PROJECT #2 DRAFT #1
(500 words)
Katie Gordon
Professor Jesse Miller
ENG 110- H6
31 October 2018
Meal Analysis Essay
Everybody has that one meal or food that they always get excited for. With that favorite food also comes an experience or feeling that makes this food so special. With the changing world that we live in, these experiences are starting to hold a different place in many people’s lives. Pollan, author of the article “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch”, discusses the shift from more traditionally made meals to convenience foods from the supermarkets. He uses the example of how cooking shows have evolved in order to highlight the shift of people from the kitchen to the couch. By explaining this Pollan manages to connect this relationship to people’s increasingly hesitance to try something new or risky in the fear of failure. Instead of trying out new recipes people have become more content with eating the easy food and sitting on the couch. The favorite meals that used to be homemade have become more artificial because everyone is eating the easy foods from the supermarkets. Whether it be fresh spaghetti sauce, pot roast, or chicken and pasta, all of these dishes hold a significant role of tradition in someone’s life. Losing this aspect of tradition and replacing it with easy processed food is the direction society appears to be heading in. The favorite meal essays show the relationship between food and experiences, and they show what could be lost if Pollan’s ideas from his article are in fact reflected in every aspect of society as we move forward.
Our idea of what cooking really consists of has changed substantially since Julia Childs was running her cooking show. In Pollan’s article he talks with friend Harry Balzer, who is known as a “veteran food-marketing researcher”. Harry explained to Pollan how “people call things ‘cooking’ today that would roll their grandmother in her grave- heating up a can of soup or microwaving a frozen pizza” (7 Pollan). Pollan is revealing the difference between the time when our grandparents were growing up and cooking meals compared to now. Kori talked about her grandmother, Meme, and her french spaghetti sauce in her favorite meal essay. Kori writes that “The taste of my grandmother’s spaghetti sauce is like no other. There is something so familiar and comforting about it that every time I eat it I feel like I am truly at home”(Limoges). Preparing a home cooked meal or food that reminds you of “home” is what the true purpose behind cooking used to be. Spending time in the kitchen and preparing the best possible meal for dinner used to the be the norm, but with the world shifting to a different society these values have shifted with it as well. Not only has our definition of cooking shifted, but our idea of what a good home cooked meal tastes like has changed as well. More often that not, home cooked meals have begun to be replaced by convenience foods that take less time to prepare, and taste just fine. The era of spending time in the kitchen and working on dinner has evolved into a quick push of a button. The time our grandmothers spent cooking in the kitchen has been filled with other things for most of us now, and
PROJECT #2 DRAFT #2
(800 words)
Katie Gordon
Professor Jesse Miller
ENG 110- H6
31 October 2018
Meal Analysis Essay
Everybody has that one meal or food that they always get excited for. With that favorite food also comes an experience or feeling that makes this food so special. With the changing world that we live in, these experiences are starting to hold a different place in many people’s lives. Pollan, author of the article “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch”, discusses the shift from more traditionally made meals to convenience foods from the supermarkets. He uses the example of how cooking shows have evolved in order to highlight the shift of people from the kitchen to the couch. By explaining this Pollan manages to connect this relationship to people’s increasingly hesitance to try something new or risky in the fear of failure. Instead of trying out new recipes people have become more content with eating the easy food and sitting on the couch. The favorite meals that used to be homemade have become more artificial because everyone is eating the easy foods from the supermarkets. Whether it be fresh spaghetti sauce, pot roast, or chicken and pasta, all of these dishes hold a significant role of tradition in someone’s life. Losing this aspect of tradition and replacing it with easy processed food is the direction society appears to be heading in. The favorite meal essays show the relationship between food and experiences, and they show what could be lost if Pollan’s ideas from his article are in fact reflected in every aspect of society as we move forward.
Our idea of what cooking really consists of has changed substantially since Julia Childs was running her cooking show. In Pollan’s article he talks with friend Harry Balzer, who is known as a “veteran food-marketing researcher”. Harry explained to Pollan how “people call things ‘cooking’ today that would roll their grandmother in her grave- heating up a can of soup or microwaving a frozen pizza” (7 Pollan). Pollan is revealing the difference between the time when our grandparents were growing up and cooking meals compared to now. Kori talked about her grandmother, Meme, and her French spaghetti sauce in her favorite meal essay. Kori writes that “The taste of my grandmother’s spaghetti sauce is like no other. There is something so familiar and comforting about it that every time I eat it I feel like I am truly at home”(Limoges). Preparing a home cooked meal or food that reminds you of “home” is what the true purpose behind cooking used to be. Spending time in the kitchen and preparing the best possible meal for dinner used to the be the norm, but with the world shifting to a different society these values have shifted with it as well. Not only has our definition of cooking shifted, but our idea of what a good home cooked meal tastes like has changed as well. More often than not, home cooked meals have begun to be replaced by convenience foods that take less time to prepare, and taste just fine. The era of spending time in the kitchen and working on dinner has evolved into a quick push of a button. The time our grandmothers spent cooking in the kitchen has been filled with other things, and the tradition that comes along with these meals has begun to hold a different place.
