February 2020, I’m in New York City, ecstatic to start a new chapter of my life, not knowing that it would soon be dubbed the 𝐿𝑜𝒸𝓀𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝐸𝓇𝒶. That day, I decided to pay a visit to beloved @printedmatterinc . I remember entering the bookstore without a specific idea of what I was looking for. After browsing for a good hour and just before I decided it was time to leave, I stumbled upon a re-edition of Martha Rosler’s 𝒮𝐸𝑅𝒱𝐼𝒞𝐸, 𝒶 𝒯𝓇𝒾𝓁𝑜𝑔𝓎 𝑜𝓃 𝒞𝑜𝓁𝑜𝓃𝒾𝓏𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃, a black and white rectangle piece of what would become my most cherished book on social uses of food. As far as I can remember, American artist Martha Rosler served as my initial introduction to feminist and class struggle theories in Art History. The book is divided into 3 short stories which were originally mailed in the form of a postcard series. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝑀𝒸𝒯𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑀𝒶𝒾𝒹 is the golden one to me. A wonderful social tale about a fast-food chain, McTowersburger. Here, Rosler delves into the fast-food restaurant industry, emphasizing its pivotal yet consistently problematic role. While being both explicit and elusive, she explores all facets of food labor, the dynamics of subordinated and social relationships, and the food fraud that is being cooked behind the counter. And that is precisely where the magic happens. By questioning her workplace, she begins defunding the system of a classic American food-chain restaurant. Through experimentation with spices, dreams of better ingredients like farmer's lettuce, and the crafting of secret sauces at home, she gradually raises awareness among both the staff and regulars of McTowers. This leads to a double-delightful epiphany: A growing solidarity for better wages and better taste. More 𝒻𝓁𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔𝒷𝓊𝓇𝑔𝑒𝓇𝓈 and 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒷𝓊𝓇𝑔𝑒𝓇𝓈 every day. This dialectical fairy tale offers an anti-capitalistic vision of a restaurant where violence is not even a word, and the common good is the secret ingredient to make the best burger.
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#martharosler #printedmatter #nycbookstores #foodwriting #foodlibrary #foodsociology
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1moAlways impressed with the ideas you have to scale this brand! 👌