The map shapes the (food) story

Wayfinding is a collaboration between author and reader, in food writing and beyond

I’m an avid lover and confused user of maps. Maps as objects bring me such joy: Studying them, admiring the ways we try to conceptualize complex 3D spaces in 2D renderings. What gets left out, and what gets included, says a lot about us and what we value.

This interactive map shows the origins of foods from around the world, however this rendering only highlights foods from North America. Was the choice intentional? How do we interact differently with these two versions of the same map (outside of the obvious interactive elements?)

Or this very meat-and-fried-things heavy map of the US. Granted, we love our fried foods and our meats in this country: But they aren’t the whole story of regional eating. What about the midwestern muskmelons or the rich traditions of vegetable cookery in southern soul food? Were vegetables and fruits outside the scope of this particular map maker (which is possible) or was it a blind spot: An unintentional omission that can inform us about how they, and we, view the world?