HTSI editor’s letter: in the hood at Alaïa

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Permit us a little deviation when looking at this week’s issue. Instead of championing those things we want to celebrate, we are instead going to cheer the things we hate. The publication of a new book, The Flavour Thesaurus: More Flavours, by Niki Segnit, has prompted a question in the office. Which are the foods we cannot stand?

In one of the most entertaining round-ups, Ajesh Patalay (who detests milk skin and broad beans) has canvassed the food experts to find out which flavours, tastes and textures they can’t bear. Smoked fish and anchovies don’t get much love among our panel; poor mackerel turns up twice. Others have an aversion to milk and tapioca, which seems perfectly normal, although I was amazed to see spaghetti and potatoes on the list. Then again, recalling the grotesque balls of mash that were once dished out for our primary-school lunches, I realised that Meera Sodha has a point.

Hate foods make a brilliant source of staff bonding

Anyway – hate foods make for a brilliant source of bonding… I can now list which foods the HTSI staff really dislike: Carlo Apostoli, the art director, loathes a parsnip; executive editor Tim Auld won’t touch a cockle, marmalade or porridge; and assistant editor Louis Wise won’t go near tripe. I refused to eat eggs until I was 20, although I have since outgrown that particular dislike. My dietary requirements now stipulate no kidney or watermelon – I’ve never understood why anyone would enjoy a foodstuff that tastes like soggy cotton wool. Please add to the ongoing conversation in the comments online: we’d like to find the least popular food in the world.

As the successor to the house of Alaïa, where he was appointed creative director in 2021, Pieter Mulier has had to step into some legendary shoes. His predecessor, Azzedine Alaïa, was among the most venerated names in fashion, and Mulier has had to walk an extraordinarily fine line between respecting the established codes and signatures and introducing new ideas. In a reversal of the usual process, I had spent several hours in Pieter Mulier’s apartment before sitting down to interview him for the cover of HTSI. In January, I went to Antwerp to see his AW23 Alaïa collection, for which he had opened up his home. As an act of generosity, it was surprising (some journalists were even sitting on his bed); it also reinforced the idea, nurtured by Azzedine, that the house of Alaïa is, in the truest sense, a “house”. Mulier’s vision for Alaïa is ambitious, and the market is really starting to feel his influence. I’ve fallen for his tailoring and denim; who knows, I may yet wear a hood.

Lastly, like many parents, I fell hard for Sylvanian Families via my daughter, who played with them as a small child. The tiny, clothed woodland creatures were completely irresistible to me as much as to her. Like Rosanna Dodds, who writes about their enduring popularity, I too have a box of families who should now be rehoused. But, like her, I can’t quite bear to give them on to someone more deserving: I feel too desperately sentimental to see them go. It’s reassuring to find others feel likewise. Who could resist their squeaky, idiosyncratic charms? I’ll probably hang onto them a wee bit longer, especially now I’ve discovered how keen collectors are on them as well.

@jellison22