Draft #1
Tanner McDougal
Professor Jesse Miller
English Composition H5
10 October 2019
The Culture of Food
Time is up! Please step back. After a grueling twenty minutes, the tired chefs back away from their rushed creations made of miscellaneous ingredients. Wiping the sweat from her brow, a woman eagerly waits for her dish to be critiqued by the three judges, hoping to not be eliminated in the first round of competition. I remember watching the show Choppedon the Food Network after school with my older brother, Brody back when I was only about eight years old. Brody being the older and much larger of the two of us dominated the remote, which meant he got to watch his cooking show instead of my cartoons or football. After a small adjustment period, I came to enjoy watching this fast-paced style of cooking. I think this was because I enjoyed seeing what the chefs could think of making with such inconvenient combinations of ingredients, and the fact that there was a large amount of competition involved.
This type of high intensity cooking has become very popular in today’s society. However, cooking shows used to be much different. These shows used to be much more educational, rather than for entertainment, which is what makes up most cooking shows today. Michael Pollan uses his own experiences and research to describe this culture change regarding food and food shows in America over the years. Pollen does this by showing his experiences of watching cooking shows with his mother as a child and by seeing how much different these shows are today and researches why. Pollan’s article describes how our values regarding food as a society have changed, and there are many examples that support his views, but there are some that still combat Pollan’s claims about the way in which we have changed our values with food as a culture.
In the article Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch, Michael Pollen described how grilling food is becoming more popular because it reminds us of our history. Pollen does this by saying that “grilling for most people is more ceremony than routine… Something in is apparently likes to be reminded of our distant origins every now and then and to celebrate whatever rough skills for contending with the natural world might survive in us, beneath the thin crust of 21st-centurty civilization” (18). According to Pollen, we as a society enjoy grilling because cooking a raw piece of meat reminds us of our distant past. An example that is very similar to this claim and agrees with this claim come from an essay written by Diego Fernandez, entitled, Pastelillos.In his essay, Fernandez shows how “For me, the dish is a way of connecting with Puerto Rican culture and my heritage. Growing up in rural Massachusetts, my only way of experiencing hispanic culture outside of physically going to Puerto Rico was through food.” Here we can see Fernandez showing the significance of his favorite food by describing how eating it is a way of connecting him with his “Puerto Rican culture and heritage”. One can see how these two quotes are related because Pollen describes how people like to be reminded of their heritage, and Fernandez shows how eating his favorite meal reminds him of his specific heritage and culture. This is important because both show a culture that values being reminded of its history and roots.
Draft 2
Tanner McDougal
Professor Jesse Miller
English Composition H5
10 October 2019
The Culture of Food
Ted Allen from the show Choppedyells“Time is up! Please step back”. After a grueling twenty minutes, the tired chefs back away from their rushed creations made of miscellaneous food ingredients. Wiping the sweat from her brow, a woman wearing a black jacket with two columns of large buttons eagerly waits for her dish to be critiqued by the three judges, hoping to not be eliminated in the first round of competition. I remember watching the show Choppedon the Food Network after school with my older brother, Brody back when I was only about eight years old. Brody being the older and much larger of the two of us dominated the remote, which meant he got to watch his cooking show instead of my cartoons or football. After a small adjustment period, I came to enjoy watching this fast-paced style of cooking. I think this was because I enjoyed seeing what the chefs could think of making with such inconvenient combinations of ingredients, and the fact that there was a large amount of competition involved.
This type of high intensity cooking has become very popular in today’s society. However, cooking shows used to be much different. These shows used to be much more educational, rather than for entertainment, which is what makes up most cooking shows today. Michael Pollan uses his own experiences and research to describe this culture change regarding food and food shows in America over the years. Pollan does this by showing his experiences of watching cooking shows with his mother as a child and by seeing how much different these shows are today and researches why. Pollan’s article describes how our values regarding food as a society have changed, and there are many examples that support his views, but there are some that still combat Pollan’s claims about the way in which we have changed our values with food as a culture.
In the article Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch, Michael Pollen described how grilling food is becoming more popular because it reminds us of our history. Pollen does this by saying that “grilling for most people is more ceremony than routine… Something in is apparently likes to be reminded of our distant origins every now and then and to celebrate whatever rough skills for contending with the natural world might survive in us, beneath the thin crust of 21st-centurty civilization” (18). According to Pollan, we as a society enjoy grilling because cooking a raw piece of meat reminds us of our distant past. An example that is very similar to this claim and agrees with it comes from an essay written by Diego Fernandez, entitled, Pastelillos.In his essay, Fernandez shows how “For me, the dish is a way of connecting with Puerto Rican culture and my heritage. Growing up in rural Massachusetts, my only way of experiencing Hispanic culture outside of physically going to Puerto Rico was through food.” Here we can see Fernandez showing the significance of his favorite food by describing how eating it is a way of connecting him with his “Puerto Rican culture and heritage”. One can see how these two quotes push the same agenda because Pollen describes how people like to be reminded of their heritage, and Fernandez shows how eating his favorite meal reminds him of his specific heritage and culture. This is important because both show a culture that values being reminded of its history and roots.
