Invisible Labor of Being a Food Writer in 2024

Easy Ukrainian Vegan Beet Salad

Is it okay to vent? I think so. It has been a hellish week—full of late nights, vet appointments, crying (mostly over spreadsheets), and a non-stop flood of work emails. I barely have the time to shower let alone do anything that actually brings me any type of personal fulfillment be it writing, baking, cooking. How? How do people do it? How do they manage to do it all? Well, that’s how it feels at least.

You log on to any social media platform and you see creator, after artist, after food writer show the world their perfectly curated professional lives and endless evidence of "creative” productivity. When do they do it all? As someone who works full-time (9am to 4pm), bakes and writes part-time (mostly weekends), I am losing my mind trying to manage it all.

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

Invisible Labor of Food Writers:

Of course, what we see on social media is a highly crafted product and a carefully directed performance. Making the labor of it all completely invisible. We don’t know or get to see the reality of what it takes to create social media content, write articles and books, shoot and edit photos and videos. We only see the version that artists and creators choose to share. Even the trendy behind the scenes videos are highly staged and take hours to execute showing only a small portion of what it is actually like #dayinalife. A lot of these writers and content creators have entire production teams. They hire other professionals such as photographers, editors, videographers, social media managers, PAs, graphic designers, PR companies, marketing specialists, etc. to do their work. They now have the time to be creative because they delegated everything else to their team. Many of us don’t have that privilege, and need to do all the labor required of content creators plus all the different types of labor that comes with being a writer and just a person in this world. And this is where it all starts feeling impossible. Things could be easier if we lived in a society with universal income but alas.

I am trying so hard to become a full time writer (and content creator), but I feel stuck. I feel stuck between providing benefits and stability for my family and taking the risk of investing time into my writing and content creation. Time is our most precious human commodity. There are only 24 hours in a day and on average people’s lives are made up of only 4,000 weeks. Yes, you read that correctly.

A LOT goes into being a writer and you need time to do it all. I want to show or at least remind people of just how much work goes into the content creator aspect of being a writer especially now in 2024. What we are all trying to do is manage our own individual media companies or publishing houses. I have always thought of individual Substacks as small scale versions of publishing houses or online magazines. Individuals instead of entire teams are now being tasked with running their own media companies. I also know that these types of conversations are not limited to the world of food writing, the same thing is happening in the world of fiction, YA, comics, etc. Artists are struggling.

Writers can no longer just be writers. Not sure they ever have been but it is especially true nowadays. In addition to writing you need to create a ton of content be it photos or videos for Instagram or TikTok to help drive traffic to your Substack or website. Let’s not forget just how expensive it is to make food content! You need to pay for the food, props, and of course the photo/video equipment and software we need to make it all happen. But there is no way around it. All of this is required to grow your audience (platform) or as they call it in the world of book publishing, market. I was told by several editors that I needed to focus on growing my platform if I ever wanted to see a book deal. I am serious! A publisher will not invest in a food writer if they don’t have an established following. I learned that lesson last year when trying to sell my cookbook proposal for the first time. It is considered too high of a risk because of how much publishers have come to depend on authors for marketing. You should see what’s happening on #booktok now that TikTok might be going away. If a writer doesn’t have an already established following, it puts the responsibility of marketing back on the publisher and that’s an option that’s becoming less and less common (at least in the world of cookbook publishing).

Even writing this week’s newsletter I am struggling with just using the word writer and seem to always add content creator or social media manager because those roles have become so deeply ingrained in what it means to be a writer. Honestly we need a more inclusive term for what many of us are doing nowadays. We are not simply writing or recipe developing, we are creating non-f***ing-stop. Burnout is running rampant among creative professionals.

In the end, what I think all of this leads to is a social media that solely becomes a selling platform. It is becoming harder and harder for folks like me to build or even find people who genuinely want to be part of my community, simply because we don’t have the means or desire to chase the algorithm. Maybe it’s just me but I always believed that social media is about broadening our community and sharing our experiences. It’s a digital extension of the public space! Where does commodifying social media get us as writers? It sure doesn’t get us far if you don’t believe in creating work for the sole purpose of selling it. I definitely fall into this camp. No matter how hard I tried, I could never just make something or write something for the sole purpose of selling it. This includes telling a story that’s not authentic to me. In the end, what it feels like is creating a constant stream of content just to keep up with the social media churn.

Purpose:

My idea of a fulfilling life is to do research, write, and share. It is not to create a brand or sell a “lifestyle”. I knew that’s what I wanted to do since my first day in graduate school back in August of 2011. I just didn’t know how or where I might do it or what that might look like. I do now. I want to do these things on Substack, with all of you! At this time in my life, I don’t rely on social media as my primary source of income hence why I have a full time job as an Editorial Assistant (fully remote). I do need to create content to grow my following (especially my list of subscribers) so that one day I can afford to live primarily off of my writing, recipes, and knowledge production.

As of today, I am nowhere near being able to support myself (and my family) on my Substack income. I do want to mention how incredibly grateful I am for my 20 paid subscribers who believe in me and my work. I want so badly to get to a place where I have a large community of people who believe in my work and support it monetarily. I wish I had the wits to start a nonprofit aimed at providing open access cultural and historical information.

My reason for creating content and writing as I already alluded to is simply to share. Specifically to share and preserve information, ideas and ways of thinking with as many as I possibly can in the hope that it could improve or expand their way of looking at the world around them. I talk about Ukrainian food because I believe it to be one of the tastiest cuisines in the world and I want others to experience the flavors and aromas of Ukrainian cooking and baking. I also want to help preserve the diverse culinary cultures of Ukraine and specifically the ethnic minority groups throughout Ukraine. I think people often forget just how incredibly diverse Ukrainian cuisine really is. The current war is a massive threat to all of these marginalized communities and their cultures. I am going to write a lot more on this in the upcoming newsletters. Lastly, I share recipes in all of my newsletters because food brings many of us joy and pleasure in a world where it always feels like there is so little of it left.

