Today I speak with writer and editor Rebecca May Johnson, author of the book, Small Fires: An Epic in the Kitchen (Pushkin Press, 2022). Small Fires blew me away when I first read it. It’s unlike any other food book I’ve ever read—part memoir, part manifesto, part poetry, and It was such a pleasure to speak with Rebecca in person, exploring what it means to cook, and why we cook.
We discuss gender roles in the kitchen, and how women especially are pressured into a "performance of joy." Rebecca also describes how recipes can be valuable forms of information and knowledge. In her book she “elevates the domestic to the level of an epic,” as she says, which I love. Because cooking is indeed a journey, and there’s so much we can learn in the kitchen, not only about food itself, but also about other people and about ourselves.
Stay tuned to the end because Rebecca describes some recipes she’s been making lately, and I’ve included links in the show notes to some of the dishes she describes, including a blueberry custard tart that I’m dying to try.
Links and resources mentioned in the episode:
* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/
* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/
* Rebecca’s Book (Small Fires, An Epic in the Kitchen): https://amzn.to/48r22R6
* Find Rebecca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccamayjohnson/
* Blueberry Custard Tart by Rick Stein: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/bilberry_tart_tarteaux_08943
* Stanley Tucci’s TikTok video about soup: https://www.tiktok.com/@stanley.tucci/video/7252312414006349083
* Chez Panisse Fruit Apricot Galette: https://nymag.com/restaurants/articles/recipes/galetteapricot.htm
