Affordances II - Aesthetics

This week we looked at the aesthetics of occupations. Aesthetics is defined as "a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty (English Oxford Dictionary, 2011)." Some activities naturally are more suited to having an aesthetic nature or quality, and my job this week is to explain the aesthetics of cooking, the way I see it. This will come under the headings of Aesthetics, Spirituality/Linking with history, and health.


Aesthetics
By aesthetics we mean what is it about the activity that is appealing to the senses. In relation to cooking I find the colours and blends on colours very appealing (or not appealing as the case may be). I know that when I make vege soup I love the colour I get at the end. In my soup, I put in stock, onion, barley, split green and yellow peas, red lentils, potato, kumara, pumpkin, carrot, parship,and peas. I love the orangey colour this concoction creates, and when I put in the peas at the end the contrast of orange and bright green is very pleasing to me. I also like trying to achieve the right consistency. I tend to like my soup a lot thicker than most (something I have learned from my Dad!), but if it is too thick or too watery I'm not happy with it. When I get it just right I'm very pleased. The soup reminds me of sitting round the table for Sunday lunch with my family. When I make salads I like the range of colours that go into it but I like them to match to a certain extent. I feel that certain veges don't match, I think of veges as fitting into summer and winter categories and I don't really like mixing. I remember mum making salads in the summer then she would serve up peas as well and it was so frustrating! Anyway.....


Spirituality/Linking with History
I guess I have talked a bit about this in the last section really. There is a strong connection to my family in what I choose to cook, and is fueled by memories, handing down of recipes (I think I now make the best version of Dad's vege soup, but I guess all my siblings think the same), and maybe a bit of homesickness. I feel in a small way I am honouring my parents by doing what they have done. I know from talking with my siblings that their memories of Sunday lunch are as strong and emotive for them as they are for me, and it makes me feel like we share something very special to our family. Anyone can make soup but only my family can make that soup with that particular idea of what soup is in mind. With the rest of my cooking, as I have alluded to in the previous post, I feel a connection to the earth when I cook in the most authentic way possible. This ties in with tradition, and even though I'm young makes me think of "the good old days." When so much of how the world is, is fake and instant and selfish, it's nice to know there is something you can do which honours more noble ways of living.


Health
There are numerous benefits to my overall health when I cook. The most obvious one is the nutritional value of the food that I cook. I'm pretty active so I try to eat as healthy as I can for my budget. I think it's good for my mental health too, for the reasons above really. The fact that it gives me a sense of where I'm from and a sense of connectedness to my family is important to my mental and emotional well being. Cooking can provide that social contact that we as humans all need. It's just a good thing for me to do to unwind, that is still productive, but I'm not going to be marked for it!!


References
English Oxford Dictionary. (2011). Retrieved October 13th, 2011 from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/aesthetics