The Slow Press is a brilliant magazine from Singapore "fixated on the rich stories of what we eat."
3 reasons why we really like this mag:
1. It's inventive.They play around with size, shape and design from issue to issue. They've done a spiral bound foraging zine, and for the latest issue, Best Before, each cover is hand-stickered AND comes with nine puffy stickers that relate to the stories in the issue.
2: It's fascinating. While, the stickers are puffy, the content is most certainly not. They uncover some fascinating stories connected to the food we eat. In issue 5, there is a brilliant piece on war-time eating in Singapore under Japanese occupation in WW2 and in issue 6, they dive into the huge problem of food safety and hygiene of the thousands of migrant workers who build and maintain Singapore's infrastructure.
3: It tells some great, very human stories. In issue 5, there's a beautiful bit of memoir about how faith can change over time, told through varying types of holy communion fare and in issue 6, we loved 'Remembering Popo,' a story about losing a grandmother to dementia, and all the loss, frustration and memories that come with it.
4. Food, lovely, food. We love a good food mag and while The Slow Press isn't limited to Singapore, the fact that it's such a food haven with its melting pot of cultures, cuisines and fresh ingredients, there's fodder for a never-ending run of issues. In issue 5, they discuss why we like bitter food and in issue 6, they dive into the history and future of tea.
We met one of the co-founders in REAL LIFE at the Offprint book fair at the Tate Modern last month. We took the chance to find out a little more about this small but mighty publication...
The Slow Press (mini) interview...
Hello! So, can you tell us who makes The Slow Press and how do you know each other?
Behind The Slow Press are Christy, Aik, and Melody. We met while we were studying Communications at university, and Christy and Melody were housemates who used to cook together.
What do you like to do when you’re not making the magazine?
We all have day jobs in media! In our free time, we cook and enjoy great food. Other than writing and designing, we like hosting fun events in Singapore with good music, food, and drinks!
Why oh why did you decide to start a print magazine?!
Print is precious. We hate doom scrolling and the thought of reading something that doesn’t require the flipping of pages. It is the feeling of holding something so tangible in print that makes us do what we do.
And why food in particular?
Food is one of the most simple and complex mediums out there for storytelling. There is so much historical and cultural context around what we eat. We could go on forever about how much we love a certain food or ingredient! There’s so much to talk about when it comes to food, especially in a food paradise like Singapore.
What mags do you love to read?
We indulge in a good amount of food magazines and research. We like Fare, Fatboy Zine, Whetstone, throw up some defunct ones like The Cleaver Quarterly, Lucky Peach, and books like You and I Eat The Same are our favourites too.
We love the inventive ways you explore your themes. How do you go about planning an issue and what sort of stories are you looking to tell?
Honestly, most of our ideas for themes and stories come to our minds in the weirdest and most random ways. If we feel that an idea is worth expanding on and sharing with the world, we’ll make it happen in a format that we think works.
We have a soft spot for lesser-known food-related stories in our local community that tap into the politics, history, and culture that go into what we eat. Any stories that explore the culinary spaces present in our society we like too!
What’s next for The Slow Press?
We’re always hungry for good stories and good food. This year, we’re looking forward to publishing two new zines, doing some fun events in Singapore, and travelling for art book fairs abroad. Stay tuned!
Thank you Christy!
What next?
You can read an article from the latest issue at theslowpresszine.com. Like what you read? (As of 4th June 2024), we have ONE copy of issue 4 available in the shop, and a handful of the latest issue, 'Best Before.' Grab a copy before they get snapped up. :)
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