Connection, Foodz, and a ZINE preview!?! πŸ€©Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ 

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August 2024
The Queer Kitchen Connection newsletter header image in Food Focused Nutrition's brand colors. It features a whisk on the left, the text, "Queer Kitchen Connection" in the center, and horizontal rainbow stripes on the right edge.
 

Hey Taste Buds,

In the Venn diagram of Food and Connection, the overlap in the center is pretty darn close to a circle. Food brings us closer to our people and our communitiesβ€”in times of celebration, in times of grief, and any time in betweenβ€”and it can also bring us closer to people outside of our circles.

The best time to build more connection with people is now. Connection is organizing in its most basic form. Connection is activism, especially when divisive forces try to keep us all separated.

I’ve been at my new home for almost a year…and I barely know the neighbors. Often, I don’t feel safe just introducing myself if I don’t know how they might react to a very openly queer and trans person. But I’m going to try to connect with some neighbors in the next few months, and I’m definitely going to be leaning on food to help me do that.

Stay connected, and be well,

Jex

 A photo of Jex, a white nonbinary person with short brown hair and wearing glasses and a black chef coat.

PS - A dear friend passed away while this newsletter was in progress, and it’s been devastating. Yet another reminder that connection (while painful in times of loss) can be a soothing balm. I didn’t have more than a handful of mutual friends with this person who was part of my chosen family, but every time I connect with others who knew them it helps lighten my heart as it breaks again.
 

Send Foodz

Food pictures, stories, and connection from my kitchen (and yours)!

A 9x13” pan of cake with a few squares removed from the left side. A cross-section of brown, spiced cake is visible, with chunks of peaches within the crumb structure.

We made this a few times because it was an easy food to eat when I wasn’t in the mood for food. It’s essentially a quick bread, the spices and peaches pair well, and when I’m struggling extra I can drown it in a bowl of milk and it goes down easier.

This was an unexpectedly awesome food! The Doritos added just the right crunch and flavor punch to an otherwise plain bagel and cream cheese (which I’d been getting tired of). I’m trying to listen harder to my random thoughts while I prepare food so that these delights can make my life better.

 Jex’s hand holding a bagel sandwich over a plate, about to take a bite. The bagel has cream cheese and Doritos sandwiched between the top and bottom.
Jex is holding a bowl of dessert in the foreground with a blurred TV and living room background. Broken pretzel sticks, quartered strawberries, and whipped cream have buried the ice cream in this ice cream sundae.

Adding pretzels was another random thought. We were going to have ice cream and strawberries, but I’d had a sundae out with pretzels on it recently and I realized we had some pretzels at home. I loved this salty-sweet pairing SO MUCH! (I found the ice cream important for the texture; just pretzels and strawberriesβ€”which I did try laterβ€”was a little dry for me.)

I made this blueberry & peach cobbler with a client, and it looked so delicious that I had to take a picture. Have you made or eaten cobbler? It’s a simpler, messier version of a fruit pie. I have lots of childhood memories of my grandmom’s blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

 h vanilla ice cream. ID: A 9x13” glass dish with blueberry & peach cobbler cooling on the stovetop. The biscuit topping is golden brown, with ample cracks and fissures where the purple filling and occasional peach slice have bubbled through.

Taste Bud Contribution
A photo from behind the Game Master screen of the table, laden with bowls of soup, a plate of sliced bread, various beverages, character sheets, and dice. The people around the table are eating, unaware of the camera.

A few months ago, we’d practiced making bread with higher proportions of barley flour to see if a bread bowl would be possible:

β€œThe Barley Harvest meal D&D session happened and everyone loved it! Ended up going with a loaf for dipping instead of bread bowls because the beef & barley soup was a little soupier than intended, but it still turned out fantastic!” ~Taste Bud Raleigh

Want to send foodz? Fill out this form with a photo and story, and we'll try to include it in the next Queer Kitchen Connection!

 

What’s Cooking?

Upcoming special eventsβ€”Food Focused Nutrition-related or otherwise!

Newsletter News!

Archive

If you want to peruse past issues of Queer Kitchen Connection, there’s now a way to do that! Ashley and I put together the start of an archive that includes every newsletter from the very first Queer Kitchen Connection in Fall of 2022. Thank you for being a part of this community, and thank you for reading.
 View Newsletter Archive 

Share Food Joy!

Please help this community grow so that my work can reach and support more people!

Do you know someone who’s queer? Do you know someone who’s neurodivergent? Do you know someone who loves food…or wants to love food? (Let’s be real, it’s hard to love food sometimes!) Maybe they’d like this newsletter. Please invite them to read along, and share with them why you enjoy reading the Queer Kitchen Connection!

Queer Kitchen Connection: The Zine!

Here’s a sneak peek at the beginning of my newsletter-to-zine evolution! You can download, print double-sided, and fold for the tactile zine experience.

For additional help folding, see these quarter-zine folding instructions. My prototype zine has smaller margins, so instead of trimming the top, you’ll want to just cut the printed sheet in half above the front cover/Suggest-ipe back cover. You could also β€œreduce to printable area” in your print settings and trim the edges before folding.

