Fall 2025
Food for Thought
Editor’s Letter
Dear Reader,
Let me teach you something about food. It fuels our minds, our spirits, and of course, our stomachs. It has been with us since the dawn of civilization, but more importantly, it has been with us since the dawn of literature. Centuries ago, long before the creation of Three to Four Ounces, before the publication of the first novel, or the performance of the first poem, one of the earliest known writing systems was conceived in ancient Sumer. Around approximately 3500 B.C.E., cuneiform, a Mesopotamian script, was invented. It emerged because ancient humans needed a way to manage the newfound discovery of agriculture, developing language as a way to list grain, track surpluses, and document trade. In other words, our earliest stories were not just written in clay, but they were written in food.
It was because of this when one of my fellow editors (thank you, Blythe) suggested to me that we make “Food for Thought,” our next magazine theme, I knew she was right. As history tells us, there is nothing more literary, more artistic, more creative than food. Still, as much as I knew that food and language shared a long intertwined history, I found myself hungry for something more. I wanted a richer, more satisfying reason why the words “Food for Thought” rang so true, true to me and true to the legacy of our publication. This past August, I spent hours researching, combing through old editions of our magazine, and looking to our past literary icons. It wasn’t until I hunted down an old copy of Americana by Don DeLillo, the novel that is our namesake, that I stumbled upon my answer.
On the cover of this old well-worn edition, was an image of a classic American diner, complete with checkered floors, plush leather seats, and a glass pastry display. In this beautiful novel, created to dissect and reveal the nuance of the American cultural landscape, DeLillo chose a diner to depict how our identities have been shaped by a unique mixture of consumerism, community, and nostalgia. DeLillo, a powerful thinker and writer, was no stranger to how food connects to humanity, and more importantly, humanity’s art. In an interesting moment of societal contemplation, DeLillo once said:
“This is where we wait together, regardless of our age, our carts stocked with brightly colored goods. A slowly moving line, satisfying, giving us time to glance at the tabloids in the racks. Everything we need that is not food or love is here in the tabloid racks.”
I hope that here in our literary tabloid, we have created an atmosphere worth stepping into, a diner that even Don DeLillo would deem worthy of dining in. As this is my final edition with Three to Four Ounces, it is important to me that I thank all who inspired me. I am forever grateful to my family and friends, my editorial team, and of course the food that brought me here. Thank you to the carne asada tacos I ate with my family, my favorite turkey sandwich from Forest Greens, my grandpa’s Gallopinto, and of course, the ice cream machine in the Pit.
So please, savor each page of this edition, as you have savored your favorite meals. Stop in, have a seat, and without further ado, feast yourselves on the best thing since sliced bread: Three to Four Ounces Fall 2025 edition, “Food for Thought.”
Sincerely,
Bella Santos
Chief Editor
