features diary-like vignettes that linger. In each issue, the magazine tackles broad themes with soft strokes, favoring lush photography over politics.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"Food can bring strangers together, but also often divides us by allergy, disposition and class. Thinking seriously about our personal patterns of food consumption lets us become better friends, lovers and humans."-- KT
Founder -- Celestine Maddy
Location -- Brooklyn, NY
You might feel like Henry David Thoreau emerging from Walden Pond after diving into this scenic, absorbing retreat of a magazine. Wilder Quarterly hones in on the growing world, from the farms to the forest and all the natural places in between. Its stories explore the origins of not just plants but also other natural goods (like wool) and delve into small communities for a taste of food culture.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"If you care about food, then you care about where and how it's grown. Being able to consider how we produce food in our society -- backyard to mass farms -- and how we enjoy what we've harvested inspires me each and every issue." -- CM
Magazines photographed by Ryan Kobane / Special thanks to Leif Hedendal
The 
Bust out your bourbon and prep those salt-rimmed glasses because this weekend's a doozy: Saturday's the annual Kentucky Derby and Sunday is Cinco de Mayo. We've rounded up ten of our favorite Cinco de Mayo fiestas and ten of our favorite Derby Day parties throughout the city so you don't have to spend a single hour out of 48 sober (just kidding, we totally recommend checking this stuff out for the beer cheese, Derby pie and fish tempura tacos). 
1. The New York Times has really outdone itself with a "satirical" -- but still completely embarrassing -- article on Brooklyn and hipsters. Called "
3. The Rock (AKA Dwayne Johnson) is starring in and producing a pilot for HBO about athletes and ex-athletes living in Miami. If he's not in some state of undress 90% of the time, we'll be sorely disappointed. [via 
4. In China, there's either a big trend of, or a series of coincidences which have led to, many novels by female authors winding up with eerily similar titles and cover images. [via 
5. Lena Dunham might be moving to South Williamsburg. Apparently she was looking into a $4.45 million penthouse apartment in the Gretsch Building on South 4th. [via 
6. While we're not the biggest fans of the Times' recent coverage of Brooklyn's trendiness, we do approve of their photo 
Can someone make this into stationary for us? [
Sleepy baby ducky GIF = heart explosion forever. [
If I ever doubted that I had a future as a ballsy, brassy babe with a baritone voice, 
As a kid, I loved Moms Mabley. My parents listened to her albums (my sister I and would sneak in and listen along) and I saw her perform on various talk shows. She always felt familiar, like someone in your family. It turns out I wasn't the only one who felt that way about Moms: Whoopi Goldberg's I Got Somethin' to Tell You gives insight into the complex world of this pioneering female comedian. Mabley honed her craft in the '30s and '40s on the "Chitlin Circuit" (a string of theaters black acts performed at across the country) and by the time TV came along, Moms was ready for her close up. Mabley's career skyrocketed in the 60's and 70's but even though she was making the most money of her career she didn't turn a blind eye as to what was taking place in our society. Instead she used her comedy to champion the civil rights movement. In her unique way, she stealthily questioned the powers that be, made them laugh along with the rest of the audience and gave them food for thought at the same damn time.
In this weekly column, MC/DJ 
Coolest New "Street Art" Trend: Moss graffiti, as seen on 
Best Listicle of the Week: Buzzfeed's 
Best "Who Wore It Better" Moment of the Week: When 
1. Men with beards rejoice: a new study suggests that on average, women and straight men find men with heavy stubble more attractive and think men with beards make better fathers. I can attest that we gays like a good beard too. [via 
2. Actually, it's
a great day for everyone. Not only are beards officially sexy, but a
research team in Italy found that those who ate pizza
regularly were less likely to develop cancer (probably because of a chemical called lycopene found in tomato sauce). So let's all get a slice
to celebrate our health. [via 
3. 15 NYC subway
lines, including the A, C, E, N, Q, R, and G trains will be experiencing
disruptions of various kinds through Sunday. This puts a slight damper on
our plans to binge on pizza and bearded men all weekend. [via 
4. On May 19th, 23 poets and scholars will do a marathon reading of Hart Crane's "The Bridge" at Brooklyn Bridge Park to celebrate the bridge's 130th anniversary. The reading will be held at 3pm at Pier 1's Granite Prospect. [via Press Release]
5. Collector's Weekly has a good read on the how Baz Lurhmann's portrayal of flappers in his upcoming film The Great Gatsby fails to talk about the female empowerment behind the movement: "The flapper movement wasn't simply a fashion trend...it was a full-blown, grassroots feminist revolution." Read the full article 
6. Sigur Rós is appearing on and contributing music to The Simpsons. We've gotta see this one. [via 
The White House promised GIFs on their new Tumblr. They weren't kidding. [via 
No. They weren't. [via 
Speaking of promises, I promise you will get hurt if you try this. Don't do this. [via 
Man, what a great show. [via 
Finally, this weekend an SNL I can be excited about. [via 
This guy did not get hit. [via 
Meet Mr. Balls, the testicle mascot of Brazilian anti-cancer non-profit the Associação de Assistência às Pessoas com Câncer. I guess raising awareness about testicular cancer is good, but oh god the pubes. So many pubes. And those eyes, oh those eyes. Good luck sleeping tonight, everyone. [
Mama June and Sugar Bear, begetters of l'enfant Honey Boo Boo, got married this weekend. The bride and groom wore camouflage ensembles and Boo Boo wore a flamenco-style dress in neon orange and high-fructose corn syrup pink. Mazel. [via 
Cats love it! [
Baby Aziz Ansari's dance class photo! (He's in the second row, second from left.) [
Please leave Mark's cat out of this. [
Fresh from 
Each week in our Chefs Off Duty series, we talk to some of our favorite chefs and industry folk around the country to find out their secret late-night spots where they like to grab a bite and a pint when their kitchens are finally closed. Next up: Justin Severino, meat maven, localism and ethical farming proponent and chef/founder of Pittsburgh's Mediterranean-inspired, seasonal restaurant 
Dish Osteria and Bar