PrintCooking with Kids: That's Entertainment
My father came over the other day to help me replace a bathroom faucet. It took four hours, two trips to the hardware store, and one trip to a French restaurant for lunch (croque-monsieur, baked eggs with gruyère). When we were done, we turned on the water and exchanged many high-fives. While washing my hands with the sparkling new faucet, I realized that the experience was a lot like cooking.
I've been teaching my daughter to cook, and it's gotten me thinking about why I cook. Iris, age 4, has been working on her stirring and flipping techniques. She's poured a whole bowl of beaten eggs onto the rug and made a very odd-looking pancake. And she loves it.
It bothers me when people say that everyone should learn to cook. Cooking doesn't make you a better person—just look at Marco Pierre White or Gordon Ramsay. Cooking doesn't make you more environmentally conscious or a good parent. For me—and most Serious Eaters, I bet—it's a form of entertainment.
But cooking is an especially powerful form of entertainment because it presents an endless series of problems that are challenging but not too challenging. Home maintenance fulfills the same role for a lot of people. Read David Owen's great book Sheetrock and Shellac and see if he doesn't remind you of Michael Ruhlman. When Owen went on for pages about the pros and cons of different countertop materials, I was riveted, even though I live in a rental apartment and don't expect to ever buy a Corian countertop. (Man, I really want one, though.)
So what I'd like to teach Iris in the kitchen is not that she has to be a good cook in order to be happy, but that when you have a problem like cooking in your life, it's hard to get bored. It could be plumbing, tennis, World of Warcraft, or whatever. If she's lucky enough to make a career out of a hobby like her dad did, awesome. As long as she doesn't end up like Gordon Ramsay.
About the author: Matthew Amster-Burton lives in Seattle. His work appears frequently in the Seattle Times and Seattle magazine. He also maintains the blog Roots and Grubs. His favorite food is pad Thai.
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13 Comments:
Matthew, I agree with you about cooking as entertainment. for me, it's a purely fascinating hobby. my husband does it for a living, and i live vicariously through him (i would never do it for a living myself, because 1) i don't have the patience, and 2) one of us has to pay the bills).
however, i have to defend Gordon Ramsay here. you have to watch more than "Hell's Kitchen" and the U.S. Kitchen Nightmares shows. Yeah, the man is an ass, but he's a passionate ass. you especially see this in episodes of "The F Word". he wants ordinary people to appreciate the value of a good meal made by themselves, and he gets pissy when they give up, open a can of beans and call it a day. you have to pat the man on the back for trying to get people back into their kitchens.
so yeah, i probably wouldn't want my future kids to scream and yell at people and get all red in the face and have a whole slew of tv viewers hate their guts, but at least he's got a vision, a reason to do it.
french tart at 10:51AM on 01/28/08
Matthew,
It's really great that you're teaching your daughter the joys of cooking. I think Adam Roberts had a really good introduction in his book touching upon why everyone should cook for themselves, and that's for the simple fact that when you're done you get to eat whatever it is you cook!
I think the end result was always a great motivator for me, whether it was keeping the cookbook open to the picture of that beautiful roast chicken I was trying (Bouchon cookbook) or remembering how great something tasted at a restaurant while trying to recreate the recipe.
I also wanted to take the chance to defend Gordon Ramsay. From watching his shows (especially the F word) and watching The Real Gordon Ramsay (or whatever it's called) I really believe in his passion and compassion outside of the kitchen, especially for his family. Sure, he may be an ass in the kitchen according to these shows, but the way he interacts with his wife, children, and guests on the shows also shows he has a light and funny side, as well.
Then again, one side or both may be "made for TV." I'll sure to tell you if I ever meet the guy or his family.
Until then, kudos on fostering on your daughter's learning!
Joseph Bayot at 11:06AM on 01/28/08
I hear what you're saying about Gordon Ramsay, and French Tart nailed it. It's not that I think chefs should have to be polite all the time--I just don't want to see my daughter yelling at people on TV. Not that this is a big danger.
mamster at 11:56AM on 01/28/08
cooking with kids reminds us of the time before we knew what we were doing, and the sheer joy of creation. my children learned because as a single mom I believed they had to have the skill. My grandkids learn for the sheer joy of doing things together, and now of creating.
good for you for bringing the joy to your daughter.
crismoon at 12:23PM on 01/28/08
I cook with my daughter because, as a moderately mentally retarded person, she doesn't read and I don't want her to watch too much TV. We have plenty of other things we can do together, but nothing satisfies like cooking. She needs the skill if she's going to live semi-independantly some day (our great hope for her). She loves to eat, and when you take the time to cook, you appreciate food for more than its taste and the feeling of being full. And it's a good way to teach "process"--that things don't just happen, they are created, and the process is interesting.
