Peasant chic – with Rosanna McLaughlin

“What is this fantasy of hardship and labour endemic to those parts of the city catering to the rise of affluence, the empire of the flat-whites, draining neighbourhoods of colour, and leaving in their wake a mild-mannered army dressed in Breton stripes and vintage labouring apparel? What is this love of the workshop, the jailhouse, the farm, and the forces, which has caused a swathe of the population to tether their identities to the gates of histories and industries that they will never enter? I give to you, the superlative product of middle-class cognitive dissonance, the double-tracker.” So writes Rosanna McLaughlin in her brilliant little book ‘Double Tracking’. In this episode we discuss what this idea is, and how it plays out in our food culture. Rosanna’s other work includes the essay ‘Against Morality’ and a novel ‘Sinkhole: Three Crimes’. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lewisbassett.substack.com