"IF YOU CAN STAND THE HEAT: THE HISTORY OF WOMEN AND FOOD"

Audre Lorde, Ada Lovelace and Anne Sexton 

Dear Diary,

OOOOOOH my oh my oh my.  Don't know about anyone else but I've sort of always wanted to get pied in the face just like the cartoon characters used to get on tv when I was younger. FINALLY MY DREAMS CAMES TRUE!! I got to work with Ada Lovelace and Anne Sexton to try and educate people on the toxicity and sexist way food is marketed to us and the effects that such pointed conversations of food have on all our bodies. At first, I was nervous. Really nervous. Nervous to the point where I think I was coming off as almost mean? You know how it goes Diary; you're not sure how you’re going to be able to be the most effective so you sort of shut down instead. Well, thank God I had probably the most intellectual and chipper ladies standing in the room with me. We chatted about our own relationships with food, politics, our families, our INSANE daily lives and feminism. It felt like being back at camp or something! I will always be grateful for the opportunity to have a room to walk in to where you know there is nothing but kind women waiting to work with you.

ALSO DIARY, we went to Jersey for the first time! I know we’ve been all over the world but sometimes that means you forget what your own backyard looks like ya know? The trip up there was so charming and when we finally got there, the lovely people of William Paterson University had SO MUCH FOOD WAITING FOR US!! It was honestly a dream come true. We munched on some great snacks, had a full dinner, then performed our latest show for a group of surprisingly responsive women and a handful of men!

I think the biggest thing I’ll take away from this show is you should never under estimate yourself. There is no telling what you can accomplish if you allow yourself to be open to the people in the room with you and let their energy and light fill you with your own.

Missing my ladies dearly already and can’t wait to see them again!

Sincerely,

Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde as Edna Lewis (Anne Sexton looks on)

Dear Diary,

Today I went to Wayne New Jersey! We had this massive theatre all to ourselves! I got to do a show about women and food! We talked about important things like body image, and eating healthy and the relationship between food and media and gender. It made me feel empowered. I feel like I can do anything no matter what I look like. We also honored MFK Fisher, Julia Child, and Edna Louis. What amazing women! It really made me want to learn more about women and food. It also made me want to cook more! Actually, if I’m being honest, it really made me hungry.

Love,

Ada Lovelace

Dear Diary,

PIE CALL!  Pie in the face rehearsals

Well, I ditched my vodka tonic for some bread dough at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ over the weekend. I'd lost my voice for the 4 days leading up to the show - I thought of it as a forced silent retreat, minus the retreat with an emphasis on forced. But, the show must go on, and our fearless director, Aphra Behn, said my lines as I mouthed the words and moved about the stage like a wooden marionette all last week.  We toyed with the idea of keeping it that way as an avant garde performance art piece, but in the end, realism reigned and my shaky voice finally came back.  Just in the nick of time!  

The show was grand and exhilarating  - going from the history of women in food, to food activism in America, to learning a bit about 3 colorful femme foodies of America--unsung heroes reclaiming power in a highly male-dominated arena.  We had a better than expected turn-out, but for a school with over 11,500 students, we were surprised that the theatre was not more packed.  If only they'd known they would have a chance to make a baguette with Julia Child or immerse themselves in a positive body-image Lady Gaga singalong... **sigh, sip of aforementioned vodka tonic**

High points in the show were the quality group of proud New Jerseyans screaming "Pumpkin Pie...Fat...Feminist" at the top of their lungs.  I love the words "Pumpkin pie" so much, I took the liberty of yelling them in lieu of my scripted lines at the top of my lungs.  One may interpret that as a mistake, but I interpret it as a delicious, delectable moment of my inner foodie ID stealing a few seconds of the show.  Perhaps that will be the subject matter of my next confessional poem.  "I Will DIE... For Pumpkin PIE"...  

Until next time, lovelies, stay true and stay FULL! 

xoxo, Anne Sexton

Julia Child leads a kneading fest! 

Julia Child's take on our Ohio tour of "If You Can Stand the Heat...."

March 4, 2010

Dear Deezers,

Ohio. The land of farms and greetings. I am, of course, referring to the "hi" right in the middle of the oooohhh's. There's something so promising about the word Ohio for just those reasons. And Denison certainly delivered. Not just delicious pre-show wraps, chocolate and seltzer, but crackerjack smart students. I was in love with the participants in our poster-making workshop who made intelligent, provocative posters and images around issues they were psyched to tackle: gender identity, capitalism, the (il)legality of marijuana, and sexual violence. Before we worked on posters, we conducted some theatre exercises and made them become human sculptures and tableaux. They obliged willingly and enthusiastically, thus contributing to the collaboratively driven sharpee/newsprint masterpieces. Bravo participants!

Per GGOT style we braved the Bee (Applebees) and the Roo (Ruby Tuesdays) of Heath, Ohio, waking up from the daze of NYC as food paradise. I can't say I miss Ruby Tuesdays when I’m not around one but I can say that I miss the incredibly generous and articulate audience that came to see “If You Can Stand the Heat: The History of Women and Food”. Our student volunteer, (Tara) played Tammy the Tummy and got pied in the face at the end of the show. I was the culprit that had the pleasure of pie-ing her. For her, it was a total surprise. For me, it was completely gratifying. Nothing like a little dessert after some masked activism, I always say.

Another highlight of the tour was our cab driver back to the airport when all was said and done. She delivered brilliant every-five-minute saucy one-liners while we shop-talked about theatre. She was a farm girl by birth, and a cab driver by trade: it was the perfect hybrid of Ohio and NYC and a great way to cap off the trip.

