Over the coming days and weeks, we’ll publish a range of short essays exploring the changes this Covid-19 pandemic has wrought upon American life, and how those unprecedented disruptions have been made evident through food.

In these micro-essays, food is many things: a source of comfort, a measure of security, a point of connection, a potential hazard. Depending on the author, it can be an inconvenience, an obsession, or a joy, a metaphor for something larger, or no more than pure sustenance. That subjectivity is part of the value of these pieces. And yet, taken together, one theme becomes clear: Food is a central player in this crisis, and crucial for understanding the moment we inhabit now.

Essays will be published on this page, where you can also sign up to be notified by email each time a new installment is published. Meanwhile, The Counter will continue to accept submissions on a rolling basis. We want to hear how Covid-19 has recast your daily routine, eating habits, and appetite. Here is a set of pitch guidelines from our West Coast editor, Karen Stabiner.

Reading your submissions has poured some light into this dark and lonely time. We hope you find some comfort and kinship here, too.

—The Editors