Gastrotranscendence - Food/Memory

Greetings friends,

This issue was inspired by a request for a banana pudding dessert that never came to fruition because sharing that recipe directly would be simple and we could successfully complete that in a matter of minutes. But we didn't settle for simple. We instead forged a more complex connection between food and memory through a text exchange (see article below) featuring preordained questions regarding our past and present relationships to various meals and cooking experiences. The result of this conversation inspired our defining gastrotranscendence (g-trans) and opening the cosmic door to exploring this phenomenon even further.

G-trans involves growing our understanding of ourself and others (the inter-, intra-, and we) through innocuous story telling about food and memory. We explore how using a text thread with two relative strangers being asked preset questions by a moderator, a process we defined as telenarration, could evoke g-trans revelations. Through the telenarration process, we aim to enter a space in which we can assume a receptive state of mind where tapping into memories can allow us to make a unilateral impact between those on the text exchange and our greater friendzine community. Simple right?

This first attempt in this process borrows elements from an art project I experienced (A Thousand Ways - 600 Highwaymen) and a book I am reading as part of my therapy (Mindsight - Dr. Dan Siegal). These influences have been paramount in creating this experience, but it would have been nothing without our courageous friendzine volunteers that piloted this first telenarration for us. For their work and your continued interest, we are incredibly grateful.

More on the telenarration format: all the questions were set in advance. The participants entered the text exchange without knowledge of the query or which role they would be taking in the questioning. Questions for player X and player Y were sometimes separate, sometimes intertwined and all building towards a gastrotranscendence experience. We are excited for you to read the article below and follow our path. We look forward to more conversation on this topic.

Finally, the .pdf of this issue is in a new format. For full enjoyment, print the document double-sided, then cut the page horizontally, before folding and stapling the issue together into a booklet. Simple right?

See you in the cosmos,

Your assured telenarrator,

Q