Cooked: A Natural History Of Transformation (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
I listened to the audio version of this book on a road trip.While I was a bit overwhelmed with the long discussions of minute details of food preparation, I did enjoy the thought provoking statistics and motivational discussion of the health benefits of cooking at home.This was a great book for audio, since I could space out for a few minutes and when I tuned back in they were still talking about bread for example - no need to worry about missing an important plot twist. Michael Pollan is an excellent writer, I really enjoyed his character descriptions. Although he is a likable narrator and would make a great friend, he does tend to run on a bit at times, a habit he himself acknowledges in the text!I feel like a better, more informed person after listening to this book. The book was not titillating, but it did leave me with a desire to ferment something. First thoughts: Another solid food book by Michael Pollan, though this one didn't hold my interest as much as his previous books. I liked how he split it into sections (Fire, Water, Air, Earth), but found that if I wasn't interested in the exact thing he was cooking, I started to skim.Where I read: in between making chicken noodle soup (from a whole chicken), pumpkin bread, and lots of fall salads.Favorite quotes (and basically my thoughts about cooking):"...most cooking manages to be agreeably absorbing without being too demanding intellectually. It leaves plenty of mental space for daydreaming and reflection." -p19"In a world where so few of us are obliged to cook at all anymore, to choose to do so is to lodge a protest against specialization--against the total rationalization of life. Against the infiltration of commercial interests into every last cranny of our lives." -p22"To cook for the pleasure of it, to devote a portion of our leisure to it, is to declare our independence from the corporations seeking to organize our every waking moment into yet another occasion for consumption." -p22"...the not-cook option means that people can also, for the first time, choose to cook purely for the pleasure of doing it." -p130-131"The more time a nation devotes to food preparation at home, the lower its rate of obesity." -p192"You want Americans to eat less? I have the diet for you. Cook it yourself. Eat anything you want--just as long as you're willing to cook it yourself." --Harry Balzer, p193"After a week in front of the screen, the opportunity to work with my hands--with all my senses, in fact--is always a welcome change of pace." -p195"It seems to me that one of the great luxuries of life at this point is to be able to do one thing at a time, one thing to which you give yourself wholeheartedly. Unitasking." -p195FIRE: barbecue pork. Interesting, but not something I'll ever make.WATER: stews, braises, and soups. All me right here--these are the recipes I can make with my eyes closed.AIR: bread. Makes me want to try my hand at bread baking.EARTH: ferments, pickles, alcohols. These are the foods of my people, but again, not something I think I'll ever make.Final thoughts: Cooked raised my curiosity for the history of the way foods are made. It makes me proud to be a cooker/comfortable in the kitchen.
What do You think about Cooked: A Natural History Of Transformation (2013)?
Stop complaining and just read the book. And then go make some bread.
—Shelby
As always, informative and entertaining.
—donna
What can I say...It is michael pollen
—Booky_gurl22