Overall, some mentally retarded people need stimulation, guidance and support in figuring things out. Cooking is easy that way. And, As Adam Roberts says, it does have a delicious outcome.
annien at 12:46PM on 01/28/08
Quite honestly, I cook with my daughter because when she cooks it, she'll eat it, no problem. I've taught cooking classes with 5 years who looked at the ingredients and said before we started cooking that no way would they eat that. Then, once we are done, they gobble it up - delicious healthful food that many had never eaten before like salad! They are always fully engaged and feel a sense of accomplishment because they can see and eat their results. Kudos for you for taking the time to do this with your daughter. It will not only give her a life long skill, a special time with her Dad that she'll always remember but a healthful appetite.
minsey at 2:21PM on 01/28/08
I don't think the reason people say "everyone should learn to cook" is because people think it makes you a better person -- it's so you will know you always have the option to cook. Especially in your early single days when you need to impress someone with homemade *something*, or you just need to save some money somewhere between going out to eat every night or eating ramen every day. It's good to have the knowledge stored in your repertoire.
Of course I'm not one to talk as the most recent post on my journal extols the virtues of Jiffy apple cinnamon muffin mix...
mschlock at 2:21PM on 01/28/08
I agree--I don't think people need to learn how to cook well to become good people, but I also don't think they should ignore the values of eating well and knowing what they're eating. I'm being idealistic, though. And I'd also like to join in with defending Ramsay. A lot of my cooking school classmates think the guy's an ass based on the first season of Hell's Kitchen, but there was the time he sent a contestant who he felt was dedicated and passionate about the profession to cooking school on his dime two seconds after he eliminated her. I can only base what I know on what I've seen on TV, but it hasn't all been yelling rages--there's mostly an earnest and open love for the profession, quality food, and A-1 and dependable performance in the kitchen.
OneWallKitchen at 2:23PM on 01/28/08
Yeah, I mean, you need to learn to cook for the same reasons you need to learn to do laundry and change a tire--otherwise you'll go through life not knowing how to care for yourself, which is sort of sad. Whether or not you choose to exercise your cooking ability, well, that's a different story.
audrey at 4:47PM on 01/28/08
annien---Thank you for sharing your perspective. Your daughter is very fortunate to have your guidance, support & love...but I'm probably guessing that she provides all of those same things for you!
JEP at 6:01PM on 01/28/08
annien, that's really inspiring. Thanks for sharing, and for using the word "process," which I think is what I was shooting for.
audrey, I have to disagree. Where do you draw the line? I know how to cook and do laundry, but not change a tire. I can fix a computer, most of the time, but I wouldn't trust myself to fix a broken refrigerator--although it would certainly come in handy. How much auto maintenance knowledge is necessary? Just the tire, or the carburetor, too? People who work on cars as a hobby might say you're not really driving unless you can do both.
I'm not saying people shouldn't learn to cook or change a tire, but you can't learn to do everything, and it's not unreasonable--nor should it be shameful--to assume that you can rely on other people to do these things for you. Neither of them is the equivalent of putting on your own pants.
mamster at 6:42PM on 01/28/08
I cook with my son for so many reasons. I began cooking with him in his bouncy seat, as a way to involve him in my daily activities. He graduated from sniffing and touching to so much more. It has been the best way to get him interested in eating a variety of things. I know, just as Minsey said, that children are more inclined to eat what they cook. Aside from the wonderful sensory experience cooking provides, I am also able to share my sense of excitement about food with him. And although teaching him to cook may not be the key to "making him a better person" I think it will be fundamental in shaping his views about food and healthy eating, which I hope will serve him well throughout his life.
izzy's mama at 8:37PM on 01/28/08
I still remember the very first thing I ever "cooked." My 2nd grade class made butter (we took turns shaking the cream container) and ate it on matzo bread with jam. It was so delicious. And I was VERY proud of my contribution.
And yes, I do think that everyone should know how to cook. Not necessarily to be a great cook but just be able to handle the basic stuff. Not to make you a better person, because that's just stupid. No, it's to be reasonably self sufficient. That's really just a basic life skill .Plus, there's nothing attractive at all about a person looking at a head of garlic trying to figure out where the cloves are.
chisai at 1:22PM on 01/29/08