EVALUATION ESSAY 1

Evaluation Essay

Michael Wilson

Student ID #000546637

May 15, 2016

Western Governors University

English Composition I – C455

EVALUATION ESSAY 2

It wasn’t that long ago that the notion of cooking as a hobby would have been laughable.

In fact, that would still be the case in many parts of the world today. Cooking is an essential task

performed in the daily lives of the majority of people on this planet, without which work would

not be accomplished, communities would not prosper and the basic mechanisms of regional

society would break down. Oddly, things seem to be much different for a relatively small number

of people in the more affluent, mostly western, developed nations. Something odd has happened

here for quite some time which has resulted in the fact that cooking no longer plays a central role

in our daily activities like it used to. These days, with an abundance of options for purchasing

prepared or “fast” food or simply “eating out”, it is not uncommon to find many people who not

only don’t cook on a regular basis, they actually have no idea how to do it at all (Holmquist,

2015). This situation didn’t come about solely because women went to work one day or couldn’t

wait to escape the confines of the kitchen. Rather, it appears they were more or less coaxed into it

by certain financial interests who wanted them to give up their cooking role after the end of the

Second World War. As cultural historian Laura Shapiro illuminates in her book Something from

the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America (Shapiro, 2004) women initially resisted these

attempts by the post WWII manufacturing establishment. You see there was a sense of moral

duty and responsibility that went along with cooking and caring for ones family at that time. But

large food processing and manufacturing interests were developed during the war and their

efforts were focused on making it possible to redirect their great capacity for producing,

preserving and transporting military rations into some new (essentially fabricated) domestic

market. How else could they make use of all of the over-capacity that had been created and

committed to keeping our troops fed over seas? With immense resources, technology and an

inexhaustible desire to profit, they eventually prevailed and convinced western “allied” nations
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to essentially allow these corporations to do the cooking for them. This has resulted in what

could pretty easily be argued to be a rather dubious public benefit, but nevertheless here we are.

As it turns out, however, cooking may not simply be some minor undesirable chore that can so

easily be discarded and outsourced without a second thought. In recent research, Harvard’s

Richard Wrangham (a biological anthropologist) has discovered that cooking is likely a central

evolutionary quality for we humans that actually distinguish us from the rest of life on this

planet. In his highly acclaimed book, Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human

(Wrangham, 2009), he explains that cooking is actually a part of our genetic makeup and

therefore cannot simply be ignored. If this is indeed true, then it may not be so surprising to learn

that there appears to be a revival, of sorts, happening in the west where people are once again

exploring cooking for themselves and their families and they finding it to be a very rewarding

hobby. Cooking, as we shall see, is a very beneficial hobby because it is incredibly creative, quite

economical, and it can provide highly nutritious food options.

To begin, it should be stated that the act of cooking is not nearly as mundane as one

might first assume. When considering the immense variety and cultural diversity inherent in

traditional international cuisines it becomes readily apparent that something very significant is at

work with regard to humanity’s relationship with their regional culinary customs. Cooking, like

medicine, is both an art and a science and like medicine, in even its most basic form it can heal

the sick and comfort the weary. It is believed that humans began cooking about 1.8 million years

ago (Wrangham, 2009), and while our unprecedented brain growth at the time is now beginning

to be attributed to this advancement, it is doubtful that man’s first cooks could ever have

conceived of what would become of those first tentative efforts of converting the raw into the

cooked. Today the ritual and creative depth with which we immerse ourselves in our collective
EVALUATION ESSAY 4

culinary expression is truly remarkable. The deceptively simple act of cooking is in reality

composed of a complex set of intricate interactions between flavors and textures, aromas and

heat, aesthetics and technique, physics and emotion; in the world of creative fine art, there is no

palate that is more replete. From the exotic flavors of the Far East to the familiar tastes of a

backyard barbeque, we inject our lives with this vibrant living palate in surprising and inventive

ways. Each culture has its own unique and distinguished features of culinary ingenuity and form.