Bon appetit,
Julia Child

More Reports from the SPRING TOUR

March 3rd, 2010

Dear Diary,

Well, we have arrived safe and sound in Greater Licking County, Ohio. I have to say the open roads and clear sky are an incredibly refreshing break from the beautiful but incessant city chaos. I am lovin’ our company meals at Applebees and The Olive Garden – we feel like a real company. This just happens to by my maiden Guerrilla Girls On Tour voyage – (I was inducted into the group via a banana eating contest last fall!) Eating and drinking as a Guerrilla Girl On Tour feels very cool and fun and new.

We had a smashing workshop this evening with twenty or so students from Denison University. Julia Child did a rockin’ job introducing us and working with students. People are definitely jolted by our masks and wigs but once they talk to us and see that we are normal (though anonymous) human beings, they open up and feel more at ease. I love working in this medium. It really forced me to focus on the students and the issues they needed to discuss.

I think the moment I graduated from my alma mater I felt I knew more than all under-graduates. Making posters with these young adults reminded me how smart college kids are. College is this beautiful time in your life when you can focus on your brain and sort out your points of view on life and politics. Not that these POVs won’t change, but for many of us it’s the first time in our lives we develop ourselves as separate entities from our home-life and family roots. I was particularly touched by a poster series on sexual assault which addressed both men and women: it challenged men to listen and women to speak up. How great!
Ta for now, xo
MFK Fisher

March 4th, 2010

Dear Diary,

Day 2! Woke up at 8 to eat free hotel breakfast which lasted until 9. I now know that it is only food that will get me out of bed at 8 in the morning when I have time to sleep in until 11. I avoided eating bananas as we scarf several of these on stage during our performance.

After a full productive day of strong techs (and a couple of line flubs), we meet our “Tammy the Tummy” a.k.a. our student volunteer who interacts with us in the show. “Tammy The Tummy” is the name we used in rehearsal back home, before we knew who our volunteer would be. Our volunteer’s name is Tara. Which is very close to Tammy. Now Tara /Tammy The Tummy gets a pie in the face in our show. A surprise pie in the face. I was privately worried that poor Tammy might be affronted by this unsolicited pie. But on meeting Tara, who was lovely, enthusiastic and up for anything, I am confident that we can pie her without hurting her feelings or bruising her ego. Or setting off her deadly dairy allergy – (she doesn’t have one. We checked). Her hair got messed up, but that was the worst of it.

Our show goes well with a minimal amount of snafus - a great start when you consider this is the world premiere and the first time we are putting up our multi-media piece “If You Can Stand the Heat: The History of Women and Food”. The audience seemed a little shy and got a bit quiet whenever we asked for audience participation; but they laughed with us and were engaged throughout the show. I remember our audience members leaning forward in their seats with mingled interest/discomfort when we were outlining the procedure of a gastric bypass procedure (which Julia narrates in our “fat bias” section of the show). They were into it, if a little private.

After the show Aphra kindly bought us drinks, toasted to the GGOT’s (new and returning), and then drove us all back to the hotel where we collapsed our potassium rich bodies on our hotel beds.

The show was a success! Now time for rest and the plane ride back home tomorrow.
Xo
MFK Fisher

March 5th, 2010
Day 3 – a quickie. Entry. That is. A quick entry.
Today is all about travel. Our workshops and shows are complete. Aphra left for home ahead of us; Edna Julia and I share a cab to the airport. Our driver is great; she hands us all bite-size snickers and pulls over to “Caribou Café” where we pick up our respective caffeine beverages. Somehow I think she would appreciate “The Herstory of Women and Food.”

Edna, Julia and I groggily argue over Lady GaGa’s aesthetics before boarding our plane and heading back to the city. I greatly enjoy this time spent after the show. Without lines to run or pie to clean out of our Guerrilla masks, we talk about our lives outside of Guerrilla Girls On Tour and our weekend plans. A good end to a good journey.

Cheers to my Guerrilla Girl On Tour gals and the Dennison student collective.

Au revoir, xo
MFK Fisher

Reports From The SPRING TOUR!

EDNA LEWIS reports from the road - our tour to Denison University with "If You Can Stand the Heat: The History of Women and Food"
March 4th, 2010

March 3rd, 2010

Diary Dearest,

I’m not sure if I am glad or sad that I wasn’t forewarned about the size of our plane. I’ve been on bigger buses! Instead of fear, I will embrace my inner Beyonce and think of it as a private jet. We had a quick ride and a smooth landing - what more can a Diva ask for? We had an uneventful drive to Denison University. Granville, Ohio is dollhouse – aka adorable town. Remember that episode of “The Twilight Zone” where the couple wakes up in a town they can’t escape from, only to find out they are toys for a giant little girl? Well this town would fit that scenario perfectly. Our poster making workshop was fun, energetic, and informative. It mad me a little nostalgic for my college days.

Luv,
Edna Lewis

March 3rd, 2010

Diary Dearest,

Woke up at the crack of 10am feeling refreshed and ready to go. Added a shower, some food, some coffee and I am now hyped and ready to go! Practice, practice, practice, and raking the I-270 are the way to performing at Ace Morgan Theatre. Our run through and tech went swimmingly. Our volunteer “Tammy the Tummy” is prepped and ready to go.
The show was amazing. We had a fun, and a sometimes shy audience. But once they came out of their shells, it was on. I was a little nervous about my "Where'd your ass go?" line, but I was worried for nothing because it got a huge laugh. Sure, there were only two Sista's that I saw in the audience, but as far as I'm concerned we were out in full force.
There was fun, surprises, and whipped cream. What more can a Guerilla Girl On Tour ask for?

Luv,
Edna

March 4th, 2010

Diary Dearest,

Its been real Ohio. Thanks for the memories Denison University. Its time now for me to board my Bus/Jet and fly home!
Luv,
Edna

MORE REPORTS FROM MFK FISHER and JULIA CHILD coming soon!