Along with relating to distant culture, many people enjoy eating out rather than cooking themselves or having a close relative cook for them. That is to be expected, since there are now so many options where one could cook for themselves or go eat at a vast array of restaurants and or shops. One man who explained the enjoyment of his favorite meal from a restaurant is Davin Alexander. In his essay entitled, Food For Thought, Alexander informs the reader that “The food had come out being brought over on a wooden platter carried by the waitress. The meal was garnished very well and looked amazing as it was placed in front of me and my father. He had laughed and made a joke that I would never be able to finish the whole plate seeing that it was bigger than my head.” Here Alexander explains his first experience with eating Tuna Bolognese and how when the dish was brought out to him, his father joked with him about how Alexander would have trouble finishing it due to its mass. While Alexander enjoys eating Tuna Bolognese at a restaurant, Pollan explains how food shows are about manipulating people to buy food instead of make it themselves. In his essay Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch, Pollan informs the reader that “Buying, not making is what cooking shows are mostly now about… The Food Network has figured out that we care much less about what’s cooking than who’s cooking” (11). I find this to be incredibly interesting due to the fact that many, if not most of my peers wrote in their favorite meal essays about the significance of a family member preparing their favorite food. However, we have an example from Alexander that shows how there could be some variability among how some people’s values toward enjoying food or a difference in merit when it comes to the person who is actually making their food. In Pollan’s essay, it seems like he is urging the reader to realize that the Food Network is trying to shift those values in an attempt to persuade the public to spend money at restaurants, and therefore change our culture’s standards for what is important regarding food.
Draft 3
Tanner McDougal
Professor Jesse Miller
English Composition H5
10 October 2019
The Culture of Food
Ted Allen from the show Choppedyells“Time is up! Please step back”. After a grueling twenty minutes, the tired chefs back away from their rushed creations made of miscellaneous food ingredients. Wiping the sweat from her brow, a woman wearing a black jacket with two columns of large buttons eagerly waits for her dish to be critiqued by the three judges, hoping to not be eliminated in the first round of competition. I remember watching the show Choppedon the Food Network after school with my older brother, Brody back when I was only about eight years old. Brody, being the older and much larger of the two of us dominated the remote, which meant he got to watch his cooking show instead of my cartoons or football. After a small adjustment period, I came to enjoy watching this fast-paced style of cooking. I think this was because I enjoyed seeing what the chefs could think of making with such inconvenient combinations of ingredients, and the fact that there was a large amount of competition involved.
This type of high intensity cooking has become very popular in today’s society. However, cooking shows used to be much different. These shows used to be much more educational, rather than for entertainment, which is what makes up most cooking shows today. Michael Pollan uses his own experiences and research to describe this culture change regarding food and food shows in America over the years. Pollan does this by showing his experiences of watching the Food Network with his mother as a child and by seeing how much different these shows are today and researches why. Along with Pollan, others such as Diego Fernandez, Davin Alexander, and Maddie Shaw describe their experiences with food in their own lives. Pollan’s article describes how our values regarding food as a society have changed, and there are many examples that support his views. Over the years, the Food Network has changed from educational cooking to cooking for entertainment in an attempt to change public outlook on food and its value in our lives and culture.
Many people have certain traditions or ways in which they cook that hold a special value to them and or those around them. In the article Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch, Michael Pollen described how grilling food is becoming more popular because it reminds us of our history. Pollen does this by saying that “grilling for most people is more ceremony than routine… Something in is apparently likes to be reminded of our distant origins every now and then and to celebrate whatever rough skills for contending with the natural world might survive in us, beneath the thin crust of 21st-centurty civilization” (18). According to Pollan, we as a society enjoy grilling because cooking a raw piece of meat reminds us of our distant past. An example that is very similar to this claim and agrees with it comes from an essay written by Diego Fernandez, entitled, Pastelillos. In his essay, Fernandez shows how “For me, the dish is a way of connecting with Puerto Rican culture and my heritage. Growing up in rural Massachusetts, my only way of experiencing Hispanic culture outside of physically going to Puerto Rico was through food.” Here we can see Fernandez showing the significance of his favorite food by describing how eating it is a way of connecting him with his “Puerto Rican culture and heritage”. One can see how these two quotes push the same agenda because Pollen describes how people like to be reminded of their heritage, and Fernandez shows how eating his favorite meal reminds him of his specific heritage and culture. This is important because both show a culture that values being reminded of its history and roots.
Along with relating to distant culture, many people enjoy eating out rather than cooking themselves or having a close relative cook for them. That is to be expected, since there are now so many options where one could cook for themselves or go eat at a vast array of restaurants and or shops. One man who explained the enjoyment of his favorite meal from a restaurant is Davin Alexander. In his essay entitled, Food For Thought, Alexander informs the reader that “The food had come out being brought over on a wooden platter carried by the waitress. The meal was garnished very well and looked amazing as it was placed in front of me and my father. He had laughed and made a joke that I would never be able to finish the whole plate seeing that it was bigger than my head.” Here Alexander explains his first experience with eating Tuna Bolognese and how when the dish was brought out to him, his father joked with him about how Alexander would have trouble finishing it due to its mass. While Alexander enjoys eating Tuna Bolognese at a restaurant, Pollan explains how food shows are about manipulating people to buy food instead of make it themselves. In his essay Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch, Pollan informs the reader that “Buying, not making is what cooking shows are mostly now about… The Food Network has figured out that we care much less about what’s cooking than who’s cooking” (11). I find this to be incredibly interesting due to the fact that many, if not most of my peers wrote in their favorite meal essays about the significance of a family member preparing their favorite food. However, we have an example from Alexander that shows how there could be some variability among how some people’s values toward enjoying food or a difference in merit when it comes to the person who is actually making their food. In Pollan’s essay, it seems like he is urging the reader to realize that the Food Network is trying to shift those values in an attempt to persuade the public to spend money at restaurants, and therefore change our culture’s standards for what is important regarding food.
