Objects of Our Obsession
IT STOPPED ME FOR A SECOND. On page 70 in this issue, Zurab Chkadua from the country of Georgia refers to cheese as a “God-given treasure.” You may very well agree, no explanation needed. But even if you don’t (yet), it’s hard not to admire that kind of passion for, well, anything—but definitely for food. The writers and cooks in this issue each have a culinary curiousity that borders on obsession—be it a cuisine, an ingredient, or a cultural tradition—and our stories and recipes celebrate their admirable dedication. For them and many of us, food is not just a thing eaten around a table. Sometimes, like in the case of the Georgian cheese, it’s a culture’s history rolled up into a food, each component revealing something about the people behind it:…