There is an old Japanese phrase, hara ga hette wa ikusa wa dekinu, which translates roughly as, “If you’re hungry, you can’t go to war.” Though we’ve always thought of ourselves as lovers, not fighters, the general concept is something we can easily get behind: First we feast!

It’s the type of rallying cry we could imagine a band of Norse warriors chanting before gathering around a communal table for a raucous, mead-drenched bacchanal (say what up to our mascot, Vik, at the top of the page). Yet even in these less barbaric times, first we feast feels like a fitting motto: As our cultural obsession with food reaches uncharted heights, eating seems to be the starting point for so much of what we do. We gather with friends for a meal, then head to a bar, catch a concert, or just sit around shooting the shit about whatever’s on our minds.

Founded in 2012, First We Feast views food as an illuminating lens into pop culture, music, travel, and more. The site, brought to you by COMPLEX, was recipient of the 2014 James Beard Award for best food blog. Let’s eat!