The Joy of Cooking

others in the Renaissance in England and Italy? Based on the cookbooks, letters, and books of the time period, the importance of food is illustrated through the countless amounts of discussion about the topic and the emphasis placed on cooks of royalty or people like the pope. One of the most popular cookbooks from the Renaissance is the Opera dell’arte del cucinare, written by Bartolomeo Scappi in 1570. At the beginning of the book, is not only a section dedicated to introducing the author, but a large portrait of the author that takes up an entire page (Scappi 5). Located at the end of the book are also illustrations that show what the kitchen of the Vatican looked like in 1570 (Scappi 925). It’s not just one room that’s dedicated to cooking though, but several. Each room seemed to have a dedicated purpose. The first was the chef’s room and, judging from the supplies in the room, seemed like it could do a little bit of everything, much like a chef would be expected to (925). The second also had a lot in it, but also had a lot of people, implying that these people were not as important as the chef that had a room to himself (926). The third seemed to be a slaughterhouse from the dead animals that hung on the walls, and the fourth was a very simple room needed for making things like flour and butter (Scappi 927 – 928). All of this is important because it shows the time and effort that people put into making food. If people in the Vatican did not care about food, then they…

of my element, it is meditative. It is a work like no other. When I cook or bake I am focused on the goal of created something good for myself because I love food. This is enough on its own, however it also allows me to feed people I love. I want to make them happy too. I want the food to comfort them the same way it comforts me. So, in a way, it also allows me to do another thing that I enjoy, which is care for other people. Last, it connects me to some of the better moments of my past. I spent…

This poem written by Elaine Magarrell is about the speaker cooking her sister’s tongue and brother’s heart. She describes the layout vividly and appetizing, almost as if she was writing her own recipe book. However, there is more than just cooking in the poem. Magarrell lets the readers know that the poem was written in a sarcastic voice and used figure of speech throughout the poem. I believe Magarrell intentions is to let the reader know that the oldest son/daughter is sometimes aggravated by…

Brian Wansink and Collin R. Payne are both college professors that share a passion for researching the nutrition and science of food as well as the consumer satisfaction, eating behaviors and food psychology. In this reading, they teamed up to deliver a message regarding the increasing calorie intake and how they believe it contributes to the growing obesity rate. They compare the difference in the amount of calories versus portion size by using The Joy of Cooking cookbook over a span of 70…

In the poems “Home-Baked Bread”, by Sally Croft, and “The Joy of Cooking”, by Elaine Magarrell, the authors use the topic of cooking to describe different types of relationships between people. Both poems use many different types of devices and figurative language, such as metaphors and symbolism, to convey their true meaning and message to the reader. In “Home Baked Bread”, Sally Croft uses the simple topic of baking bread to describe a sexual relationship. She uses many figures of speech to…

Many people who have read "Babette's Feast" by Izak Dinesen do not take Babette's dinner into account as much as they should. The dinner Babette served was magnificent, and the only one who recognized it is the General because he had been cultured throughout the years. I believe that the dinner does not only represent the beauty one can make but also the way love can reappear and feel foreign to those around it. The way the General takes into account the effort and recognizes the love in the…

For Tita, preparing and serving food has always been a pleasure for her, as the rest of her life has been marked with pain. Her association with food is an escape from her daily miseries. “Likewise, for Tita the joy of living was wrapped up in the delights of food. It wasn’t easy for a person whose knowledge of life was based on the kitchen to comprehend the outside world” (Esquivel 7). Tita’s exuberance in life is confined to her kitchen, which is the only place she can express her emotions…

the Corinthians he writes, "there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. / if [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy" (1 Cor 12:25-26). Everyone brings what…

treasured the company of being present around. Up to now, I felt the value of life and family, as well as the effect from their presence every day in my life. My childhood days were filled with plenty of joy and comfort from my grandmother. She was probably in her sixty’s when she came to live with my mother and I, years after her husband was deceased. Like many rural Haitians of her generation, she didn’t have a birth certificate and could only vaguely recall, as…

Michael Feker is a passionate man who spreads that passion and joy of cooking and eating healthy meals through his roles as chef, restaurateur, television personality, culinary schoolteacher, culinary director and consultant, caterer, and cooking demonstration chef. A 27-year veteran in the restaurant industry, Michael dreamed about being in the kitchen since he was a child. Born in Persia, he's had the benefit of experiencing food from around the world - beginning in Switzerland where he…