Consuming Children
Food is a powerful and versatile force in children’s culture. In this issue of Feast, we seek to examine the tension between children as consumers and children as consumables, recognising that the figure of the child can perform as both actor and goal in food-related transactions. The critical and creative work in this edition traces food from folk and fairytales through to contemporary picturebooks and the vlogs of urban wanderers. We hear from adults on their childhood eating habits, explore current efforts around educating children on sustainable food futures and the nurturing aspects of feeding children as contemporary parents.
In an effort to reach audiences of all ages, the content includes a poem originally written for CreativeMe, a writing competition run by Anspear Publishing in partnership with Virtual Schools for children in care, and a downloadable colouring page by illustrator Mick Marston, as well as a recipe for all ages to follow by Chicago based chef Abeer Najjar.
Additional contributors include: artists Edwina Ashton, Max Margulies and Naoko Masuda, Niamh Riordan, Sneha Solanki and Urara Tsuchiya; writers Caitriona Devery, William Thompson; and academics Christopher Owen, Amie Rose Rotruck, Amy Webster and Rose Williamson.
