What's in a feature?

photograph via Flickr by noborders

This little break down is all about Under the Table: a feature from Guernica about epicurian dining in Havana, Cuba.

The author, Julia Cooke, is an American living in Havana. She writes in first person about finding food in Cuba under the trade embargo, the nuanced moral code of the Cuban people, and the challenges for a modern Cuban family.

This is a issue feature. The issue is about taking care of yourself and your family, doing what it takes to survive, and being adaptable.

The conflict is about Cooke learning how to live and eat in a foreign country. After she finally gains the trust of her friends to have access to these black market grocers, she has to learn the ins and outs of buying and eating the food.  The other layer of the conflict concerns the families struggle to grow in a globalized community.

It is incredibly effective in the first person. Cooke uses dialouge and detail to reveal her experiences, but she also explores deeper meanings to the reader.