WHO IS PLATES FOR?
PLATES IS AN INDEPENDENT CULTURE JOURNAL written for the reader who is restless and frustrated with the status quo; who feels somewhat detached from the shock and sensational elements favoured by mainstream media. Nor is she interested in reading yet another regurgitated press release or wire piece. With an ever-growing to-do list, she will only make time for long-form, original features that have been researched with intention, depth and empathy, paired with actionable bite-sized suggestions and community-based solutions.
PLATES IS FOR THE PERSON WHO BELIEVES she has a bigger role to play in her community, but is unsure where or how to begin. While everything else in the world may seem overwhelming and beyond her power as an individual, PLATES hopes to give her that gentle push, that brief introduction; to spark and to unearth, perhaps a forgotten, sense of wonder, and the urge to wander beyond her comfort zone and the pages in PLATES. To recognise that she does not need to change the world, but is capable of changing someone‘s world.
We write—independently—for the readers, who are curious, restless, changemakers and change-seekers in their fields.
WHAT IS PLATES?
PLATES IS NOT A COOKBOOK nor a glossy food magazine. Inside this independent collectible journal, you will not find advertisements, celebrity chef interviews, listicles or restaurant reviews. Instead, as part of our slow travel, slow journalism and slow living practice, PLATES is designed as a collectible journal, filled with evergreen human stories; highlighting overlooked issues, which persists in the undercurrent of societies in various pockets around the world.
OUR NON-FICTION INVESTIGATIVE HUMAN STORIES are hyperlocal yet globally relevant. We seek to carve out and hold the space for alternative narratives, particularly from Southeast Asia and the “Global South”, to be documented. For the lived experiences and cultural narratives told by persons of colour to simply exist amongst mainstream media and within gatekept shelves, which continue to be dominated by a Eurocentric bias.
PLATES IS A HOMEGROWN PUBLICATION, published inaugurally (biannually, pre-COVID 19), that you will be proud you discovered, supported and seeded. This is our full-time gig. And we are only able to do so since 2019 thanks to our earliest readers, who continue to believe in the work we do and the stories we seek. We survive entirely on magazine sales (and the occasional one-off art grants, which we are forever grateful for). If you would like to contribute to our mobility/production fund, consider checking our crowdfunding page on the Ko-fi platform, and share this page with a friend or on your social platforms. Every referral truly makes a difference.
MEET PLATES’ FOUNDER & EDITOR
Hello,
I’m Dee May
I am a crafter, photographer, traveller and foodie by kismet. My travels are often driven by local markets, dark beer and unconventional modes of transportation; think wooden truck loaded with live chickens and metal pipes in Indonesia, or a hitchhiked ride in a Kosovar family sedan. Whenever I travel I seek out local books and magazines — be it Vogue India at the airport newsstand, London’s Fare at MagMa or the Anglo-Italian Looklateral at Art Basel.
Why “food”?
Plates was created on the idea that every ingredient has a human story behind it. Over the years of sporadic and extensive backpacking, 30 countries and counting, I realised many of my warmest and most bizarre memories of travel often revolved around food and drink.
Having held editor roles at three lifestyle media companies, I had the opportunity to improve and expand my palate through food reviews and wine and whiskey appreciation events. While I was given the opportunity to interview interesting and commercially-friendly personalities (e.g. C-Suites and a number of celebrities) who experienced food in a different context, I found myself often drawn to stories of everyday people and unfussy food.
I believe food has the potential to transcend barriers of all sorts, be it language, cultural or political.
Over food and drink, in a bar-setting at the Cumberland Lodge in Windsor, I’ve discussed Islam with scholars from Azerbaijan, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In a mini market in Ecuador, the storekeeper, an elderly lady, held up ingredients from around the shop and recited their names as part of our impromptu Spanish lesson. In contrast, in the backseat of a police jeep in Albania, two officers gruffly and rather reluctantly agreed to give me a lift. Yet they stopped the jeep abruptly and reached out the window to pluck some wild berries — proudly asking if I’ve seen the fruit before.
