Need for Cooking

This week we looked at the need for cooking. As with most people I have found it hard to see the 'need' for cooking beyond the need to eat and have energy to survive. I would see anything else as a 'want' or an unintended benefit of an occupation, rather than having a conscious need. However, I'll try my best and maybe I'll learn something!


I'm going to put in a story I wrote about my last cooking experience and then analyse it.


Apple and Rhubarb Crumble
I had a change of scene last time I cooked. It was last night and I made an apple and rhubarb crumble at my girlfriend's sister's house. We were making it for a pot luck we are going to tonight. This was great for me as her sister has a modern, spacious, well stocked kitchen. She has a passion for cooking and is fully equipped to make anything she wants. I started off by peeling the apples for Sarah to slice, I washed and cut the rhubarb, and put this and the apples in the tray and used my hands to mix in some brown sugar. Meanwhile, Sarah had been mixing in all the dry ingredients to make the crumble; almonds, brown sugar, flour, rolled oats etc. I melted some butter and once again had the job of mixing. I mixed it with the dry ingredients, it all smelled great. I flattened the fruit base and put the crumble on tap, packing it down. I put it in the oven to bake for 45 minutes. During that time we had a cup of tea and chatted with the others. once the 45 minutes was up and we could smell the through the house, we went to check it. It looked great! I can't wait to eat it tonight.


So I guess to me it is not immediately clear what the need is from reading the story. But if I look at why I was cooking I think it becomes clearer. In this instance I was cooking to make something adequate to take for a potluck. I see potlucks as a chance for people to show off their skills, and being a novice, I feel the need to produce something to at least demonstrate some level of competence. If I think about this further I do feel a certain level of need to be able to cook. It means you can look after yourself and others. It says something about you that you are self-reliant. Even though there is a lot I cannot do, at least I can cook a meal. As Ekstrom & Jonsson (2005) state "Someone has to take the responsibility of preparing family meals." I think it is clearer to me now that I need to feel and know that I can look after myself, and others when the time comes.


References

Ekstrom, M.P. & Jonsson, I.M. (2005). Family meals: Competence, cooking and company. Paper presented at the Symposium: Food in contemporary society: Food is not only nutrition. Department of Home Economics and Craft Sciences. Retrieved October 13th, 2001 from: 
http://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/palojoki/english/nordplus/FAMILY_MEALSpipping.pdf