What is ‘fancy food?’ Is cooking ‘from scratch’ a fancy means of preparation? Then again, what constitutes ‘cooking from scratch?’

To tell you the truth, there is actually an on-going debate over this idea of ‘cooking from scratch.’ My hero, Michael Pollan, wrote a great article for The New York Times Magazine on July 29th titled, “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch.” Like everything the man writes I highly recommend taking the time to read the article. Without giving the piece justice, let me summarize the premise of the article – why are Americans obsessed with television shows about food and cooking and yet never willing to cook a meal at home?

One of the issues that Pollan examines is the debate over cooking. In a historical context this term has taken on multiple meanings over time. Even today, what I consider cooking is totally different from my parents or some of my friends. What is striking about this particular issue is that how we define ‘cooking’ correlates with what we deem healthy meals. For example, if one were to make chicken noodle soup, some might not even have to cook to make the soup and others may spend an entire afternoon preparing the meal.

• Some folks might just go out and buy a can of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup.
• Another person might buy some broth in a box, a package of pasta, some cooked chicken and throw in some chopped-up veggies. Does the chopping of the veggies make the meal ‘from scratch?’
• A third party might have some leftover chicken stock on hand for the broth, maybe buys a package of noodles and throws in some chopped-up store-bought veggies too. Is this meal more ‘from scratch’ than the previous one?
• The last group might have some of that homemade stock, some previously cooked chicken, some homemade noodles or a package from the store and then the chopped-up veggies in the pot are from the cook’s personal garden.

These are all different versions of the same meal. Each of these options could be considered a homemade meal by any number of persons. Though, the deeper issue is determining which version is the healthiest. In my opinion the less transparent the ingredients the less healthy the meal. I do not consider this snobbery at all, rather I think this is fairly logical. What is ironic to me is that some people judge this rational as snobby or elitist. And yet, if we travel back in time or visit paupers in non-industrialized nations, we may find that people are not cooking from boxes or cans or any plastic packages. Are these people snobs or elitists?

At the moment I do not have a conclusive point. I think the issue of health is simple but the politics of food production complicates everything, as well as the government and the media, etc etc. For me, “fancy food” costs lots of money and has ingredients in other languages. But don’t hold me to this cause I think my opinions on the issue are varied and often contradictory.

What do you think constitutes ‘fancy food?’

Related posts:

1. The “hidden cost” of convenience
2. Chicken Stock
3. The Food Curriculum Project (part II) “The Menu”
4. The New Year (weekly menu 15)
5. Cooking Class Conundrum

Tags: cooking, Michael Pollan, Nutrition