Lucky Peach Issue 12: Seashore

by David Chang (Editor), Peter Meehan (Editor), Chris Ying (Editor)

Lucky Peach is a quarterly journal of food and writing. Each issue focuses on a single theme, and explores that theme through essays, art, photography, and recipes.

Lucky Peach #12 is all about food from littoral realms — the spaces where land meets sea. We dive for abalone and gather seaweed off the California coast; we harvest honey in the Bangladeshi Sundarabans; we go behind the scenes at a shrimp farm in Indonesia, and spend a Sunday at the cockle sheds in Leigh-on-Sea. We learn lots about edible sea beasts, from clams to hagfish to sea squirts. Anthony Bourdain takes us on a stroll down a beach town’s memory lane; Robert Sietsema samples practically all the clams on Long Island; Stuart Dybek catches himself a perfect breakfast in the Florida keys. We share recipes from Vietnam and Portugal and the Oregon coast—we aren’t shellfish. Also in this a special, detachable sixteen-page Beach Reads comic book to take on your seaside jaunts, featuring comics by Jason Jägel, Tony Millionaire, and more, because it’s summertime, and the reading is easy.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Cooking

168 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 2014

Reviews

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

this issue had some very cool articles, as usual

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why did it take me so long to get through this issue? There are so many great bits in here. Perhaps I keep distracting myself with other reading projects. Anyway, here are a few of the pieces that I loved:

1. Anthony Bourdain writes a generation of beach-life in the course of 2 pages. How does he do that? It's like a Bruce Springsteen song.

2. Lisa Hanawalt swims with otters. Who wouldn't want to do that?!?

3. Imbedded food journalism where Michael Snyder follows "The Honey Hunters." That is not a profession for the meek.

4. Oral history from a fisherman from the Gaza Strip. Excerpt from the then forthcoming and now "now-th"-coming Voices of Witness book Palestine Speaks: Voices from the West Bank and Gaza.

5. Breece D'J Pancake's short story "Trilobites" which feels like a novel in 8 pages.

There's tons more featuring many of your favorite sea delights, but I'll let you discover the rest of the surprises. Drake's Bay Oyster Company is now closed.

[waits4thebus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This issue was focused on the seashore. Depressing to read in the fall, when winter is just around the corner, but that didn't stop me. From the banks of the Chesapeake in Virginia to the Goonies Coast (complete with the Fratelli's ACTUAL JEEP!), it made me long for fire pits in the sand and sunsets with bare feet. Excellent.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rounding up here. I'd give this issue 3.5 stars. As always, I end up learning a lot of things about food but some articles towards the end fell flat The beginning started off great but it lost its steam,for me , after the Harvey wallbanger story.

[Kristina Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me forever to read, but not because I wasn't enjoying it. Lots of pieces on East Coast shellfish/seafood, something I haven't experienced but look forward to enjoying one of these days. It's more than food -- it's a culture unto itself. Another great issue of a fine, fine publication.

[Leona Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointment - I am not a West Coast beacher! And the format is totally 21st century - I like it a little more linear!

[Phil Stephenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as some of the other issues I've read, but the article about the river otters was hilarious.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like any magazine, every issue of Lucky Peach has things you love and things you could do without, but this issue in particular, I really enjoyed.