If we were to peel the layers further, a person’s eating habits, be it table etiquette or purchasing choice or capability, can reveal a fair bit about her/his personality. Incidentally, on a seven-hour train ride in Burma, a young family of three offered to share their lunch — a plate of fried rice noodles — with me. I suppose my packet of wafer biscuits paled pitifully in comparison to their warm meal.
Photos: A lunch-turned-afternoon-‘tea’ invite at a remote campsite in Albania. None of the men spoke a word of English, nor did I speak a word of Albanian. / The mother and son who I sat next to on a train ride from Bagan to Mandalay.
Then there’s always that one dish, often on the other side of the world, that surprises you with its similarity to a childhood snack. For me, it was the Latin American empanada, which reminded me of my grandmother’s curry puff (minus the spice).
Why PLATES?
The idea of creating a platform for human interest and social justice stories had been at the back of my mind for a few years. After coming across stories in the past that were deemed un-saleable, or held no commercial interest, I began to dream of building a platform that catered meatier stories but were still easily digestible and palatable for a time-pressed audience.
Back then, in Malaysia, when the act of composing political cartoons could land you in jail, my first instinct as a storyteller was to fly under the red tape radar. This was to be done by plating up lifestyle-angled and human interest stories with the underlying intention of discussing complicated issues, such as oil palm.
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In 2016, I was awarded the Chevening scholarship by the UK government to pursue a masters in multimedia journalism at the University of Westminster in London. The city, in general, offered much intellectual and creative stimulation with countless journalism events and art exhibitions. Despite my geographical proximity to issues in the UK/EU, I found myself being drawn to stories in the east, particularly those in relation to deforestation and marginalised minority groups.
At the annual AMAR conference at Windsor Castle, UK , with Canon Dr Edmund Newell (far left) and AMAR Foundation founder, Baroness Emma Nicholson (far right) as well as fellow Cumberland Lodge Associates from Mexico and Azerbaijan.
While I initially left for the UK with fire in my belly, I returned home to a dried up media scene where at least half a dozen magazine titles were shut down during the time I was away. In spite of a discouraging environment, I noticed a growth in international independent print media.
I began working on a story about marginalised rural rice farmers and each lead would branch out to wider issues. Then, during the edits, the country’s political landscape changed overnight — and so did the media scene and my outlook.
There was once again, hope.
A communal table with no reservations
I wanted to create a platform that was free from the manipulation, influence and pressure from internal salespersons and shareholders. I wanted an independent platform that sought to serve the readers and the people featured in the stories. At the same time, I wanted the magazine to be able to select advertisers who believed in and could benefit from our editorial vision as part of a long-term partnership.
The first stories in Plates take place in the Bornean region, more specifically on the Malaysian side, near the border between Sabah-Sarawak and Indonesia’s Kalimantan.
Why print?
I still believe there is a space for long-form and slow journalism. A space for stories, presented and curated carefully, to capture the attention of readers, who may not have cared otherwise had the issues been presented through shock journalism.
My belief is that if people are engaged and armed with the facts to talk about issues — at say, dinner parties and business conferences, or even at their fitness studio — that story may be passed on to the next person, and the next, to address those issues in whatever way possible within their means, be it through purchasing choice, policy making, or fairer business relationships.
While many have strongly suggested going fully digital, I still believe print carries a certain weight and nostalgia. To be able to hold a story in your hand, to slowly scan a double-page photo spread, to dog-ear a section and to actually come back to it. As opposed to reading off mobile, or adding another video to the ‘watch later’ abyss; another scroll, another share, and just another headline in someone else’s feed.
While digital content may be forgotten past its viral expiry date, never to resurface unless intentionally searched for, print has the potential to retain its evergreen qualities. A physical copy of a magazine can be picked up, thumbed through, or simply chanced upon at cafes, waiting rooms or a friend’s living room; and perhaps in the decades to come, at a second-hand bookstore or garage sale, its stories revisited and reinterpreted by future generations.
My hope is that each story stirs conversation over every plate.
Grant award recipient
Guest speaker
Media interviews
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