Comments on: Michael Pollan on How American Cooking Became a Spectator Sport

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:31:24 +0000

Every time I hear the phrase caul fat, I get this horrible image in my mind of Mario Batali lifting up his shirt. There, now it’s in your mind, too!

I don’t think Pollan is saying that the testosterone shows are that bad, just that they’re really far removed from home cooking.

Steph, Pollan touched on the FN advertising a bit — it’s so interesting that the virtually all of the ads are from industrial food concerns that implore viewers to simply buy their hydrogenated products. It’s almost as if one gets the message, “Yes, aren’t these food shows FUN? But when you *really* need to feed your family, trust us.”

“Declare victory” — my addled brain prevents me from remembering ANY iteration! Let me search …. only one! Exactly a year ago. You probably remember me saying it in person!

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:24:45 +0000

Karena, is that the Andronico’s on Irving? They’re ALL doing that. I love your metaphor of cooking-as-knitting. It’s perfect. Btw, I’ll trade you a dinner for a sweater. :^)

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:36:38 +0000

A great article. In Defense of Food TV (had to write that) I do enjoy and take some inspiration from some of their shows. SOME. I also cook a lot. But what is up with the advertising on Food network? Could it get more insipid? Despite the title of this article I think Pollan’s main point is simply, we don’t cook enough and we ought to cook more.

I find the media, all media, constantly perpetuating this myth that everything is so stressful. Advertising is especially guilty of this. I hear Billy Mayes voice yelling at me telling me that I don’t have enough time!!! If a person is barraged with a dozen little messages every day telling them to… Get more done! Hurry! then people begin to think that is normal.

Getting good at cooking takes time, since a good cook has to develop their skills. How many times have you spoken to friends who only think of food in-the-moment, when they are hungry? Who have no concept of meal planning? It’s not that they don’t know better (they do) they just don’t make meals a priority. They don’t realize that it’s their body! It’s their life! Health, sanity, everything is wrapped up in these undervalued domestic arts.

P.S. Eric, How many times have you used the term “Declare Victory!” in your blog?

By: Lee-Sean Huang

Lee-Sean Huang — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:24:12 +0000

I pretty much agree with Michael Pollan most of the time, but I have to say, I have learned a lot from watching the Food Network. I pretty much learned how to cook as a teenager by watching Food Network in the 90′s. Maybe I’m the exception and not the rule though. I’ve noticed that the network has changed a lot, with slicker production, faster cuts, and definitely more testosterone, which is not necessarily a good thing in my opinion. Even if people don’t learn how to cook on FoodTv, they certainly learn how to eat. I certainly would not have come into contact with words like “chiffonade” and “bain marie,” or ingredients like Speck and caul fat if it were not for shows like Top Chef.

By: Em

Em — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:01:40 +0000

He was a guest on NPR’s Fresh Air last night and talked about the exact same thing you mentioned here. I’m hopeful that more Americans discover the slow food movement and I’m glad that the president Obama understands the importance.

By: Karena

Karena — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:33:58 +0000

What Michael Pollan wrote about wasn’t apparent to me until my local Andronico’s was remodelled and I estimated that the new produce section could fit in my living room. The store is now dominated by a huge deli counter, takeout counters, salad bars, and frozen/prepared foods I didn’t know even existed. I didn’t realize there was demand for frozen chopped chives in a plastic container the size of a box of raisins for $2.39. Or that a person could be so busy in the morning that his only breakfast option lay in a three-pack of frozen, pre-cooked oatmeal (seriously, where is the time savings in that?!).

But even farmers’ markets are not immune from this. The number of prepared food vendors at the Ferry Plaza market is pretty high, and my fishmonger says the less his fish looks like fish (skinned, deboned, cut into tidy 8 oz squares, and wrapped in plastic), the better it sells.

I wonder if cooking is not unlike the other “domestic arts” in that they have gone from essential skills to hobbies. For example, I knit, but only when I have time, so I am glad that my family doesn’t rely on me to clothe them. They might get one sweater a year if they’re lucky.