At Synonym, we tell immigrant stories through food. As foreigners in a new land, the taste of home can bring us comfort and familiarity. Combining those flavors with food creates new traditions, a new heritage.
We will highlight these stories and share how trade, politics, colonialism, and capitalism have transformed food cultures around the world, for both immigrants and native inhabitants. We will explore all of this in the most intimate way possible: through the flavors shared across generations, the dishes served at a table, the spices packed in a suitcase.

Issue #1 revolves around the pantry: how so many different cultures have turned to products like canned meat, packaged seasonings, rice, beans, and spices to substitute, add umami, or fuse the food of their culture with that of their new country. We feature interviews with the multifaceted Somali writer, chef, and artist Ifrah Ahmed, as well as mouthwatering recipes from Alyse Whitney's cookbook, "Big Dip Energy," using pantry staples. We explore the historical nuances of classism in canned foods from a socioeconomic perspective, plus a personal essay by Betty Hallock on La Choy foods. This issue is filled with beautiful images by Yudi Ela Echevarría, Julia Stotz, Andrew Bui, and Celeste Noche, as well as illustrations and art by Josh Cochran, Evah Fan, and Hiroya Kurata, among others.

94 pages, spiral bound, full color.
Cover photo: Yudi Ela Echevarría.