The value of tradition behind many of the meals people enjoy most is what makes them so special and memorable. That time spent squished around the dining room table bumping elbows with your younger brother hold greater significance now than they did then. Elizabeth shares in her favorite meal essay how important the tradition and specific moments she shares with her mother and her favorite meal are to her. She writes, “I value these dinners with her just as much as she does. I associate these dinners with good times from home. These times only come from this one place. They will never be able to be replaced with anyone else or with another place” (Walsh). Elizabeth clearly values that time spent with her family in her special place that she calls home. As we move forward, and things keep changing in our world the shift from those family dinners around the table are slowly disappearing. The meals that were once shared around the table are now being gobbled down in front of the television. Pollan sees this movement from the dining room table to the couch watching others prepare meals on the television. Pollan shares his opinion, “How is that we are so eager to watch other people browning beef cubes on screen but so much less eager to brown them ourselves?” (3 Pollan). We have resorted to being more content watching others cook in a stadium setting than attempt to preparer any of the elaborate dishes ourselves. This lack of eagerness to attempt a new dish has become a result of both laziness and the fear of failure in preparing the dish correctly. Unlike when Elizabeth’s family would gather around the dinner table, families are settling for the couch, eating convince meals, and watching others create food that they would be too scared to even attempt.
The intimidation factor that these food shows have created is more or less a driving factor in the shift from the kitchen to the couch.
PROJECT #2 FINAL DRAFT
(1250-1500 words)
Katie Gordon
Professor Jesse Miller
ENG 110- H6
31 October 2018
Redefining the Meaning of Home
Everybody has that one meal or food for which they always get excited for. With that favorite food also comes an experience or feeling that makes this food so special. Given the changing world that we live in, these experiences are starting to hold a different place in many people’s lives. Pollan, author of the article “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch,” discusses the shift from more traditionally made meals to convenient foods from the supermarkets. He uses the example of how cooking shows have evolved in order to highlight the shift of people from spending time in the kitchen to the couch. By explaining this phenomenon, Pollan manages to connect this relationship to people’s increasing hesitance to try something new or risky in the fear of failure. Instead of trying out new recipes, people have become more content with eating the easy to prepare food and sitting on the couch. Our favorite meals that used to be homemade have become more artificial because everyone is eating the foods from the supermarkets that require little to no effort. Whether it be fresh spaghetti sauce, grilled chicken and butternut squash tortellini, or pot roast, all of these homemade dishes hold a significant role of tradition and feeling of home for each author of the chosen favorite meal essays. Losing this aspect of tradition and replacing it with easy processed food is the direction society appears to be heading in. The favorite meal essays are meant to express the individual relationships with food each of the authors possess and how they bring them back to a place of home. Pollan’s essay demonstrates the redefinition of the feeling of home shown throughout the various favorite meal essays, and what our society is now moving toward.
Our idea of what cooking really is has changed substantially since Julia Childs ran her cooking show. In Pollan’s article he talks with friend Harry Balzer, who is known as a “veteran food-marketing researcher.” Harry explained to Pollan how “people call things ‘cooking’ today that would roll their grandmother in her grave- heating up a can of soup or microwaving a frozen pizza” (7 Pollan). Pollan is revealing the difference between the time when our grandparents were growing up and cooking meals compared to now. Kori Limoges talked about her grandmother, Meme, and her French spaghetti sauce in her favorite meal essay. Limoges writes that “the taste of my grandmother’s spaghetti sauce is like no other. There is something so familiar and comforting about it that every time I eat it I feel like I am truly at home”(Limoges). The way in which Limoges elaborated about her grandmother preparing a home cooked meal that reminds her so much of “home,” is what the true purpose behind cooking used to be. Spending time in the kitchen and preparing the best possible meal for dinner used to the be the norm, but with the world shifting to a different society these values have shifted with it as well. Not only has our definition of cooking shifted, but our idea of what a good home cooked meal tastes like has changed as well. More often than not, home cooked meals are now replaced by convenience foods that take less time to prepare and taste just fine. The era of spending time in the kitchen and working on dinner evolved into a quick push of a button. The time our grandmothers spent cooking in the kitchen is now filled with other things, and the tradition that comes along with these meals is redefined to hold a different place of value.
