I always look forward to articles by Meredith Goad, and kudos to her for her very well-deserved honor: reaching the finals last year for a national food writing award, in the company of writers from The Wall Street Journal and Food & Wine.
Goad’s Feb. 3 piece, on North Deering’s Edie McCormick and her Danish Puffs, is a recent enjoyable offering.
Although a permanent Maine resident, I teach gerontology in another state. From that background of studying aging, I’d like to make a plea that when not dealing with straight reporting, editors and writers ask themselves why including the age of whatever elder they are writing about seems necessary.
In the midst of the otherwise interesting article about McCormick, we are told she is “nearly 87.” How is that relevant? We aren’t told the writer’s age, as that wouldn’t be relevant either.
This seems to be a contemporary journalistic habit that reveals more about the writer’s views on old age than it advances the story.
For example, if we were to read an article about someone in middle age making quilts, we aren’t usually told that this quilter keeps busy at age 40 with volunteer work, or whatever.
This is just some food for thought.
Judith Church Tydings
South Thomaston
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