“The dough for pie crust or biscuits… had to be neither too flabby nor too stiff; it was right when it felt right.” I couldn’t help but think about my grandma who has her own recipe for piecrust. As a matter of fact, last summer she taught me the “proper” way to make pie crust, which ended by two year boycott of homemade pie (At Thanksgiving a few years before I made three pies, all of which were terrible; luckily she was there and had a few pies to save dessert the most important meal of the year.) Any time I’m at her house she has a pie on hand and a few in her freezer downstairs.
The attention to detail in her cooking, along with the grandmother in Berry’s piece, is something I hope I am capable of one day. I don’t think many Americans, or at least younger Americans, have this culinary ability, which is tragic. Tragic because it has probably contributed to the growth in processed foods and knowing less and less about where our food comes from or even how to make certain foods.
Maybe if Americans paid more attention to the little details like the caramelized sugar on pie rust or the subtle flavor differences in maple syrup we would have a better relationship to food as a whole. Trying to understand the differences in something like maple syrup really forces an eater to slow down and appreciate what he or she is putting into their body: what is the difference? Why is there a difference? Maybe if I taste it again I will be able to better decipher the differences?
Again, time plays a key role in understanding the seemingly trivial components of food. An individual cannot rush through a wine tasting or sampling of maple syrup if he or she desires to truly appreciate that particular foodstuff. Furthermore, cooking or baking something with small details that really make a difference in a food item often time takes more time than one would think. Americans are always told we don’t have enough time, or that time is money, but that shouldn’t always be the case. We should invest more time into cooking and savoring flavors. Maybe it would force us to think about where our food comes from or other aspects that can really affect the flavor profile of a dish.
Recently, my employer was telling me the best way to get a consumer to enjoy a cherry is leaving the pits in; it forces the person to eat the pie slowly (so they don’t eat a pit), allowing the person to understand the way the pie tastes. She also said the same thing about fish with bones. Maybe making food a bit more of a hassle to eat is the key to making Americans think more about what is going into their bodies and where it comes from.
Lindsey,
I am very intrigued by your idea of adding a bit more “hassle” to the processes involved in consuming our food. Finding ways to get consumers to physically and mentally slow down their eating rituals is an important factor to include in the mending of our relationships with food. This reminds me of “Chewdaism,” a practice described by A. J. Jacobs in his book, “Drop Dead Healthy.” Chewdaism is the cute name for when you chew each bite of food 50-60 times (the recommended amount for optimum health and maximized nutrient absorption by the body).
It seems CRAZY to 21st century consumers to spend more than four or six chomps on a single forkful of food, so how can we create a new normal: a socially acceptable set of eating habits that include a value in decreased speed of consumption? Smaller utensils? The exclusive use of chopsticks? Let us begin to re-think our approach to food, so that we don’t see our lunch as something that needs to be stuffed in our face, but instead, a process of exploration and enjoyment.
I too find your point about making food a bit harder to eat very interesting. In fact, there’s a statistic saying that Americans eat 1 out of 3 meals in the car. This exactly shows the problem that many Americans don’t see the need to appreciate food that they are eating. In response to Camryn’s idea of the exclusive use of chopsticks, I have to admit that as I grew up using chopsticks, chopsticks really don’t slow you down. My mom always jokes that the meal takes a few hours to make, but takes less than 10 minutes for everyone finish eating.
I agree that knowing where our food comes from is important, but I think all of this is under the idea of appreciating the effort that goes into the dish. The farmers effort, our parents effort etc. Now that we don’t get to eat our mom’s home-cooked meal everyday, I’m sure everyone realizes how much they miss it. Like the sugary pie crust in Berry’s excerpt, these meals at home used to be taken for granted, but really, is an act of love and care. Everyone can make fried rice, they serve it at the dining halls; but what makes the difference for me is the person behind the counter, cutting, mixing and cooking.