51: Sculpture Deflections

Someone asked on Twitter whether the Angel of the North should be torn down considering the deserved fate of so many monuments to slavery this week. It made me wonder why someone would openly admit they didn't understand the context of the situation, or know the difference between a sculpture and a statue. But as usual, I was being naive. They weren't confused at all. They were deflecting.I've been thinking a lot about the word "gullible" and how often I refer to myself as being so. Is it bad to be gullible when all it means is to trust the word of someone else? Is it a sign of stupidity? Am I right to be deeply disappointed in myself every time I believe a lie?Like Seymour Skinner, I've decided no. It's the rest of the world that's wrong. I might be gullible, but that means I'm not a cynic. I might occasionally make a tit out of myself for believing something, but at least I have belief. Over time I've learned to protect myself better by reading and learning, so that I'm not led astray. But I've realised I've also worked hard to make sure this hasn't made me less open-minded or ready for change. Maybe this is why I have faith that the world can become a better, fairer place. Because no matter how many people tell me the world can't run that way, I still believe in it. And if that's gullibility, I'm okay with that.By the way, it's almost exactly a year since I started The Gulp. Imagine that! I have always said that I would never make this a paid-for "service" and that's still true. However if you've found inspiring links through this newsletter, or you've just enjoyed getting told a strange little story every week, and you'd like to send a monetary token of gratitude my way, here is my Paypal and here is my Ko-Fi. Thank you very much.Other Stuff

• Jeezy chreezie do I love writing when it takes me on a journey, like this fun adventure around Pisa by Craig Ballinger.

• "What do you really miss about restaurants?" asks Pamela Brunton. Earlier this week I tweeted about missing Safran, partly because of it's food, but also because I remember it as where I have had my best friendly arguments, longest conversations and created the funniest in-jokes. 

• During the immediate aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, and during the protests that followed, I was getting most of my news updates from Unicorn Riot. This piece in the New Yorker is a really interesting insight into this not-for-profit media collective.

• A never-published-before short story by little-known cult writer Ernest Hemingway.

• Are you subscribed to J'Adore le Plonk yet? You should be. This week's is about prosecco, and privilege, and accessibility, and it's brilliant.

• Alicia Kennedy's newsletter this week was about anarchism and feeding the fight and as usual, it was a timely, fascinating and enlightening read full of further reading tips and links. Subscribe. Read. Do it now.

• Food critic Jimi Famurewa missed his mum's cooking, so asked her to teach him some of his fave Nigerian dishes over zoom and then wrote about the partially-calamitous results for The Guardian. It's so bittersweet and so good. 

• A Twitter thread by Ruby Tandoh on what the food industry could be if we stepped up and challenged those in charge to tackle racism in their own houses.

• This week I missed Anthony Bourdain on the sad anniversary of his death. This piece about tracing his footsteps and eating crab backs in San Francisco by Matthew Curtis is a whole-hearted reminder of what he meant to so many of us in the food and drink world, and a very suitable way to raise a glass to his memory.

• Following this week's loose theme of anarchism and community action, Jonathan Nunn writes about what restaurants could be to their communities; places of nutrition, social spaces, anti-poverty activism hubs.

• Thank you to David Sun Lee for bringing the CBC podcast Frontburner to my attention. This episode on Bon Appétit, race and food culture is so good, especially on the topic of white people as the centre of the food media universe and therefore the prioritised audience for it.

• Ruby Tandoh's Instagram post about her new book Cook As You Are also goes into the way food media culture is seen through a white lens. Her views on inclusivity and accessibility in food are always so inspirational to me.

My Stuff

• If a pint of mild is poured without someone debating its waning existence, did it ever get poured at all?

• What are brewers up to during lockdown and furlough? Let's find out.

• Thank you to those of you who sent tips my way over the past couple of weeks. I used the money to enter three writing competitions, and I used the rest to top up my donations to Black Visions Collective, Unicorn Riot and Black Lives Matter, among other individual Black and trans fundraisers. I, and they, really appreciate your support.

• This month I have no fewer than 13 short story and writing competitions on my list.  Of course I will not enter all 13 competitions. I'll let you know how I get on.

From 24 Hour Pisa People, by Craig Ballinger

Ugh, to be stood there, drinking beer, smelling food, hearing laughs.