Missed our selections from last month? Find them here.
My pick: Betty Crocker's Absurd, Gorgeous, Atomic-Age Creations
By Tamar Adler, The New York Times Magazine
Why did you pick this article?
In keeping with this month's theme, I wanted to select an article from The New York Times Magazine'sexcellent October food issue. What struck me about this piece was not just Adler's commentary on the hisotry of such culinary artifacts as "Cherry Pineapple Bologna" and "Crusty Salmon Shortcakes" but the campy, colorful artwork from artists Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari. Cattelan and Ferrari's reimagined representation of the 1971 Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library is not unlike a 17th century still life in its cultural significance. In our current age of artisanal pickles and gluten-free everything, there is something comforting and remote about Jell-O molds and canned lunch meat. It's a fun thought: What does our cuisine say about us now and what will it say about us 44 years in the future?
Chelsea's pick: When TV Turns Itself Off
By James Poniewozik, The New York Times
Why did you pick this article?
My article focused on how pop culture, particularly television, responds to real-life trauma. The piece was written just after the tragic events in Paris and highlighted a few examples of networks that chose not to air certain episodes because they portrayed bombings and other acts of terror. Some networks did air their regularly scheduled episodes anyway, but with a disclaimer about the content. I wanted to hear from the other club members about what they would have done if they were in charge of programming for these networks, and how the cultural boundaries for these types of decisions are evolving.
Faith's pick: Indonesia is Burning. So Why is the World Looking Away?
By George Monbiot, The Guardian
Why did you pick this article?
Indonesia is burning. Until I read this piece in the Guardian, I was completely unaware of the crisis, never mind the scale. In the wake of other