Nourishing Resistance: Stories of Food, Protest and Mutual Aid

by Wren Awry, Cindy Barukh Milstein

From the cooks who have quietly fed rebels and revolutionaries to the collective kitchens set up after hurricanes and floods, food has long played a crucial role in resistance, protest, and mutual aid. Until very recently, food-based work-steadfast and not particularly flashy -s lipped under the radar or was centred on celebrity chefs and well-funded non-profits. Adding to a growing constellation of conversations that push against this narrative, Nourishing Resistance centers the role of everyday people in acts of culinary solidarity and mutual aid. Twenty-three contributors-cooks, farmers, writers, organizers, academics, and dreamers-write on queer potlucks, BIPOC-centered farms and gardens, rebel ancestors, disability justice, indigenous food sovereignty, and the fight against toxic diet culture, among many other topics. They recount bowls of biryani at a Delhi protest, fricasé de conejo on a Puerto Rican farm, pay-as$1]you-want dishes in a collectively run Hong Kong restaurant, and lemon cake cooked in a New Jersey disaster relief kitchen. They chronicle the communal kitchens and food distribution programs that emerged in Buenos Aires and New York City in the wake of COVID-19, which caused surging food insecurity worldwide. They look to the past, revealing how 'Bella Ciao' was composed by striking women rice workers, and the future, speculating on post-capitalist worlds that include both high-tech collective farms and herbs gathered on the side of highways. Through essays, articles, poems, and stories, Nourishing Resistance argues that food is a central, intrinsic part of global struggles for autonomy and collective liberation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Politics, Social Justice, Activism, Essays

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 26, 2023

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, nice mix of stories and essays with a pinch of fiction.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really terrific, inspiring collection of essays about food, feeding people, building community and fostering resistance with food.

Some quotes:

In a capitalist, colonialist, racist culture and economy where access to food, healthy options, and food education are monetized and highly intersectional with race and class, sharing food becomes, suddenly, an intrinsically radical act.

We know time doesn’t heal all wounds, but food just might help us metabolize them.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This feels like a great companion piece to Setting Sights. Community defense means many things, and food security is an oft overlooked component. There are lots of fun essays, poems and excerpts from zines that really highlight how much of a blessing food is, and how at the end of the day, we're all we've got.

[Erin Bookishness · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always struggle to rate collections of essays because some are generally very good and some not so much but the stars go to the collection. All in all these were mostly very good, with only one I skipped half way through for being anti-vax and a poor tonal match for the rest of the collection.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a compelling collection of stories that explores the powerful intersection of food and activism. It is filled with thought-provoking essays that highlight how communities use food as a tool for resistance and solidarity. I found these narratives deeply engaging and insightful, offering a fresh perspective on the role of food in social movements - which is pretty cool, If you think about it.

Anyway, the book can sometimes feel a bit... uneven (?), with some essays resonating more strongly than others. It’s a meaningful read, though I get it might not fully captivate all readers from start to finish.

[NotQuiteStill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une collection d'essais plutôt intéressants et inspirants, même si je regrette vraiment que pas un seul des textes sélectionnés ne traite du sort des animaux. Ils sont au coeur de nombreuses pratiques alimentaires et ne sont donc ainsi vus que comme un moyen de garder un lien à sa culture et à son mode de vie, ou d'accéder à l'autonomie alimentaire, sans que ne soit questionnée la nécessité de continuer à les tuer pour les manger. Un trop gros angle mort, à mon avis.

[Brian Kovesci · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good essays are really good, but mostly it's fine.

[Abby Rosenbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Don’t be afraid of food as metaphor” (160) <3

3.5/5

[Brett Mayfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun and anthropological. Really an inventive collection of how food shapes community work and beyond. Found some great articles in the footnotes, too.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a mixed bag, as would be expected with these types of collections. However, some of it was really inspiring and I appreciated the variety of experiences and settings.