Pay:

But how do I continue doing it? How do I continue doing the labor of sharing without getting paid for it? Is advertising the answer? Maybe but probably not for me. One of the main reasons I gravitated towards Substack is because there were no ads. I am not here to sell things or services to people. I am here to make recommendations and offer well researched opinions. The idea of being able to read a full page of text without constantly being interrupted by ads is a dream come true. I seriously haven’t been able to read blogs or most food media websites for years now.

This of course means that writers (content creators) now depend on paid subscribers to do all this labor full-time. Many supplement their Substack income by working freelance, doing brand sponsorships, or by creating and selling merchandise or products such as books, pdfs, ebooks, travel guides, you name it. Teaching is a common option for writers and several food writers I know are teaching or guest lecturing at universities. Some are now teaching and building their own online courses and masterclasses. Others have partners who can provide monetary support and be in a partnership where one of them is focused on creative pursuits while the other works (switching on and off). You obviously need lots of time to plan and execute all of the things I just described.

Photo credit to Jessica Attie

I guess at the end of it all, I want to leave you with one question. Where do you want to put your money? Do you want to support corporate media companies or subscribe to an individual’s Substack and possibly change someone’s life forever. Giving directly to the person who needs it to do the work they want. The economy is shit right now. I get it. But being an ethical consumer doesn’t have to be expensive, it just means that you spend your hard earned money on supporting the communities around you, be it in person or online.

Gratitude:

I do want to end today’s newsletter by expressing gratitude. I want to start by thanking the two people without whom I could never be able to do what I am doing now with my baking and writing. My partner Tom, who provides me with endless emotional support and his multifaceted expertise on the widest range of topics one could think of. And my little sister Svetlana (I call her Sve.) Svetlana is my rock. She is also responsible for most if not all of the customer service interactions (I am sure many of you have seen her face!), inventory management, and packaging. You should see her bagging skills! Her support and labor allows me to take on more orders and bake for our Austin community almost on a daily basis. I love you both so much!

I also want to say thank you to the food writers and content creators who have helped me figure out the hidden curriculum of writing, specifically the food writing world. As a first generation writer, I have little to no knowledge of what it really means to be a professional (food) writer. And this is exactly what I mean by hidden curriculum, it’s the expectations and ways of how things really work in this or any field. This term is most commonly applied in higher education/academia but it makes perfect sense in any setting. There are so many generous and giving food writers who shared their stories with me, things that did and didn’t work, and how things have changed including industry expectations, strategies for success, how to get your foot in the door, and honestly just how to survive in this field. Thank you to Zuza Zak, Olia Hercules, Anastasia Zolotarev, Anna Voloshyna,

Jenny Dorsey

Clarissa Wei

Rebecca Firkser

Kristin Donnelly

Andrea Nguyen

Alicia Kennedy

Charlotte Druckman, Mayukh Sen, Alissa Timoshkina,

Nicola Lamb

Hana Quon, Alexis deBoschnek,

Meryl Feinstein

Helen Rosner, Diana Hubbell, Genevieve Fyam, Julia Aurora Ogorodnyk, Caitlin Gunther, Stacey Mei Yan Fong, Jessica Attie, Tori Ritchie, Mackenzie Smith Kelley, and many more!

And there is of course YOU. My community. Without y’all I would be completely alone on this journey. I am eternally grateful for the community I have here. You all have given me space to build my writing muscles and find my voice as a food writer. You are allowing me to be who I truly am. You are helping me live a life worth living. You are helping me build a place that fosters connection, sharing, and humanity.

If this piece resonated with you I invite you to share your own thoughts, struggles, wins, or stories in the comments.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK:

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Beet, Pickle, and Horseradish Salad / Taratuta / Таратута

Beet season is here! Well at least it is in central Texas. In celebration of this wonderful season, I wanted to share one of my favorite beet recipes. This dish actually comes in two forms—as a cold soup and as a salad. Today, I want to share the salad version with you all. I personally absolutely love the salad version! It is super colorful and most importantly very simple to make. It was traditionally served during Lent in eastern regions of Ukraine.

With just a little bit of prep the dish comes together swiftly with only 5 ingredients if you count the pickles and the brine as one.

For the best result make sure to use unrefined sunflower oil. This is what gives most Ukrainian dishes its distinct characteristic and will help you experience the real taste of Ukraine! Also, if you are having a hard time finding fresh horseradish, feel free to substitute with jarred horseradish or you can leave it out although that would make me incredibly sad.

Yield:

Serves 4 to 6, with leftovers

Ingredient List: 

• 500 grams or 2 large diced boiled beets

• 100 grams diced dill pickles or fermented cucumbers.  

• 75 grams or 1 small finely diced red onion

• 2 tablespoon grated horseradish

• 1 teaspoon of dill pickle brine 

• 2.5 tablespoons unrefined sunflower oil

• Kosher salt 

To Serve: 

• Rye Bread

Method: 

1. In a large mixing bowl, place the beets, pickles, onion and gently mix with a silicone spatula. 

2. Now add horseradish, pickle brine, and unrefined sunflower oil. Note: You might need to adjust the brine amount to find the right balance of sourness, this will depend on the pickles. Lightly season with salt.

Photo by Rasa Kasparaviciene on Unsplash

BAKING NEWS:

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Orders through April 14th are now live! You can order any cheesecake your heart desires on my online store powered by Hotplate.