I was IMing with a friend of mine today, and we started talking about what "cooking" means. In the tradition of the great "what your definition of ‘is’ is" debate.
This came about after reviewing an old Calvin and Hobbes cartoon (go here and select Aug. 17, 1995 on the calendar to see the one we were discussing), in which the dad laments the breakneck pace of modern life….and in the background, Calvin curses a microwave dinner that takes 6 minutes to cook.
My point is this: A. I agree! That’s ludicrous. Microwaving shouldn’t take more than 3 minutes, max! B. I only microwave when I’m not "cooking."
This is where my friend and I diverged. According to said friend, putting together a salad is "cooking." I would say, it depends. What did you do — unzip the bag of lettuce, dump some cherry tomatoes and boxed croutons on top? Or, did you saute some chicken, carefully select the right vegetables to complement, maybe an appropriate cheese or nuts to add some flavor, and a dressing that ties it all together?
I’m not trying to disparage my friend — or anyone else — who describes the former as "cooking." But for me, cooking is not just the act of creating a nutritious meal….It has to nourish my soul in the preparation as well. There’s a performance aspect to cooking, even if I’m the only member of the audience. Even better is when friends and family can join in an afternoon or evening of cooking. I think that that really best feeds the emotional aspects of the endeavor for me.
Granted, I don’t have that kind of experience very often — as noted by Calvin’s dad in the cartoon we saw this morning, I’m just too busy, even to enjoy an evening of cooking all by myself, more than once or twice a week. But I spend a lot of time in the interim thinking about what to cook, planning menus and shopping trips….See, all that is part of the hobby. Yesterday afternoon, I picked up my latest delivery of my CSA share from Delvin Farms, and I’ve been contemplating ever since how to best enjoy all that wonderful produce this weekend. All of the mental activity is just as important to the process.
Well I know about half of you are ready for me to get down of this high horse. So, I’m just saying, that’s what it takes for me to cook.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m with you – there’s cooking, and there’s assembling. I like to cook, but I usually end up assembling. Most of what I make involves at least a can of broth or condensed soup, some type of meat and vegetable, and either egg noodles or rice. Lucky for me, my husband thinks that’s cooking!
Good cooking can often involve creating a very non-nutritious meal!
I’m with Laura and Linda. Dumping a bagged salad in a bowl is definitely NOT cooking…
I had a boyfriend once who insisted that cooking meant applying heat to a foodstuff. If you nuked a bag of popcorn, that was cooking. There are many reasons he became an ex-boyfriend, and that is one of them.
Oh my word. I think you were wise on that point, Kristin. I have so many no-heat recipes running through my head right now. Some are downright cumbersome! I dare anyone to tell me I’m not cooking just because I don’t turn on the stove!
Ahem.
hello – I am a fellow Delvin Farms CSA’er… for the past 5 years have had the most wonderful, inspiring, colorful palette of ingredients for my cooking & eating pleasure… fresh beets, for instance… stir-fry the greens, roast the beets whole to bring out the sweetness, boil for borscht…
check out my blog for more details!
http://blog.audreysdream.org
:)dv