Defining Queer Food: Perspectives from LGBTQ Foodies and Chefs

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The concept of "queer food" is gaining traction, especially with the rise of queer-centric restaurants like The Ruby Fruit in Los Angeles and HAGS in New York City. These establishments cater to the LGBTQ community, offering spaces where identity and food intersect. However, defining "queer food" is not straightforward and varies among individuals within the LGBTQ community. For some, it’s simply food made by queer people. For others, it’s about the communal experience of sharing food within queer spaces or about serving marginalized groups who have historically been excluded from fine dining.

 

The question of what constitutes queer food was a central theme at the Queer Food Conference at Boston University. The conference featured workshops such as “Queer Food and Fundraising as Resistance” and “Nonbinary Botany: Cultivating Pollinator Community Workshop.” Megan Elias, a co-founder of the conference and director of the university’s gastronomy program, avoided giving a rigid definition, noting that queer food can mean many different things. She shared a personal anecdote about a restaurant in San Francisco’s Castro District called Hot N’ Crusty. Elias recalled thinking, “That’s gay food,” because of the restaurant's location and vibe. For her, the meaning of queer food is circumstantial and open to interpretation.

 

Vanessa Parish, the executive director of the Queer Food Foundation, co-founded the organization in 2020 as a mutual aid fund to support food service workers affected by the pandemic. Today, the foundation conducts research and hosts events and educational panels. Parish described queer food as the existence of queer individuals in food spaces. She said, “If you’re queer, your food is queer; that’s pretty much it. It’s not a rainbow cupcake or bagel type of situation. That’s fun, but that’s not what queer food is.” She emphasized that the queerness of food comes from the people who create it, their energy, and their community-building efforts.

 

John Birdsall, an award-winning food and culture writer, started writing about queer food at a time when it was a largely unexplored topic. In 2013, he penned an article for Lucky Peach magazine titled “America, Your Food is So Gay,” highlighting the contributions of gay men like James Beard, Richard Olney, and Craig Claiborne to modern American cuisine. For Birdsall, queer food is less about specific dishes and more about the voices and individuals who have shaped culinary spaces and made queer people visible in public life. He cited James Baldwin, a gay civil rights activist, as a transformational figure who saw shared hospitality as a queer virtue. Baldwin’s philosophy of “complete acceptance” around the dining table represented a significant evolution in American food culture.

 

Elizabeth Blake, an assistant professor at Clark University specializing in gender and sexuality studies, food studies, and global modernist literature, was inspired by "The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book," written by Gertrude Stein’s partner. Toklas’s cookbook, published in 1954, blends recipes with personal anecdotes and gossip about famous figures like Picasso. Blake described the cookbook as a radical and queer take on the traditional culinary text, with its extravagant recipes and unique storytelling.

 

Alex Ketchum, a professor at McGill University and co-founder of the Queer Food Conference, considers three criteria when determining if something qualifies as queer food: the creator’s identity, the community-centered nature of the food, and its roots in queer history. She pointed to Mary Rathbun, known as “Brownie Mary,” who made cannabis brownies for AIDS patients in the 1980s, as an example of queer food. Ketchum, who authored a book on feminist and lesbian-feminist restaurants and coffeehouses, believes that food spaces serve as unique venues for joy and political organizing within queer communities.

 

Liz Alpern, a chef and cookbook author, founded Queer Soup Night in Brooklyn after the 2016 election. The initiative invites local LGBTQ chefs to create soups, helping to elevate their profiles while fostering community connections. Queer Soup Night has 13 active chapters across the U.S. and raises funds for local nonprofits. Alpern stated, “In my heart, for me, queer food is food eaten and enjoyed and produced in queer community. Everything about queerness to me is about community. It’s about identity within community.”

 

Lou Weaver, a queer transgender man from Houston, started T Party, a trans and nonbinary barbecue and potluck, inspired by past monthly socials hosted by a local trans center. Weaver said queer food is about the company and being in a community where one feels accepted and at peace.

 

Ludwig Hurtado, a writer and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, began working on a queer cookbook zine titled PLAY, which features recipes and art from LGBTQ chefs and artists. The zine aims to benefit nonprofit organizations supporting trans rights and mutual aid. Hurtado was inspired by projects like “Get Fat, Don’t Die,” a cooking column for people with HIV/AIDS from the 1990s. He believes queer food must be either radically made or radically served, challenging norms and feeding those who are often overlooked.

 

For these individuals, queer food is inherently tied to community, identity, and the act of coming together around a table. While the specific definitions may vary, the common thread is the emphasis on inclusivity, acceptance, and the power of food to bring people together. Is Thailand missing out on this great concept?

 

Inspired: NBC News 2024-07-01

 

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