Queer as apple pie: 2 cookbooks, 2 apple recipes, and defining 'queer food'
In the queer community, the idea of chosen family is a powerful notion.
In a community where 39 percent of LGBTQIA-identifying folks reported they had experienced rejection from family and friends (according to a 2013 Pew Research Center study), the concept of a family outside relatives informs many queer relationships. These are the people who affirm us, and we in turn affirm. Acceptance is part of a chosen family, yes, but so is an unconditional love from and for someone whom we're not related to.
Come fall, I practically keep my oven on at all times, whether I'm braising, roasting or otherwise cooking. Autumn weather brings out my domestic side - summer's stifling heat is long gone, and my birthday and that of my partner's fall within two weeks of each other. For this reason, I like to bake us a birthday cake. He's my person, and cooking for him is as nourishing for me as it is for him. My chosen family starts with him.
Admittedly, I'm not much of a baker, but I obsess over cookbooks,
