Tuesday, November 16, 2010

That Eggplant Looks Fabulous With Your Dress

I'm just off of a weekend in NYC.  I came home, pulled my stack of mail, and lookie lookie what I got in the mail:


I've never actually purchased anything from Barneys, so am confused as to why I received this particular issue of the catalog.  But I am happy to have it!  This "Foodie Holiday" issue is a tribute to Barney's "passion" for the "foodie culture" and highlights their efforts to keep everyone "well-fed".  This means that they gave $$ to the Food Bank for New York City.  


Look at these beautiful, and often comical, photos from the catalog (sorry for the shi++y photos that I took with my own camera):


That's a $1985 trench coat.  Yikes!


This dress is ONLY $1550.  Bargain!  NOT

These are called scapes, I just recently learned

How do I get one of those gigantic whisks?

Um...


Photographer: Hey model, wear this octopus on your head
Model: Sure. What's an octopus?


Sadly, most food banks are not getting these "foodie" foods.  If you have ever been to a food bank, and I suggest that you do at some point in your life, most foods are your basics.  There is no kale, romanesco, eggplant, octopus, etc.  There are cans of vegetables, bread, milk, eggs, baby formula, etc.


Some might think this is unfortunate.  But I've got to tell you, I've had some experience working with families that frequent food banks.  Most of these families are looking for familiar foods...they are hungry...it's not about the flair of food, but about satiation.  They are not trying to impress their friends or family with their cuisine.  They just want to eat.


As a graduate student, I was involved in the university outreach program that went to the homes of families in need.  I still think about these experiences.  One family asked me what part of the cow the portabellas come from.  [They were referring to portabello mushrooms that were included in a box of food.]  Another young teenage girl told us she was pregnant, even though she was receiving free birth control pills.  She swore she never missed a pill and so was confused as to how she got pregnant.  After a long conversation, she finally revealed that she was using them vaginally.  


I applaud Barneys New York for trying to help feed those in need.  If anything, this catalog reminded me of several things:

  1. I am very lucky to have the knowledge to eat healthy foods and the ability to be able to do so. 
  2. There are many, many folks in need of food for themselves and their families.
  3. I will never have a trench coat that costs almost two-thousand dollars.  
  4. Sometimes models have to do strange stuff. 

3 comments:

  1. Great post. I agree with it all, and I too, I would love the whisk! We go through many eggs! Hope you had a great time in NYC!!

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  2. I enjoyed your post, but now cannot get that image of that model with the purple vegetable held up to her ear...something tells me there may be other photos from that particular shoot which didn't make the mag. Happy Holidays - enjoy the now ever flowing stream of holiday music!!!

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