Welcome to Noon, my new Substack publication
Blogs are dead, social media is appalling, I have a lot to share, so here's Noon. I hope you'll join me on this new endeavour.
Hello and welcome to Noon.
My name is Saghar Setareh. I'm a writer, photographer and the author of upcoming cookbook Pomegranates & Artichokes: recipes and memories of a journey from Iran to Italy and this is a prelude to my new Substack publication, Noon.
Why Noon?
I started my food and photography blog, Lab Noon in 2014. As I explain there, I chose this name back in the day because I wanted it to be part related to a space — like a studio, a workshop, a laboratory — and part related to food. So I chose Lab, and Noon, which apart from meaning midday in English (something Italians can recognize too), means bread in Persian.
Many bloggers during the years have changed their social media handles — and sometimes the name of their website too — to their own names. I haven’t done this, and I won’t ever do this. The reason is simple, my name is hard. People misspell it often, even in private correspondence, and mispronounce it always. I need something that people can easily remember, and Lab Noon, they do remember. Although somehow it makes some people think I’m Lebanese (!) — because you know, Iran, Lab Noon, the same letters as Lebanon, “they’re all the same”, so “she must be Lebanese!”, for fuck’s sake — I’m still keeping it.
And yet, this Substack publication is different from my food blog Lab Noon. For one thing I have no intention to write specifically and exclusively about food here. For another, I feel I need to break free from a structure that I previously and somewhat unintentionally imposed upon myself. A lot of this has already happened organically during the years, but here, I’m taking an intentional stance.
Remember that over-curated early Instagram aesthetics? And food that was supposed to be “natural”, “light” and rural, as if all of us lived in the lush country, eating only the food we’re growing in our garden, or from a close-by idyllic farmers’ market? Thank god we’ve kind of grown out of it. I mean, good for those folks who really do grow food in the country, but no more faking it please.
Why am I writing this newsletter?
I’m over social media, particularly Instagram. I’m the type of millennial who never even signed up for a TikTok account. I have no intention of ever making dance videos for reels (love dancing a lot tho). More importantly, the big F word is looming over us Millennials, and our older ones have already crossed that gate; Forty. And for me (about to turn 38), that’s the code for “no more fucks to give”. Let me elaborate.
For a very long time, I was shy, unconfident and somewhat reserved about my writing, despite the fact that it’s now been over 2 decades that I’ve had one platform or another on the internet. Something about this changed when I was writing my cookbook Pomegranates & Artichokes. My mother, who can’t read me in English, said in a casual tone: “Well, you’ve been writing since you were a child”. I had completely forgotten this. I thought my writing was secondary to my visual field of creativity; photography in the past decade. Then I remembered what made me stop writing during my teen years (that’s a story for a future post), and how I decided to share less.
I think at this point, and upon the publication of my first book, the time has arrived for me to outgrow that. I want to write about what’s real, which goes beyond food (but you’ll see me coming back to food very often, because food is my home). I'm now nearly forty. A fat woman of color, an Iranian immigrant, living in Italy, and I want to tell it all. With honesty, dignity and hopefully, some leggerezza (lightness/fun).
So in a way, Noon is the evolved version of Lab Noon. Just as my career has evolved during the year, just as I have, so has my writing space.
So, what is Noon about?
Noon is going to be a weekly publication, landing in your inbox on the weekend (with the exception of the next post, which you’ll receive on Monday March 20, and you’ll know why when you read it), in which you can read my raw take on the following topics (not necessarily in this order):
On life in Italy, particularly in Rome, but don’t expect la dolce vita. Instead expect real life, which sometimes does look like the movie version of Italy, but most often it doesn’t, particularly when we look at it through the immigrant experience.
On Iran, which is both my cross and my calling. On childhood memories, on beautiful realities and also the very ugly sides we prefer not to unearth.
On my experience as a woman and some past dating episodes. No, don’t expect Sex and the City, or an advice column (I have none to give), but I have noticed a disheartening absence of representation of single and/or queer life, specially in the food and travel sphere, and I think there’s a lot to be said there.
On creative career, publishing, writings, photography and the backstage of my work and occasional interviews with other professionals.
Oh and of course, on food, essays and undoubtedly recipes.
As well as the announcements of upcoming events, cooking classes and workshops.
Why subscribe?
By subscribing you make sure you never miss a post, essay, recipe or announcement. You can read Noon either in your inbox or the Substack app.
In order to celebrate the Persian new year, Nowruz on March 20th (look out for a dedicated post then), and the publication of my first book Pomegranates & Artichokes, I’m offering all the future posts FOR FREE until the end of May.
After that, free subscribers will receive occasional free posts and some event announcements.
UPDATE: At the moment paid subscriptions is tuned off because due to sever burnout and other life issues I’ve been unable to post regularly. If you do subscribe you will be of great support to my work and I would be thankful, but I’m not yet in a place to promise regular posting.
Why pay?
Please see the update note above.
Paid subscribers will receive weekly posts containing essays, guides and fortnightly recipes, as well as access to community chats, comments, early bird announcements to events, workshops and behind the scenes experience with me.
I’m also offering very few founding members offers, that in addition to all the above, can have a private food tour with me in Rome, or have two one-hour online mentoring sessions for a writing or photography project.
What’s more, you will contribute to the creation and continuation of my work.
The age of Instagram/TikTok has had us believe that we’re entitled to good “content” from creatives for free. It has been free for a reason, and you know it. The product for sale has been our attention, and we, the creators have been working for free for the giant tech companies. But the truth is that writers, artists, recipe developers and creatives of all sorts don’t just pop out their work.
It takes time to write, to create art, to develop recipes. What we do is not “content creating” (god I hate that phrase). For us, this is not a hobby, it’s our jobs. It’s the way we support ourselves. Indeed this lack of monetary compensation has been the reason that many “food bloggers” like myself stopped posting recipes for free, since its only reward has become spending the next days agonizing over the number of the reach and likes.
If you — like me — are tired and revolted by the sponsored posts, relentless advertisements, and sheer disgusting spam on your social media feed, then please consider becoming a paying subscriber of not just my Substack, but also other writers and artists whose work you’ve been enjoying. By contributing with less than the price of a coffee per week, not only will you support diverse and independent voices continue to put out their work, you’ll also divulge the culture of paying creative professionals.
I’ll be back tomorrow, exceptionally, to celebrate Nowruz and the Spring Equinox with you.