Welcome to Oy Vey It’s a Food Newsletter

What is this newsletter?

This is a community-supported publication sharing food systems news, resources, and commentary from a curious vegan perspective.

Pssst community-supported means I offer all of my content without a paywall. Those who can afford to pay for a subscription keep the content available to everyone, while still monetarily supporting the knowledge and work I put into my content.

Along with some monetary compensation, I get a little boost of dopamine every time I get a new subscriber, and that shit is hard to come by naturally these days!

And if you’re not already familiar, the “I” behind the page is me, Kayla, my friends call me OyVeyItsKay.

It is also another place for me to share pictures of my dog’s smile and disproportionately large ears that stick straight out. She’s the preview image for each edition because I’ve heard people on the internet like cute animal pics.

Why should you trust me as a resource?

Oh wow, already starting with the existential-dread imposing, tough questions. I like that!

Okay, well I think my biggest qualification is that I am a huge fucking nerd (there will be more swearing). My nerdy brain is hooked (hyper-fixated) on learning about food because when I look at the world with food systems in mind, things make a little bit more sense. I consume a lot of information about food from a variety of media sources; books, research, news stories, podcasts, documentaries, shows, memes, all the trusted sources. I also went into pretty major debt in my early twenties getting a B.S. in Human Biology and then an M.S. in Food & Nutrition Policy & Programs.

You’re still reading so I assume you’re looking for more on my background and questioning my authority over this subject matter, because higher education doesn’t always guarantee intelligence or knowledge, since it’s fairly elitist and my brain was still developing after I graduated. That’s a fair critique, have I mentioned I like you? I think we’ll get along great.

I do have some professional experience to back up my expensive degrees. I am a published critical food studies researcher and gained experience in a few different nutrition communication positions within the food industry over the last few years.

Oh shit, I almost forgot about the vegan thing!

I have been vegan for almost a decade (depending on how recently I have updated this blurb) and I do know a lot about vegan things. And I know that veganism tends to make people roll their eyes and run away, which is why I called this Oy Vey It’s a Food Newsletter. If you’re the eye-rolling type you are welcome to add some exasperated sass to that “Oy Vey” in the title.

I learn more every day and I do my best to share my knowledge in an engaging, well-cited, and approachable way.

Skip to this last bit if you’re just looking for the subscribe button!

Subscribing (either free or paid) means we get an opportunity to learn together, explore food systems news, call out sketchy food marketing, and ask an annoying amount of questions (that may never get answered).

And not to brag, but people have told me they love this newsletter and it is the only one they read every time it hits their inbox. Well, a person told me that. It may have been my own mother, but that’s not important.

If this appeals to you, fork over your email (more food puns to come)!