Paper 2 Draft 1
Connor Sirois
There are only three things on this whole earth that are necessary in order for humans to live. First, the air we breathe. Second, the water we drink. Lastly, the most complex and diverse of the three, food. When humans first populated the earth, we ate like other animals. However, as we have evolved, our eating habits have changed from eating natural berries and fruits, to growing vegetables, and the finally cooking. When the art of cooking was first discovered, the object of food took on a whole new meaning. Food was now more than a eat or die mentality, it allowed us to treat and grow bonds with our family in friends, it was something to have a discussion over, it held values different to everyone around it. This was the case for years, until recently when food is becoming less and less important to many.
While some of this transition is caused by the increasing amount of time spent at work, sporting events, and other everyday activities, a large part of the lessening importance is due to the media. Whether it’s through tv shows on the food network, advertisements on meal replacement products, or restaurant ads, the way in which the media is starting to portray cooking has created a mixed bag of meanings throughout society.
Personally, I just recently wrote an essay on the importance of a particular food’s impact on my life. My classmates, being placed with the same task, all share similar views in terms on the values food can withhold. Specifically, Emma Bryan, Eric Langland, and Madison Horne, each pointed out values such as traditions, love, and family. While these three authors all wrote about different foods, their message was similar.
Michael Pollan, who wrote the article “Out of the kitchen, Onto the couch”, talks more about this transition going on in the world of cooking. Pollan acknowledges the importance that food has to many people, but continuously shares throughout his writing that people are turning more to their couch, rather than their kitchen. This is the sad truth about the way society is changing, largely due to this increase in media.
BODY 1: Show chopped, paragraphs on that, melissa’s article potatoes
In Pollan’s write up in the New Yorker, he discusses how the Food Network portrays cooking to the viewers in a much different way. The food network, arguably one of the most watched television channels, is a leading cause of this transition. Some of the most popular shows, such as chopped, cake boss, and iron chef. Rather than teaching people how to cook, or how to decorate a cake, these shows are purely based off competition. These shows entail time limits, rules/restrictions, and often send chefs home feeling defeated. While this may attract viewers, it is taking away from the traditions cooking placed on our society. As Pollan talks about what the exact skills a viewer learns from watching a program, he states “The skills celebrated on the Food Network in prime time are precisely the skills necessary to succeed on the Food Network in prime time. They will come in handy nowhere else on God’s green earth”.
Contrast to Melissa potatoe article Body 2: These shows are bringing back the eat or die mentality, rather than celebrating the art of cooking.
Paper 2 Draft 2
How Media is Changing Food
There are only three things on this whole earth that are necessary in order for humans to live. First, the air we breathe. Second, the water we drink. Lastly, the most complex and diverse of the three, food. When humans first populated the earth, we ate like other animals. However, as we have evolved, our eating habits have changed from eating natural berries and fruits, to growing vegetables, and the finally cooking. When the art of cooking was first discovered, the object of food took on a whole new meaning. Food was now more than a eat or die mentality, it allowed us to treat and grow bonds with our family in friends, it was something to have a discussion over, it held values different to everyone around it. This was the case for years, until recently when food is becoming less and less important to many.
While some of this transition is caused by the increasing amount of time spent at work, sporting events, and other everyday activities, a large part of the lessening importance is due to the media. Whether it’s through tv shows on the food network, advertisements on meal replacement products, or restaurant ads, the way in which the media is starting to portray cooking has created a mixed bag of meanings throughout society.
Michael Pollan, who wrote the article “Out of the kitchen, Onto the couch”, talks more about this transition going on in the world of cooking. Pollan acknowledges the importance that food has to many people, but continuously shares throughout his writing that people are turning more to their couch, rather than their kitchen. This is the sad truth about the way society is changing, largely due to this increase in media.
Throughout Pollan’s write up in the New Yorker, he often discusses how the Food Network’s way of portraying cooking has changed over the last decade. Originally, shows such as Julia Child’s “French Chef” taught viewers that cooking can be both east and enjoyable. She taught people how to not only make cooking simple, but also the meaning that it can withhold. Julia Child’s had a type of courage that had not been seen much on live tv from a woman before. As Pollan states while describing this courage, “It was a kind of courage — not only to cook but to cook the world’s most glamorous and intimidating cuisine — that Julia Child gave my mother and so many other women like her, and to watch her empower viewers in episode after episode is to appreciate just how much about cooking on television —not to mention cooking itself— has changed in the years since “The French Chef” was on the air”. (Pollan 5). Take into consideration that television back then was shot from one camera, and was aired live on tv. There was no going back to fix mistakes, or cover something up. In the world of cooking, nothing is perfect, so for Julia Childs to even attempt to cook on live tv was an act that inspired many. Her meaning for cooking was to inspire others to do the same. This was a new idea of society, to allow food to hold such deep meanings would be something that would change society for years to come.
