Page 7 paragraph 2
During this paragraph Pollan talks about the deterioration of real food and meals. He talks to Harry Balzer and was informed about his point that he believes people don’t know what cooking a real meal is like. He talked to people who believe that making a frozen pizza or taking soup out of a can and heating it up in the microwave is a form of a homecooked meal. He believes that people have lost site of the true definition of what it is to cook. I couldn’t agree anymore, but I believe that this is due to the new forms of technology and large food producers. People are now cutting down our time by killing animals at large and processing them to allow us to be able to simply go into the super market and buy the meat that has already been cut and made ready to eat; whereas back then people used to kill the food they were going to eat and prepare it themselves for a homemade meal. We also now have advanced technology that allows us to preheat an oven, hit a defrost button on the microwave, set a timer on the microwave oven, and keep out food correctly refrigerated for weeks on end. Back then, people used to use fires where they found their own food and cooked their own meals above a flame. Life is much different now, but in my eyes, we still have opportunities better than placing a bowl of soup from a can in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Page 12 paragraph 4
In this paragraph Pollan goes into the thought that no matter who is cooking, most of the time there will be someone who is observing what is going on. He goes on to state that most of the happy memories associated with cooking is brought back to the experiences of watching your mother or father prepare a meal for the family. I agree 100% with this thought because as a personal anecdote, growing up, I would stand on a chair just to be tall enough to observe what was happening on the counter and stove top. Every time my dad was preparing a meal I would proposed the question of “what’s for dinner” and all he would respond with was “it is a secret, you’ll have to wait and see” and I would come back with “how do you make it” to try and figure out what he was making and instantly he would pull up a chair and say “come and watch”. To me, this is what makes the memories so special and memorable. It isn’t always making the meals yourself, but it’s being a family and watching the time, effort and skill that goes into each and every meal.
Page 13 paragraph 5
Within this paragraph a few key points were brought up that I strongly agree with. One was that “we’re drawn to the textures and rhythms of kitchen work.” This stood out to me, because in my family cookies is a huge part of our everyday lives. It is what brings us together and that part of it is very special, but we tend to look past the textures and rhythms behind what we’re doing. The way we cut up meats and vegetables, or even the different ways to measure liquids. It all takes skill which in turn takes time and effort to learn and complete. Another point that was brought up was the fact that “chefs on TV get to put their hands on real stuff, not keyboards and screens but fundamental things like plants and animals…” In my eyes this is a very strong support point. Yes, our careers are very important and require a variety of skills, but cooking allows you to try something unique every single time you enter the kitchen. Whether it be a new type of food, or a new set of knives, or even a new ingredient you’re trying out; whatever it is, it all has value and has the ability to create memories and a great meal in the end.
