Thursday, July 3, 2014

About Chowhounds

Here's the introduction to the "Chowhound's Guide" series published by Penguin in 1997. It does a pretty good job of describing the tribe.

Check out some other stuff to read linked to from the Selected Writings page of my semi-dormant web site.

2 comments:

Adalsio said...

Those archived Chowhound pieces, set beautifully in a smaller-sized Courier(?) typeface, are such a pleasure to read. (Yes, this is only a quibble about aesthetics -- not content!) For reasons I can't fully explain, those essays command my full attention and I must devour every word. You could be writing about the history of Lithuanian zoning laws and I would read, re-read and savor every single word.

The current typeface on the Slog is relatively unappealing, and thus unfairly limits my enthusiasm about visiting here as frequently. Are there other options? Does anyone sympathize? I realize this is an extraordinarily superficial complaint, but I wanted to express in no uncertain terms that textual appearance matters. There's a pun about a *font* of wisdom somewhere....

- Joey in Amarillo

Jim Leff said...

It's not the typeface! It's that the sort of writing I do here in the Slog is totally different.

Outside this sleepy little blog, I write delicious prose for readers to devour and enjoy. I put considerable effort into keeping eyes reading, which involves lots of clever cajoling and seduction. I work overtime so readers don't have to work at all. It reads like butter.

Here, my aim is the opposite. I'm trying to provoke thoughts; to unsettle, to get readers to question assumptions and view things through unfamiliar lenses. I'm deliberately obtuse, demanding a spirit of partnership from readers if they're to fully parse my thoughts. It reads like an obstacle course.

Neither's "the good stuff". It's just different....and would be so regardless of typeface!

More on this, if curious.

Blog Archive