The value of tradition behind many of the meals people enjoy most is what makes them so special and memorable. That time spent squished around the dining room table bumping elbows with your younger brothers hold greater significance now than they did then. Elizabeth Walsh shares in her favorite meal essay how important the tradition and specific moments she shares with her mother and her favorite meal are to her. She writes, “I value these dinners with her just as much as she does. I associate these dinners with good times from home. These times only come from this one place. They will never be able to be replaced with anyone else or with another place” (Walsh). Walsh clearly values that time spent with her family in her special place that she calls home. As we move forward, and things keep changing in our world the shift from those family dinners around the table are slowly disappearing. The meals that were once shared around the table are now being gobbled down in front of the television. Pollan sees the movement from the dining room table to the couch, and how people are now watching others prepare seemingly impossible meals on the television. Pollan shares his opinion; “How is that we are so eager to watch other people browning beef cubes on screen but so much less eager to brown them ourselves?” (3 Pollan). Many have resorted to being more content watching others cook in a stadium setting than attempt to prepare any of the elaborate dishes ourselves. Lack of eagerness to attempt a new dish has become a result of both laziness and the fear of failure in preparing the dish correctly. Unlike when Walsh’s family would gather around the dinner table at her home, families are settling for the couch, eating convince meals, and watching others create food that they would be too scared to even attempt. The moments spent enjoying a homecooked meal are being redefined into an event that occurs gathered around the television instead.
The intimidation factor food shows have created is more or less a driving factor in the shift from the kitchen to the couch. In our day and age, the fear or making mistakes, even in the kitchen, seems to outweigh the idea of trying something new. Unlike the cooking shows aired on television nowadays, Julia Child’s cooking show depicted her raw cooking experience. It was uncut and was made to seem as though Julia was in your home cooking with you. Pollan uses one of her quotes to highlight the expectation versus reality idea of cooking shows today. Pollan quotes, “When I flipped it, I didn’t have the courage to do it the way I should have. You can always pick it up…The only way you learn to flip things is just to flip them!” (Pollan 5). This quote shows how much things have changed from the shows then compared to now. With people less likely to take chances in cooking, there is less change within the dishes that one might grow up eating. Growing up, most parents have a couple main meals that are easiest to prepare on the weekly basis. For this reason, it is easy for children growing up to connect with one of these meals and have it serve as a definition of home for them. In Cameron Shaw’s favorite meal essay, she talks about how her favorite meal of pot-roast makes her feel. Shaw expresses that, “Everything about it reminds me of happy times when things weren’t nearly as chaotic as they are now. Maybe it’s my fear of change that makes me enjoy it so much or maybe it’s just as simple as the combination that I get to mix it together. My attachment to this particular meal will always be there no matter how much time passes by” (Shaw). Both of these quotes hint at the fear of change; Pollan’s focuses more on the fear of failure due to change, whereas Shaw is talking more about the feeling of home before things started changing. Shaw’s feeling of home existed before things began changing, and it included her family gathered around the dining room table. The shift described by Pollan will lead families away from the dining room and to the couch, and due their fear of failure will begin to stick solely to push of a button meals. The idea of home that Shaw describes is becoming one of the past, and Pollan’s shift of how meals are enjoyed and prepared is essentially redefining the feeling of home for many.
Each of the three different favorite meal essays all had different aspects of what made them so special to the author. However, the common theme between the three of them was definitely the feeling of home they brought to the author. Whether it was the way Limoges’s grandmother made her French spaghetti sauce, or the combination of meat and veggies in Shaw’s favorite pot roast, all of the meals meant something deeper to the authors than just tasting good. The shift away from the kitchen discussed by Pollan is unfortunate, but inevitable based on the direction in which society is moving. The idea of a good homecooked meal is different now then it was in the past, and the way people are choosing to enjoy their time together is different as well. The next generations will have a very different opinion and idea of what their favorite meal consists of, and the meaning that they place behind it. People’s favorite meals will have a different meaning because instead of enjoying small talk around the dining room table, the latest episode of “Chopped” will be stealing their attention, and their idea of what home could have been.
Works Cited
Limoges, Korianna. “French Spaghetti Sauce.” UNE portfolio, https://klimoges.uneportfolio.org/food-for-thought/. Accessed 14 October 2018.
Shaw, Cameron. “Favorite Meal.” UNE portfolio, https://cshaw.uneportfolio.org/food-for-thought/. Accessed 14 October 2018.
Pollan, Michael. “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch.” The New York Times Magazine, 29 July 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html.
Walsh, Elizabeth. “Favorite Meal Essay.” UNE portfolio, https://ewalsh11.uneportfolio.org/food-for-thought/. Accessed 11 October 2018.