Of course, it’s important that Queer Kitchen Connection is accessible in all its formats. If you need image descriptions for the zine, reach out and I'll happily describe it page by page for you in real time!
A scan of the cover of Queer Kitchen Connection #10 in zine format. It features Jex's handwriting in pencil and Food Focused Nutrition's brand colors and the photo/story from the Taste Bud Contribution in the Send Foodz section.
 

Upcoming Travel


I’m heading to Minneapolis for the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) in early October! I’ll be speaking on a panel about the importance of listening to and elevating marginalized voices. I know some of my colleagues are following along hereβ€”if you’ll be at FNCE too, let me know!

+ More Speaking Opportunities?


A few weeks ago I had two different organizations approach me about possible speaking engagements later in the year! It looks like our SEO updates on the website are already helping more folx find me, and I’m excited to share more as these opportunities materialize.

 

The Intersection

I'm always working on making Food Focused Nutrition more accessible with baked-in, intentional inclusion. What's the latest step in my journey?

Challenging Internalized Ableism with a Cancellation Policy

Historically, I have avoided having a cancellation policy because it can bring undue burden on folx who already pay "neurodivergent tax"β€”and what is time but another thing that wasn't designed for how many brains work? However, I have come to realize that it is ableist to keep ignoring my own needs as a neurodivergent person and business owner. As a challenge to my internalized ableism, I have created a cancellation policy to better support my mental and financial health as a support and provider for my clients.

You can find my new policy on the Services section of my website.
 

Remembering the β€œLong” Part of Lifelong Learning

I recently attended the BIPoC Eating Disorders Conference (some sessions live, some recorded), and it’s the most engaging nutrition-related event I’ve ever attended. The chat is lively with kudos, solidarity, wisdom, and repeating gems that the speakers have shared (and callbacks to previous sessions). The questions at the end of each session have so much depth and thought behind themβ€”and even more importantly, the questions themselves are geared toward the community and broader things than just the individual asking the question. The community is PALPABLE. At an entirely virtual conference.

A very stressful series of events began soon after this conference, and I’m still trying to find my balance. I keep expecting to have done more reflection about this experience so I can share it with you all, but that’s just not the case yet. I’m looking forward to revisiting these materials as my capacity allows, and reflecting in an ongoing, slower-than-expected way.

Learn more about the BIPoC Eating Disorders Conference, and get on their mailing list so you can come along next year!
 
On a green background is a red starburst "bang" shape, as in a comic book, with lines and stars emitting from it. Within the shape is text that reads, "Support the Pay It Forward fund!"

All contributions to the Pay It Forward Fund support folx in accessing low- or no-cost services with Food Focused Nutrition. Learn more or share my post about the fund on Instagram or Facebook!
 

Suggest-ipe

Because the way I see it, all recipes are merely suggestions!

Pickled Red Onions
A top-down view of a plate of nachos with visible layers: tortilla chips, black beans, salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, pickled red onions, and plain Greek yogurt on top.

I don’t know why it’s been so long since I made these; it’s only a few steps, 5 ingredients, and deciding to make nachos is 1000x easier when I open the refrigerator and see a jar full of them!

Ingredients:

  • 1 large red onion

  • 1-2 c water

  • 2-4 T vinegar of choice

  • 1-2 T salt

  • 1-2 T sugar

Instructions:

  • Slice the red onion as thick or thin as you like. Thicker slices will stay crunchier longer. Pack the slices into a quart jar or other sealable container.

  • For each cup of water, add 2 T vinegar, 1 T salt, and 1 T sugar. Stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved.

    • Note: For a quart jar, I use 2 cups of water and usually have ΒΌ-Β½ cup of this brining solution leftover.

    • I used my leftover liquid to pickle some sliced beets this time, and I won’t be doing that again: the sugar is a little too much for something like beets (and I’d guess for other β€œsweeter” veggies). BUT I transferred the beets into the leftover onion pickling liquid after I finished eating the onions, and the sharpness left behind by the onions made some really good pickled beets in my opinion. 10/10, I’ll do that again!

    • Any vinegar will work, though I’d advise against using balsamic vinegar as it will discolor the onion and it may not look as appetizing. I use plain white vinegar, because it doesn’t detract from the vibrant pink color.

  • Pour the brining solution over the onions until they are completely covered. Cover the container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

    • Note: 15-20 min is enough to take the bite out of the raw red onion, but for better pickled flavor, wait at least a day. Patience is always rewarded with pickling!

  • Enjoy as a topping on any of your favorite foods, whether that’s tacos, nachos, salads, grain bowls, or even on a sandwich! Honestly, everything has become a vehicle for me to enjoy more pickled onions; the possibilities are limited only by imagination! …And by your sense of adventure, I suppose. I’m not sure I’m adventurous enough to try them on ice cream, except now that I've thought about it I just might…
 

That’s all for now!

Queer Kitchen Connection is an every-other-month newsletter from Food Focused Nutrition.

I want this newsletter to be an invitation for us all to foster more connection around food.

My dream is that Queer Kitchen Connection will be the start of a conversation, and I welcome you to taste, savor, and share in the creation of community with direct replies to the newsletter.
 

Author Jex Calvert, RDN, Food Focused Nutrition
β€œEdible-in-Chef” Ashley Bovin, Ease Up Consulting
 

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