For years after Julia Child’s revolutionary show, food began to hold different, yet important values to nearly everyone. These values can vary from family to just about everything else. Recently, one of peers, Eric Langland, wrote an essay about his favorite food, and the meanings it entails for him. While on the topic of why his Mom’s “mac n cheese”, Eric states “‘Certain foods hold special meanings to all of us. This particular mac and cheese dish holds a special place in my heart because it reminds me of the holidays and spending time with family. These are joyful memories, times that I look forward to each and every year.” (Langland 2). For Eric, food is a symbol for the times he spent with family on special occasions. These are memories he will never forget, and that have played a crucial part in who he is today. Expanding on this idea, it is the same for many others too. Everyone has a certain meaning from a special meal. No matter the meaning, or what the food stands for, this idea has certainly changed the way we humans interpret food.
However, over the last decade, the Food Network has transitioned to a action channel, resulting in a new representation of food’s meanings. Some of the most popular shows, such as chopped, cake boss, and iron chef are all full of new values that have transformed the meaning of cooking to many people. Being one of the most popular television channels, the impact it can have on people is large. Rather than teaching people how to cook, or how to decorate a cake, these shows are purely based off competition. These shows entail time limits, rules/restrictions, and often send chefs home feeling defeated. While this may attract viewers, it is taking away from the traditions cooking placed on our society.
Again referring back to Michael Pollan’s writing, he talks about what the exact skills a viewer learns from watching a program, he states “The skills celebrated on the Food Network in prime time are precisely the skills necessary to succeed on the Food Network in prime time. They will come in handy nowhere else on God’s green earth”. (Pollan 9).
Contrast to Melissa potatoe article
These shows are bringing back the eat or die mentality, rather than celebrating the art of cooking.
Paper 2 Final Draft
Connor Sirois
Professor Miller
ENG110H2
31 October 2018
How Media is Changing Food
There are only three things on this whole earth that are necessary in order for humans to live. First, the air we breathe. Second, the water we drink. Lastly, the most complex and diverse of the three, food. When humans first populated the earth, we ate like other animals. However, as we have evolved, our eating habits have changed from eating natural berries and fruits, to growing vegetables, and the finally cooking. When the art of cooking was first discovered, the object of food took on a whole new meaning. Food was now more than a eat or die mentality, it allowed us to treat and grow bonds with our family in friends, it was something to have a discussion over, it held values different to everyone around it. This was the case for years, until recently when food is becoming less and less important to many.
While some of this recent transition is caused by the increasing amount of time spent at work, sporting events, and other everyday activities, a large part of the lessening importance is due to the media. Whether it’s through tv shows on the food network, advertisements on meal replacement products, or restaurant ads, the way in which the media is starting to portray cooking has created a mixed bag of meanings throughout society. Once being used as a basis for an instructional show, cooking is now merely based of competition and entertainment.
Michael Pollan, the author of “Out of the kitchen, Onto the couch”, wrote an article on this new idea of change in the food world. Pollan acknowledges the importance that food has to many people, but continuously shares throughout his writing that people are turning more to their couch, rather than their kitchen. This is the sad truth about the way society is changing, largely due to this increase in media. Throughout Pollan’s write up in the New Yorker, he often discusses how the Food Network’s way of portraying cooking has changed over the last decade. Originally, shows such as Julia Child’s “French Chef” taught viewers that cooking can be both easy and enjoyable. She taught people how to not only make cooking simple, but also the meaning that it can withhold. Julia Child’s had a type of courage that had not been seen much on live tv from a woman before. As Pollan states while describing this courage, “It was a kind of courage — not only to cook but to cook the world’s most glamorous and intimidating cuisine — that Julia Child gave my mother and so many other women like her, and to watch her empower viewers in episode after episode is to appreciate just how much about cooking on television —not to mention cooking itself— has changed in the years since “The French Chef” was on the air”. (Pollan 5). Take into consideration that television back then was shot from one camera, and was aired live on tv. There was no going back to fix mistakes, or cover something up. In the world of cooking, nothing is perfect, so for Julia Childs to even attempt to cook on live tv was an act that inspired many. Her meaning for cooking was to inspire others to do the same. This was a new idea of society, to allow food to hold such deep meanings would be something that would change society for years to come.
