Tag Archives: hard conversations

Things That Are Wrong with The Beer Wench’s and The Northdown’s Posts

I got so goddamn frustrated reading both 6 Dirty Lies Men Tell About Women and Beer, by Ashley Routson (The Beer Wench) and 5 Reasons The Beer Wench is Bad for Beer by Kate Gallagher (owner of The Northdown) that, honestly, the first draft of this piece may have involved me saying they’d both made themselves look… bad. Yes. Bad. That’s what I wrote in that first draft.

I was deeply dismayed. Both women have good points. Needle-sharp points. If only they both hadn’t proceeded to throw those points in dairy lagoons. Because, frankly, I hate looking for a good point in a pond of shit.

For a variety of reasons, I ended up swimming in these manure lagoons, so I decided to share the joy by giving you the needles without the manure.… Continue reading →

That’s Technically Better, Yes.

Content Warning: Rape

So, there’s good news and there’s bad news.

The good news is that Pig Minds Brewing took to heart the various criticisms of one of their beer names. When they release their blueberry seasonal ale later this year, it will not be one that implicitly encourages rape. This is absolutely a step forward, and that truly is very good. The beer will not be “PD” any more but “Happi Daze.” You can see the much less rapey label below.

I don’t know if you guys know this, but I’m generally a pretty optimistic person. So while I didn’t expect that I’d ever have to write a post saying the previous label had changed, I sure as shit hoped I’d have to. I hoped the folks behind Pig Minds would, at some point, realize their label was problematic and change it.… Continue reading →

A Bit More on the “Wheel” and the Food “Spoke”

I spent a great deal of time and effort figuring out what to say in my last post. Originally, it was less about not attending Good Food Festival and more about the disillusionment I’ve been feeling, but as GFF approached, and as I gave a lot of thought to it and heard a great deal about it, that post crystallized some of it in my head. While I’ll likely post from time to time, more on my thoughts about the messiness that is food, both politically and in the kitchen, I realized I had a short follow-up on “the wheel.”

So, fast recap: I tend to envision social progress as effectively a wheel, and people push on spokes they care about. All that pushing, and the wheel moves.… Continue reading →

To Do and Not To Do

Last year, I didn’t go to Good Food Fest Chicago due to a very frustrating mix up with them. This year, I just… didn’t.

It’s a little odd, I have to say. Last year was easier. I was sustained in my not going by my sheer frustration with FamilyFarmed.Org, who puts on the conference. This year, I made no conscious decisions and ended up not going. And, as it arrives here in Chicago, I find myself with a few regrets. But only a few.

My main interest and passion, when it comes to Good Food Fest, is the food policy summit. And, if I’d thought about it more, I maybe would have gone to just that. But, by now, I’m scheduled to work. And that’s a better choice, I think.… Continue reading →

My First Mistake…

Was not following my gut instinct and saying, “None for me, thanks.”

I’d done it several times in that weekend prior to the moment in question, and I’d go on to do it several more moments after. So what made this moment special; that I should have declined and did not?

Mostly, a series of expectations, new-ness, and trying to fit in with the crowd around me.

There I was at Beer Bloggers Conference, sitting down to the “live beer blogging” session. “The premier event of the Beer Bloggers Conference,” live beer blogging is “a fast-paced, fun event that is sort of like speed dating with brewers”. The goal is to give a brewery five minutes to sample a beer out to a selection of bloggers/tweeters, and to answer questions and discuss the beer or the brewery or anything else.… Continue reading →