Journal 10—Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch
Central Point #1: On page 5, paragraph 2, Pollan talks about how Julia Child’s cooking show shows examples of her making mistakes on air (due to the show being a live-feed viewing). This contrasts with current cooking shows of today (like on The Food Network) in how they have a perfect set, the cooks have their hair done and their makeup all perfect. They seem to have everything ready and in place to cook, with no mistakes ever being made. It’s a choreographic masterpiece. In Julia Child’s show, she teaches how to cook a dish in a detailed manner. Any mistakes arising were definitely noticed by the public, and for a good reason. These mistakes helped women (at the time) with their courage to venture into the kitchen and make elaborate dishes. Julia acknowledged these mistakes. “The only way you learn to flip things is just to flip them!” I agree with this statement because cooking is an art. It takes many trial and error runs to perfect. Cooking is not easy, and never will be. It’s a chore that has to be done in order to perfect a beautiful dish.
Central Point #2: On page 10, paragraph 2, it is mentioned that shows like The Food Network shift you from cooking to going out to eat or getting pre-made meals instead. This is because the time a person ends up spending while watching the show would eat up the time they would otherwise have to cook. Also, they end up learning so much information about new dishes from these shows that they end up getting hungry and wanting to try it themselves. They end up out to eat at a restaurant and know exactly what to order with sophistication from what they’ve experienced on the shows. I also agree with this. I thoroughly enjoy watching The Food Network with my family (instead of cooking) because I learn about many variants about different dishes and how to make them. Then I go to a restaurant because I really want to try them. The Food Network has a way of displaying a meal and then getting it stuck in your head for such a long time that you have to go out and get it (much quicker than finding the ingredients at home and making it yourself).
Central Point #3: On page 14, paragraph 2, Pollan talks about how Americans choose to not cook at home anymore because it does not earn money and takes too much time out of their already busy days. Like, why would someone who worked a very long day want to come home and allocate more time (1-3 hours) to cook a meal, consume the meal, and then do the dishes thereafter? It’s much easier to take something out of the freezer and throw it in the microwave or the oven and eat it half an hour later. Americans are working an increasing number of hours compared to the past. “American’s have been putting in longer hours at work and enjoying less time at home. Since 1967, we’ve added 167 hours—the equivalent of a month’s full-time labor.” It’s fully justified as to why American’s no longer want to come home and cook food since it becomes a hassle when they would rather just relax. I cannot agree to this with my own situation at home as my mom always finds time to cook a nice meal (usually mostly from scratch) and serve it to us. However, I can agree with it in other households of my friend’s whose parents do not cook at all.
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