"For Alex D. Ketchum, Orange County is a place of contradictions. It's where she was raised, attending St. Margaret's in San Juan Capistrano for elementary and middle school before heading to high school at Polytechnic in Pasadena. It's where she came of age as a bisexual person, but not yet fully out. And it's a place where queer people have a rich history, though overlooked in favor of the metropolises to the north and south."
"It's this history that, in part, inspired Ketchum's new book, "Queers at the Table: An Illustrated Guide for Queer Food (with Recipes)," which she edited alongside Megan J. Elias. Their book delves into what makes food and restaurants "queer" and how such fare can build community and act as a form of resistance. The book features an array of essays, comics and recipes from 38 contributors."
""The main things that I like to look for with queer food is who's making the food," she said in an interview. "That's an important component of it, who is making the food and how is the food being used to create and foster community." One of the most poignant examples is the importance of food during the HIV/AIDS epidemic."
Orange County contains a complex queer history and personal tensions between upbringing, sexuality, and regional visibility. A curated array of essays, comics, and recipes from 38 contributors examines what makes food and restaurants queer, emphasizing who prepares food and how culinary practices foster community and resistance. Food served as vital care and political practice during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, prompting nutrient-rich and cannabis-infused recipes to address wasting syndrome and encourage eating. Queer food functions as nourishment, cultural memory, and a tool for community-building and resistance.
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