Comments on: Is Cooking a Jewish Issue? http://jcarrot.org/is-cooking-a-jewish-issue Jews, Food, and Contemporary Issues Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:20:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jennifer http://jcarrot.org/is-cooking-a-jewish-issue/comment-page-1#comment-18611 Jennifer Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:39:13 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/?p=8289#comment-18611 Jonathan, I really enjoyed this piece and have been trying (as a non Jew) to revive and hopefully master 'Jewish style' cooking at home for my reform husband and our children. It is important to keep this cuisine alive for current and future generations, and I find it's history fascinating. It's been an interesting journey, especially this past weekend! My hat is off to anyone who still plucks their own chickens. That's awesome. I tried my hand at chullah this weekend. Even though I am not Jewish (lapsed Anglican) preparing to feed a crowd on Rosh Hashannah became a great opportunity to talk about food traditions with the kids. And... the joys of making things from scratch. Perilous though it was. If you are so inclined to read about it: http://www.cooklikeayenta.wordpress.com Happy eating, Jennifer Jonathan,

I really enjoyed this piece and have been trying (as a non Jew) to revive and hopefully master ‘Jewish style’ cooking at home for my reform husband and our children. It is important to keep this cuisine alive for current and future generations, and I find it’s history fascinating.

It’s been an interesting journey, especially this past weekend!

My hat is off to anyone who still plucks their own chickens. That’s awesome. I tried my hand at chullah this weekend. Even though I am not Jewish (lapsed Anglican) preparing to feed a crowd on Rosh Hashannah became a great opportunity to talk about food traditions with the kids. And… the joys of making things from scratch. Perilous though it was.

If you are so inclined to read about it:

http://www.cooklikeayenta.wordpress.com

Happy eating,

Jennifer

]]> By: Felisa http://jcarrot.org/is-cooking-a-jewish-issue/comment-page-1#comment-17710 Felisa Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:29:05 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/?p=8289#comment-17710 Cooking is something that families, communities did together to nourish their bodies, their cultural bonds pretty much until the 2nd half of the 20th century. Now it seems, that, in general, cooking is a lost art. Most people do not cook. Jews are just as guilty of buying prepared foods. If we are to be part of a new Jewish food movement that re-connects us to ancient roots and traditions, we should encourage each other to get back in the garden and in the kitchen. Cooking is something that families, communities did together to nourish their bodies, their cultural bonds pretty much until the 2nd half of the 20th century. Now it seems, that, in general, cooking is a lost art. Most people do not cook. Jews are just as guilty of buying prepared foods. If we are to be part of a new Jewish food movement that re-connects us to ancient roots and traditions, we should encourage each other to get back in the garden and in the kitchen.

]]> By: Alan http://jcarrot.org/is-cooking-a-jewish-issue/comment-page-1#comment-17591 Alan Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:02:16 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/?p=8289#comment-17591 Jonathan, Thanks for highlighting the myriad ways food and it's preparation are meaningful to the Jewish people. For me: food creation + friends/family = memorable and valued experiences. Jonathan,
Thanks for highlighting the myriad ways food and it’s preparation are meaningful to the Jewish people. For me:

food creation + friends/family = memorable and valued experiences.

]]> By: Cincinnati Paula http://jcarrot.org/is-cooking-a-jewish-issue/comment-page-1#comment-17590 Cincinnati Paula Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:21:03 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/?p=8289#comment-17590 Huh? My stats: Have been married for 26 years TODAY! (to the same great guy I started with) We count among our friends, all in our 50's, many excellent cooks, most of whom are Jewish. Our microwave has always been mostly used for heating things, like melting butter or chocolate chips, reheating coffee I have never had a "Hot Pocket" pass my lips. Our children are all great cooks, they come to all of us (their own parents and "chosen parents" in our neighborhood "shtetl") and ask us to teach them how to make specific things that they've eaten over the years....we even have a cookbook in our Havurah and one of our own is attending culinary school. Cooking is dying? Not in our world.... Huh? My stats:

Have been married for 26 years TODAY! (to the same great guy I started with)

We count among our friends, all in our 50′s, many excellent cooks, most of whom are Jewish.

Our microwave has always been mostly used for heating things, like melting butter or chocolate chips, reheating coffee

I have never had a “Hot Pocket” pass my lips.

Our children are all great cooks, they come to all of us (their own parents and “chosen parents” in our neighborhood “shtetl”) and ask us to teach them how to make specific things that they’ve eaten over the years….we even have a cookbook in our Havurah and one of our own is attending culinary school.

Cooking is dying? Not in our world….

]]> By: Naf http://jcarrot.org/is-cooking-a-jewish-issue/comment-page-1#comment-17529 Naf Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:29:47 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/?p=8289#comment-17529 I catch, kill, pluck, eviscerate, soak and salt chickens each week for shabbos... With my fiance' Anna's help. Are we crazy? I catch, kill, pluck, eviscerate, soak and salt chickens each week for shabbos… With my fiance’ Anna’s help. Are we crazy?

