As a fellow advocate for local and *real* food, I am so glad to see you exploring and sharing on this topic!! The industry WANTS us to believe that cooking is difficult. That's how they make their money. By learning or committing to cooking we ensure our own independence. PS-I save my vegetable scraps too!!!🥰💪🙌
Exactly!! I get so annoyed when I see people being divided from each other and their kitchens/cooking by industries who thrive on cooking being seen as an unbearable burden. If cooking feels like such a huge burden, it makes me think something else is off -- ie people don't have enough time, support, knowledge etc -- and not that we need more stuff to buy. Team vegetable scraps:D
Great read. Perfect to share with my students, as the class I teach is grounded in small, regular, mundane social changes, as I share the goal of seeing everything we do, especially the small stuff, as important, both personally and socially. So glad I found your Substack!
Monica you summed it up perfectly -- "the goal of seeing everything we do, especially the small stuff, as important, both personally and socially." Thanks so much for reading and sharing with your students -- an honor!
So cool:) I honestly can't remember how I found it--it must have been recommended by the ThriftBooks also after I bought some other food anthropology type books. Glad I stumbled upon it (and I should have noted that I'm only through the introduction and first chapter, but I'm highly enjoying it!)
Yeah, I hadn't thought about that book in a long time! I think maybe Visser was a bit of A Thing here in Toronto in the eighties. I'm pretty sure the book was a big deal in our local papers which is how my mom got into it. I'll have to see if she still has it!
“Profiting from our exhaustion” certainly nails it. When about 9-11 hours (including commuting) are devoted to a job everyday for many people, even breakfast and lunch are meals of convenience. This makes the dinner cooking ritual not just unique but competing for attention among all other alternatives to salvaging precious time for one’s self and loved ones. Throw in the attendant dishwashing afterwards and even something so lovely can feel daunting on the worst days.
This essay really speaks to finding the value in cooking and preparing food and associating it as a pleasurable and fulfilling way to spend time. Disassociating it as a chore that must be done being key. A good reminder.
You said it, Sean -- "This makes the dinner cooking ritual not just unique but competing for attention among all other alternatives to salvaging precious time for one’s self and loved ones." I'm definitely not anti-convenience, but in my experience I've found some humble kitchen practices end up being more convenient than the solutions sold to us ! Thanks for reading and for your insightful comment :)
Wonderful. I've always loved cooking and recently re-grounded myself in the types of practices your mentioning here—planning, buying from local producers, repurposing leftovers and scraps, etc. It's been rejuvenating to respect myself and my partner in that way. We live in southern Spain, and have for over two years now. While the processed/freezer food is creeping into some diets here via the supermarket chains, there is still generally great pride in high quality base ingredients. And there is more time structured into the day and the week to cook and eat together without stress or urgency. There are still serious issues with racism and exploitation in certain modes of food production and I'll be writing about those later this year. But I want to thank you for this essay and for your consistent work in this beautifully mundane part of life.
I have been pondering why cooking, selecting ingredients , growing food deepens us. I am experiencing - its been transformational - that but i can’t put them into words. This is a really good start. This conversation must be continued.
Agree heartily ❤️
ah, Jules! <3
As a fellow advocate for local and *real* food, I am so glad to see you exploring and sharing on this topic!! The industry WANTS us to believe that cooking is difficult. That's how they make their money. By learning or committing to cooking we ensure our own independence. PS-I save my vegetable scraps too!!!🥰💪🙌
Exactly!! I get so annoyed when I see people being divided from each other and their kitchens/cooking by industries who thrive on cooking being seen as an unbearable burden. If cooking feels like such a huge burden, it makes me think something else is off -- ie people don't have enough time, support, knowledge etc -- and not that we need more stuff to buy. Team vegetable scraps:D
Great read. Perfect to share with my students, as the class I teach is grounded in small, regular, mundane social changes, as I share the goal of seeing everything we do, especially the small stuff, as important, both personally and socially. So glad I found your Substack!
Monica you summed it up perfectly -- "the goal of seeing everything we do, especially the small stuff, as important, both personally and socially." Thanks so much for reading and sharing with your students -- an honor!
Much Depends on Dinner is one of my mom's all-time fave books and I've never read it! I must get on that.
So cool:) I honestly can't remember how I found it--it must have been recommended by the ThriftBooks also after I bought some other food anthropology type books. Glad I stumbled upon it (and I should have noted that I'm only through the introduction and first chapter, but I'm highly enjoying it!)
Yeah, I hadn't thought about that book in a long time! I think maybe Visser was a bit of A Thing here in Toronto in the eighties. I'm pretty sure the book was a big deal in our local papers which is how my mom got into it. I'll have to see if she still has it!
“Profiting from our exhaustion” certainly nails it. When about 9-11 hours (including commuting) are devoted to a job everyday for many people, even breakfast and lunch are meals of convenience. This makes the dinner cooking ritual not just unique but competing for attention among all other alternatives to salvaging precious time for one’s self and loved ones. Throw in the attendant dishwashing afterwards and even something so lovely can feel daunting on the worst days.
This essay really speaks to finding the value in cooking and preparing food and associating it as a pleasurable and fulfilling way to spend time. Disassociating it as a chore that must be done being key. A good reminder.
You said it, Sean -- "This makes the dinner cooking ritual not just unique but competing for attention among all other alternatives to salvaging precious time for one’s self and loved ones." I'm definitely not anti-convenience, but in my experience I've found some humble kitchen practices end up being more convenient than the solutions sold to us ! Thanks for reading and for your insightful comment :)
Amazing writing! And do true
thank you!
Wonderful. I've always loved cooking and recently re-grounded myself in the types of practices your mentioning here—planning, buying from local producers, repurposing leftovers and scraps, etc. It's been rejuvenating to respect myself and my partner in that way. We live in southern Spain, and have for over two years now. While the processed/freezer food is creeping into some diets here via the supermarket chains, there is still generally great pride in high quality base ingredients. And there is more time structured into the day and the week to cook and eat together without stress or urgency. There are still serious issues with racism and exploitation in certain modes of food production and I'll be writing about those later this year. But I want to thank you for this essay and for your consistent work in this beautifully mundane part of life.
Tremendous.
I have been pondering why cooking, selecting ingredients , growing food deepens us. I am experiencing - its been transformational - that but i can’t put them into words. This is a really good start. This conversation must be continued.