“Nothing says gentrification like being able to order a cortado”

Abstract

Alison Hope Alkon, Yuki Kato, and Joshua Sbicca are the co-editors of A Recipe for Gentrification: Food, Power, and Resistance in the City (NYU Press, 2020). This important new book outlines the ways that food and gentrification are closely intertwined in North American cities—not just in New York City or Vancouver, British Columbia, but in smaller, less obvious places like Portland, Oregon; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Durham, North Carolina. A Recipe for Gentrification makes clear that gentrification processes are both complex and contradictory, combining delicious foods with deep feelings of discomfort as vulnerable communities become even more vulnerable due to rising rents and urban displacement. New opportunities for restaurateurs and diners do not necessarily translate into fair wages, shared profits, or dignified living conditions for residents. This research gives us new tools to critically appraise how changing urban foodscapes can engender displacement but also resistance.Two food scholars and fans of this book, Josée Johnston and Michael Chrobok, were delighted to have the chance to sit down and talk with Alison (AA), Yuki (YK), and Joshua (JS) about their new volume—as well as their broader thoughts on food and gentrification, including beyond the North American urban context. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.