Using food "as a lens to interrogate power"

On this episode: Talking with Isabela Bonnevera and Zoë Johnson, the founding editors of Feminist Food Journal, about building a publication that explores everything from the exploitation of women in dairy production to the politics of party food.

For each episode of the Don’t Pretend We’re Dead podcast, I’ll be talking with women doing interesting work right now in the fields of advocacy, arts, culture, food, science and technology. Ladies who give me a shred of hope in these dark times—and who doesn’t need more of that? Subscribe for free to learn about new episodes.

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Mentioned in this episode with Isabela Bonnevera and Zoë Johnson:

Articles from Feminist Food Journal:

Green, Lira. 2025.“My Trans Body Longs for Love and Salt: Does difference in taste mean difference in love?” Issue #08 - Body. 3-part Series: Part 1: Pickle Cravings. Part 2: Comfort Food. Part 3: Sharing Meals. (Note: Released since podcast was recorded.)

“Our recipes tell the world that we exist: Introducing Palestinian food writer Lama Obeid." 2025. Letter from the Editors.

Isaac, Rejoice. 2024. Where Does All the Food Go?: On body size and Nigerian beauty standards, Issue #08 - Body.

Jones, Megan. 2022. “An Oyster’s Burden: Why are we still using food to represent female and queer desire on screen?,” Issue #03 - Sex.

Overstreet, Katy. 2022.“Be the Boar: Sex, sows, and courtship on a Danish pig farm,” Issue #03 - Sex.

Sripathi, Apoorva. 2022. “Milking Bodies to Make a Nation: Women and the bovine as founding mothers.” Issue #01 - Milk.

Gitlin, Lauren. 2022. “The Childless Mothers: Motherhood, extraction, and the value of the female body on a Vermont goat farm.” Issue #01 - Milk.

Other writing they recommend:

Taylor, Sunaura. 2017. Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation. The New Press.

Obeid, Lama. I Come From There (Substack).

Isabela Bonnevera (left) and Zoë Johnson (right)

About Isabela Bonnevera, Founding Editor of Feminist Food Journal:

Isabela is a PhD candidate at BCNUEJ and ICTA-UAB, where she examines how urban food policies impact food justice for immigrant communities using community-engaged methods. She also works as an independent consultant on food policy issues. She has a Master’s degree in Public Policy and International Affairs from the Hertie School of Governance, a postgraduate certificate in food systems studies from Toronto Metropolitan University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Sociology and Journalism from the University of Victoria.

About Zoë Johnson, Founding Editor of Feminist Food Journal:

Zoë has an academic background in gender equality, food systems, and international development, and experience working in research, publishing, communications, and consulting. Her work for FFJ has recently been honoured with a Zelda Award for my design and illustration work and she was selected to participate in the 2023 Break Fellowship for Women Entrepreneurs. She is a graduate of the MPhil in Development Studies at Oxford's Department of International Development and holds a BSc in Global Resource Systems from the University of British Columbia where she studied food systems, with a regional focus on South Asia.