Comments on: 30-Minute (Sabbath) Meals

By: Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster

Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:24:30 +0000

After Pollan’s article appeared, my husband keeps asking if what he is doing constitutes “cooking.” Toasting bread? Mixing milk into cereal? I finally explained that the difference was between cooking up a box of mac and cheese and heating up easy mac in the microwave….

For those people seeking French cooking, I love Patricia Wells’s Bistro Cooking–it happened to be the French cookbook kicking around when I got home from the movie, rather than the Julia Child, so we’ve been eating a lot of bistro food the past two weeks. It includes a lot of recipes that are kosher, even without tweaking, and a surprising number of vegetarian recipes. Not so helpful if you are vegan, though. A lot of the chicken recipes look great for Shabbat, as they are meant to be made in advance.

By: cynthia

cynthia — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:51:43 +0000

Another huge influence in getting people to cook from scratch has been the movie “Julie & Julia”. Everyone I know who has seen it (including me) has come home and pulled out their dog-eared copy of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and made something from it and the NY Times reported that the book has sold out in many bookstores. Yes. It’s full of butter and cream but Julia Child’s instructions are so meticulous, they can be transferred to any kind of cooking – including kosher.

By: Leah Koenig

Leah Koenig — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:59:18 +0000

Thanks Miri – I’m a big Ina fan too.

Thanks for sharing your post Julie.

Dory…hi! I think you are right that cooking is not the only problem – and I think that Pollan and other sustainable food folks are well aware that the lack of food access is a BIG (and likely bigger) problem. But I don’t think that means that articles like this one – inherent class bias and all – don’t serve an important purpose. / shouldn’t be written or taken seriously. He for sure could have been more explicit about his bias, however.

Thanks Jonathan – and I also really appreciated your post a couple of weeks back about Pollan’s piece, and the idea that enjoying cooking and being actively Jewish can surprisingly feel quite similar!

By: Jonathan B-K

Jonathan B-K — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:04:25 +0000

Nice post, Leah. I like especially how you addressed the issue of cooking and busy schedules – “we make time for the things that we love.”

By: dory

dory — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:27:32 +0000

A few months ago I met a woman from East New York was saying that the problem in so many lower-income neighbourhoods is not that people don’t know how to cook, it’s that they don’t have access to fresh food and decent grocery stores. For her community the “you will be healthier and save money if you learn to cook” was really patronizing–people KNEW this and KNEW how to cook, they just couldn’t get ingredients without shelpping all over the city.

So I wonder about the inherent class bias in articles like this one. Middle-class people cooking less is *a* problem, but not *the* problem.

By: Julie Steinberg

Julie Steinberg — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:34:15 +0000

Great piece. I have been thinking along very similar lines. It is distressing that people are so unfamiliar with cooking, and I suspect there is a larger sociological implication for this.

I recently had similar thoughts, also based on simple egg meals. http://cheznoonie.blogspot.com.....found.html

By: Miri Levitas

Miri Levitas — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:08:40 +0000

Great posting! I read Pollan’s article as well and had some of the same sentiments. Now that I think about it the Food Network did play a role in getting me off the couch and to the stove. I’m a big fan of Tyler Florence and Ina Garten!

By: Leah Koenig

Leah Koenig — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:29:06 +0000

Thanks Miriam! I’m also a big fan of Alton Brown – he’s the perfect, swoonable combination of dork and culinary buff. :)

–

I disagree Liz W. I think you’re right that there is too much “fat negativity” out there in the food movement, and that what people look like physically is not the point. That said, despite the studies you site, there are plenty more that link obesity with heart disease, diabetes and other serious health issues. Whether or not those health issues ultimately contribute to mortality is one thing – but they certainly lessen people’s quality of life.

So yes, it’s not about whether someone looks overweight, it is about whether or not they maintain a healthy lifestyle. And, by and large, people who cook for themselves with fresh, whole ingredients are healthier than people who eat mostly pre-packaged or convenience foods.

By: Liz W

Liz W — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:34:29 +0000

I really don’t think obesity should be a concern, in the light of the latest research which shows (confirming two previous studies) that “overweight” people have better longevity than “normal” people and “obese” people have equivalent or slightly better longevity. You can find the study at http://www.nature.com/oby/jour.....9191a.html and commentary on it at http://junkfoodscience.blogspo.....xcuse.html. I get really cheesed off by the fat-negativity in the food movement (especially as a recovering bulimic, for whom it can be triggering) and am seriously considering taking bloggers who do not take account of this research off my reading list.

By: Miriam

Miriam — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:41:52 +0000

Great article! I’d recommend Alton Brown’s books and series, Good Eats. His techniques have helped me master pancakes, challah and ribs.