A cosy home on wheels
+ loss of smell, bullying head chefs, and recognition for a Black-owned cracker business
Nice Pear: a weekly(ish) feminist foodletter | Issue #021 | 31 January 2021
Hello!
This week I wrote a story for the Metro, on a topic that means a lot to me. It’s not very ‘foodie’, but I wanted to share a bit more about campervans here.
I’ve always had an interest in campervans - my parents had one through my teen years, and I’ve wanted a campervan of my own for a long time, indulging my nostalgia in #VanLife accounts on Instagram.
I love small spaces. I’m addicted to Geroge Clarke’s Amazing Spaces on C4 and to tiny-house channels on YouTube. My ‘won-the-lottery, money-no-object dream-home’ wouldn’t be a mansion or a stately home - multiple bedrooms, high ceilings and spacious rooms always look so cold to me - it would be a cabin in the woods or a cottage by a lake.
I also love to travel and explore new places, but I get very anxious about the actual ‘travelling’ part. Getting from A to B makes me nervous. I have this irrational fear about my luggage bursting open and throwing my clothes around the aeroplane hold, or about accidentally leaving essential items in a hotel room when I return. I get very emotionally attached to ‘stuff’, so the thought of leaving a favourite book or dress behind upsets me. My heart is genuinely pounding even typing this out.
My yearning for a campervan manifested last year, when my husband finally relented, agreeing to get a small van and renovating it to use as a camper. And I’m not alone.
While interest in campervans has been growing steadily over the past few years, August 2020 saw a peak in popularity, with Google searches for campervan almost doubling compared with previous summers.
The trend shouldn't be surprising, we’re worried about contracting the virus, international travel is restricted, and many people have been cooped inside their homes for most of the past year. Being able to stay in a self-contained unit seems like the most COVID-friendly way to travel.
Hopefully, this boom continues. Campervans can make travel more accessible, and are more environmentally-friendly than flights. There are loads of beautiful places to visit by road in the UK, and hopefully, in years to come, we’ll be able to drive to mainland Europe (via ferry). So long as van travellers leave no trace and respect the environment, there should be space for us all.
I’ve been saving up funds to buy a van, delved into some internet rabbit-holes researching conversions, and roped my dad into helping with the DIY (once restrictions ease up a little).
I can’t wait to be able to drive around, park up, cook a meal and sleep in a tiny, cosy space of my own. For now, though, I’m going back to the ‘used vans’ category on eBay.
👇 Scroll on down for Things to Read & Things to Eat 👇
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Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels
Things to read this week
We still don’t know everything about the long-term effect of COVID, but one worrying symptom is loss (or change) of your sense of taste and smell. As a food writer married to a chef, this story about beer sommelier and writer Maggie Cubbler, who now can’t stand the taste of beer since recovering from the virus, is especially worrying:
“For professions that rely heavily on taste and smell, particularly in the hard-hit food and drinks industry, it could spell the end of careers”.
The brilliant Vittles is back for a new season, kicking this off with the time-old story of brash, bullying head chefs and underpaid, overworked kitchen staff:
“Most chefs love food and love working with food but, like everyone else, they have a right to decent pay and a life outside of work”
This is such a bittersweet story: a black-owned business which is finally achieving the recognition it deserves - but the stores now carrying The Cracker King’s gluten-free products are motivated in part by the murder of George Floyd (and the ensuing BLM protests):
“places that I’d tried before but wanted nothing to do with me, now want to support Black businesses”
In vegan news: Beyond Meat is partnering with PepsiCo to develop a new line of plant-based snacks 🌱
Things to eat this week
As promised last week, my free-from pie-crust recipe. It’s a little bit of a faff (a lot of taking it in and out of the fridge) but easy (only three ingredients) and definitely worth it. A slice of hot apple pie for dessert truly made my day on the dark evenings this week.
I also ate:
Harissa olive oil-braised chickpeas and fennel from The Kitchn
This spiced carrot rice from Healthy Little Foodies
For my readers in Leeds: Tofu Satay from Wawin
Where to find me this week
This story about using campervans as home offices was published in the Metro Lifestyle section this week, as well as my blog post about vegan and gluten-free pie-crust.
This week I sent 2 pitches, got 1 rejection, and no commissions - yet!
As always, you can find me @ZoePickburn on Twiter, Insta, and other social media.
Thanks!
Zoe
Freelance writer & journo | Food blogger & newsletterer (she/her)
Say hello@zoepickburn.com with stories, commissions & foodie chit chat
If you enjoy Nice Pear & want to support it (or any of the other content I create online) you can always become a paying subscriber, buy me a virtual cuppa, or throw some change in the tip jar.