For years after Julia Child’s revolutionary show, food began to hold different, yet important values to nearly everyone. The values are limitless. Recently, one of peers, Eric Langland, wrote an essay about his favorite food, and the meanings it entails for him. Discussing the value of his Mom’s “mac n cheese”, Eric states “‘Certain foods hold special meanings to all of us. This particular mac and cheese dish holds a special place in my heart because it reminds me of the holidays and spending time with family. These are joyful memories, times that I look forward to each and every year.” (Langland 2). For Eric, food is a symbol for the times he spent with family on special occasions. These are memories he will never forget, and that have played a crucial part in who he is today. Expanding on this idea, it is the same for many others too. Everyone has a certain meaning from a special meal. No matter the meaning, or what the food stands for, this idea has certainly changed the way we humans interpret food. These meanings have been associated with food for years now, but another change is at our doorstep.
Over the last decade, the Food Network has transitioned to a action channel, resulting in a new representation of food’s meanings as well. Some of the most popular shows, such as chopped, cake boss, and iron chef are all full of new values that have transformed the meaning of cooking to many people. The media is taking over people’s lives. Food Network is no longer teaching people how to cook, rather hooking them to the tv, and persuading them with advertisements. As Pollan sarcastically states in his essay, “On a commercial network, a program that actually inspired viewers to get off the couch and spend an hour cooking a meal would be a commercial disaster, for it would mean they were turning off the television to do something else”. (Pollan 11). Rather than teaching people how to cook, or how to decorate a cake, these shows are purely based off competition. We as humans’ are naturally attracted to food, whether it be cooking it or eating it. The media is now abusing this aspect of competition against human nature, causing people to be glued to the tv, not getting off the couch.
As more and more people are spending more time on watching tv, the art of cooking is being lost. Advertisements on TV hook people into ordering items online, allowing them to spend more time on the couch. Whether it’s actual meals being bought online and delivered to the doorstep, or premade food products that make cooking as simple as clicking microwave buttons. These products are in direct correlation to the loss of the important values of which food can hold. For example, Madison Horne, the author of “Mashed Potatoes”, wrote about how her grandfather would be disgusted with the idea of premade food. Discussing the idea of box potatoes, Horne states both “mashed potatoes are not powder sealed in a plastic pouch collecting dust on the top shelf of aisle 8 where dry, preservative-loaded food in the grocery store sadly resides” and “My grandfather would not even refer to that space food as mashed potatoes.” (Horne 4). Madison’s grandfather is the perfect example of the changing values of food. He grew up in a time where food was treasured, and nearly every meal was homemade. Cooking shows, such as Julia Child’s, taught people how to actually make food. He took pride his is mashed potatoes, and the idea of expediting the process of making them was more of a disgrace than a convenience. However, for people nowadays, decreasing the time to do anything is a priority, even with the quality decreasing. The value of a homemade meal made from scratch is decreasing, as values such as speed and competition are increasing.This a prime example of how media has changed people’s perceptions on food.
Again, not only are people losing the need to get off the couch and cook, but they are also not learning the skills necessary to do so. New Tv shows entail time limits, rules/restrictions, and often send chefs home feeling defeated. For example, in the television show chopped, if you are not the chef who can throw together numerous random ingredients and create some edible concoction, you will be “chopped” from the show. Referring back to Michael Pollan’s writing, he talks about what the exact skills a viewer learns from watching a program, he states “The skills celebrated on the Food Network in prime time are precisely the skills necessary to succeed on the Food Network in prime time. They will come in handy nowhere else on God’s green earth”. (Pollan 9). As Pollan points out, the skills displayed through the media are more often skills for acting rather than cooking. There are very few scenes promoting actual cooking skills, which is a first hand example of how media is placing a new lense for us to see cooking through. As the importance of cooking skills decreases, this is a lost art for many. However, for Emma Bryan, who wrote an essay on her favorite food, this is not the case. Describing how to make her favorite pasta dish, Emma wrote “Things that aren’t actually a part of the recipe, but I love to add in are a dash of garlic powder and some freshly grated parmesan cheese. This recipe is a big part of my life. I remember each and every step by heart and definitely don’t need the recipe in front of me while I’m cooking”. (Bryan 5). For Emma, part of the value of this special dish is actually cooking it. The process of cooking the pasta, and slicing the ham is what holds value for Emma. If the media continues to promote competition rather than the skills necessary to cook, people like Emma could be left as the only people with the skills to prepare a home cooked meal.
Over the last decade, the way the media has impacted cooking is enormous. Not only has it changed they ways in which people consume food, but also the values they store within it. Food is transitioning back to something placed with an “eat or die” mentality, both through shows such as chopped, and meal replacement products such as soylent. As more and more people begin to be swept up by the media’s advertisements, the number of people abandoning the art of cooking will continue to skyrocket. Shows such as the French Chef, or any other instructional cooking show, will be nothing but history. Competition shows are now the creme of the crop, attracting new viewers, and transforming old ones. Overall, this change is true for much more than food as well. The media has changed just about everything we do, from the way we cook, to the way we dress, we are in the process of new era of values.
