Tech wrestling, sigh. It can break the smartest of folks. Not unusually, I was feeling pretty stupid about a recent ‘save your damn draft’ cage match on another blogging platform. It left me wanting for merriment and good cheer. That led to thoughts of (DROWN YOUR SORROWS IN) alcohol – specifically, beer – but I didn’t actually do so. Some grown-up characteristic decided to exercise its right to self-care. Bet my endocrine system was rejoicing over that one.
The next best thing seemed to be flipping through copies and reviews of drink-themed zines. This was during International Zine Month (July) where I was busily reading, writing and just admiring anything and everything ‘zine’ (being a non-maker). Oh yeah, didn’t I once write about a few beer and food-obsession/curation zines? Eons ago? Indeed!
Some beery notes as provided by the Stubby Buddy crew and a review to their maiden voyage (vol. 1). Perhaps you’re in the mood to sample more than one beer? Second up on your paddle… Stubby Buddy, vol. 2 – the sequel!
Desperate for a pint or three and don’t mind admitting it? A review on this neglected e-rag is in the works for the proverbial third beer in the six-pack, vol. 3 . Holy hops and OG! Vol. 4 exists too – session drink-reading, ah happy days. The SB website has links to vol. 3 reviews to keep your whistle wet.
Most of us will fancy some wonder-snacks whilst imbibing. While this zine was largely responsible for my baptism-by-fire into zinedom (it’s only years later that I realise one of my fave indie comic artists put out self-published booklets which were zines, technically? Gosh, I’m daft), these almost-too-pretty-to-eat morsels are one for the sweet tooth.
Wanting to spontaneously combust whenever I see food establishments confusing macarons with its hardcore relative, the macaroon, or, the urge to call/text/e-mail/tweet-rant at the zinemaker in some weird display of bonding, show of solidarity or (my) selfish entitlement to warped validation fades, with time.
However, on the odd occasion you see a chubby yet wan, super-short Asiatic woman-child pointing or expounding furiously in public at shops offering macarons with an unintentional identity crisis for sale as infinitely patient friends or relatives back away, don’t panic – just make sure you don’t let under-18s (ha) hear me swearing.
Even now, that magnificent zine rant-treatise cum Bildungsroman triggers disturbing levels of personal ire (on behalf of the zinemaker and my inner, unjustified French snob). Is it a personal peccadillo or a version of Proust’s madeleine…? Who cares: it’s damn well shorter than Proust’s work. That man can wax lyrical on tea during bouts of mummy-wanting insomnia. The zine’s shorter and far more interesting. Beginning Proust’s Swann’s Way is a cure for insomnia – at times, but that’s irrelevant.
Still peckish for culinary zine reads? One last review: the various things I eat by Deth P. Sun. Indulge your voyeuristic desires…for eating habits and choices? Cutest, most detailed, themed visual diary ever. Imagine recording everything you’ve eaten in illustrated form for months.
The info in these ancient reviews may no longer be accurate and as this is a ‘glory days of old’ post, do bear that in mind if/when you hunt down these titles. To date, Stubby Buddy‘s back and current issues are downloadable from their site (link above, also, how sweet is that?!). Macarons Are Not Macaroons had a launch way back in the day (scroll down to the Tue 23 Feb 2010 FOTP programme for info) and is soooo no longer available, though several reviews and media coverage about it are – you can find that stuff on your own, yeah?
NB. This post is a deliberate cannibalisation of another one I posted here in substitution of IZM 2014‘s planned twelfth review. The parody-pastiche god/desses must be having seizures by the bucketful. Did you think this post was bombastic? Good – that was kind of the point.