]]> By: Sue Fendrick http://jcarrot.org/is-cooking-a-jewish-issue/comment-page-1#comment-17256 Sue Fendrick Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:06:24 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/?p=8289#comment-17256 Not to state the obvious, but...Shabbat is a great counterweight to the trend in the direction of not-cooking. We might eat like crap during the week, but on Shabbat, we eat full meals, with dishes that we have cooked. Jonathan...I just want to thank you for some of the loveliest Jewish experiences and memories of being at your and Maia's apartment (before and after the onset of couplehood!), with joyfully and beautlfully prepared food at their center. It was definitely role-modeling for me. Not to state the obvious, but…Shabbat is a great counterweight to the trend in the direction of not-cooking. We might eat like crap during the week, but on Shabbat, we eat full meals, with dishes that we have cooked.

Jonathan…I just want to thank you for some of the loveliest Jewish experiences and memories of being at your and Maia’s apartment (before and after the onset of couplehood!), with joyfully and beautlfully prepared food at their center. It was definitely role-modeling for me.

]]> By: Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus http://jcarrot.org/is-cooking-a-jewish-issue/comment-page-1#comment-17239 Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:11:39 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/?p=8289#comment-17239 Part of cooking's original appeal for me was that it is "odd", that it's counter-cultural, particularly for me as a guy who liked to cook domestically. I didn't anticipate it becoming "odd" as in being a kind of creative anachronism, but in that way it's like being Jewish in the 21st century. ;-) And Nina, thanks. I agree that being in the jcarrot /foodie world kind of skews our perspective. My wife pointed out that most of our social circle cooks. But I also worry not just about eating out as an alternative to cooking (just tonight we took a break from cooking to have fish and chips on RI waterfront), but more about the attenuation of what passes for cooking at home. Zapping a Hot Pocket in the microwave cooking in the sense we and Michael Pollan are talking about. The microwave, like the desktop computer, is a mixed blessing. Yes, both make many tasks more convenient in our busy day, but both also are delivery systems for addictive, corporate-driven products that are healthy neither for our bodies or our souls. Part of cooking’s original appeal for me was that it is “odd”, that it’s counter-cultural, particularly for me as a guy who liked to cook domestically. I didn’t anticipate it becoming “odd” as in being a kind of creative anachronism, but in that way it’s like being Jewish in the 21st century. ;-) And Nina, thanks. I agree that being in the jcarrot /foodie world kind of skews our perspective. My wife pointed out that most of our social circle cooks. But I also worry not just about eating out as an alternative to cooking (just tonight we took a break from cooking to have fish and chips on RI waterfront), but more about the attenuation of what passes for cooking at home. Zapping a Hot Pocket in the microwave cooking in the sense we and Michael Pollan are talking about. The microwave, like the desktop computer, is a mixed blessing. Yes, both make many tasks more convenient in our busy day, but both also are delivery systems for addictive, corporate-driven products that are healthy neither for our bodies or our souls.

]]> By: Jonathan of Wasted Food http://jcarrot.org/is-cooking-a-jewish-issue/comment-page-1#comment-17238 Jonathan of Wasted Food Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:40:13 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/?p=8289#comment-17238 There will continue to be some people who cook--like you and me--even when it's considered odd. Just as there are some who still grow and slaughter their own chickens. And write letters. Nina, on your point that people still go food shopping even though they might not find the time to cook--that's what I'm sayin! You've hit on a significant cause of food waste in our culture. Hopefully, we'll adjust our shopping according to how often we cook. There will continue to be some people who cook–like you and me–even when it’s considered odd. Just as there are some who still grow and slaughter their own chickens. And write letters.

Nina, on your point that people still go food shopping even though they might not find the time to cook–that’s what I’m sayin! You’ve hit on a significant cause of food waste in our culture. Hopefully, we’ll adjust our shopping according to how often we cook.

]]> By: Nina http://jcarrot.org/is-cooking-a-jewish-issue/comment-page-1#comment-17236 Nina Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:15:59 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/?p=8289#comment-17236 Great post Jonathan. Maybe it's partly being in the world of The Jew and The Carrot and the green market so much, but people seem to be at least, buying food to cook, if perhaps not always cooking it. Of everyone I know, which is certainly not a wide sampling of America, there's only one person among my friends and acquaintances who eats out much more often than he cooks at home, and he works for menupages. I'm not completely sure I buy cooking becoming a thing of the past. Great post Jonathan. Maybe it’s partly being in the world of The Jew and The Carrot and the green market so much, but people seem to be at least, buying food to cook, if perhaps not always cooking it. Of everyone I know, which is certainly not a wide sampling of America, there’s only one person among my friends and acquaintances who eats out much more often than he cooks at home, and he works for menupages. I’m not completely sure I buy cooking becoming a thing of the past.

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