Imagine for a moment the cuisine of China, of France or Mexico, Thai food, Moroccan or

Mediterranean, Italian or Russian. Each is fiercely unique and intricately creative and brings to

mind the exotic cultural identity of their respective magnificent civilizations. Some have literally

thousands of years of cultural creativity embedded in their cooking methods. In the act of

cooking, a lack of creativity results in bland and boring drudgery that cannot stand the test of

time or the patience of the diner. Cooking first and foremost can and should be considered an

expression of love, a creative and caring method of communication between friends and family,

cultures and humanity. In fact, it would not be too bold to say that there may be no more creative

way to express the human spirit than through cooking a meal in an attentive and loving manner

for someone you care for. This is the kind of creativity that the modern cooking enthusiast is

learning to capture and to share. It is what makes this hobby so rewarding.

As to the economics of a cooking hobby, much could be said either way. There are those

who are drawn to the exotic and have the resources to indulge those tendencies. They may be

more accurately described as gourmet cooking enthusiasts and their tastes and budgets can

become quite extravagant. Simply maintaining a sufficient wine cellar to accompany their

extravagant food choices would be enough to bankrupt many of us. There is a fine line here that

could easily be crossed where one abandons the love of cooking and enters the world of the pure
EVALUATION ESSAY 5

“foodie”. These folks are more interested in the impression that they make with friends and

family by pouring on the exotic for effect rather than demonstrating the their love for the creative

process of cooking from scratch. While those who love to cook also love to eat, the pure foodie

is simply a food-snob and does not rank well with those who actually love to create great food.

That said, the solid amateur/hobbyist cook is most certainly in the majority and what they have

discovered is that preparing a home cooked meal can offer the thrill of a creative achievement

while also providing a surprising savings on the monthly food bill. They also know that it is

surprisingly affordable to cook exceedingly high quality food with a little planning. Of course

when you have fast food and typical strip-mall restaurant food to compare to, there is really no

challenge. There are an abundance of studies and news stories that have been done that

demonstrate conclusively that eating out is much more expensive that eating at home

(Zinczenko, Noll, & Metz, 2014), (Tuttle, 2011). This principally has to do with the fact that a

meal cooked at home often has collateral benefits as well. A whole head of romaine lettuce for

last night’s dinner can be used in several different salads in the days that follow for example. So,

rather than making Lobster Thermidor or a Beef Wellington like a foodie would be inclined to, a

hobbyist would be more inclined to make a huge variety of great food and condiments for the

house that cost pennies on the dollar compared to store bought items. Mayonnaise and salad

dressings come to mind, as do salsas and hot sauces. Infused oils and horseradish sauce, herbed

butter and pate. Learning to make a hollandaise sauce, Crème fraîche, or a Bouillabaisse can lend

a lot of class to a meal and it actually costs very little. This is actually considered peasant food in

some parts of the world and it can all be done at home. In fact, it always was before faceless

multi-national corporations started cooking for everyone. Learning how to leverage what you

have on hand into a superb gastronomic experience is half the fun of taking up a hobby like
EVALUATION ESSAY 6

cooking. Making a pot of homemade soup or beans can last for days and be reimagined into a

variety of different and exciting meals during the week. If you are lucky enough to have a local

farmers market nearby, go get to know the venders. They often have deals for regular customers

and they always have the freshest and most wholesome food around. Check out your local China

town if you live in a city (nearly all large cities have them), check out the Latino markets as well.

They often sell great food at far less than your local super-mega-conglomatron. With a little

(very little) practice, you can feed you and your family dinner for a week on what it costs to go

to Applebee’s together one night.

Nutritious
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References

Holmquist, A. (2015, October 15). Americans Don’t Even Know How to Make Their Own Food

Anymore. Retrieved May 14, 2016, from

http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/americans-don%E2%80%99t-even-know-how-

make-their-own-food-anymore

McNight, C. (n.d.). The Price Difference Between Healthy Food & Fast Food. Retrieved May 17,

2016, from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/price-difference-between-healthy-food-fast-

food-11002.html

Shapiro, L. (2004). Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America. New York,

NY: Viking Press.

Tuttle, B. (2011, September 26). News Flash: A Healthy Home-Cooked Meal Costs Less Than

Fast Food. Time. Retrieved from http://business.time.com/2011/09/26/news-flash-a-

healthy-home-cooked-meal-costs-less-than-fast-food/

Wrangham, R. W. (2009). Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. New York, NY: Basic

Books.

Zinczenko, D., Noll, E., & Metz, J. (2014, January 22). Fast Food Versus Home-Cooked Meals.

Retrieved May 17, 2016, from http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2014/01/real-

money-fast-food-versus-home-cooked-meals/