Gloria Steinem once said that “pop culture shapes our ideas of what is normal.” This truth applies perfectly when describing marijuana and its ever-transforming culture.
If you were caught smoking weed 50 years ago, you were a hippie; 30 years ago, you were a degenerate. In 2017, you’re a trendy mainstream socialite.
This year’s September issue of Vogue Magazine — a global trendsetter in fashion and lifestyle — published an in-depth article on how to throw a cannabis infused dinner party. The greater significance of this move, above being in one of the world’s premier publications, is the fact that Vogue chose their September issue to feature cannabis cuisine.
The September magazine is considered to be the biggest and most influential edition of their year-long publication calendar. It’s the Rosetta Stone that translates everything we see and hear in fashion, popular culture, and high-society, into a book-sized magazine that is received by 1 in 10 women in America, or almost 13 million people.
In this piece, Vogue examines the idea of a classic dinner party with the major revamp of adding marijuana-infused cuisine. Chef Andrea Drummer discusses how she worked for years as a drug counsellor and opponent of marijuana, only to be turned by the plant’s miraculous qualities. Drummer now believes “wholeheartedly, with every fiber of my being, [that] it should be legalized globally.”
Drummer’s transformation from someone who discouraged pot use to a Los Angeles-based personal marijuana chef is a vivid example to illustrate society’s shifting views on cannabis. The stigma of weed as something that college kids smoke before eating a family-size bag of Cheetos fades further into the stereotypes of yesteryear when legitimate pop culture outlets like Vogue write about cannabis as a normal part of the human experience.
In this context, pot is discussed as a natural enhancement to a social experience. “At every dinner I’ve hosted there’s no one on their phone. You may have a few people take Snapchats of the food at the beginning, and then away goes the phone. Everyone is engaged with each other and learning and having the greatest time,” said Drummer.
Along with the social acceptance comes the reminder that edibles aren’t limited store-bought brownie mix and a handful of weed. Cannabis infusion in the article is described as part of high-end cuisine that includes lobster mac ‘n’ cheese with étouffée sauce and brûléed bread pudding with caramel sauce, Chantilly cream, and seasonal berries, infused with the ever popular marijuana strain Girl Scout Cookies.
The food itself is also part of a larger topic where Vogue describes the atmosphere that one must create surrounding a soiree of this nature. Details include careful thought to the guest list, incorporating themes, preparing talking points, creating a specific menu, and of course, eating cannabis-infused foods in moderation.
The article then goes on to include recipes for dishes like Cucumber Watermelon Salad and Infused Pomegranate Reduction, and a Sweet Tea Crème Brûlée.
Vogue started as a weekly newspaper in 1892 and is now has 22 international editions. Its acceptance, promotion, and incorporation of marijuana as a regular part of human culture will undoubtedly resonate beyond the confines of North America, further legitimizing cannabis on an international scale.
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